A VISION FOR NEW JERSEY’S WORKFORCE

Section 4.

POLICY Development and Strategic Planning

Since its inception, the State Employment and Training Commission (SETC) has produced a number of plans, policy documents and white papers that have not only guided the work of the SETC but have significantly influenced the direction of the State as a whole in addressing workforce development, economic development, education and other related issues. Indeed, the SETC’s primary tool for impacting the Workforce Investment System statewide is its ability to research, analyze and communicate about key issues related to increasing the overall skill level of New Jersey’s workforce and in the development of cogent strategies to address them.

The SETC’s planning process does not happen in a vacuum. New Jersey and the SETC recognize that the SETC alone cannot implement the changes necessary to systematically and continually ensure workers are prepared to meet the skill needs of business. In addition, workforce development is one of many foundational elements to building a healthy economy in New Jersey. Thus, it is essential that the SETC engage in planning processes that are both internal and external: internal planning to guide the actual work of the SETC committee members; and, external planning to support and influence the broader work of the State.

SETC policy analysis and development has had a profound influence on New Jersey’s workforce landscape. As a result of the White Paper, New Jersey in Transition: The Crisis of the Workforce (described below), the Governor charged the Department of Labor and Workforce Development with the responsibility of overseeing all programs and activities designed to help workers gain literacy and occupational skills. This includes several programs that had previously been administered by the State Departments of Education and Human Services. The State legislature endorsed this action in 2004. Truly, the consolidation effort has allowed the State to provide a more comprehensive integrated approach to working with businesses and workers.

The SETC was also responsible for analyzing New Jersey’s growing adult literacy issues and for making adult literacy a top priority for the State. As a result, New Jersey’s One-Stop Career Centers are the only Centers in the nation to provide statewide, coordinated literacy services housed in each comprehensive One-Stop Career Center. In addition, each local WIB must have an active Literacy Council with responsibility for developing and implementing literacy strategic plans and ensuring that their communities have access to the literacy services they need to access local jobs. (Additional information on the impact of SETC planning and policy guidance can be found in the SETC 2002-2003 Progress Report which can be viewed at the SETC website—www.njsetc.net.)

Planning Processes

In the past few years, four planning processes have provided the primary direction for the work of the SETC and for the direction of workforce development services in New Jersey.

New Jersey in Transition: The Crisis in the Workforce (2001)

This White Paper, New Jersey in Transition: The Crisis of the Workforce, articulates the economic imperatives for realigning all of New Jersey’s workforce investment programs and services into a high-performing Workforce Investment System. The paper outlines four primary strategies for better positioning the State’s Workforce Investment System to meet future workforce challenges:

The White Paper, New Jersey in Transition: The Crisis of the Workforce, was adopted in full by New Jersey’s Governor and was the catalyst for the State’s decision to consolidate all workforce investment programs into a single Department of Labor and Workforce Development. (See the attachments to Section 8 of this handbook for an Executive Summary.)

Strategic Plan for the New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission: Tomorrow and Beyond and the New Jersey SETC Operational Plan (2002, updated March 2005)

Based on the findings and approaches described in the White Paper, New Jersey in Transition: The Crisis of the Workforce, as well as through outreach to key stakeholders, the SETC developed and adopted its Strategic and Operational Plans as its roadmap. These plans lay out the SETC’s eight strategic priorities as well as strategies and specific work tasks for achieving these priorities. (Attached is the Operational Plan Update, a chart summarizing the progress toward implementing the operational strategies.)

Consolidation Planning Process (2003-2004)

Consolidation planning was a result of the White Paper and the State’s decision to consolidate all workforce related programs into a Single Department. Guidelines for local planning were developed at the State level. These planning process engaged local WIBs, One-Stop Partners and other key local stakeholders in developing a consolidation plan to describe how their local One-Stop systems would operate in a more integrated and cohesive manner.

To develop their Consolidation Plans, WIB areas convened One-Stop and community-based service providers to first describe their One-Stop system as it currently existed. This process was designed to help local areas gain a comprehensive picture of their present delivery of services and to identify those areas where there were problems or gaps in services.

