State of Nevada s6

Table of Contents

Governor’s Message 0

Overview 1

Section I. WIOA STATE PLAN TYPE 2

Section II. STRATEGIC ELEMENTS 3

(a) Economic, Workforce and Workforce Development Activities Analysis 3

(1) Economic and Workforce Analysis 3

(A) Economic Analysis 5

(B) Workforce Analysis 10

(2) Workforce Development, Education and Training Activities Analysis 18

(A) Nevada’s Workforce Development Activities 18

(B) Strengths and Weaknesses of Workforce Development Activities 26

(b) Nevada’s Strategic Vision and Goals 35

(1) Nevada’s Strategic Vision for the Workforce Development System 35

(2) Nevada’s Goals 35

(A) Goals for Preparing an Educated and Skilled Workforce 35

(B) Goals for meeting the Skilled Workforce Needs of Employers 36

(3) Performance Goals 37

(4) Assessment 37

(c) Nevada’s Strategy 37

(1) Aligning Sector Strategies and Career Pathways 38

(2) Aligning the Core Programs 40

Section III. Operational Planning Elements 47

(a) State Strategy Implementation 47

(1) State Board Functions 47

(A) State Board Composition 49

(B) State Board’s Operational Structures 50

(2) Implementation of State Strategy 51

(A) Core Program Activities to Implement State Strategy 51

(B) Alignment with Activities Outside of the Plan 54

(D) Coordination, Alignment and Provision of Services to Employers 60

(E) Partner Engagement with Educational Institutions 65

(F) Leveraging Resources to Increase Educational Access 66

(G) Improving Access to Postsecondary Credentials 68

(H) Coordinating with Economic Development Strategies 72

(b) State Operating Systems and Policies 74

(1) State Operating Systems 74

(A) Operating Systems that Support Coordinated Implementation 74

(B) Data Collection and Reporting Processes 75

(2) State Policies 77

(A) Job Seekers, Providers and Employers 77

(B) Workforce and other Core Partners 77

(3) State Program and State Board Overview 78

(A) State Agency Organization 78

(B) State Board 79

(4) Assessment of Programs and One-Stop Partner Programs 80

(A) Assessment of Core Programs 80

(B) Assessment of One-Stop Program Partner Programs 81

(5) Distribution of Funds for Core Programs 86

(A) Title I 86

(B) Title II 88

(6) Program Data 89

(A) Data Alignment and Integration 89

(B) Assessment of Participants’ Post-Program Success 93

(D) Privacy Safeguards 94

(7) Priority of Service for Veterans 95

(8) Accessibility of the One-Stop Delivery System 95

(A) One-Stop Center Certification Policy 96

Section IV. Coordination with State Plan Programs 100

(a) Overview of Actions Taken to Align Agencies 100

(b) Centralized Team and Workgroups 101

Section V. COMMON ASSURANCES (for all core programs) 102

Section VI. Program-Specific Requirements for Core Programs 105

Title I-B: Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Programs Activities 105

(a) General Requirements 105

(1) Regions and Local Workforce Development Areas 105

Northern Nevada Counties 105

Southern Nevada Counties/Cities 105

(2) Statewide Activities 111

(b) Adult and Dislocated Worker Program Requirements 114

(1) Alternative Training Models 114

(2) Registered Apprenticeships 115

(3) Training Provider Eligibility 115

(1) Criteria 122

(2) Funds 123

(3) Out of School Youth – In School Youth 124

(4) Alternative Education 125

(5) School Attendance 126

(6) Basic Skills Deficiency 127

Title I-B Assurances 128

Wagner-Peyser Act Program (Employment Services) 130

(a) Employment Service (ES) Professional Staff Development 130

(1) Professional Development Activities 130

(2) Strategies 130

(b) Service Delivery 131

(d) Wagner-Peyser – Unemployment Insurance Claimant Support and 132

Communication 132

(1) Labor Exchange 132

(2) UI Registration 132

(3) Work Test 133

(4) Referrals 133

(e) Agricultural Outreach Plan (AOP) 134

(1)(A) Assessment of Need – Farmworkers 134

(1)(B) Assessment of Resources 134

(2)(A) Outreach Activities 135

(2)(B) Outreach Activities Plan 135

(3)(A) Coordinated Outreach 136

(3)(B) Farmworkers – One-Stop Centers 137

(3)(C) Marketing 137

(3)(D) Farmworkers – Employment Rights 138

(3)(E) Farmworkers – Efforts 138

(4) Service Delivery 138

(5) Other Requirements 138

Wagner-Peyser Assurances 140

Adult Basic Education and Literacy Programs 141

(a) Aligning of Content Standards 141

(b) Local Activities 141

Allowable Activities 144

(d) Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education Program 148

(e) State Leadership 148

Participation in the National College and Career Readiness Standards-In-Action Initiative 149

