Partners in OnTheJobTraining Kansas WIF Training April 11

Partners in On-The-Job-Training Kansas WIF Training April 11, 2017 Maher and Maher | Presentation Title |

ETHICS DISCLAIMER “This presentation reflects my (personal) views of the changes implied by WIOA and the actions a proactive workforce system professional may want to consider in preparing for the new Law. It is not reflective of Federal policy nor, in any way, shaped by any specific knowledge thereof. ” Presenter Beth A. Brinly Vice President, Workforce Innovation Maher & Maher | 2

Today’s Objectives • Provide an overview of key changes to OJT in WIOA and common misperceptions • Outline benefits of OJT to businesses, workers, and the workforce system • Identify solutions to common OJT challenges • Provide examples of OJT in action • Kick off the WIF OJT collaboration Maher & Maher | 3

Priorities of WIOA Maher & Maher | 4

On The Job Training Definition Training by an employer that is provided to a paid participant while engaged in productive work in a job that: a. Provides knowledge or skills essential to the full and adequate performance of the job; b. Is made available through a program that provides reimbursement to the employer of up to 50 percent of the wage rate of the participant, except as provided in WIOA Section 134(c)(3)(H), for the extraordinary costs of providing the training and additional supervision related to the training; and c. Is limited in duration as appropriate to the occupation for which the participant is being trained, taking into account the content of the training, the prior work experience of the participant, and the service strategy of the participant, as appropriate. Maher & Maher | 5

Overview of OJT • OJT is a hire-first training option; each trainee is an employee of the company while receiving training • Employers choose from candidates provided through assessment and screening • Employers receive reimbursement for a portion of employee wages covering costs of supervision and provision of training • Employees build new skills, re-establish positions in new fields, and gain self-sufficiency Maher & Maher | 6

WIOA Context for OJT • No prescribed sequence of services for engaging or enrolling in OJT • Enhanced reimbursement (up to 75%) in special cases* • WIOA’s performance measures are well-aligned with effective OJT • WIOA encourages training that focuses on highdemand jobs • Links between OJT and Registered Apprenticeship *policy in process so only 50% for now Maher & Maher | 7

OJT Process Outreach Assessment Pre. Screening Contract Placement/ Training Plan Follow-up Maher & Maher | 8

Key Features • Allows participants to earn and learn • Provide a more structured and effective training experience for employees • Allows an employee to pass job knowledge and skills to another employee in the work setting • Delivered by eligible businesses • Customized to address gaps in trainees knowledge or skills • Time-limited • Reimbursement for the extraordinary costs of training • Adaptable to a wide range of occupations and skills • Effective strategy for employing a diverse array of clients Maher & Maher | 9

Questions & Discussion Maher & Maher | 10

Partnering for Success

Why Partner • Extend funding to serve more individuals • Save time for the customers and reduce sharing the same information multiple times • Build on the information that other agencies to develop the plan • Can use the expertise of partners (don’t have to be an expert at everything) • Better meet the needs of customers Maher & Maher | 12

Activity 1: how might we. . . Partner to implement OJT in our region? Maher & Maher | 13

Report Out Maher & Maher | 14

Our Roles Going Forward • Referrals • Assessment • Support • Tracking Progress Maher & Maher | 15

Keys to Successful OJT • Focus on how to increase career opportunities for low-skilled, lowincome workers • Reduce bureaucratic processes and reporting requirements • Ensure that planning and execution leads to programs focused on the quality and depth of training • Incorporate industry-recognized credentials into OJT programs while allowing employers flexibility in designing their own training • Support employer training strategies and professional development for supervisors • Maximize supportive services and through service guidance and support teams Maher & Maher | 16

Benefits to the Workforce System Partners • A resource for building and expanding business services • Supports small businesses’ training needs • Increases likelihood that training will produce successful outcomes • Satisfies employment and training needs of a range of customers, including hard-to-serve • OJT and ITA funds can be used to support Registered Apprenticeship Maher & Maher | 17

Focus on Outreach Assessment Pre. Screening Contract Placement/ Training Plan Follow-up Maher & Maher | 18

Outreach to Businesses • Ensure partner outreach that fits community employment situation and focuses on jobs in demand sectors or occupations • Get the word out on incentives to businesses ready to hire • Determine business suitability for OJT Maher & Maher | 19

Outreach Strategies • Integrate OJTs into local business services and job seeker services • Research businesses and their labor needs before initial contact • Work with community partners to target regional demand sectors • Educate businesses on OJT training benefits • Ensure minimal business paperwork Maher & Maher | 20

