1. Policy Recommendations for Improving the Quality of the Existing Workforce
G. Evaluation of the Workforce Readiness System
IV. Next Steps
V. Appendices
Glossary
Executive Order No. 36
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
VI. Commission Members
Work has always been essential to the human experience. The nature of work is usually determined by the nature of the economy. A low-tech agricultural economy, for instance, will demand one kind of workforce, while a hierarchically organized industrial mass manufacturing economy will demand another. As the American economy shifted its focus from agricultural to industrial, severe dislocations occurred. In the late 19th century, during America's industrial revolution, dramatic changes took place that affected where people lived, who they worked for and the workplace skills they needed. In instances of great change, the nation has attempted to provide workers with the skills they needed to succeed: the land grant colleges of the 19th century and the trade schools of the 20th century were created to achieve this purpose.
As New Jersey enters the 21st century, it faces an era of enormous change that in some ways is more profound than that of previous generations. Deep changes in the labor market have affected the skills demanded of the workforce, while reduced job security has put a premium on the ability of workers to adapt to these circumstances. New Jersey and the nation must rethink the way the workforce is trained to ensure that dislocations are kept to a minimum and that the quality of life people have come to expect is realized.
The job market now and into the foreseeable future is one where the most important resources workers have are their workplace skills and their ability to learn new skills. Most people will change jobs five to seven times during their careers and, given the pace of organizational and technological change, be asked to upgrade their job skills on a continuing basis. In such an environment, it is crucial that the workforce readiness system adapt to this new reality.
The State Employment and Training Commission (SETC) envisions a future where the employment, training and education system is finely adapted to the demands of the labor market; workers are afforded work-based educational opportunities to constantly upgrade their skills; the labor exchange system offers easy accessibility to jobs, and schools have fully integrated workforce readiness proficiencies into their curricula. The SETC is committed to ensuring that the opportunity to be a productive worker is extended to those members of society - school dropouts, welfare recipients, minorities and women - who are too often prevented from reaching their full potential. To achieve these goals will require a dramatic transformation of the workforce readiness system into one that has as its core mission the needs of employers and employees. It is to this end that the SETC is committed and to which A Unified State Plan for New Jersey's Workforce Readiness System is dedicated. A Unified State Plan for New Jersey's Workforce Readiness System
This revision of A Unified State Plan for New Jersey's Workforce Readiness System (hereafter referred to as the Plan) is designed to update the policies and recommendations of the State Employment and Training Commission (SETC). The SETC is a public-private partnership authorized by statute to provide New Jersey with workforce readiness policies needed to ensure the State's success in an increasingly competitive economy. Five Cabinet officers from the Departments of Commerce and Economic Development, Community Affairs, Education, Human Services and Labor are members of the Commission.
The work of the SETC is animated by the realization that the importance of a skilled and flexible workforce has never been greater. This is because the American and world economies are undergoing transformations that are unparalleled in history. The revolution in communications, computers and production techniques overlays a world economy based on mutual dependence fueled by the free flow of information.
In such an atmosphere, it is vital for the nation and individual states to rethink the way the workforce is educated. The noted theorist of free markets, the economist Joseph Schumpeter, described the time we are experiencing as one of "creative destruction" where one economic system is replaced by a more innovative and efficient one. For almost a quarter of a century, in subtle and not so subtle ways, the American economy has been undergoing such a change. The indicators of this radical change are found everywhere: in large and small companies; in the rise of the Internet and Intranet; and, most critically, in the centrality of skills and education to economic success.
The Plan's policies seek to adapt to these changes by offering workers, students and those seeking employment the opportunity to enhance their skills to match the demands of the changed economy. Simultaneously, the Plan addresses the needs of employers by making the employment, training and education system more responsive to their needs. This Plan is holistic and seeks to connect disparate elements of that system into a knowable and articulated continuum of services, which bridges gaps that have traditionally separated institutions and programs, people and jobs.
The Plan calls for primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, proprietary and public vocational technical schools, state agencies and community-based organizations, businesses and government to function as part of a unified workforce readiness system designed to meet the needs of both workers and employers.
The Plan is divided into seven broad policy areas. The first two concentrate on the importance of collaborative policy development at both the State and local levels.
State Level Collaboration
At the State level, the Plan stresses the necessity of joint planning among the various workforce readiness state agencies within the framework established by the SETC. The Plan indicates that New Jersey has a strong tradition of interagency collaboration, but asserts that renewed efforts need to be made to ensure that this continues as block grant legislation is developed at the federal level. State government must speak with a single voice as it develops workforce policies and programs.
The SETC plays an important role in assuring that the private sector is fully integrated in the policy development process. The SETC serves as a catalyst for a public-private partnership at the State level by working with Cabinet officials and senior staff from the five workforce readiness departments and the Commission on Higher Education. This process helps build the kind of policy consensus and breadth of vision that is crucial for transforming the current workforce readiness system into one that will meet the needs of the next century.
Local Level Collaboration
The cooperative state planning and policy development process is augmented by the partnership with local Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs). These new local entities, created by Governor Whitman in Executive Order No. 36, are designed to mirror the collaborative process being developed at the State level. The partnership between state agencies and WIBs is consistent with New Jersey's goal of establishing a state-based and locally delivered workforce readiness system.
Workforce Investment Boards will determine whether the local workforce readiness system is meeting the needs of the labor market and customers. WIBs will engage in a process of program coordination, setting priorities, recommending resource utilization and ensuring that services are accessible to all those in need.
The collaboration among and between state and local agencies and the leadership role played by the private sector form the planning and policy- making infrastructure that will assist the Governor and the Legislature in meeting the needs of New Jersey's workforce and employer community.
In addition to creating a "culture of cooperation" in the workforce readiness community at both the State and local levels, the Plan discusses five key areas of substantive policy as follows:
New Jersey's Workforce Delivery System: One-Stop Career Centers
New Jersey's One-Stop Career Center system is designed to fundamentally change the way workforce readiness services are delivered. One-Stop Career Centers will integrate services sponsored by disparate agencies, provide for customer choice and universal access and be performance-driven.
The One-Stop Career Center system is best understood as an umbrella under which all workforce readiness and related programs function as if they were a single system. Hence, the physical location of programs is less important than
their connection to each other and their adherence to common procedures that makes access easier for the customer. Key recommendations in this section include:
Through Workforce Investment Boards, One-Stop Career Centers must work with economic development agencies to establish "turnkey" education, training and related operations for new businesses and for the retention of existing businesses.
The Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network (WNJPIN) Internet Home Page must be a source of information for all those involved in the workforce readiness system - the employer community, workers, students and those seeking employment, among others.
Staff from the key One-Stop Career Center and Community Link Network partner agencies must be well informed about each other s programs and policies. They should also be proficient in the use of and knowledgeable about information on Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network and other technological applications developed for the One-Stop Career Centers.
New Entrants to the Workforce
New Jersey is implementing a statewide School-to-Work Opportunities system that includes the entire educational system. In order for this initiative to succeed, the business and labor communities, students and parents, teachers and administrators must be deeply involved. This system is designed to teach students to value the work ethic and to integrate work skills with academic studies. The business community must be a partner in developing curriculum. Too often, school and work have been seen as separate realms; the purpose of the School-to-Work initiative is to bring them together.
By linking businesses with schools, youth will learn workplace skills such as teamwork and the ability to work cooperatively in a culturally diverse workplace. They will improve their academic skills and experience enhanced learning in a real world context. Thus, the business community will have an available workforce with both academic preparation and meaningful occupational skills. The following are some of the policies offered in the Plan:
Building on the Core Curriculum Content Standards, a new workforce curriculum must be developed that provides students from kindergarten through post-secondary levels with career education and makes available to all secondary school students a work-based, skill-oriented learning experience. This curriculum is an essential component of the School-to- Work Opportunities system.
The above referenced work-based experience should be available to all students. It can take the form of paid, unpaid, volunteer or community service, or entrepreneurial ventures, and should relate to the academic and occupational path, or career major, chosen by the student.
To address the mismatch between the exit requirements for high school and entry requirements for post-secondary education, all secondary schools should develop articulation agreements with post-secondary schools across a variety of subject areas.
The Unemployed, the Underemployed and Welfare Recipients
A sophisticated labor exchange system that meets the needs of dislocated workers, the underemployed and welfare recipients is among the highest priorities of the workforce readiness system. While training programs remain as an important option for the unemployed, work is the major aim of the employment and training reform agenda currently being developed at the federal level.
To meet the needs of dislocated workers, welfare recipients, and the underemployed, the following are some of the recommended policies:
The Departments of Labor and Human Services should explore the integration and consolidation of Work First New Jersey into the One-Stop Career Center system. This could include a single local access point and administration of services for career planning, labor exchange, social services, and workforce readiness activities.