Implementation of the CCR-SIA Innovations 151

(f) Assessing Quality 154

Adult Basic Education and Literacy Programs Certifications and Assurances 156

Vocational Rehabilitation 159

(a) Input of State Rehabilitation Council 159

Input of State Rehabilitation Council 159

Annual Report 159

Annual Consumer Satisfaction Surveys 159

Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment 159

State Plan Goals 160

General NSRC Input 160

(b) Request for Waiver of Statewideness 160

Third Party Cooperative Arrangements – Secondary School Districts 160

Third-Party Cooperative Arrangements – Postsecondary Institutions 162

Written Assurances 163

Unique Services Provided 163

Cooperative Agreements with Agencies Not Carrying Out Activities Under the Statewide Workforce Development System. 164

Interlocal Contracts 164

Other Collaborations 165

(d) Coordination with Education Officials 167

(e) Cooperative Agreements with Private, Nonprofit Organizations 171

(f) Arrangements and Cooperative Agreements for the Provision of Supported Employment Services 172

(g) Coordination with Employers 174

Workforce Development Boards 175

(h) Interagency Cooperation 175

(i) Comprehensive System of Personnel Development - Data System 176

Personnel Development 178

Personnel Standards 181

Staff Development 181

Personnel to Address Individual Communication Needs 183

Coordination of Personnel Development Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 184

(j) Statewide Assessment 185

(k) Annual Estimates 187

(l) State Goals and Priorities 189

(m) Order of Selection 190

(n) Goals and Plans for Distribution of Title VI Funds 190

Goals and Priorities 190

(o) State’s Strategies 191

Assistive Technology 194

Minorities and Most Significantly Disabled 195

Community Rehabilitation Programs 196

Strategies to improve the performance of the State with respect to the performance accountability measures under section 116 of WIOA. 196

Strategies for assisting other components of the statewide workforce development system in assisting individuals with disabilities. 196

Innovation and Expansion Projects for 2016 197

(p) Evaluation and Reports of Progress: VR and Supported Employment Goals 198

NSRC Goals and Indicators 198

Federal Standards and Indicators 204

(q) Quality, Scope and Extent of Supported Employment Services 206

Vocational Rehabilitation Certifications and Assurances. 208

CERTIFICATIONS 208

ASSURANCES 210

Appendices 214

Appendix 1: Performance Goals for the Core Programs 214

Appendix 2 217

Appendix 3 218

Appendix 4 220

Title I 220

Title II 220

Title III 221

Title IV 221

Figures 223

Glossary 224

Governor’s Message

In my 2015 Inaugural Address, I recounted the unprecedented times of economic hardship and fiscal peril that Nevada has faced and fought to overcome in recent years, pledging to dedicate all the work of my remaining term as governor to Nevada’s future generations and their ultimate success. I spoke about the restoration of Nevada as a center for new opportunities, and how we as a state had reclaimed our title as a national leader in economic growth, innovation, and job creation.

Today, Nevada’s rate of job growth is the strongest in the country, we have cut our unemployment rate in half, and we have the second fastest growing population in America. Some of the world’s most dynamic companies are relocating to Nevada and diversifying our economy. We are adding good jobs in almost every sector, with business services, manufacturing and logistics, health services, and gaming and tourism leading the way. These are encouraging trends. But, we must do better.

In my January 15, 2015 State of the State address, I proposed a vision for building what I call the “New Nevada.” The foundation for that vision was a historic education reform package approved during the legislative session. Education reform was the critical first step. Our next step is to ensure that Nevada’s students are college and career ready by graduation, so that they can succeed as the 21st century workforce our state will need to continue to thrive. This will include a signification expansion of Career and Technical Education, a renewed focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, and leveraging programs such as Jobs for America’s Graduates. Nevadans must have the education and skills necessary to meet the growing demand for high-quality jobs.

Nevada’s plan to develop and implement the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) gives the state the opportunity to bring together all of the elements necessary to create a workforce system that improves our economy and the lives of our citizens. We will accomplish this through aligning education, career training and workforce development services to achieve targeted objectives; reorganizing the workforce investment system in line with emerging sectors; and, continuing to promote greater educational achievement.