Benefits OJT offers Businesses • Utilize a low-cost training program that captures and passes on the knowledge of their current workforce to a new generation of workers • Have increased productivity and safety because of the thorough training • Have less turn-over and a way to screen new employees • Create a sense of loyalty to the company and increase pride in work Maher & Maher | 21

Benefits OJT offers to Individual Customers • Earn as you learn • Acquire job and career advancement skills • Learn in a hands-on environment • Opportunity for long-term employment • Helps secure employment with businesses committed to training Maher & Maher | 22

Activity 2: how might we. . . Conduct targeted outreach and recruitment for… • Low-Income including TANF and SNAP participants • Individual with disabilities • Older Individuals an individual age 55 or older • Ex-offenders • Basic Skills Deficient (English Language Learners, Low Literacy Levels, Substantial Cultural Barriers) • Long-term unemployed Maher & Maher | 23

Report Out Maher & Maher | 24

Assessment Outreach Assessment Pre. Screening Contract Placement/ Training Plan Follow-up Maher & Maher | 25

Assessment • Documents worker fit for on-the-job training by identifying current skills, aptitudes and interests • Helps staff match employer demand for skilled workers with workers who will attain entry-level skills during on-the-job training • Strengthens employer and worker satisfaction • Informs the duration of training needed Maher & Maher | 26

Training Duration Considerations • Basic skill deficiencies and training need identified (including ESL, reading writing, and oral communications and mathematics) • Identified soft skills deficiency and training need • Relevant factors concerning target populations Maher & Maher | 27

Pre-Screening Outreach Assessment Pre. Screening Contract Placement/ Training Plan Follow-up Maher & Maher | 28

Employer Pre-screening Learn about the business Explain program Qualify a business for OJT Observe work setting and environment Review business solvency and retention potential Maher & Maher | 29

Goals for OJT Placement Local Workforce Development Area I II IV V Min. OJT Participants 18 23 31 31 17 Min. Completing OJT 13 17 22 22 12 Min. obtaining employment after completing OJT (within 6 months) 10 13 17 17 10 Maher & Maher | 30

Activity 3: how might we. . . • Develop a business outreach plan among the partners? • Prioritize businesses to recruit? • Determine who should make the ask? Maher & Maher | 31

Report Out Maher & Maher | 32

Strategies to Effectively Market OJT to Businesses • Cultivate business relationships through existing and potential partners, including economic development agencies, industry associations, sector partnerships, and small business associations. • Conduct outreach to businesses through established networks: – Regional workforce development initiatives – Economic development incentive award recipients, or – Winners of competitive bids for public projects. • Leverage rapid response activities to promote OJTs to both businesses and workers. • Focus on small businesses. Maher & Maher | 33

Contract Outreach Assessment Pre. Screening Contract Placement/ Training Plan Follow-up Maher & Maher | 34

Employer Contract • • Clear statement of purpose Identification of all parties including the trainee Signatures of parties to agreement Training Job Title and appropriate job and training Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) Code • Start and end dates • Any supplemental training away from the worksite Maher & Maher | 35

Employer Contract (cont. ) • Wage reimbursement showing wage rate, reimbursement rate, planned raises, and training duration • Concurrence between employer and union when OJT is under a collective bargaining agreement • General provisions ensuring regulatory compliance • Training plan Maher & Maher | 36

Placement/Training Plan Outreach Assessment Pre. Screening Contract Placement/ Training Plan Follow-up Maher & Maher | 37

Benefit of Training Plans • Specify training details of agreement between employer and OJT participant • Promote development of effective placement • Serve as tool to document milestones, progress and success • Document employer retention for future OJTs Maher & Maher | 38

Training Plan Outline • Identify skills to be obtained: Detail specific tasks, estimated training hours for each skill, and safe operation of tools and equipment • Specify how skills will be obtained: Assist employer with specific methods of instruction that match the trainee’s skill level and learning style • Describe skills measurement and attainment methods • Include employer and participant signatures • Modify plan when details or timelines change Maher & Maher | 39

Follow-up Outreach Assessment Pre. Screening Contract Placement/ Training Plan Follow-up Maher & Maher | 40

Follow-up: Standards of Success • Participant on track with Training Plan • Payment of wages timely and at specified rate • Progress reports • Maintenance of records Maher & Maher | 41

Address Common Challenges • Lack of staff capacity to identify business targets for OJT • Business perception that OJT is a burdensome government program • Amount of time, effort, and complexity in developing OJT training plans • Incorporating OJT into career pathways strategies Maher & Maher | 42

Lack of Staff Capacity to Identify Business Targets • Cross-train employment services staff and other partners on an OJT sales pitch when they are promoting a menu of business and economic development services • Empower jobseekers to include OJT as a part of their self initiated job searches. – Train them on behavioral interviewing techniques, in which they make the case on the value they would bring to the business, despite their skill gaps. – They can offer OJT as a strategy for filling these gaps. Maher & Maher | 43