Adopt innovative approaches to deliver an adult education and literacy curriculum to those in the Work First New Jersey program and others who need to improve their level of literacy. Where appropriate, personal or network computers should be made easily accessible to those in need. Interactive television and the Internet are two promising technologies that may be used to impart such services.
Improving the Quality of the Existing Workforce
The implementation of the Workforce Development Partnership Program, administered by the Department of Labor, demonstrates that improving the quality of the existing workforce is a state priority of the first order. New Jersey is a national leader in devoting substantial resources to direct grants to companies to help them educate their workers. The Workforce Development Partnership Program's Customized Training component has become a linchpin for New Jersey's economic development efforts. Yet, even with the success of the customized training component, there is still a need to more fully involve the employer community in the employment, training and education system. The following are some of the key recommendations of the Plan:
The WIB must develop, with the support of the Departments of Labor and Commerce and Economic Development, a targeted strategy to meet the training needs of the employer community.
Programs should be established that provide special assistance to dislocated workers who seek to start their own businesses. State agencies and WIBs should collaborate to establish special training for those interested in establishing their own businesses. The Department of Labor's Self-Employment Assistance Program should be a central component of this initiative.
WIBs should develop special plans to ensure the availability of English as a Second Language (ESL) work-based education programs.
Evaluation of the Workforce Readiness System
The SETC is currently developing broad measures to assess the impact of the workforce readiness system. It is building on the work already done in the evaluation of the Workforce Development Partnership Program using wage record data to assess program outcomes. To assist in performing this evaluation function, the Plan's recommendations include:
All public and private colleges and universities that receive funding through any state or federal source must provide information on all workforce programs (including those approved by the State Department of Education), not just degree and certificate programs. The information must be submitted to the Department of Education. It must also be in a format consistent with data currently provided to the New Jersey Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education.
All workforce readiness training funds distributed by any state Department must be tracked using common comparable data, including program costs. This is required of all departments that fund training programs, but is currently only being reported by the Departments of Education and Labor. This information is necessary for the adequate assessment of the success of service providers in training diverse populations.
The above information must be reported by the respective departments to the New Jersey Occupational Information Coordinating Committee. I.
New Jersey's skilled workforce is our strength as we compete in a world economy; and
Investments in training and education foster high skill/high wage jobs, provide economic leadership for the State and offer a better standard of living for our citizens; and
To remain competitive, New Jersey must develop a State-based and locally delivered strategy for the integrated education and job training system based on current and future State and local area labor market demands. Executive Order No. 36, May 12, 1995
The dynamics of the American economy are such that the nation cannot hope to enhance the quality of life of its citizens unless it creates a globally competitive workforce. A skilled and educated workforce can only be created and maintained if workers and businesses have access to a lifelong employment, training and education system responsive to the needs of the labor market. Indeed, the economic winners and losers of the 21st century will be largely determined by whether a skilled and educated workforce is developed and nurtured. A major tenet of the State Employment and Training Commission (SETC) is that workforce issues must be at the top of the policy agenda.
The growing wage gap between low-skill and high-skill jobs bears testimony that the acquisition of skills by the workforce is central to the health of the economy and the life chances of individuals. A manufacturing economy that could support a relatively low-skilled workforce with high wages has been replaced by an economy, including modern manufacturing, where literacy and technical skills are more valued. Although the economy needs to produce a range of jobs that provide employment opportunities to workers with varying skill levels, advancement in most occupations will also require additional skills.
The relationship between skills and income is well known to researchers as is the positive correlation between levels of literacy and earnings. For instance, people who use computers are estimated to earn 15% more than those in similar jobs who do not. This same phenomenon is reflected in the correlation of wages with college credits earned. A recent Bureau of Labor Statistics study reported that the actual gross salary of a person with an Associate's Degree is 26% higher than the gross weekly salary of a person holding only a high school diploma. For a Bachelor's Degree, the gross weekly salary was 61% higher. Enhancing a person's level of literacy, teaching a worker to use computers or granting a student college credits correlates with increased wages.
A modern, globally competitive and productive economy demands a workforce capable of learning new technologies, new organizational structures and the necessity of working cooperatively in a culturally diverse workplace. The rapid pace of change in these areas means that education cannot end with a certificate of proficiency or even a college degree, but must be integrated into the work-life of individuals. Therefore, employment, training and education programs must occur in the schoolroom and the workplace; the job requirements in this labor market require that the training of workers be a continuous process.
An America that does not encourage all of its workers to meet their full potential will be an America where a vast inequality of income will dominate. At every level of the occupational hierarchy - computer programmer to secretary, graphics artist to mechanic - all workers need to maximize their skills. To put it plainly: productivity is the key to generating wealth; a skilled workforce is the key to productivity.
The State Employment and Training Commission was established to meet the challenge of developing a world class workforce readiness system for New Jersey. The SETC accomplishes its purpose by establishing a public-private partnership that seeks to reduce and eliminate the parochialism that will limit the ability of government to be creative and responsive to the demands of the 21st century. Five Cabinet officers, representing the Departments of Commerce and Economic Development, Community Affairs, Education, Human Services and Labor, are Commission members. The improvement of the employment, training and education system requires this level of participation because developing workforce policies is beyond the scope of any single agency of government or constituency in the private sector.
Through the SETC, all the above referenced workforce readiness departments and the Commission on Higher Education have established a strong planning process with the private sector. Such an effort is required because the policy issues are so complex and interrelated that they require all the stakeholders in the workforce readiness system to work in concert to shape the future of worker learning and business productivity.
The SETC is an example of how government and the private sector can effectively work together to achieve a common purpose: improving the quality of the workforce and getting people to work. To accomplish this goal, the SETC has developed four core principles that serve as the foundation of New Jersey's workforce readiness policies.
First, a successful workforce readiness system must be consumer-based and market-driven and, therefore, relevant to the needs of students, workers and those seeking employment, and the employer community. This requires institutions and agencies involved in employment, training and education programs to be guided by the demands of the labor market. It is the primary task of such programs to bridge the skill gap that separates individuals from jobs and employers from productive employees.
Second, the workforce readiness system must be performance driven and outcome based - - it must be accountable. Therefore, the true measures of success of the workforce development system must include, but not be limited to, the consistency of employment and the wages paid to the graduates of programs. The purpose of the workforce readiness system is to enhance citizens' standards of living by providing employers with productive workers. While certain other outcomes may well result - for example, improved self-esteem for customers - good jobs at good wages are the most important outcomes.
Third, attainment of fundamental levels of literacy and basic skills lies at the heart of the workforce readiness system. Creating a seamless web linking literacy programs to occupational educational programs that lead to employment is a crucial priority for the workforce readiness system.
Fourth, there must be full utilization of all potential workers. The changes in the demography of the workforce necessitate changes in the way people are educated. The current and future workforce will be comprised of increased numbers of minorities, single parents, persons with disabilities, the economically disadvantaged, non-English speakers, immigrants and women. The system must be fully accessible to these populations by integrating their special needs and concerns into workforce readiness services. This will require the development of specific strategies to eliminate barriers to employment.
These four principles animate the SETC's commitment to ensuring that the workforce readiness system leaves nobody behind. As the Regional Plan Association report, "Region At Risk," argues "...business, education, labor and civic institutions [must] develop a system of lifelong learning that meets the requirements of a competitive, knowledge-based economy and ... reform institutions and regulations that allow low-income communities to participate in the mainstream economy." Governor Whitman's urban strategy, facilitated by the Urban Coordinating Council made up of all departments of State government, is already focusing on removing barriers and coordinating services by redirecting resources to inner city neighborhoods. This strategy is designed to ensure that New Jersey creates opportunities for all its citizens.
In this Plan, the SETC continues its mission of providing the Governor, the Legislature and the public with policies that improve New Jersey's workforce readiness system and extend its benefits to all New Jerseyans.
A. History: A Unified State Plan for New Jersey s Workforce Readiness System
A Unified State Plan for New Jersey's Workforce Readiness System (hereafter known as the Plan), developed by the State Employment and Training Commission, establishes the policy framework for all workforce readiness programs in the State of New Jersey. The SETC is required to issue this Plan through its enabling legislation. Since the Plan was issued in 1992, the SETC has continued to develop policies to improve the workforce readiness system. The Plan is a living document, designed to evolve and meet new challenges.
This version of the Plan updates and refines the SETC's policy recommendations as New Jersey meets three significant challenges. First, the national and State economies are undergoing profound structural changes due to corporate restructuring, flattening wage rates, technological advancements in the workplace and the information revolution. Second, policy changes currently being developed in Washington will affect workforce readiness programs as well as shift more responsibility for their administration to states in the form of block grants or some other federal formula. Third, higher public expectations about the quality of government services mandate program delivery be accomplished with a minimum of bureaucracy and with the focus on the customer as the first priority.
