Employment Ontario Call For Proposal Application Guide
Local Employment Planning Council
2015-17
Employment Ontario
Call for Proposal Application Guide
Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities
Program Delivery Support Branch
33 Bloor Street East, Suite 200
Toronto, ON M7A 2S3
Issued: June 22, 2015
CFP Closing Date: 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Thursday August 27, 2015
ã Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2015
TABLE CONTENTS
1 PILOT ELEMENTS 3
1.1 Context 3
1.2 Overview of the Pilot 4
1.3 Overview of Employment Ontario 5
1.4 Overview of Employment and Training Service Integration (ETSI) 5
1.5 Pilot Principles 6
1.6 Pilot Objectives 6
1.7 Pilot Activities 7
1.7.1 Outreach and Partnership Engagement 7
1.7.2 Developing Local Labour Market Knowledge 10
1.7.3 Governance 11
1.7.4 Planning and Reporting 12
1.8 Roles and Responsibilities 15
1.9 Stakeholder/Partner Profile 15
1.10 Timelines and Project Expectations 16
1.11 Pilot Outcomes 18
1.12 Performance Measures 18
1.13 Pilot Evaluation 20
2 APPLICATION PROCESS 22
2.1 Introduction 22
2.2 Eligibility 22
2.3 Agreement and Budget 22
2.4 Proposal Evaluation 24
2.4.1 Stage I 24
2.4.2 Stage II 24
2.4.3 Stage III 25
2.5 Proposal Timelines 25
2.6 Obligations and Responsibilities 26
2.7 Ownership of products 26
2.8 Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), 2005 26
2.9 Collection and Use of Personal Information 26
2.10 French Language Services Act, 2011 27
2.11 Visual Identity and Communications 27
2.12 Prohibited communications 27
2.13 Negotiation of Agreement 27
2.14 Conflict of Interest 27
2.15 Performance Management 28
2.16 Call for Proposal Submission Instructions 28
3 RESPONSE TEMPLATE 29
Instructions 29
3.1 Project Contact Information 29
3.2 Partner Organization (if applicable) 29
3.3 Declaration 29
3.4 Project Summary (5 points) 30
3.5 Capacity (30 points) 30
3.6 Experience and Expertise (40 points) 31
3.7 Community Connection and Commitment (15 points) 33
3.8 Proposed Services, Delivery Method, and Work Plan (40 points) 34
3.9 Proposed Budget (10 points) 34
4 APPENDICES 35
4.1 Appendix I: Definitions 35
4.2 Appendix II: Funding Categories 37
4.3 Appendix III: Examples of Eligible and Ineligible Expenditures 39
4.4 Appendix IV: Pilot Community Geography 40
1 PILOT ELEMENTS
1.1 Context
Local perspectives and knowledge are an important part of an integrated system for effectively addressing employment, training and labour market issues.Local Employment Planning Councils (LEPCs) are intended to improve labour market conditions in local communities through the provision of research and labour market information to drive innovation in service delivery based on solid evidence.
The LEPC pilot design is intended to strengthen local capacity to address local workforce development challenges and opportunities. Challenges identified within the current system, include:
· Uneven capacity across the network to:
o Conduct engagement with employers to identify labour market or workforce development needs;
o Engage with delivery providers in coordinating local planning of employment and training services;
o Consistently collect and disseminate accurate and detailed local labour market information.
· Lack of common understanding of roles and responsibilities for local service planning.
In the spirit of continuous improvement, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (the Ministry) has applied learning from previous pilot experiences in the design of this model. The LEPC pilot is intended to address these challenges identified above and strengthen local capacity to address local workforce development needs.
Within the pilot communities, Local Employment Planning Councils are expected to serve as a key system feature for integrated employment and training services by providing enhanced capacity to collect labour market information and plan employment and training services.
1.2 Overview of the Pilot
The Local Employment Planning Council (LEPC) project aims to pilot a network of local intermediaries to improve labour market conditions in local communities through enhanced collection and dissemination of local labour market information and community engagement to drive local approaches in the planning and delivery of employment and training services.
