November 2022
 Dislocated Worker and Federal Adult Programs
PY22 WIOA DW and Adult
- 2nd allotment Notice of Award was received on October 21st. Paperwork will be sent out to all WDAs as soon as possible.
- Quarterly Progress Report is due October 30th (Jul-Sep 2022). Remember, a QPR is required as long as the grant is active.
PY20 Reallocation
- Unspent WIOA DW and Adult funds will be reallocated in November. Please be on the lookout for communication from the team.
Re-entry Pilot Grant
- The Re-entry Grant is a competitive grant through the DW program.
- The grant will serve justice involved individuals who are Minnesota residents, have not worked or had employment for 15 weeks in the last year, and are within 3-6 months of release or have been released in the last 3-6 months from various correctional facilities in the state.
- Participants will receive one-on-one career counseling/case management, job search assistance, skills training, and wrap-around support services working closely with a Navigator. Employer partners are required and critical for prioritization for funding.
- The RFP was released on October 7th; an informational webinar was conducted on October 18th – the recording is available online; proposals are due by 5:00 pm on November 22nd; notice of award anticipated on or about December 23rd.
- Details and additional information about the RFP process and program can be found on DEED’s website on the competitive grants page.
- For any related questions, send emails to our general mailbox at dwfaprograms.deed@state.mn.us
Converting Layoffs Into Minnesota Businesses (CLIMB)
- DEED launched a new online Small Business Hub to bring business resources together in one location.
- The goal is to help small businesses and startups navigate these new programs and understand the breadth of DEED’s existing resources for small businesses.
- The Hub is designed to help entrepreneurs navigate agency resources to start and grow their businesses. It provides resources and expertise for small business owners looking to launch in Minnesota, along with a comprehensive list of DEED program offerings to help entrepreneurs thrive.
- The Hub can be found at joinusmn.com/smallbusiness.
- For questions related to CLIMB, contact Rita Apaloo at rita.apaloo@state.mn.us
Retaining Employment and Talent after Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN)
- Do you or someone you know have an injury or illness that affects their work? Visit mnretain.com to see if RETAIN could help!
- Does your HR department know that RETAIN can help ill/injured employees return to work sooner? Contact wade.schenck@state.mn.us for more information on how RETAIN can be another tool in your HR team’s toolbelt.
- Nearly 250 individuals across Minnesota are receiving services to help them stay at work or return to work with accommodations as they heal.
Program Performance
- Should you have any performance or data entry questions, please contact the Federal Adult Programs Performance Coordinator, Amy Carlson, at amy.carlson@state.mn.us
Please email all requests, reports, and technical assistance questions to the Dislocated Worker Federal Adult Programs general email at dwfaprograms.deed@state.mn.us
 Adult Career Pathways
Adult Career Pathways Team Updates
Quarterly reports are due October 30th for the period of July-September 2022. Reach out to your Coordinator with any questions. Quarterly report templates are available on the ACP Webpage under each programs’ summary.
We understand there has been some confusion around completing the quarterly reports. The ACP Team is compiling an instruction guide power point for completing the reports each quarter. Please check the ACP Webpage by Nov. 1st for the directions.
Three Requests for Proposals have been posted recently related to Adult programs:
We encourage grantees to begin preparing for the end of COVID waivers. Please be sure to review the current waivers and reach out to your Coordinator if you have any questions.
The ACP team has partnered with CareerForce MN to give our Grantees the opportunity to post their free trainings on the CareerForce website; https://www.careerforcemn.com/training-programs . This is an excellent opportunity to market your courses to the thousands of users that visit the site every month. Feel free to reach out to the CareerForce help desk at careerforce@state.mn.us to request access or any additional assistance.
Mn Family Resiliency Partnership
(Federally known as Displaced Homemaker Program)
The MN Family Resiliency Partnership (MFRP) - federally known as Displaced Homemaker Program (DHP), assists individuals who have spent a substantial number of years in the home providing homemaking services and have been dependent upon the financial support of another. Due to divorce, separation, death, or disability of that person or no longer receive public assistance they no longer have that support and must find a job that can support themselves and the family. Services will help develop the marketable skills participants need to find and maintain a job.
For more information about the Minnesota Family Resiliency Partnership program check out DEED’s ACP webpage.
Workforce One- ACP Programs
We have heard from Grantees that they are bringing on new staff. It is important that any new staff attend the ETP Programs Case Management Training as soon as possible after receiving WF1 access. This training offers users an overview and navigation of the site. The ACP Team has offered a few ACP specific training sessions and have posted links to those sessions on the ACP Webpage.
In addition, it is important that any staff WF1 access be de-activated upon their departure.
The ACP Team updated the ACP Workforce One Guide is now posted to the ACP Webpage!
SNAP E&T 50/50
This program has reimbursed its Grantees over $70,000 so far in SFY22! If you are interested in adding SNAP E&T 50% Reimbursement program to your organization, please contact Ann Meyers at ann.meyers@state.mn.us.
Adult Career Pathways Guides
A reminder to all SFY22-23 ACP Grantees: Please be sure you are collecting all participant eligibility documents prior to enrollment into any ACP program. The ACP team has made available the ACP Documentation Needed to Support Participant Eligibility which outlines allowable documents to verify a participant’s eligibility. While we do not have a policy for electronic data storage, it is a best practice to upload these documents into WF1’s EDS section. Documents may include the participant’s intake application, a copy of the participant’s driver license/ID, social security card or copy of lease agreement. During annual monitor visits, participant documents must be made available upon request and to save time upload those documents at enrollment.