All these changes strongly reinforce the idea that lifelong access to education, skills training and work are essential to sustaining a high quality workforce in New Jersey. The SETC believes that a skilled workforce is the State's number one asset in assuring continued economic growth and prosperity. In a parallel fashion, as New Jersey improves its capacity to educate and train its workforce, these efforts must be closely tied to a job creation strategy. The existence of a highly trained workforce is one of the key components of such a strategy: that a skilled workforce attracts and retains businesses.
Therefore, it becomes even more important that the State's workforce readiness system is attuned to the demands of the labor market to ensure that employment, training and education programs, especially the labor exchange system, effectively link potential workers to the best available jobs. Of equal importance, is the need for the public sector to deliver high quality services in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
New Jersey's workforce readiness system has many achievements for which it is justly proud. It must, however, reinvent both its substance and image to provide an economically insecure and uncertain public with the hope that it can be of assistance to individuals and families when they confront the frightening issues associated with job dislocations.
As the recommendations in this Plan indicate, New Jersey is responding to these issues by building on the successful policy-making process initiated by the State Employment and Training Commission. Through this process, New Jersey has articulated core principles that guide the workforce readiness system. These core principles, in turn, provide a foundation for identifying the functions or purposes of the system.
B. Purposes of the Workforce Readiness System
In close collaboration with its partners, the SETC has served as the catalyst in defining these broad purposes of the workforce readiness system:
Create a strategy for lifelong learning that makes it possible to continuously upgrade skills and meet the demands of the changing workplace to ensure a high quality of life for all New Jerseyans.
Provide students, workers and others seeking employment with the ability to obtain good jobs at good wages.
Create a statewide School-to-Work system that will enable all students to meet the challenges of the future labor market, linking schools closely with the employer community to provide relevant school-based and work-based experiences.
Furnish businesses with programs to improve the quality of its workforce to meet the challenge of the global economy.
Assist all employers in transforming their sites into workplaces that maximize the skill and earning potentials of their workers.
Assure that the workforce readiness system is closely tied to economic development efforts.
Create a One-Stop Career Center system that offers universal access, customer choice and integration of services to meet the needs of individuals and businesses.
Secure equal opportunity for obtaining skills for all citizens, including the economically disadvantaged, persons with disabilities, those for whom English is not the primary language, women, displaced homemakers, and minorities.
Provide up-to-date information on local, state and national labor market conditions and occupational outlook to ensure that the public can make informed choices.
C. New Jersey Accomplishments
Since the release of the original A Unified State Plan for New Jersey's Workforce Readiness System, New Jersey has made enormous strides in improving the quality of its workforce readiness system. The State is regarded as a national leader in both the strong public-private partnership it has established and in the innovative and forward-looking workforce policies it has implemented. Under the leadership of Governor Whitman, New Jersey has created a strong link between the workforce readiness system and economic development efforts. These changes have taken place within the Governor's mandate to create a smaller, smarter and more efficient government. The purpose of these changes is to develop a comprehensive workforce readiness system that puts the "Customer First."
The SETC has taken a leadership role in developing a significant number of workforce readiness policy initiatives. These resulted in reports to the Governor and the Legislature that have changed the workforce readiness landscape in New Jersey. The SETC has produced these four key policy documents since the publication of the original Plan:
Leveling the Playing Field: Removing Barriers for Women in New Jersey's Employment and Training Programs. This report, developed by the SETC's Gender Equity Task Force, identifies barriers to the full participation of females in New Jersey's employment and training programs and offers recommendations to remove those barriers. The Task Force based this report on the premise that a workforce readiness system that operates under stereotypes of male and female capabilities will inequitably prepare individuals for the workforce. The eight recommendations contained in the report detail specific steps for state and local agencies to ensure that equity and fairness are an integral part of the workforce readiness system.
Adult Literacy in New Jersey: Meeting the Challenge of the 21st Century. This report was developed in conjunction with the release of the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) report. The NALS report outlines the severity of the literacy problem at the State and national levels and clearly links literacy to earnings. Adult Literacy in New Jersey is designed to highlight some of the changes needed to improve the adult education and literacy system in New Jersey. The recommendations in this report aim to revitalize the programs and policies of the adult education and literacy system and make them more relevant to the needs of today's workforce and families.
Opportunity for All: Final Recommendations of the Work Group on Persons with Disabilities. The SETC Work Group on Persons with Disabilities was formed to expand the dialogue among public officials, advocates, parents, customers and practitioners concerning philosophical and policy differences about the appropriate role of the employment, training and education system for persons with disabilities. Opportunity for All includes recommendations for restructuring the workforce readiness system to better meet the needs of persons with disabilities. The focus of the recommendations is on the connection and coordination of programs and policies needed to improve the system.
Youth at Work: Making it in the Global Economy. The At-Risk Youth Task Force of the SETC concluded that a generation of young people are facing under-employment or unemployment as a result of the increased skill demands required by the global economy. The Task Force recognized that one of the workforce readiness system's greatest challenges is to meet the employment needs of at-risk youth. The recommendations contained in Youth at Work, are a broad set of steps to improve the way young people are prepared for the world of work. The recommendations focus on the need to move toward an educational experience that encourages a balance between theoretical and applied learning and offers students the chance to engage in a number of opportunities including college, tech-prep, apprenticeship, or School-to- Work initiatives. Additionally, the report urged that social service support initiatives for at-risk youth, like the nationally recognized School- Based Youth Service Program, be expanded.
While these reports have extended the policy framework for New Jersey, other significant advances have also taken place. Most notable are the following workforce readiness policy initiatives:
Workforce Development Partnership Program: In 1992, the legislature created this program to provide individual job training grants to dislocated workers and customized training grants to companies seeking to upgrade the quality of their workforce. The Workforce Development Partnership Program, administered by the Department of Labor, is regarded as a national model for providing skills training. This program is funded through the redirection of Unemployment Insurance funds and in 1995 the budget for this program was in excess of $50 million. In 1996, the program was made permanent.
Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs): Established by Governor Whitman through Executive Order No. 36, WIBs are responsible for policy development, planning and program oversight at the local level. WIBs are the local cornerstone of New Jersey s workforce readiness policy-making infrastructure. This policy requires strong partnerships between the State and localities and the public and private sectors.
Profiling System: New Jersey's Department of Labor was selected by the federal government as a prototype state for implementing worker profiling and the provision of mandatory reemployment services. The purpose of profiling is to collect information concerning Unemployment Insurance claimants in a standardized format in order to identify those likely to exhaust benefits, increase their options for reemployment, and provide career services available through New Jersey Department of Labor resources.
Project Reemployment Opportunity System (PROS): The Department of Labor's PROS project (funded by Title III, Job Training Partnership Act dislocated worker funds) provides intensive job search workshops, job clubs and counseling to dislocated workers who are identified through the Profiling system.
School-to-Work Opportunities Act: In 1994, New Jersey received a $37.5 million five-year federal grant to establish a comprehensive School-to-Work system in the State. This effort is jointly administered by the Departments of Education and Labor.
One-Stop Career Centers: In 1995, New Jersey's Department of Labor was the recipient of a $14.7 million three-year federal grant to establish a statewide system of One-Stop Career Centers. This initiative will enhance program integration, ease access to services, maximize customer choice and be performance driven.
Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network (WNJPIN): This Internet Home Page provides a rich variety of information on all aspects of the workforce readiness and social service systems. It is designed to be used by all those who need to access workforce readiness information and services. All workforce readiness departments are part of this Department of Labor led effort.
The combination of these policies and programs has created a workforce readiness system in New Jersey poised to meet the demands of a changing economy and society. As the policies and programs discussed indicate, New Jersey has taken a comprehensive approach to improving its workforce readiness system. It has focused on: the needs of its high skilled workforce as well as those of welfare recipients and students seeking their first jobs; the employment needs of small, medium and large sized firms; and, the information needs of all citizens. New Jersey has moved decisively to connect disparate elements of the workforce readiness system into a continuum of services bridging gaps that have traditionally separated institutions and programs, people and jobs.
Even more significant than the implementation of particular policies is the change in attitude of workforce institutions throughout the State. At all levels of the workforce readiness system, both the language and substance of collaboration are widely accepted. County colleges and vocational technical schools have carried out numerous collaborative initiatives and are working to extend these successful efforts statewide. Adult education and literacy providers have expanded their understanding of their roles by reaching out to the business community to provide vital services.
In no other arena has this change in attitude been more manifest than in the emerging partnership both among State agencies and between the State and localities. A common planning and policy development process has taken root where State agencies consult with each other and with local entities. This process is connected to localities through WIBs where local strategic and Unified Workforce Investment Plans (referred to as the Consolidated Plan in Executive Order No. 36) will be linked to the Plan and State priorities.