As an intermediary, LEPCs will lead and champion local solutions to labour market issues and build credibility and buy-in amongst community stakeholders (employers in particular) to support the successful implementation of local workforce development initiatives.
The following pilot sites have been selected in order to test the design of LEPCs:
· Durham
· Peel-Halton
· Windsor
· London-Middlesex-Oxford
· Ottawa
· Peterborough
· Timmins
· Thunder Bay
Please see Appendix IV for a listing of all the geographic areas represented within the communities listed above.
The success of the pilots in meeting their intended goals will be measured through an evaluation led by the Ministry and conducted by a third-party consultant. If deemed successful, the pilots may be continued, and expanded to other communities. Results from the evaluation will be used to inform changes to the pilot design.
1.3 Overview of Employment Ontario
The vision of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities is to have the most educated people and highly skilled workforce in the world in order to build the province's competitive advantage and quality of life.
As part of delivering on this vision, the Ministry is responsible for the development, management, and evaluation of a diverse suite of employment and training services. These programs and services have evolved over time to respond to changing labour market circumstances and priorities. The Ministry operates Employment Ontario (EO) as a one-stop source of information, services and programs for jobseekers and employers.
The Employment Ontario Service Promise is to:
· Ensure the highest quality of service and support to help individuals meet their career goals;
· Provide opportunities to make it easier for individuals to improve their skills through education and training;
· Ensure that no matter which EO office individuals walk into, they will get the help they need; and,
· Work with employers and communities to build the highly skilled, highly educated workforce that Ontario needs to be competitive.
The Employment Ontario network is comprised of 171 employment service providers, over 200 literacy service providers at over 300 sites across the province, and 68 apprenticeship training delivery agents.
1.4 Overview of Employment and Training Service Integration (ETSI)
While the government currently invests over $1 billion per year in employment and training services through several ministries, the 2012 Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services (Drummond Commission) identified opportunities to improve the efficiency and quality of employment and training services by integrating government-wide services with EO. The Drummond Commission’s recommendation is supported by internal Ministry research, broad consultation, as well as a comprehensive, evidence-based review of the effectiveness of Ontario’s programs and services.
Building on the solid foundation of EO, the government is exploring new ways to meet the needs of jobseekers, workers who require training, and employers, and is moving forward with the integration of employment and training services across government in a carefully sequenced and phased manner.
To support the objectives of the employment and training service integration, LEPCs will serve as key instruments in driving local approaches in the planning and delivery of employment and training services. As local intermediaries, LEPCs will connect diverse local groups (e.g., employers, service providers and other community stakeholders) and their ideas, resources and services (such as skills training) to more effectively plan employment and training service delivery, generate local labour market knowledge, address the workforce development needs of employers, and help shape changes to the local labour market.
The Ontario Centre for Workforce Innovation (the Centre) is another key ETSI system feature developed to enhance capacity within an integrated employment and training system.
The Centre will provide the Employment Ontario service delivery network with research that will drive innovative approaches in service delivery across the province, based on solid evidence. The Centre will ensure capacity across the service delivery network to serve a full spectrum of clients, employers, and other partners, and build a skilled, resilient, and productive workforce.
The Centre will be a key information sharing vehicle for LEPCs to share best practices and promising approaches to improving local labour market conditions across the province to other LEPCs and more broadly to Employment Ontario service providers.
1.5 Pilot Principles
The following principles will help guide pilot activities. LEPCs will:
· be as ‘local’ as possible, considering the unique context of pilot communities;
· ensure local planning and service coordination is integrated and encompasses Employment Ontario as well as other locally delivered employment, training, human and support services;
· assist all stakeholders, particularly service providers and employers, to attain a shared understanding of issues affecting local labour market supply and demand through the collection and dissemination of labour market information which is relevant to the local context; and
· foster collaboration amongst all stakeholders within the community, including other ministries and other levels of government.
1.6 Pilot Objectives
Local Employment Planning Councils will support the improvement of labour market conditions in local communities through:
· Labour Market Information and Intelligence: expanding current understanding of local labour market issues and needs and improving access to labour market information resources.