Business Perception that OJT is a Burdensome Government Program Simplify and streamline documentation and reporting for businesses: • Take on as much of the paperwork as feasible. • Use a short checklist to review OJT legal obligations with businesses. • Reduce the length of the OJT contract to 2 -5 pages, putting required assurances in fine print. • Utilize a master training agreement and seek signatures annually, so Local WDBs, AJCs, and service providers can act quickly when new OJT opportunities arise. • Whenever possible, do not repeat the same legal assurances or requirements in multiple forms, thereby reducing length and duplication of paperwork for businesses. • Reduce frequency of wage reimbursements, which require documentation of payroll expenses and training progress at each interval. Maher & Maher | 44

Amount of Time, Effort, & Complexity in Developing OJT Training Plans • • • Offer to help businesses write job descriptions and align with occupational descriptions, job zones, and Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) codes found on O*NET On. Line. Maintain an archive of similar job descriptions that have been crossreferenced to O*NET Online. Draw on prior assessments and business observations from applicant interviews to identify gaps in key job-related competencies. Utilize O*NET SVP codes to estimate an appropriate number of overall training hours and training budget. Minimize the length and detail of the training plan to the essential elements and competencies to be attained. Conduct a site visit during the training period to gather feedback from the trainee and business on skills development progression. Maher & Maher | 45

Incorporating OJT into Career Pathways Strategies • Link classroom instruction and OJT as an overall skill building strategy. • Braid funding sources, including ITAs, Pell grants, OJT, TANF, and other grants to support participant progression along a career pathway. • Link OJT and Registered Apprenticeship programs. • Add advanced skills in OJT contracts that would prepare individuals for wage increase/promotion. Maher & Maher | 46

Using O*NET to Support On-the-Job Training • O*NET On. Line can help service providers determine whether On-the-Job Training is appropriate for a given occupation and for the particular skills and experiences of a client. – See O*NET Job Zones at: https: //www. onetonline. org/help/online/zones • In determining the feasibility and suitability of OJT for any particular occupation, the assessment must be based on the skills and qualifications that the specific client already holds or would need to attain through OJT. – See O*NET SVP codes at: https: //www. onetonline. org/help/online/svp Maher & Maher | 47

Questions & Discussion Maher & Maher | 48

For Ongoing Support w/WIF OJT Amanda Ramsey, Program Manager Workforce Services - Workforce Innovation Fund Grant Kansas Department of Commerce 1000 SW Jackson Street, Suite 100 Topeka, Kansas 66612 -1354 Phone: 785 -296 -4703 FAX: 785 -296 -1404 amanda. ramsey@ks. gov Maher & Maher | 49

Resources • OJT Toolkit: https: //ojttoolkit. workforce 3 one. org/ • Implementing OJT Simply and Effectively: https: //www. workforcegps. org/events/2016/05/02/13/ 26/Strategies_for_Implementing_OJTSimply_and_Effectively • Making OJT Work: http: //www. jff. org/sites/default/files/publications/mate rials/NFWS_Making. On. The. Job. Training. Work_11041 3. pdf Maher & Maher | 50

Targeted Populations Resources • Long-Term Unemployed: https: //ion. workforcegps. org/resources/2016/02/02/11/39/Helping_L ong-Term_Unemployed_Subject_Matter_Expert_Series • Farmworkers: https: //farmworker. workforcegps. org/resources/2014/06/09/20/23/On -the-Job-Training_Models_for_Farmworkers • Individuals with Disabilities: http: //www. rehabworks. org/ojt. shtml • TANF: http: //www. philaworks. org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Final -TANF-OJT-policy-3 -2017_REVISED_hb. jj_. sk_. pdf • Ex-offenders: http: //www. jailstojobs. org/on-the-job-training-offersfunds-for-employers-to-hire-ex-offenders/ Maher & Maher | 51

Summary ü WIOA supports OJT from an individual & business customer perspective ü Partnership is key to a successful OJT throughout the process strategy ü Both individual and business customer outreach is important ü Together we can overcome OJT challenges Maher & Maher | 52

For Your Information Training produced using the United States Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration Workforce Innovation Fund. Maher & Maher | 53

Contact Us: Beth Brinly Vice President, Workforce Innovation Maher & Maher bbrinly@mahernet. com 3535 Route 66, Building 4 Neptune, NJ 07753 Phone: 732 -918 -8000 1 -888 -90 MAHER (888 -906 -2437) Fax: 732 -918 -9059 www. mahernet. com Maher & Maher | 54