The central concern in developing a framework for workforce readiness policies is to ensure that a real dialogue has taken place in the formation of that policy. Over the past several years, the SETC has held numerous public hearings and established a number of task forces and work groups to address specific issues. This process assures that the policy-making process is an open one, reflecting New Jersey's commitment to public-private partnership. The specific policies offered in this document are the result of such a collaborative process. Additionally, the Commission has worked closely with the Cabinet and other administration officials to ensure that this Plan is reflective of the many innovative policies now being undertaken in New Jersey.
The policy recommendations in this Plan focus on the following seven areas:
Collaborative Workforce Policies at the State Level
Collaborative Workforce Policies at the Local Level: Workforce Investment Boards
New Jersey's Workforce Delivery System: One-Stop Career Centers
New Entrants to the Workforce
The Unemployed, the Underemployed and Welfare Recipients
Improving the Quality of the Existing Workforce
Evaluation of the Workforce Readiness System
A. Collaborative Workforce Policies at the State Level
Executive Order No. 36 directs the State workforce agencies and the SETC to develop the policies required for an integrated workforce delivery system. This system must provide for "common intake and assessment for those utilizing workforce readiness programs, uniform administrative procedures and performance standards and compatible technology." To meet this goal, State workforce readiness agencies must:
Direct their resources in a manner consistent with Executive Order No. 36;
Develop policies in strict accordance to the purposes and principles stated in the Plan;
Engage in a common planning process to insure the integration of policies and programs;
Follow the policy recommendations developed in approved WIB plans; and,
Supply sufficient administrative funding to support core staff for Workforce Investment Boards.
Executive Order No. 36 gives special authority to the Commissioner of Labor to act on behalf of the Governor to:
Request, accept and direct the allocation of federal and state funds related to workforce readiness programs;
Assure that the State is in compliance with the provisions of all federal laws governing the workforce readiness system and provide for corrective actions when necessary;
Resolve disputes arising under the workforce readiness programs; and,
Carry out other responsibilities under the workforce readiness laws.
The SETC acts as facilitator to assist state and local agencies in accomplishing their responsibilities under Executive Order No. 36. Because of its legislative mandate to both plan and oversee New Jersey's workforce policies, the Commission is in a unique position to maintain policy consistency across departments and between the State and localities. Specifically, the SETC is responsible for developing the statewide Plan and for reviewing WIB plans.
The SETC must also establish a close affiliation with Workforce Investment Boards to support them in performing their duties. Such a relationship must include ongoing communication with members concerning emerging issues and trends.
B. Collaborative Workforce Policies at the Local Level: Workforce Investment Boards
Executive Order No. 36 directs that Private Industry Councils be transformed into Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) creating collaboration between the State and localities. The Department of Labor is responsible for certifying broad-based WIB membership, implementing a funding formula for WIB operations, and for WIB compliance with state and federal laws. The SETC is responsible for coordinating WIB and state workforce policy development, establishing planning guidelines and ensuring that WIB members and staff receive necessary training.
New Jersey policy has called for the establishment of workforce policy-making, planning and implementation entities at the local level that would assume the same role as the SETC at the State level. This fulfills the important goal of the original Plan which envisions a workforce readiness system that is state-based and delivered locally. The local unit of government to which the WIB is connected is the county. However, to remain consistent with federal Job Training Partnership Act regulations, multi-county WIBs are established in areas where there were multi-county Private Industry Councils. Both the geographic boundaries and membership requirements of the WIBs will continually be reviewed to ensure their effectiveness.
WIBs will develop policies to encourage workforce readiness institutions to transcend their historically narrow roles and to collaborate as a single system designed for the good of the customer. This will require WIBs to make tough choices about the future of the workforce readiness system, overcoming institutional biases to eliminate unnecessary program duplication and to ensure cost-effective, performance-based services. WIB members will need to make a deep commitment to designing a workforce readiness system that affords opportunity to all those served by that system. The business community must further challenge WIBs by clearly identifying the services, information, and workforce skills it needs to succeed.
To achieve these goals, Workforce Investment Boards will determine whether the local workforce readiness system meets the needs of the labor market and customers. WIBs will also engage in program coordination, priority setting, recommending resource utilization and ensuring that services are delivered to all those in need. Their role will be to assure that the separate institutions in their region function in a seamless manner through the creation of collaborative and inter-connected planning and oversight processes. WIBs will not determine which institutions receive specific resources, but they will set priorities for the entire workforce readiness system in their geographic area.
1. Purposes of the WIBs
The WIBs are designed to achieve a broad and comprehensive set of goals that can be organized under three interrelated elements. First, WIBs must evaluate the supply side of the labor market consisting of citizens undergoing the following transitions:
Work-to-work
Unemployment-to-work
School-to-work
Welfare-to-work
Home-to-work
Second, WIBs must examine the demand side of the labor market by thoroughly assessing the current and future employment possibilities. This will require a close working relationship with local employers as well as analyzing data available from the Department of Labor and the New Jersey Occupational Information Coordinating Committee.
Third, WIBs must work to improve the quality of the workforce readiness delivery system as it intersects with labor market supply and demand. This includes a thorough analysis of the effectiveness of employment, training, education and social services institutions, programs and policies.
The emergence of WIBs is not intended to supplant the legitimate authority and responsibilities of other agencies. College Boards of Trustees, Boards of Education and other governing bodies of workforce agencies have specific obligations to their respective institutions and these are not adversely affected by WIBs. Indeed, WIBs are designed to assist such agencies by extending their planning horizons.
All of this is accomplished by creating a common forum where overall workforce policies can be developed that transcend the concerns of an individual agency. Through its inclusive membership, WIBs are reflections of the thinking of all the workforce agencies, not a process or an institution separate from them. This enables WIBs to develop comprehensive plans for the entire region. These plans will augment the work of the respective governing bodies by meshing them with the policies and priorities of other agencies and programs.
This process will also provide county Chief Elected Officials with the framework they need to effectively engage in economic planning as well as assisting them in making resource allocation decisions. Additionally, WIB plans will guide state agencies in the allocation of state and federal resources to the high growth areas of the local labor market.
In the end, WIBs will establish the context of workforce readiness planning for their region and this shared process will greatly assist the various institutions and their governing bodies in more effectively discharging their responsibilities. Clearly, the interests of the customers of the various workforce readiness institutions will be enhanced by a collaborative approach to developing workforce readiness policies.
The WIBs must develop basic workforce policies that relate specifically to their local areas if they are to be consistent and effective in carrying out the responsibilities defined in Executive Order No. 36. Each WIB will need to develop a strategic plan prior to developing their Unified Workforce Investment Plan.
2. WIB Strategic Plans
The purpose of the strategic plan is to begin gathering information upon which the WIB Unified Workforce Investment Plan will be based. This information will enable WIBs to develop a strategy to bring programs and services together at the local level. This plan will include a re-examination of the WIB transition plan, a strategy for identifying local resources, a process for assessing community needs, and a description of their approach to evaluation.
WIB strategic plans will be submitted to the SETC for review to assure compliance with the Plan as well as with State and federal policies. The WIB strategic plan will then form the conceptual basis for the WIB Unified Workforce Investment Plan. Specific requirements for Unified Workforce Investment Plans will be developed by the SETC Planning Committee based on state and federal requirements.
WIB Unified Workforce Investment Plans will be submitted to the SETC after receiving approval by the county(ies) Chief Elected Official(s). During this process, each workforce readiness department will review and assess the plans. The plans, along with SETC and departmental comments, will then be sent to the Commissioner of Labor, who acts on behalf of the Governor, for final approval. Once approved, the local plan will guide the allocation of all workforce readiness funds under authority of state government. This Plan will be recognized by all state agencies as the local plan for all workforce readiness programs.
3. WIB Tasks
Executive Order No. 36 requires WIBs to develop plans that address nine specific issues. WIBs will need to accomplish these tasks in order to develop an effective plan. The SETC has identified tasks necessary for the WIB to plan and perform its oversight responsibilities for the local workforce readiness system. Each issue is followed by specific tasks related to that issue.
a. The development of an integrated service delivery system to serve the needs of the local population:
Formulate specific strategies to fully involve employers in the One- Stop Career Center system.
Develop a process to integrate workforce readiness programs under the One-Stop Career Center system. Work with local elected officials and other partners to create and maintain a local Internet Home Page, with information unique to the region, linked to the Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network.
Assist employment, training and educational programs and institutions to become more capable of responding to and planning for both short- and long-term labor market needs.
Formulate strategies to fully involve the social services sector in the workforce readiness system.
