April 2024

Adult Career Pathways Team Updates

• Congratulations to Ann Meyers, who was promoted to the position of Director, Adult Career Pathways! Thank you for your dedication, innovation, and support!
• Welcome to Ama Akakpo, our new Division Director of Employment and Training Programs! Ama comes to us from many years of dedication at DHS and we look forward to learning more about her vision for Minnesota’s grantmaking initiatives.
• Awards for the Drive for Five Initiative Competitive grants were recently announced, and we are excited to see grantees begin training individuals for careers in Technology, Labor, The Caring Professions, Manufacturing, and Educational and Professional Services!
• The Adult Career Pathways team continues to review applications for the following grants: Targeted Populations Capacity Building, Targeted Populations Diversity and Inclusion for Small Employers, and  the Clean Economy Equitable Workforce. Awards for the Targeted Populations Workforce grant will be announced soon!
• We encourage Grantees and any interested organization to visit the DEED Competitive Grants and Contracts webpage and review all outgoing grants.
• On the Road: The last two weeks of March, the Adult Career Pathways Team conducted Competitive Grants Onboarding sessions throughout the State of Minnesota. We were delighted to connect with so many grantees face to face!

Quarterly Reports – Due Dates

Quarterly reports are due the 30^th of the month following the end of the quarter. See below for the report due dates:

• October 30
• January 30
• April 30
• July 30

Report templates are available on the Adult Career Pathways webpage under each program. If you need assistance, please connect with your Grant Coordinator. If needed, we have posted Report Instructions.   

New Grantee Resources

How do I know if a participant is eligible? How do I pull reports from Workforce One? What documents are needed at intake? How do I submit a Reimbursement Payment Request? How do I train new staff on our grant/s?

The ACP Team has put together many resources that will assist new grantees:

• The ACP Workforce One Training Session for Direct Appropriations.
• The Program Operations Guide and Quarterly Report Instructions.
• Commonly used forms and templates.
• Descriptions of each grant program.
• Additional Workforce One trainings and the staff Access Form.

Adult Career Pathways Guides

The ACP Workforce One User Guide has been updated and posted to the ACP home page.

The ACP Operations Guide has been updated and posted to the ACP home page.  If you have any suggestions for the guide, please submit those to your Grant Coordinator.

Success Stories

Please send any program/participant stories you’d like to see featured in Partner Express to beth.bidinger@state.mn.us.

Please contact your Adult Career Pathways Grant Coordinator directly with any questions regarding Adult Career Pathways Programs.

Formula Funds – WIOA Adult, WIOA DW and State DW:

•  Minnesota Dislocated Worker Annual Report SFY23
  The Minnesota Dislocated Worker Annual Report for State Fiscal Year 2023 (SFY23) report has been submitted to the legislature and is posted on the MN DEED website. This report fulfills the requirements in Minnesota Statutes 116L.17, subdivision 6(e), concerning the state Dislocated Worker program.

• PY21 WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker Reallocated funds must be expended by June 30, 2024. Any remaining/unused funds will be sent back to DOL.
  
  
• PY22 funds must be used by June 30, 2024.
  • Submit any modifications or transfer requests by April 19^th to allow time for processing.
  • Cost category adjustment is allowed on the final Reimbursement Payment Request (RPR) if the total expended does not exceed the total approved budget. However, the Admin cost category must not exceed 10% of total reimbursed.
  • Any remaining unused funds will be reallocated to Local Areas that have spent their PY22 funds.
• PY24 funding information will be coming soon. As you may be aware, we usually have a limited turnaround time to plan, process, and execute agreements/workplans.
  • To help us move contract paperwork forward quickly, please begin having conversations with staff and partners to complete as much of the planning document sections as possible (e.g.: Narrative). Once the TEGL is released and allocations are available, you can finalize your paperwork and send it in.
• Quarterly Progress Reports (QPRs) are due April 30th (for period Jan - Mar 2024). A QPR is required if the grant is active.
  
  
•  Carry Forward Requests - Providers may request a waiver to carry forward more than 20% of their allocated PY23 funds into the second year of the grant using the provided template (attached). Providers who expend or obligate at least 80% of their PY23 formula funds by the end of the 4th quarter do not need a waiver.
  • Carry Forward Waiver Requests pertain to all formula grants: WIOA Adult, WIOA Dislocated Worker, and State Dislocated Worker
  • Submit waivers by May 24, 2024, to allow enough time for leadership approval and processing before the start of the fiscal.

Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) 

The New Grantee Performance Management System (GPMS) Alphabet Soup:

In our fast-paced work environment, it's easy to get lost in the alphabet soup of acronyms and abbreviations. We've all experienced that moment of confusion when someone mentions a string of letters that might as well be a foreign language. Whether you're new to the system or just need a refresher, this resource will serve as your handy reference guide, ensuring that you're never left wondering, "What does that mean?" Let's dive in and make sense of the soup together at; https://olderworkers.workforcegps.org/resources/2024/02/06/21/18/The-New-GPMS-Alphabet-Soup

The New GPMS Alphabet Soup:

SCSEP conducts a Data Validation report annually to help identify areas for additional oversight, improvement, and technical assistance. Data Validation is a vital component of SCSEP to ensure the accuracy and validity of data. As the development of the Data Validation Report module in the Grantee Performance Management System (GPMS) is ongoing, the PY23 Data Validation Report will not be conducted. More information will be shared with grantees during early PY24 about resuming the Data Validation Report schedule. In the meantime, providers should utilize the Data Collection Handbook – Volume I, II, and III and their corresponding Appendixes, as resources for maintaining accurate data records.

Reminders:

Quarter Progress Narrative Reports:
Quarterly Progress Narrative Reports are to be submitted by the 30th date of the month following the end of the quarter. Please note the specific deadlines: October 30th, January 30th, April 30th, and July 30th. If you have any outstanding report/s, please ensure that you submit it as soon as possible. Submission of reports contributes to overall provider performance.

Requests for Reimbursements (RPRs) or Financial Status Reports (FSRs): 
Providers are reminded that Requests for Reimbursements (RPRs) or Financial Status Reports (FSRs) are due every 20th date following the month of expenditure. To ensure timely processing and avoid payment delays, it is essential for providers to submit RPRs/FSRs promptly, even if they do not have any expense claims for that period.

Retaining Employment and Talent after Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) 

• Celebrating another milestone: 3,000 enrollments!
• Visit the Employer Reasonable Accommodation Fund to see how small to medium sized businesses can take advantage of reimbursements for employee accommodations!
• RETAIN staff have presented to several WDAs and their Career Navigators – email john.connell@state.mn.us if you’re interested in learning more about how RETAIN can support your clients.
• If you or someone you know have an injury or illness that affects work? Visit mnretain.com to see if RETAIN could help.

Question from the Field

QUESTION:  Can WIOA funds be used to support the marijuana (cannabis) industry?

ANSWER:  Marijuana (cannabis) is listed as a Schedule 1 controlled substance is considered illegal from a federal standpoint.  The WIOA grant agreements between the state of Minnesota and DOL must follow all applicable federal laws, regulations, and policies.

That means that WIOA funds cannot be used directly or indirectly to support the marijuana industry, which may include (but is not limited to), growth, distribution, packaging, and/or retail sales.  This also includes training, job referrals, OJT funds, or business services to businesses that support the marijuana industry.

Program Performance

• Should you have any performance or data entry questions, please contact the State Program Administrator 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.

PY2022 Allocation and PY2021 Reallocation Closeout for the Dislocated Worker (DW) and WIOA Adult (AD) Programs.

Reminder: PY2022 allocations and PY2021 reallocations will be expiring on June 30, 2024.

All Workforce One (WF1) cases showing these funding streams within an open activity will need your attention.

If needed in an alternative format, please contact, amy.carlson@state.mn.us

If the participant will continue receiving a service currently supported by PY2022 allocations or PY2021 reallocations after June 30, 2024, a new activity will need to be opened for each continuing service the participant will move forward receiving.

Reminder: All Dislocated Worker and WIOA Adult program year formula allocations (small layoff grants/WIOA Adult allotments) remain active for two years.

• PY2022 = July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2024
• PY2023 = July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2025
• PY2024 = July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2026

This means, their new activity will need a PY2023 or PY2024 formula grant selected within them depending on your agencies budget. PY2024 allocation funding streams will be activated as soon as those contracts are executed through DEED’s Fiscal team.

IMPORTANT PY22 ALLOCATION & PY21 REALLOCATION WF1 CLOSEOUT INFORMATION

• All activities with a PY2022 allocation or PY21 reallocation selected within them cannot have a start date after June 30, 2024. They must also have an end date no later than June 30, 2024.
• If any participant will continue receiving a service captured in an activity that is currently showing a PY2022 allocation or PY21 reallocation supporting that service financially, that activity needs to be copied within the participant’s WF1 activity detail screen.
  • The new activity will need a start date of July 1, 2024.
  • An active funding source (PY2023 or PY2024) will need to be selected within them as the grant financially supporting the continued service.
• To help in this funding source transition
  • Amy Carlson will mass close all currently open PY2022 funded activities with an end date of June 30, 2024, which means you will only need to open/copy the old activities.
    • If you want to close the old activities yourself with a date no later than 06/30/2024, that is perfectly fine.
    • If you choose not to close them yourself, it will be taken care of for you.
      • This mass activity closure will begin August 1, 2024.
    • If there are cases without open activities on record showing an active grant as the funding source, the mass closure will not work for those cases.
      • Any cases that show they cannot be included in the PY2022 activity closure will be emailed to the management team for the COFFR funding the case.
        • This communication will include directions on how the case manager needs to correct their data.
      • Shortly after July 1, 2024, new funding streams will be added to your dropdown lists for PY2024 allocations.
        • The date these new funding streams will be available is dependent on when PY2024 contracts are in place.
          • Your management teams will be alerted as soon as your agency’s PY2024 funding streams are available in WF1.