In the second half of the Consolidation Planning process, WIBs and One-Stop Partners developed their plan for how the One-Stop Career Center would revise its service delivery structure. The goals were to better incorporate workforce services to individuals on public assistance into existing One-Stop systems, and to provide literacy services through the One-Stop Career Centers. This required One-Stop Career Centers to define common standards of service, common customer flow processes and better methods for communicating between agencies and departments.

WIBs and One-Stop Career Centers began to implement their plans in July 2004.

New Jersey One-Stop Workforce Investment System Unified State Plan (2005)

As an update to New Jersey’s 1999 Unified Plan, the 2005 Unified Plan is a U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) requirement. In preparing the 2005 Unified Plan, it became readily apparent that New Jersey has developed one of the more sophisticated Workforce Investment Systems in the nation. Indeed, we have developed a system that is in line with the key areas of emphasis identified by USDOL. (Attached is an analysis of how New Jersey’s strategies align to USDOL priorities.)

New Jersey’s Plan reaffirms the State’s commitment to its two overarching goals of establishing a unified Workforce Investment System and inculcating a demand-side approach to addressing workforce needs. It provides detailed information on the State’s approach to serving its business and job seeker customers, and describes a variety of local and State initiatives designed to develop a trained workforce to meet business skill requirements. It also includes an extensive discussion of New Jersey’s One-Stop Career Centers, its use of various workforce funding, and its performance measures and outcomes.

Targeted Policy Development

While the planning and policy documents described above provide overarching, system-wide guidance, various SETC committees have also conducted more targeted research and policy development. The work products of these committees have increased public and political awareness of critical issues facing New Jersey’s workforce. Several committee projects have led to changes in State policy.

© Adult Literacy in New Jersey: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century was developed in conjunction with the release of the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) report. The NALS report and the corresponding State Adult Literacy Survey report outline the severity of the literacy problem at the State and national levels, and clearly link literacy to earnings. Report recommendations are aimed at revitalizing programs and policies of the adult education and literacy systems, and making them more relevant to the needs of today’s families and workforce. This report was the catalyst for the establishment of the first Literacy Council in New Jersey.

© The Literacy Connection: Improving Adult Literacy in New Jersey describes the existing delivery system and highlights strategies to improve it. The report calls for State adult literacy providers to enhance accountability, expand the use of technology, coordinate across State and local entities, expand staff development, link school and workplace learning experiences, provide access to the world of work, expand gender awareness, and develop links between providers in the criminal justice system and those in the education system. As a result of this report, the New Jersey Legislature established a stream of funding to support the establishment of Workforce Learning Links in each Comprehensive One-Stop Center as well as to supplement literacy services within each local area.

© Balancing the Equation: A Report on Gender Equity in Education and Leveling the Playing Field: Removing Barriers for Women in New Jersey’s Employment and Training Programs both explore the challenges to women fully participating in the workforce and identify, in particular, the challenges within the Education and Workforce Investment System. The nation’s first State Gender Parity Council was established in response to this report.

Summaries of other SETC policy documents can be found in Section 8 of this handbook and the full reports can be found at the SETC’s website.

Analysis of New Jersey’s Strategies to USDOL’s Areas of Emphasis

New Jersey’s Overarching Goals

USDOL Priority: Demand-Driven Workforce Investment System

USDOL Area of Emphasis

Ø Prepare workers to take advantage of new and increasing job opportunities in high-growth, high-demand and economically vital industries.

Ø Have a firm grasp of their state and local economies.

Ø Utilize economic information and analysis to drive strategic investments and design effective service delivery systems.

Ø Partnership between the public workforce system, business and industry, education and training to implement a strategic vision.

Ø Effective use of the public workforce system at the national, state and local levels.

Ø Strategically invest and leverage resources.

Ø Allocate training dollars to provide the skills and competencies necessary to support business now and in the future.

Highlights of New Jersey Strategies

Ø Commission on Jobs, Growth and Economic Development.

Ø Coordination with the New Jersey Commerce, Economic Growth and Tourism Commission and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

Ø New Jersey Technology Council.

Ø Innovation and Urban Enterprise Zones coordinated to local WIBs and One-Stop Career Centers.

Ø Smart Growth.

Ø New Jersey Community College Compact.

Ø Clear understanding of the skill requirements of critical emerging industries as identified in a number of studies and projects.