Implement strategies to meet the specific needs of traditionally underserved segments of the population including displaced workers, new entrants to the labor force, the economically disadvantaged, minorities, women, welfare recipients, persons with disabilities and at-risk youth, among others.
Develop a local transportation plan to assure that customers are able to access needed services. This plan should be developed in conjunction with similar efforts at the State level.
b. The establishment of a School-to-Work system:
Work with businesses, labor, educators, parents, students and other interested and committed parties, to develop a comprehensive School-to-Work strategy.
Plan for the creation and implementation of a comprehensive School-to-Work system that connects work-based and school- based learning.
c. An assessment of community needs with a special emphasis on urban areas and special needs school districts served by the Workforce Investment Board:
Undertake a thorough labor market analysis that includes assessment of the workforce training needs of the population using information available through the New Jersey Occupational Information Coordinating Committee and the New Jersey Department of Labor.
Utilize the School-to-Work industry focus groups to help identify current and future business needs and skills required to maintain high-skill jobs.
Develop a strategy to address the employment, training, education and social needs of urban areas and special needs school districts.
d. Coordination of local resources in support of welfare reform efforts to move recipients of public assistance into work activities:
Define specific policies, based on the final development of the State policy, to help implement the Work First New Jersey welfare reform program locally. This includes the development of work activities such as employment, job search and placement, community work experience, alternative work experience, vocational training and supported work.
e. An analysis of available resources:
Develop an inventory detailing the amount and disposition of all employment and training funds that come into the WIB area through federal, state and local sources.
Delineate workforce readiness programs, including those involving workplace education and literacy in the WIB's area of responsibility.
Use labor market analyses to influence both program management and resource allocation to optimize federal, state and local workforce readiness resources within the WIB region.
f. Development of a comprehensive plan for the utilization of available resources to meet the community's workforce readiness needs:
Develop collaborative and, where appropriate, regional approaches to deliver workforce readiness services.
Establish a marketing and development strategy to ensure that the local community is aware of the purpose and function of Workforce Investment Board and the workforce readiness system.
g. An evaluation of any workforce readiness system currently in place:
Assess programs and data currently being collected.
Review monitoring and evaluation functions for each program.
Appraise the effectiveness of the labor exchange system to determine whether it is meeting the needs of those seeking employment and those seeking workers. This assessment should include all programs that move people into employment.
Review local programs to ensure that the goals, objectives and coordination benchmarks of the Governor's Coordination and Special Services Plan relating to the JTPA system and the Employment Service are met.
h. An oversight and review procedure for implementation of the plan:
Ensure that all workforce readiness programs are adhering to the priorities established in the WIB Plan including programs and activities to serve populations with special needs such as persons with disabilities, including the blind and visually impaired, the deaf and hard of hearing displaced homemakers and the economically disadvantaged.
Develop, in consultation with the State government agencies and the SETC, mechanisms to assure the accountability of workforce readiness institutions and programs.
Recommend policy changes based on accountability findings.
i. Other components as developed by the SETC:
The WIB will prepare a strategic plan.
C. New Jersey's Workforce Delivery System: One-Stop Career Centers
The delivery system for workforce readiness programs shall be implemented through One-Stop Career Centers. New Jersey's One-Stop Career Center system
is designed to fundamentally change the way workforce readiness services are delivered and is the arena in which the core principles of the Plan are implemented. One-Stop Career Centers will integrate services, provide for customer choice and universal access and be performance driven to keep New Jersey at work. The New Jersey Department of Labor is the agency with the authority to oversee this effort. In meeting its responsibilities, the Department of Labor has established strong partnerships with other workforce readiness departments and WIBs.
The One-Stop Career Center system is best understood as an umbrella under which all workforce readiness and related programs function as if they were a single system. Hence, the physical location of programs is less important than their connectivity to each other and adherence to common procedures that makes access easier for the customer. And while efforts should be made to co- locate closely related programs, the hallmark of a successful One-Stop Career Center system is the degree to which services are delivered in a holistic manner.
One-Stop Career Centers will appear to the customer as a single entity capable of meeting the needs for a range of employment, training, education and social services to individuals and businesses. The no wrong door philosophy will prevail with all participating agencies operating as part of a team.
At numerous points of access, One-Stop Career Centers will offer a wide range of services including: basic intake, job match, counseling, assessment, the development of individual employment plans and direct access to basic education and retraining programs. Self-directed employment programs, such as job clubs or computer-based assessment programs, will be made readily available with agency staff support. One-Stop Career Centers will also provide services to those dislocated workers receiving unemployment insurance benefits.
One-Stop Career Centers will also address the needs of those with multiple barriers to employment who require a case management approach, as well as the need for assistance to obtain support services, such as housing, transportation and child care. Services will also be available to assist businesses in accessing potential employees and work-based education programs.
1. Principles and Policies for One-Stop Career Centers
One-Stop sites will result in all populations being equitably served by providing universal access to workforce readiness services. This will include a user- friendly and highly sophisticated online career and labor market information system. These services will be available through the home, office, or remote locations such as libraries. This system includes information about:
Employment, education and training programs;
Social support services;
Listing of names and addresses of companies;
Job openings;
Maps of locations of specific agencies that deliver workforce readiness and social services, including descriptions of available public transportation routes;
Career Information Delivery System; Up-to-date demographic and labor market information; and, Public discussion forums.
Additionally, all employment, training and education services in the One-Stop Career Center system will allow for the greatest degree of informed customer choice by providing high-quality information and services in many different physical locations and on the Internet through the Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. New Jersey's workforce policy calls for the utilization of high technology to simplify communication among agencies and facilitate the delivery of services.
While the use of technology clearly enhances the delivery of services, the One- Stop system will provide access to people who do not have technology available to them or lack experience in using it. The One-Stop system must continue its efforts to establish remote access sites in those areas where computers are not widely available and provide ongoing support and personal services to those unable to fully use that technology.
This system will enable professional staff to use common intake and assessment, share relevant non-confidential client information and, through video conferencing and interactive capacity, communicate directly. This multimedia information system known as the New Jersey Community Link Network, currently under development, will serve as a universal intake system designed with the customer in mind. The intake operator only enters information that has not been entered previously.
Third, New Jersey policy calls for the integration, and perhaps consolidation, of workforce readiness and related programs through strong interagency collaboration resulting in a seamless delivery of services and the reduction of unnecessary program duplication.
Fourth, the performance-driven, outcome-based measures for the system must continually track the implementation process, provide direction for improvements, clearly identify customer satisfaction with the system, and result in more individuals finding employment and more businesses finding qualified employees.
2. The Role of WIBs in One-Stop Career Centers
The Department of Labor has determined the services to be offered through the One-Stop system and retains the responsibility for overseeing the system. However, specific plans for local implementation are the responsibility of WIBs. Each WIB must establish a One-Stop committee with broad representation from the programs that participate in the One-Stop and the private sector. The WIB One-Stop committee shall develop the local system by:
Serving as a forum for One-Stop planning and implementation, including resource utilization, setting of local goals and standards, and oversight and evaluation of system performance and outcomes.
Recommending to the Department of Labor the local One-Stop sites and the placement of One-Stop computers and servers.
Reporting to the Department of Labor and the SETC on the progress of One-Stop implementation on a regular basis.
Developing an annual plan for the One-Stop system as part of the WIB Unified Workforce Investment Plan.
The New Jersey One-Stop system is one of shared authority where local leaders will work directly with representatives from federal and state programs to plan and evaluate the One-Stop system.
3. Delivery System Policy Recommendations
Through Workforce Investment Boards, One-Stop Career Centers must work with economic development agencies to establish "turnkey" education, training and related operations for new businesses and for the retention of existing businesses. This will involve establishing proactive customized training programs that will rapidly be available as the need arises. By shortening the time it takes to deliver vital employment and training services, the One-Stop Career Center system will substantially contribute to economic development efforts.
Responsible agencies: Workforce Investment Boards, local economic development agencies and the Departments of Commerce and Economic Development and Labor.
County Chief Elected Officials should be kept informed of WIB activities, particularly as they impact on the delivery of services and economic development efforts. Local public officials should be regarded as full partners as the WIB develops workforce readiness system policies.
Responsible agencies: Workforce Investment Boards
Undertake an analysis of future integration and consolidation of Work First New Jersey into the One-Stop Career Center system.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Human Services and Labor
WNJPIN must be a source of information for all those involved in the workforce readiness system. Groups not usually associated with mainstream employment and training initiatives must be given special attention. These include organizations and advocacy groups that represent displaced homemakers, the economically disadvantaged, and persons with disabilities, including the blind and visually impaired, and the deaf. Specific efforts must be made to link these groups to WNJPIN and to provide the technology required to assure this access.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Labor (lead agency), Education, Human Services and Community Affairs
Staff from the key One-Stop Career Center and Community Link Network partner agencies must be well informed about each other s programs and policies. They should also be proficient in the use of and knowledgeable about information on the Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network and other technological applications developed for the One-Stop Career Centers.