· Integrated Planning: serving as a central point of contact and key facilitator for linking employers, service providers, other ministries and levels of government and other community groups to identify and respond to labour market and workforce development challenges and opportunities, and gaps in employment and training and human and social services, through collaborative planning.
· Service Coordination for Employers: acting as a hub for connecting employers, industry associations, sector groups and other employer groups with appropriate employment and training services to address their workforce development needs. Working with local employment and training service providers, including those outside the Employment Ontario network such as Ontario Works Employment Assistance (OW-EA) and Ontario Disability Supports Program – Employment Supports (ODSP-ES), to coordinate services to employers, such as job development and job placements.
· Research and Innovation: collaborating with community stakeholders to develop projects related to the research and piloting of innovative approaches to addressing local labour market issues or opportunities.
· Sharing Best Practices and Promising Approaches: working with provincial and community organizations, including other LEPCs, to identify and share local best practices that could inform action in other areas.
1.7 Pilot Activities
LEPC activities will be phased in across the pilot communities during the three-month start-up period of the 18 month pilots, subject to negotiation and agreement between the Ministry and the successful applicants (see Section 1.10 Timelines and Project Expectations).
This approach takes into account the unique characteristics of pilot communities and other potential variations in capacity, such as:
· complexities of the local community, its labour market and its range of community stakeholders;
· strengths or weaknesses of existing relationships/partnerships amongst community stakeholders;
· existing capacity/capability of the selected LEPC provider to perform all functions and activities; and,
· other government planning initiatives or pilots that might have already established a foundation for further community collaboration.
LEPC activities fall under the following general areas:
· Outreach and Partnership Engagement
· Developing Local Labour Market Knowledge
· Governance
· Planning and Reporting
1.7.1 Outreach and Partnership Engagement
Community Partnerships:
LEPCs are expected to conduct outreach and develop partnerships with a wide range of local stakeholders in order to mobilize the community to identify and address local labour market issues and opportunities, and workforce development needs. LEPCs will also engage local stakeholders in improved employment and training service coordination and integrated service planning.
The profile of LEPC stakeholders and/or partners will vary based on the specific demographics and needs of each pilot community. LEPCs should endeavour to engage all relevant actors within the local labour market and employment and training network. For a list of suggested partners, see Section 1.9 Stakeholder/Partner Profile.
Service Coordination for Employers:
LEPCs are expected to take a leadership role in connecting employers, industry associations, sector groups and unions to local employment and training services and initiatives that could address their labour market or workforce development needs.
This includes:
· Developing a detailed understanding of local employment and training services for employers, including job matching and placement services, skills training services and supports and workforce development projects and initiatives. This includes employment and training services outside the Employment Ontario network, including Ontario Works Employment Assistance (OW-EA) and Ontario Disability Supports Program – Employment Supports (ODSP-ES).
· Working with local employment and training service providers to coordinate services to employers in order to simplify and streamline access. For example, this could include the LEPC taking on a direct role as a key employer contact for local job matching and placements or acting as a key source of employer referrals to appropriate employment and training service providers.
· Developing referral partnerships with local employment and training service providers that offer employer-focused services (for example, Canada-Ontario Job Grant providers).
· Conducting outreach and providing information sessions to employers, industry associations, sector groups and unions regarding employment and training services available to them in the community.
· Working with local employers and employer groups to identify workforce development needs and opportunities and make timely and appropriate referrals to relevant employment and training service providers and/or to different levels of government that offer the needed services.
Integrated Local Planning:
LEPCs are expected to operate as key mobilizers of employers, service providers, other ministries and levels of government operating locally, and other community groups to engage in more collaborative local planning.
This includes:
· Input to service planning:
o Review community employment and training service “footprints” (both EO and non-EO services) and identify potential service duplications and gaps and recommend how they can be addressed;
o Identify locally-responsive best practices in service delivery to address the needs of diverse communities and labour market environments (e.g., local industries, employers, or specific unemployed sub-populations);