Ø Demand-side study on 73 demand occupations.

Ø NJ NextStop website based on eight key industries and five emerging industries.

Ø $113m plus in leveraged funds in partnership with WIA.

Ø Customized job training—coordination with Business Employment Incentive Program.

Ø Small Business Development Centers.

Ø One-Stop Career Center Business Resource Centers.

USDOL Priority: System-Reform

USDOL Area of Emphasis

Ø Promote greater efficiencies in the workforce system by articulating administrative policies that encourage increased consolidation and integration of system infrastructure.

Ø Training focused on industries and occupations critical to the States economy.

Highlights of New Jersey Strategies

Ø 4-year concentration on consolidation of all “to work” programs and services.

Ø Creation of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Ø Integration of 18+ programs under One-Stop delivery system including TANF.

Ø State Interagency MOUs.

Ø System of Literacy including State legislated supplemental literacy funds.

Ø Adult Education and Literacy training tied to EFF standards.

Ø Significant investment in sector strategies with the telecommunications, warehousing, distribution, and retail skills centers.

USDOL Priority: Enhanced Integration through One-Stop Delivery System

USDOL Area of Emphasis

Ø Integration of full spectrum of workforce system assets to support human capital solutions for business, industry and individual customers.

Highlights of New Jersey Strategies

Ø Collocation of Partners in One-Stop Career Centers.

Ø Consolidation of all local “to work” programs.

Ø Comprehensive local One-Stop plans focused on integrated customer delivery, resource sharing agreements, common service standards, supported by data management and integrated reporting functions.

Ø Local Advisory Committees as part of the planning process.

Ø Minimum standards for One-Stop Job Seekers and Business Services and Bill of Rights.

Ø Certification of the One-Stop Career Centers.

Ø Future—Chartering of the One-Stop Career Centers.

Ø Business Resource Centers in comprehensive One-Stop Career Centers.

Ø Literacy Centers in comprehensive One-Stop Career Centers.

USDOL Priority: Serving Youth Most in Need

USDOL Area of Emphasis

Ø Alternative Education.

Ø Skills focused on needs of business.

Ø Services to neediest youth.

Highlights of New Jersey Strategies

Ø Governor’s Cabinet for Children; Youth Committee on youth most-in-need.

Ø MOU between DHS, LWD, and the Juvenile Justice Commission.

Ø Articulation Agreements for college credit for Apprenticeship Training.

Ø Youth Regional Summits.

Ø NJ Next Stop web site and Career Planning resources for youth.

Ø Investment in New Jersey Youth Corps for out-of-school youth.

Ø Youth transition services.

Ø Project STEP UP with students, teachers, and employers.

Ø High School Academies.

USDOL Priority: Stronger Workforce Information Systems

USDOL Area of Emphasis

Ø Embrace a wide array of data sources.

Ø Transform it into easily understood intelligence.

Ø New strategies for making information available to customers.

Highlights of New Jersey Strategies

Ø Strong LMI Unit in LWD.

Ø Demand-side Skill Assessment Project.

Ø Industry Research Projects.

Ø Workforce New Jersey’s Internet site, WNJPIN.

Ø Eligible Training Provider List.

Performance Accountability and Implementation of Common Performance Measures

USDOL Area of Emphasis

Ø Performance information available and easily understood by customers.

Ø Common performance measures (ETA).

Highlights of New Jersey Strategies

• AOSOS Consortium.

• Future Works.

• One-Stop Process Improvement Project.

• One-Stop Management Review Process.

• Consumer Report Card.

SETC Operational Plan Update Status March 2005

			Pending	Ongoing	Completed
Leadership and Governance
Leadership and Governance	Short-term goals	Insure passage of SETC legislation	√
		Transform SETC Board in line with legislation	√
		Conduct forums with WIB Chairs to discuss programs and policies			√
		Establish a workgroup for the development of WIB Standards and One-Stop Chartering			√
		Initiate the development of WIB Standards			√
	Mid-term goals	Develop orientation process for new WIB members necessitated by the change in SETC legislation
		Implement WIB standards	√

Marketing and Education	Short-term goals	Hold sixth annual SETC One-Stop Conference	√
		Update SETC Website		√	√
	Mid-term goals	Develop handbook for WIB Members