We are battle born and Nevada proud. Optimism is our heritage. Opportunity is our watchword. And courage is in our blood. As the great western pioneer Sarah Royce so eloquently stated, “We must venture out, embracing the sense of going forward instead of backward, or the temptation to simply stand still.” That pioneering spirit of exploration, optimism and opportunity will continue to define our efforts to create the New Nevada.

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Overview

The state of Nevada has opted to submit a Unified State Plan (‘state plan’) to meet the requirements of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA). This state plan is built around Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval’s commitment to an innovative New Nevada, and the governor’s pledge to ensure that Nevadans are provided the opportunities to obtain the education and skills necessary to meet the workforce needs of Nevada’s employers. To accomplish this, Nevada’s state plan outlines how Nevada will align education, career training and workforce development into an integrated workforce system that improves Nevada’s economy and the lives of Nevadans.

Nevada’s state plan provides a clear understanding of the opportunities and challenges that Nevada’s workforce, job seekers and employers face in an increasingly globalized and shifting economy, wherein technology and innovation are catalysts for change, which in turn compel the current and prospective workforce to fill skill and educational gaps to meet Nevada’s economic needs.

Governor Sandoval elicited input from all workforce, education and social services stakeholders to develop a state plan that centered on an integrated, effective and efficient workforce system built to meet the demands of Nevada employers, and meet the needs of Nevada’s current workforce and future job seekers. Under the purview of the Governor’s Workforce Development Board (‘state board’), WIOA state plan workgroups (see below) were established to seek input for the development of the strategic and operational components of the state plan, and were charged with conducting assessments and developing strategies that frame this state plan. Participation in said workgroups included core program staff, local and state board representation, and economic development participation.

The full team and governance workgroups held open meetings pursuant to Nevada’s Open Meeting Law, N.R.S. 241.020, to encourage and promote public participation in this process. The team and workgroups worked collaboratively on identifying strategies and goals that signified the governor’s vision of a workforce system. The team and workgroups met regularly on weekly/biweekly basis throughout 2015, which culminated with: (1) a 30-day notice to the public of public hearings to solicit comments; (2) a January 14, 2016 public hearing before the state board’s strategic planning subcommittee; (3) a January 21, 2016 public hearing before the state board; and, (4) a February 18, 2016 public hearing before the state board, at which the state board voted on the unified state plan.

The WIOA full team (representation from each of the WIOA workgroups) included:

§ Governance workgroup

§ Labor market information workgroup

§ Policy workgroup

§ Performance accountability workgroup

§ Fiscal workgroup

§ Business outreach workgroup

§ Staff development workgroup

Workgroups met regularly, and a project management site was established and utilized (Micro Focus VIBE) for stakeholders to share team folders, document management, workflows and social streams to enhance workgroup productivity and stakeholder input. These activities resulted in the outcomes and recommendations from this collaborative process that was used to construct a common framework in the evolution of this state plan.

The nucleus of Nevada’s state plan is engrained in the economic and workforce analyses prescribed by WIOA. The economic outlook in Nevada continues to show remarkable signs of recovery from the recession. However, because Nevada’s economy currently remains reliant, in part, on consumer sentiment and willingness to spend disposable income, Nevada’s recovery is only as strong as a national and/or international one. A diversified approach to economic and workforce development is required.

Section I. WIOA STATE PLAN TYPE

The state of Nevada has opted to submit a Unified State Plan (‘state plan’) to meet the requirements of the WIOA. Nevada’s state plan includes the six required core programs:

Title / Core Programs / WIOA Services
I / 1. Adult Program
2. Dislocated Worker Program
3. Youth Program / Workforce training, professional degree and certification programs, secondary and postsecondary education programs, employment services, career counseling and planning, veteran programs, and Job Corps services.
II / 4. Adult Education and Family Literacy Act Program / Programs, activities and services that include adult education literacy, workplace adult education and literacy activities, family literacy activities, English language acquisition activities, integrated English and civics education, workforce preparation activities, and integrated education and training.
III / 5. Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933 Program / Employment / unemployment services integrated with the delivery of other services (i.e., cannot be a stand-alone facility) into the one-stop framework. Provides unemployment insurance claimants with referrals and application assistance for training and educational resources and programs. Provides staff with professional development and career advancement opportunities.
IV / 6. Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Program / Job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, counseling on opportunities for enrollment in comprehensive transition or postsecondary education programs, workplace readiness training to develop social skills and independent living, and instructions in self-advocacy for persons with physical or mental disabilities. Provides emphasis on service to employers. Provides for revisions to supported employment, and emphasizes customized employment. Limits conditions for subminimum wage.

Section II. STRATEGIC ELEMENTS

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