Responsible agencies: Workforce Investment Boards, State Employment and Training Commission, Department of Labor
Since WIBs have a special responsibility for oversight of the local workforce readiness system, training programs must be established to assist members in performing this oversight. Such a program should provide training in negotiation, communication, and common goal setting skills. WIB training should also include an orientation about the workforce readiness system and the use of labor market information.
Responsible agencies: State Employment and Training Commission, Departments of Commerce and Economic Development, Community Affairs, Education, Human Services and Labor
The One-Stop Career Center system should implement an Intranet to allow professional staff to easily access customer information, permit remote registrations in employment and training programs, and other programs and allow for video conferencing. The current effort to meet these goals through the Department of Human Services' Community Link Network needs to be expanded.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Human Services and Labor
Within the bounds permitted by current federal and state regulations, the Department of Labor's Job Training Partnership Act, Employment Service and Unemployment Insurance and other relevant education and social service programs, should be more closely coordinated or integrated.
Responsible agency: Department of Labor
Co-location of programs should be a goal in cases where it would enhance accessibility and integration. This will require a careful review of lease arrangements. The review of leases should be extended to programs involving all One-Stop Career Center partners.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Labor (lead agency), Community Affairs, Human Services, and Commerce and Economic Development
A study should be undertaken to explore the possibility of using remote registration for Unemployment Insurance benefits through the telephone and a secure Intranet connection. This registration should be available at any One-Stop Career Center site including those located at community- based organizations.
Responsible agency: Department of Labor
Exploration of the feasibility of using direct deposit and ATM bank cards for Unemployment Insurance benefits should be undertaken. To the extent possible, it should be discerned whether such a system can be merged with one currently under development by the Department of Human Services Work First New Jersey.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Human Services and Labor
D. New Entrants to the Workforce
The Commission recognizes the importance of the recently established Core Curriculum Content Standards in the schools that makes the attainment of workforce readiness skills a major priority. In the current workforce readiness system, school and work too often have been seen as separate enterprises. As the Core Curriculum Content Standards indicate, this gap must be bridged.
The goal of New Jersey is to establish a statewide School-to-Work system that will afford all students the knowledge and work-based learning experience they need to prepare themselves for the world of work. In order to achieve this goal, New Jersey must address the following issues:
Career Majors: Based on the best local economic development and labor market information, the broad categories that will serve as career majors must be identified and incorporated into the educational system.
Uniform Standards: Uniform standards are needed across all sectors of the employment, training and education system so that the progress of students and programs can be assessed.
Uniform Assessment: Consistent with uniform standards, there must be uniform mechanisms to assure consistency within the workforce readiness system.
Joint Planning to Eliminate Unnecessary Program Duplication: A variety of programs, such as adult literacy education, are provided by numerous agencies and schools. These are difficult to evaluate because of differing requirements. The State needs to address how resources are being used and develop a more efficient method of delivering services while continuing to offer choices. In this context, the use of distance learning for welfare recipients and those in correctional facilities should be explored.
Common Professional Standards: New Jersey must adopt common professional standards linked to the recommendations of the National Skills Standards Board. At the present time, many of the State agencies set career standards and provide certifications that affect a variety of professions. A process must be created to develop common standards for practitioners, teachers and students ensuring, at a minimum, that nationally recognized standards are integrated into the State's system of certification and licensure.
These policies are essential for establishing a consistent and understandable set of career standards throughout New Jersey. In the absence of such common standards, evaluation of employment, education and training programs is difficult.
1. School-to-Work Opportunities Initiative
New Jersey is implementing a statewide School-to-Work Opportunities system that includes the entire educational system. To make this initiative succeed, the business and labor communities along with students and parents must be deeply involved. Such a system will serve the needs of students and others who seek to enter the job market for the first time or to upgrade their skills.
This system is designed to teach students to value the work ethic and to integrate work skills with academic studies. In this system, the business community must be a partner in developing curriculum, educators must understand the needs of businesses and youth must be prepared to be productive members of the workforce. Too often, school and work have been seen as separate realms, but the purpose of the School-to-Work initiative is to bring them together.
By linking businesses with schools, youth will learn workplace skills such as teamwork and the ability to work cooperatively in a culturally diverse workplace. Students will improve their academic skills and experience enhanced learning in a real world context. Thus, the business community will have an available workforce with both academic preparation and meaningful occupational skills. To achieve this purpose, the following policies must be implemented:
A connection must be made between performance in school, as reflected in the student s transcript, and obtaining employment. Documentation of academic and occupational competencies attained by each student should be made available in a format easily used by employers to determine whether a student has the skills, attendance and work habits needed to be a successful worker.
A new workforce curriculum must be developed that provides students from kindergarten through post-secondary levels with career education and makes available to all secondary school students a work-based, skill- oriented, learning experience, within the School-to-Work Opportunities system.
The above referenced work-based experience should be available for all students. It can take the form of paid, unpaid, volunteer or community service, or entrepreneurial ventures, and should relate to the academic and occupational path, or career major, chosen by the student.
Strong business mentoring programs have been established throughout New Jersey by local Chambers of Commerce, among others. These efforts should be expanded and also integrated into the School-to-Work system along with the workplace mentors required in that system. Explorations should be undertaken to determine whether an incentive system needs to be developed to assist in this process.
Strategies must be developed to include high school dropouts who are under twenty-one in the School-to-Work effort. In pursuit of this goal, the successful New Jersey Youth Corps which emphasizes community service work experience should be a foundation for this initiative.
Job-related proficiencies and competencies must address both entry-level and higher-level jobs.
Articulation agreements should be expanded among the various education levels to assure both smooth transitions for students and the cooperative development of a workplace readiness curriculum. This will help address the mismatch between the exit requirements for high school and entry requirements for post-secondary education.
As part of the expansion of articulation agreements, the issuance of college credit should be granted, where applicable, to high school students who achieve at a prescribed level.
Staff development is imperative for the School-to-Work system to meet its goals. School boards, teachers, administrators, parents and students must also be educated to the goals of the system. WIBs, businesses, government and community-based organizations must all work cooperatively to build a system that offers the greatest opportunities to all students.
2. The Role of WIBs in the School-to-Work Opportunities System
WIBs are responsible for developing local workforce policies and strategies and thus play a major role in planning, stimulating and supporting the local School- to-Work Opportunities system. This is accomplished by bringing all of the partners in the School-to-Work Opportunities system together in a forum in which the difficult issues related to changing a system can be discussed and resolved. By working in collaboration with the State on these issues, the WIBs will ensure adherence with the Plan and state priorities.
The educational system must provide the opportunity for all students to obtain the education they need, regardless of the school district in which they reside, their personal learning styles or disabilities. The social service needs of students, transportation and child care, for example, must also be addressed. WIBs are asked to be the catalysts that open the public discussion locally and lead partners to consensus about these policy issues.
The success of School-to-Work Opportunities rests on the quality of collaboration among the partners. There must be consensus that it is important to educate our youth to be members of the workforce, irrespective of when they intend to begin their careers. Public monies available for education must be dedicated to a system that achieves this goal. The federal funds that support School-to-Work efforts are intended as seed money. Ultimately, the WIB must develop a strategy to implement a genuine School-to-Work system that can exist in the absence of targeted federal funding support.
3. New Entrants to the Workforce Policy Recommendations
The Commission recommends the following policies be adopted to develop the full capacities of tomorrow's workforce:
Expand public involvement in the School-to-Work initiative to provide for input from the broader community in which students live and will work.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Education, Labor and Human Services, Commission on Higher Education, community colleges, proprietary schools, Workforce Investment Boards
Strengthen integration of the educational system to include better coordination among kindergarten to post-secondary, adult literacy, apprenticeships, and other occupational post-secondary educational experiences.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Education and Labor, Commission on Higher Education, Workforce Investment Boards
Four-year programs that consist of the last two years of high school and the first two years of college known as tech-prep associate degree programs must be expanded to include the work-based component of School-to-Work.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Labor and Education, Commission on Higher Education
The Youth Transitions-to-Work Partnership, created by the Legislature in 1993, which connects high school youth with registered apprenticeships in a School-to-Work format, must develop stronger ties to the post- secondary element leading to journey level.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Labor and Education, Commission on Higher Education, Workforce Investment Boards
The Transition County Consortium, established by the Departments of Education and Labor, must actively participate with the WIB s School-to- Work Opportunities committee to strengthen the representation of students with disabilities. This will also help to integrate transition of students with disabilities into the broader workforce development policy of the WIBs. The liaison between the consortium and the WIB will be the local office manager, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
Responsible agencies: Workforce Investment Boards, Departments of Education and Labor
Work-based programs, at both the secondary and post-secondary levels must be developed to ensure a strong relationship between academic and occupational studies and work experience.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Education and Labor, Commission on Higher Education
The educational system should continue to incorporate recommendations from the SETC Task Forces on Gender Equity, At-Risk Youth, and the Work Group Persons with Disabilities.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Education, Human Services and Labor, the Commission on Higher Education, local education agencies, community colleges, four-year colleges and universities, proprietary schools, Workforce Investment Boards
The connection between secondary schools and post-secondary two- and four-year institutions must be the basic framework for the School-to-Work system. These connections are known as 2+2+2 linking the last two years of high school with two- and four-year colleges.