The ACP Operations Guide has been updated for October and posted to the ACP home page. If you have any suggestions for the guide, please submit those to your Grant Coordinator.
Please contact your Adult Career Pathways Grant Coordinator directly with any questions regarding Adult Career Pathways Programs.
 Trade Adjustment Assistance
Staffing Update
Jennifer Anderson and Mohamed Farah are moving on to new positions. Jen’s last work day with TAA will be October 31st, and Mohamed’s will be November 8th. Their caseloads will be distributed among other TAA Specialists.
TAA Co-enrollment Draft Policy Released for Public Comment
The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Co-enrollment draft policy is now posted for public comments/feedback at this link: https://apps.deed.state.mn.us/ddp/PolicySearch.aspx?kw=Public_Comment
In Minnesota, co-enrollment has been required in practice but not necessarily in policy so we’ve created a policy to reflect our practice. Please share the link with your Dislocated Worker (DW) partners and networks. The public comment period provides an opportunity to hear from our stakeholders on recommendations and ideas they have to improve the policy. Please note that all feedback will be closely reviewed and used to ensure the policy is current and aligns with federal and state requirements. We encourage you to share the draft policy with your staff and stakeholders.
Feedback can be submitted by clicking "Send a comment" found at the bottom of the draft policy. Feedback is due by Friday, November 4, 2022.
Other questions can be directed to the Trade Adjustment Assistance general email at deed.taa@state.mn.us
Sunset Provisions/ Reauthorization
Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance (OTAA) recently published a blog providing some direct statements about TAA’s state of play. The blog is at this link: https://taa.workforcegps.org/blog/general/2022/10/07/19/13/StateofPlay_2022
Three highlights of the post include:
- The Department and the Administration remain committed to the reauthorization of the TAA Program.
- WIOA co-enrollment remains required as promulgated in 20 CFR 618.
- OTAA is working on a series of administrative guidance documents that will be issued in the next few weeks.
The four previous Partner Express newsletters include articles related to the phased termination that the TAA Program entered on 7/1/22. Although this impacts worker eligibility, it does not immediately impact State operations. Previous articles are available at this link: https://mn.gov/deed/programs-services/dislocated-worker/counselors/news/ States are required by OTAA to continue outreach efforts to people who are eligible to apply for TAA benefits. Please contact the Minnesota TAA office with outreach ideas for layoffs you’re seeing in your area.
Petitions
Petitions can still be filed, but DOL’s investigation is paused until reauthorization occurs. Here’s the link to check the status of petitions with U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/petitioners/taa_search_form.cfm
Filed after July 1 (DOL’s investigation will start after program’s reauthorization)
- Petition number to be assigned – Torax Medical, St Paul
Please email all questions and customer applications to the Trade Adjustment Assistance general email at deed.taa@state.mn.us
 CareerForce
Did you know about these interactive tools on CareerForceMN.com?
Please utilize these tools with your job seeker customers and share with fellow workforce development professionals. These interactive tools and more can be found under the Online Tools Menu item on CareerForceMN.com(see photo below).
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Take an employment readiness assessment – Are you starting to search for new employment? The Employment Readiness Assessment will help guide you through the important first steps to take at the start of your search for employment.
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Use the Compare Skills Tool - Want to learn more about how your skills match with careers in demand and/or a career of interest? The Compare Skills Tool will provide you with information on careers that are a best skills match to your work experience with additional details on their current demand plus additional occupational data.
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Take an interest assessment – Considering a career change? Just starting out in the work world? Knowing what interests you can help you find the right career path. The CareerForce Interest Profiler will show you which occupations match the interest categories you score strongest in.
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Take a skills assessment – Wondering what skills areas you are strongest in? Need to know more about how past experience could prepare you for future work? The CareerForce Skills Matcher will show you which occupations match the skills categories you score strongest in.
 Contact the CareerForce Information and Assistance line at 651-259-7500 or careerforce@state.mn.us if you have questions.
 Labor Market Information
A new report from Anthony Schaffhauser takes a closer look at the short-term pandemic and long-term demographic impacts on labor force participation. Increasing labor force participation could help ease hiring challenges resulting from our historically tight labor market, where there are roughly four job openings for every person looking for work. Tight labor markets typically increase labor force participation, and labor force participation has been steadily increasing in Minnesota since its low during the depths of the pandemic.
And another new article about how Minnesota's Job Recovery Continues: An updated analysis of projected job growth explores how the state’s economy is expected to continue to grow over the next year, with our short-term jobs forecast surpassing pre-pandemic February 2020 employment levels by the second quarter of 2023. Minnesota has worked its way back to economic health despite labor force constraints, supply chain issues, rising inflation, an on-going global pandemic, and other challenges.
If you have questions about Labor Market Information, please email deed.lmi@state.mn.us
This newsletter is meant for DEED Grantees, Providers, and Employment Counselors. We want this e-Newsletter to meet your needs! We encourage you to send your comments and suggestions to deed.taa@state.mn.us.
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