Program Year (PY) 2023 Quarter Two (Q2) Performance Outcomes compared to Negotiated Goals

Attached you will find the performance outcome spreadsheets for State Dislocated Worker, WIOA Dislocated Worker, DWG, and WIOA Adult programs. These are best when printed landscape, in color, and on 11x17 size paper.

If needed in an alternative format, please contact, amy.carlson@state.mn.us

• Performance goals are based on negotiated standards for PY2023.
• Color Key:
  • Blue are the negotiated performance standards
  • Green means the set goal was met or exceeded
  • Yellow means at least 50% of the goal was met
  • Red means less than 50% of the goal was met
• Served are all participants accessing the program during the actual program year (real-time).
• Getting a Job results based on participant exits July 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022, except those exited with exclusion. This indicator measures each participant’s employment status during the 2nd quarter after exiting the program. Formula: Percent of employed exits divided by all exits during the reporting period.               
• Keeping a Job results based on participant exits January 1, 2022 – June 30, 2022, except those exited with exclusion. This indicator measures each participant’s employment status during the 4th quarter after exiting the program. Formula: Percent of employed exits divided by all exits during the reporting period.
• 2nd Quarter Median Earnings results based on participant exits July 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022, except those exited with exclusionary reason and those showing zero earnings. This indicator measures the median earning during the 2nd quarter after exiting the program.
• Credential Attainment results based on participant exits January 1, 2022 – June 30, 2022, except those exited with exclusionary reason and those who did not attend credential type training. This indicator measures the percent of participants who received a credential after attending training.

IMPORTANT UPDATES:

The United States Department of Labor (DOL), the State Wage Interchange System (SWIS), and their impacts to Workforce One’s (WF1) Roster Details and Candidate for Supplemental Wage Information Report’s (CSWIR) availability.

 The DOL and State Wage Interchange System (SWIS) have provided initial guidance on what changes are required for WF1 to reinstate wage data on its reports.

1. Guidance received:
   1. Agency representatives and staff who will have the ability to run these reports will need to sign acknowledgements.
   2. All other users will be restricted from accessing this data.
2. Next steps:
   1. Members of the Performance and Technical Management Team (PTM) at DEED and WF1 staff are awaiting additional guidance on clarifying questions sent to the DOL.
   2. The WF1 team/PTM are working through technical considerations as to how to accomplish these new requirements including tracking agency and user agreements to access SWIS data and determining how to restrict access when agreements are not signed or expired.
   3. We hope to receive this information from the DOL soon.
      1. Until then, please continue to reach out to your program performance specialist at DEED HQ for assistance.

Minnesota’s Career and Education Explorer’s Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL) and its redesign project, site testing, and upcoming Demonstrations.

1. The current Career and Education Explorer (CEE) can be found here: Minnesota Career and Education Explorer (ETPL)               
2. The team is working to update the state’s CEE to ensure compliance with Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) reporting requirements.
   1. These updates are expected to simplify the process of drilling into the listed trainings to provide better search results.
   2. The updates will assist by providing additional columns allowing users to quickly search and compare trainings by the type of training they were deemed.
      1. WIOA Certified
         1. Occupationally specific and industry recognized credentialed training.
         2. WIOA funds used to support participants in this type of training can be coded to training costs.
   3. Non-credentialed
      1. Occupationally specific and industry recognized training that does not end in a credential. (This includes test prep programs and courses).
      2. WIOA funds used to support participants in this type of training can be coded to training costs.
   4. Apprenticeships
      1. Registered Apprenticeship programs approved through Minnesota’s Department of Labor and Industries that end in a credential.
      2. WIOA funds used to support participants in this type of training can be coded to training costs.
   5. Basic Skills Training
      1. All other listed trainings that increase basic skills, work readiness skills, or are prevocational services.
      2. These trainings are OHE compliant with a valid license or exemption status.
      3. WIOA funds can be used to support all participants in this type of training.
         1. If these are in conjunction with a listed WIOA Certified or Non-credentialed training, they can be coded to Training costs.
         2. If these are the only trainings attended, they must be coded to Career Service costs.
3. System Testers:
   1. A selection of known ETPL system users from local areas (LWDA & Non-profit agencies) will be invited to participate in testing the newly redesigned CEE.
      1. Testing will begin late April 2024
         1. Since this tool is open to the public and many users are not part of the workforce system, testers will receive minimal information on how to use the enhanced site.
         2. Testers will play with the new system to determine if they are able to find the information required to move forward with participant plans.
         3. Testers will be asked to provide feedback on the following.
            1. Feedback on missing required elements needed for participant plan approvals.
               1. These will be added to the project’s priority list.
            2. User ease feedback
               1. Will be discussed and, if approved, applied to the system during regular scheduled system maintenance events.
4. Scheduled System Launch and Demonstrations:
   1. Invitations will be sent to all local area leadership.
      1. Local leadership can forward the invitation to staff they think should attend.
      2. Invitations are anticipated to have a meeting date in early May 2024.