Responsible agencies: Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Local Education Agencies, community colleges, proprietary schools, four-year colleges and universities and Workforce Investment Boards
Improve pre-service and in-service training programs for educators so that teachers, counselors, administrators, and school boards are better prepared to meet the challenges of the School-to-Work system.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Education and Labor, Commission on Higher Education, four-year colleges and universities
Change the teacher certification requirements to reflect the new workforce readiness agenda.
Responsible agencies: Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, four-year colleges and universities
Revise the elementary and secondary counselor certification requirements to bring them into line with the demands of the School-to-Work system. This will facilitate the recruitment of the most qualified counselors to effectively assist in implementing the system.
Responsible agencies: State Board of Education, Department of Education, four-year colleges and universities
Afford teachers the opportunity to spend time in cutting-edge businesses as a part of their ongoing training.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Education and Commerce and Economic Development, local school boards, Workforce Investment Boards
The Department of Labor's innovative program that employs school counselors in the Employment Service during the summer should be reviewed for possible expansion.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Education and Labor
Encourage graduate and undergraduate schools of education to adapt their teacher education curricula to account for workforce issues.
Responsible agencies: Commission on Higher Education, Department of Education, four-year colleges and universities
E. The Unemployed, the Underemployed and Welfare Recipients
Creating a sophisticated labor exchange system that meets the needs of dislocated workers, the underemployed and welfare recipients is among the highest priorities of the workforce readiness system. This challenge is made even more daunting as the proposed Department of Human Services' Work First New Jersey program moves toward implementation. Work First New Jersey focuses on the dignity of work and placement in a job. While training programs remain an important option for the unemployed, it is apparent that work will be the major aim of the employment and training reform agenda currently being developed at the federal level. As these policies evolve, it is crucial that social support services - child care, transportation and health care, among others - for such groups as welfare recipients, displaced homemakers and the working poor be available.
Provisions must also be made to address the needs of the growing number of the underemployed who are desirous of improving the quality of their employment. For such individuals, it is important to offer up-to-date employment information as well as flexible education and training options so that they can improve their skills while still employed. Basic literacy and English as a Second Language are crucial services for this group.
New Jersey has made significant advances in this arena by creating its Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network and One-Stop Career Centers. The goal now is to improve both of these systems to meet the needs of dislocated workers, welfare recipients, persons with disabilities, and other disadvantaged workers. The Internet, which literally places unlimited information at one's fingertips, is a powerful tool for matching the unemployed with employers. It is vital that progress in improving this system be continued and that all the vast resources of the Internet be made accessible to any New Jerseyan seeking assistance in obtaining a job.
1. Policy Recommendations for the Unemployed, the Underemployed and Welfare Recipients
Job search and job development services should be emphasized for newly unemployed workers and Work First New Jersey recipients as a first activity.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Labor and Human Services and community-based organizations.
The Employment Service's Professional Services Group (PSG) should be expanded. The PSG is a job search and placement service that allows dislocated workers use of Employment Service space and equipment and access to staff to assist in finding work. The PSG emphasis on peer-to- peer relationships is one of its major strengths.
Responsible agency: Department of Labor
The expertise of the Employment Service should be used to facilitate the training of staff from other agencies - welfare, education, CBOs, etc. - to create PSG-like initiatives to meet the employment needs of a variety of constituencies. This will allow participants to receive comprehensive job preparation services in a supportive, interactive environment.
Responsible agency: Department of Labor
A special effort to include Displaced Homemakers in the PSG or an equivalent program should be undertaken, where appropriate, based on qualifications. There are an estimated 500,000 New Jerseyans in this category, many of whom would greatly benefit from such an experience.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Education, Labor and Community Affairs, Displaced Homemakers Network of New Jersey
On a pilot basis, in two WIB areas, responsibility for the Workforce Development Partnership Program should be transferred to the Service Delivery Area (JTPA) allowing the Employment Service to focus exclusively on labor exchange, including mandatory job search, employer outreach and related workshops. In this pilot, the Service Delivery Areas must give up all labor exchange functions. The results of the pilot programs should be reported to the Commissioner of Labor within one year.
Responsible agency: Department of Labor
The possibility of finding a permanent source of funding for the Project Reemployment Opportunity System (PROS) should be explored. This will help provide the capacity to continue to provide basic readjustment services and job search skills for those who are job ready. The PROS should be the common entry for all dislocated workers.
Responsible agency: Department of Labor
Explorations should be undertaken to determine whether the Profiling System can be expanded to other populations beyond Unemployment Insurance claimants.
Responsible agency: Department of Labor
The Departments of Labor and Human Services should explore the integration and consolidation of Work First New Jersey into the One-Stop Career Center system. This could include a single local access point and administration of services for career planning, labor exchange, social services, and workforce readiness activities.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Labor and Human Services
The Community Link Network, as described in the One-Stop section, should be used as the basis of information exchange among professionals responsible for delivering workforce readiness and social services. This system will also facilitate the case management system to assist those with multiple barriers to employment.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Labor and Human Services, Workforce Investment Boards
The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation's role in assisting individuals with disabilities who are on welfare should be explored. A work group comprised of local and state representatives should be convened to plan and develop this approach.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Human Services and Labor
The labor exchange system should be strengthened to allow for the matching of occupational competencies of individuals with those required by jobs.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Labor and Education
Given the anticipated funding changes for federal job training programs, methods of allocating funds more effectively for dislocated worker programs, including the use of caps for JTPA Title III funds, should be explored by WIBs. A similar exploration should be undertaken at the State level. Full consideration should be given to the impact of caps on access for populations with special needs to programs.
Responsible agencies: Department of Labor and Workforce Investment Boards
Where appropriate, community colleges, proprietary schools, and vocational technical schools should establish open entry/open exit programs to ease access to educational opportunities, particularly for non- credit courses.
Responsible agencies: Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, local Boards of Education/Trustees
Adopt innovative approaches to deliver an adult education and literacy curriculum to those in the Work First New Jersey program and others who need to improve their level of literacy. Where appropriate, personal or network computers should be made easily accessible to those in need.
Interactive television and the Internet are two promising technologies that may be used to impart such services.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Education, Human Services and Labor, the Commission on Higher Education, local adult education and literacy providers
Exploration should be undertaken of ways to provide low-cost personal computers or the soon to be available network computer in the homes of welfare recipients and others who require literacy training to enhance their employability.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Labor, Human Services and Education, Commission on Higher Education, State Employment and Training Commission
F. Improving the Quality of the Existing Workforce
A major recommendation in the original Plan stated: "From teaching basic literacy to specialized knowledge of new technologies, the expansion of work- based learning must become a high priority for New Jersey." The implementation of the Workforce Development Partnership Program has, indeed, made improving the quality of the existing workforce the State s priority. New Jersey is a national leader in devoting substantial resources to direct grants to companies to help them educate their workers. The Workforce Development Partnership Program's Customized Training component has become a linchpin for New Jersey's economic development efforts.
Even with the success of the customized training component, there is still a need to bring small and medium-sized businesses into the employment, training and education system. These enterprises account for a substantial percentage of new jobs generated by the New Jersey economy and, therefore, need to be able to upgrade the skills of their workers. Moreover, the entrepreneurial spirit that gives rise to innovative risk-taking must be supported by workforce education programs. For those New Jerseyans who take the risk, and particularly those in the minority community, the dream of operating their own business should be cultivated.
1. Policy Recommendations for Improving the Quality of the Existing Workforce
To achieve this aim and to generally strengthen the work-based education system in New Jersey, the following policy recommendations are offered:
The WIBs must develop, with the support of the Departments of Labor and Commerce and Economic Development, a targeted strategy to meet the training needs of the employer community.
