May 2024

Updates

• Congratulations to the graduates of the Xcel Power Up program! Eighty participants enrolled in the first cohort of this new program funded by Xcel Energy, and they will graduate on May 3^rd. The goal of the program is to educate and place program participants into union apprenticeship or energy-related construction jobs and to provide an increasingly diverse workforce training pipeline for a variety of energy-related construction occupations. We wish graduates all the best as they continue along their educational and employment pathways!
• Awards for the Targeted Populations Workforce grant and the Clean Economy Equitable 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.

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

The ACP Team has put together many resources that will assist new grantees and have added the links:

• What documentation is needed to confirm participant eligibility? Documentation Needed to Support Participant Eligibility
• Where do we find examples of program applications and IEP’s we can use? Forms and Templates
• How do participants obtain a replacement Social Security card? Replace a Social Security Card
• Where can I find a summary of ACP grant programs? Grant Program Summaries
• How do we get new staff started in Workforce One? Additional Workforce One trainings and the staff Access Form
• How do we upload documents to Workforce One’s Electronic Document Storage? EDS - Electronic Document Storage How To
• How do we name the documents we upload to EDS in Workforce One? EDS Document Types

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.  Changes are noted below:

• ACP Operations Guide
  • Updated the Enrollment/Re-Enrollment section to reflect electronic enrollment guidance
  • Added an Electronic Signature section
  • Updated the OJT section of Work Experience section to further define OJT
  • Updated the Incentives and Stipends section to include Visa/Mastercard and check payment as allowable for participants
• Cost Category Guidance
  • Updated the Stipend and Incentive definitions
  • Updated the allowable support services section
  • Updated the Administrative Costs section and the General Rules to include information about substantiating costs
  • Adjusted the Direct Customer Training section to include Fees associated with training
  • Added the Drive for Five information to the Placement/Retention section

Success Stories

*Marie joined CNA training in August 2023. As a hardworking single mother of three, she expressed her dedication to making the best life that she can for her children. Marie completed four weeks of pre-CNA training and four weeks of CNA coursework. She successfully passed her state exam earning the CNA licensure. Marie’s long-term goal is to become a Registered Nurse. Soon after training ended, Marie was hired by Fairview at $21/hour and she is now working full-time at Southdale hospital in the evening; she attends nursing school in the morning. Marie has a bright future, and we look forward to seeing what’s next as she continues to advance in the healthcare field.

*Name changed for confidentiality.

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.

Dislocated Worker and Federal Adult Programs

Staffing Updates:   

• Amy Carlson, promoted to Supervisor of Performance Accountability, effective April 2024
• Mohammed Farah (from the monitoring team) started April 17^th as a Performance Specialist  
• Rasha Ahmed (from MNIT) started April 24^th as a Performance Specialist 

Dislocated Worker Spring 2024 Informational Webinar on Work-Based Training  

• Webinar will be held on Thursday, May 16, 9:00 am to 12:30 pm. 
• Please help share information within your organizations so that those who need to attend will be aware of the event and can register for it here: https://forms.office.com/g/9xxKdnu2Jv . 

Federal TEGL:   

• TEGL 10-23 – Reducing Administrative Barriers to Improve Customer Experience in Grant Programs Administered by the Employment and Training Administration – has been added to the ETA Advisory database and is now available at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/tegl-10-23.  
• Released on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, the purpose of this guidance is to provide grant recipients direction in developing policies, procedures, and practices that reduce unnecessary administrative barriers to serving customers seeking employment and training services. 
• Providing Services to Participants Without Work Authorization Verification 
  • Some ETA grant program services can be provided without work authorization verification. 
    • This can be helpful in many situations, including where:  
    • workers are awaiting work authorization,  
    • already have work authorization but do not have the documents to demonstrate it due to surviving a disaster, 
    • or any number of circumstances.  
    • Grantees do not need to verify that one of these scenarios occurred; grantees can deliver certain services without checking work authorization to ensure the efficient delivery of services to workers in need. 
  • Grantees may deliver many services without proof of a participant’s work authorization, including, but not limited to: 
    • Labor exchange services – LMI, career exploration, career guidance, resume writing assistance, and job search assistance. 
    • Information on worker rights and where to find legal assistance. 
    • Referral to community resources such as transportation, childcare support, food assistance, housing assistance, medical assistance, and other similar resources. 
    • Individualized services – career assessments, development of an individual employment plan, group counseling, one-on-one case management, career planning, information on foreign credential evaluation services and on obtaining credit for prior learning. 
    • Basic skills education including English language instruction, and high school equivalency. 
    • Assistance in completing paperwork to finalize work authorization. 
    • Assistance in applying for an occupational license. 
    • Outreach to workers regarding the Employment Related Law Complaint System and processing such complaints. 