Should you have any performance or data entry questions, please contact the State Program Administrator Coordinator for ETP Adult programs, Amy Carlson, at amy.carlson@state.mn.us.

• Torax Medical, St Paul
• Turck, Inc., Plymouth
• Ball Corp, St Paul
• Nordson Medical, Eagan
• Optum, Hopkins
• United Language Group, Minneapolis
• Sleep Number, Minneapolis
• Tescom Corporation, Elk River
• BCS Automotive, Winona

Please email all questions and customer applications to the Trade Adjustment Assistance general email at deed.taa@state.mn.us.

Electronic Document Storage (EDS) Policy is Open for Public Comment

This policy provides guidance on uniform, paperless documentation of participant files, which includes guidance on the protection of information and source documentation contained within DEED’s Workforce One (WF1) case management system. By transitioning to paper (hard) copy participant files, this ensures records are available for data validation, reporting, and monitoring. Additionally, the participant's personal information will be protected by limiting the use of paper documentation and storage.

Please visit DEED’s Policy and Guidance webpage to review the policy, which is currently open for a 30-day public comment period. 

Comments may be emailed to etpmonitoring.deed@state.mn.us by Friday, April 19, 2024. 

See Q&A below for more details:

•  Why is DEED Requiring EDS?

There is an increasing need to store participant documents electronically and centrally. Additionally, the Electronic Document Storage (EDS) function gives grantee partner staff the ability to centrally upload, maintain, search, and electronically view case file documents. 

•  When will Grantees be required to start using EDS?
  • Federal grant recipientsmust upload and maintain participant source documentation in WF1 EDS as of July 1, 2024 for all active participants as well as new enrollees for Program Year (PY) 24 and years following. 
  • State grant recipientsmust upload and maintain participant source documentation in WF1 EDS as of July 1, 2025 for all active participants as well as new enrollees for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 26 and years following.

• How will DEED support Grantees with the transition to EDS?

DEED’s Data Validation Working group is looking at a variety of ways to support partner staff, which will include webinar trainings, EDS guides, and other resources to support you.

Data Validation PY23 Update

Anoka, Dakota, and Ramsey Counties were selected to participate in Data Validation PY23 because of their effective use of WF1 EDS (Electronic Document Storage) in storing participant source documents. DEED’s Data Validation working group will be working closely with these three grantees over the next couple of months. We are enormously grateful for their participation in this first round of data validation. They will help DEED test the tools and procedures before implementing data validation across all our federal partners. Thank you, Anoka, Dakota, and Ramsey Counties for your willingness to jump into this new journey with DEED.

If you have questions about Monitoring content, please email shannon.rolf@state.mn.us.

DEED online tools help students determine which Minnesota postsecondary programs will put them on the path to the career they want. We all want to know which colleges and training programs are best at helping people land a job in the field they want, as well as earn enough to pay back student loans and support a family. The Graduate Employment Outcomes online tool has just been updated to display job and earnings outcomes for the class of 2020-21 from 98 institutions of higher education in Minnesota. Comparisons by detailed degree and major at each college often reveal that what you study is more important than where you study. Information in the tool can help prospective students decide how much they can afford to borrow and how long it might take to pay off their loans.

In addition, the new College Major to Industry of Employment tool has been launched, showing which industries hired graduates from 405 different postsecondary programs of study in Minnesota. Thanks to this unprecedented level of detail, prospective and current students can examine whether the sectors with highest employability match their career goals and earnings expectations. Both tools help students and their families find the academic program that best matches a student's career goals, academic strengths and market demand for the skills acquired.

LMI Training Sessions

DEED's Regional Analysts have scheduled a set of Labor Market Information training sessions for the spring of 2024. These in-person and virtual training sessions will help attendees learn where to find and how to use DEED’s labor market information data tools and how to use them to understand the local economy and provide guidance to jobseekers and others.

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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