Responsible agencies: Workforce Investment Boards, Departments of Commerce and Economic Development and Labor
Programs should be established that provide special assistance to dislocated workers who seek to start their own businesses. State agencies and WIBs should collaborate to establish special training for those interested in establishing their own businesses. The Department of Labor's Self-Employment Assistance program should be a central component of this initiative.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Labor, Human Services, Commerce and Economic Development, Workforce Investment Boards
Workplace literacy funds should be made available to businesses from the federal Adult Education Act. These funds should be allocated through a joint process developed by the Departments of Education and Labor. Note: Only those funds currently allocated by the Department of Education for workplace literacy efforts should be included in this process - this recommendation does not call for a re-allocation of funds from other important adult education and literacy efforts.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Education and Labor
WIBs should develop special plans to ensure the availability of English as a Second Language work-based education programs.
Responsible agencies: Department of Education, Workforce Investment Boards
Special attention must be given to educational programs, seminars, outreach and public and private sector safety and health training designed to create safer, more healthful and equitable work environments and allow businesses to identify potential dangers, eliminate hazards, resolve problems and increase productivity.
Responsible Agency: Department of Labor
G. Evaluation of the Workforce Readiness System
The SETC is committed to developing a workforce readiness system that is accountable for its performance. Both federal and state laws give special responsibility to the Commission to establish an accountability process for New Jersey's workforce readiness system. The Commission's specific responsibilities include establishing quantifiable performance standards and evaluation of programs based on those standards.
The SETC is currently developing broad measures to assess the impact of the workforce readiness system. It is building on the work already done in the evaluation of the Workforce Development Partnership Program using Unemployment Insurance information to assess program outcomes. In the next year, the SETC will undertake the following evaluation activities:
The SETC will expend funds legislatively mandated by the Workforce Development Partnership Program and from the One-Stop Career Center system federal grant to enhance evaluation of the system. This may include obtaining assistance from outside experts, if necessary.
The SETC, in cooperation with State and local agencies, will conduct an ongoing evaluation of the implementation of a One-Stop Career Center system in New Jersey. The purposes of the evaluation will be: to measure the effectiveness of the One-Stop Career Center system; identify policy concerns; and, recommend changes to the system, as is necessary.
The SETC Evaluation Committee will recommend a process for evaluating employment and training service providers across the workforce readiness system.
The SETC will coordinate efforts among the Departments of Education, Labor, Human Services and the Commission on Higher Education to establish uniform performance measures for the workforce readiness system. Customer satisfaction surveys must be one of the mainstays of this revitalized evaluation system.
To ensure that workforce readiness programs are meeting the needs of local economic development efforts, economic development authorities and local elected officials should be periodically surveyed to obtain their perspectives.
To assist in performing its evaluation function and to gather necessary data, the SETC recommends:
All public and private colleges and universities that receive funding through any state or federal sources must provide information on all workforce programs (including those approved by the State Department of Education), not just degree and certificate programs. The information must be submitted to the Department of Education. It must also be in a format consistent with data currently provided to the New Jersey Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education.
Responsible agencies: public and private colleges and universities
All workforce readiness training funds distributed by any state department must be tracked using common comparable data, including program costs. This is required by all State departments that fund training programs, but is currently only being reported by Education and Labor. This information is necessary for the adequate assessment of the success of service providers in training different populations.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Community Affairs, Corrections and Human Services
The information referred to in the two preceding recommendations must be reported by the respective departments to the New Jersey Occupational Information Coordinating Committee which is authorized to collect such information.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Human Services, Community Affairs, and Corrections
The information described above must be made available to Workforce Investment Boards so they can effectively analyze workforce readiness resources and program outcomes.
Responsible agencies: New Jersey Occupational Information Coordinating Committee, State Employment and Training Commission
Placements in employment will be considered to be training-related placements by utilizing the National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee's national crosswalk. This links data between the Dictionary of Occupational Titles codes and the Classification of Instructional Program codes. This will allow programs to easily identify what types of jobs individuals are placed in by directly comparing the codes for programs against the codes for actual job titles. This method is to be adopted by all training programs, administrative units and other service providers.
Responsible agencies: Departments of Community Affairs, Education, Human Services and Labor, and the Commission on Higher Education
Guidelines for WIB membership will be reviewed in light of changes in federal law and the experience in establishing WIBs during the past year. In this review, special attention should be paid to ensure that WIBs are genuinely representative of the diversity of each geographic area.
The Adult Education and Literacy Council or a Literacy Task Force will be established to review adult literacy and education needs in New Jersey.
The SETC Planning Committee will continue to revise A Unified State Plan for New Jersey's Workforce Readiness System to ensure it is responsive to changing circumstances.
As part of the revision of the Plan, recommendations from the SETC Corrections Education Task Force will be included.
State workforce agencies and the State Department of Transportation will form a work group to develop a transportation strategy for the workforce readiness system. For many customers of the system, the lack of transportation to work-based or school-based employment and training programs is a major barrier to participation in such efforts.
A special work group will be formed to develop an overall strategy for providing services to young high school dropouts who number 18% statewide and between 40% and 60% in major urban areas. As part of this process, the State's major dropout program, the New Jersey Youth Corps, which was moved to the Department of Education as a SETC recommendation, should be reviewed.
Appendix A GLOSSARY
Appendix B EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 36
Appendix C NEW JERSEY CORE CURRICULUM CONTENT STANDARDS
A Unified State Plan for New Jersey s Workforce Readiness System GLOSSARY
Adult Literacy - There are a number of private and public institutions offering training to adults in the ability to use printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one's goals and to develop one's knowledge and potential. This includes achieving proficiency in using prose, quantitative information, and documents.
Adult Education Act - Federal legislation that provides funding for both state and local adult education initiatives and for the federal and state administrative entities to support them.
Articulation Agreements - A formalized signed plan reflecting the process and conditions which link two or more educational systems to help students make a smooth transition from the secondary level of academic or occupational training to the postsecondary level without experiencing a delay or duplication of learning.
At-Risk Youth - Youth who are not doing well in school or who have dropped out and whose behavior and/or background serve as predictors for dependency, i.e., being unable to achieve a good job at good wages, are considered at risk. This definition usually includes youth up to and including age 21.
Career Majors - A career major is a coherent sequence of courses, or field of study, that prepares the student for employment in a broad occupational cluster or industry through integrated academic and occupational learning, work-based and school-based learning and establishes linkages between secondary schools and postsecondary institutions.
Career Information Delivery System (CIDS) - CIDS is a computerized network that provides New Jersey-specific career decision making information on occupational outlook, training availability, wages, and other related matters that are pertinent for career planning throughout the State. This information is an important resource in career and employment counseling, job placement, educational planning, and vocational and career education programs and will be available on WNJPIN.
Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) - CIP is a classification of program terms and descriptions reflecting the manner in which institutional instructional program data are organized, collected and reported. Its purpose is to define and classify instruction according to currently recognized awards and program completions.
Community Link Network - This initiative will utilize progressive technology to structure and coordinate the service delivery systems through integrated electronic communication and information sharing, referral, case management and data reporting at the initial point of service delivery.
Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) - Community-Based Organizations are private nonprofit organizations which are representative of communities or significant segments of communities, many of which provide job training services.
Core Curriculum Content Standards - These standards represent content areas such as arts, career education, comprehensive health and physical education, language arts/literacy, science, social studies and world languages that broadly describe a core of knowledge and skills which all students should know and be able to do upon graduation from the public school system. The standards are required to be academically rigorous, internationally competitive, and applicable to all students.
Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) - This publication describes the thousands of jobs in the U.S. economy in an organized way, using a numeric system. The DOT groups jobs into "occupations" based on their similarities and defines the structure and content of all listed occupations.
Dislocated Workers - A dislocated worker is someone who has been terminated or laid off or has received an individual notice of termination/layoff, is eligible for or has exhausted entitlement to Unemployment Compensation, and is unlikely to return to previous industry or occupation; has been terminated or has received an individual notice of termination/layoff as a result of any permanent closure or any substantial layoff at a plant, facility or enterprise; or has been long-term unemployed and has limited opportunities for employment or reemployment in the same or similar occupations in the area of residence.
Employment Services (ES) - The basic role of ES is to match employers looking for qualified workers to fill vacancies with workers looking for jobs suited to their skills and abilities. Services include interviewing, assessment, testing, counseling, job development, referrals to jobs and training, as well as providing labor market information. This program is administered by the Office of the Director, Workforce New Jersey, Department of Labor. The ES offices are located statewide.
Executive Order No. 36 - The Executive Order No. 36, which was signed by Governor Whitman on May 12, 1995, requires the establishment of Workforce Investment Boards and delineates their major responsibilities in coordinating and developing policies at the local level.
Governor's Coordination and Special Services Plan (GCSSP) - This plan is developed in response to the requirement of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) that the Governor annually prepare a statement of goals and objectives for job training and placement programs within the State to assist in the preparation of the plans required for JTPA and the Employment Services.
Human Resource Investment Councils (HRIC) - A policy develop