Formula Funds – WIOA Adult, WIOA DW and State DW 

• PY22 funds must be expended by June 2024:
  • At this time, modifications, or transfer requests for PY22 will not be accepted or processed. 
  • 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 out their PY22 funds. 
• PY21 Reallocations must be expended by June 2024, there will be no extension for reallocations.
  • PY23 Carry Forward Request - 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. 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 Requests pertain to all formula grants: WIOA Adult, WIOA Dislocated Worker, and State Dislocated Worker
    • Submit waivers by May 31, 2024, to allow enough time for leadership approval and processing. 
  • PY24 WIOA DW & Adult TEGL is pending; allocations will be sent out once released.
    • For fast processing of contract paperwork, please begin having conversations with your partners to complete sections that are not affected by the budget (e.g.: Narrative). The budget table can be finalized once the allocation information is released. 
  • PY24 State DW Formula: Preliminary allocations will be available mid to late May 2024.
• Quarterly Progress Reports (QPRs) for the period ending March 2024 is due on April 30^th. Updated form is attached.  
• Monthly Financial Status Report (FSR)/Monthly Reimbursement Payment Request (RPR) are due the 20th day of the month following the preceding month-end. For example, the June RPR/FSR (June 30 end date) is due July 20. 

 Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)  

 Quarter 3 Paid Hours   

SCSEP helpdesk scheduled the extraction of the PY 2023 Q3 data snapshot from GPMS for Friday, April 26th. Given that the Quarter 3 QPR will be pivotal in establishing the PY 2023 goals, it's crucial that your data is both complete and accurate. Kindly ensure all your Quarter 3 CSA hours are entered before April 26th. 

The PY 2023 hours will serve as the foundation for establishing a baseline for the PY 2024 and PY 2025 Goal Setting. Additionally, this will enhance the accuracy of the PY 2023 data and potentially lead to adjustments in the PY 2023 goals. 

It is understood that some grantees have experienced issues where hours previously entered and saved have vanished from the system. Our developers are actively addressing the root cause. In the meantime, please refrain from using the Bulk Update function on the ADMIN CONSOLE to input hours. You can safely enter hours using one of the following three alternatives: 

• The Paid Hours utility, accessible at: Admin Console -> Manage Paid Hours. Please do not use the Bulk Update function.
• The Assignment Paid Hours feature, located at: Cases > Assignments > Paid Hours.
• Manage Paid Hours via the navigational path Related Actions > Manage Paid Hours.

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 30^th for quarter ending September 30^th
• January 30^st for quarter ending December 31^st.
• April 30^th for quarter ending March 31, and 
• July 30^th for quarter ending June 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. 

Check out the updated SCSEP web page for information and resources. We’ll continue to update the page as needed. 

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

• MN RETAIN achieved its goal of 3,200 enrollments.
• The program is still active; however, enrollment has been paused.
• If you’re interested in learning more about RETAIN, please contact John Connell - john.connell@state.mn.us or you may visit mnretain.com

You can find additional information and resources here: Office of Dislocated Worker and Federal Adult Programs website 

Please email all requests, reports, and technical assistance questions to the Dislocated Worker Federal Adult Programs general email at dwfaprograms.deed@state.mn.us.

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)

• 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.

Monitoring

Staffing Update

We are pleased to welcome our three new Data Validation Specialists to the Monitoring Unit!  They are jumping right in with working on PY23 Data Validation in collaboration with Anoka, Dakota, and Ramsey Counties to test our current data validation tools and processes. 

LWDAs will be working closely with the following Data Validation Specialists during data validation.

• Bama Rajan
• Bhagyasree Chintalapudi
• Emily Milius

Policy Comments and Questions are Under Review

Thank you for sending your comments and questions on the Data Validation and Electronic Document Storage (EDS) Policies during the public comment period!  We received a lot of very helpful feedback and questions, which have already contributed to further clarifying the policies.

DEED is still in the process of reviewing all comments/questions, incorporating updates into the policy, and writing a response to all comments. A full response to comments will be published within a future Partner Express as well as posted on DEED’s policy page.  

Data Validation PY23 Update

We are pleased to share that the DEED Data Validators have begun to validate their first group of participant files. As mentioned in the April Partner Express, Anoka, Dakota, and Ramsey Counties were selected to participate in Data Validation PY23.

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. The three Grantees cited above will help DEED test the tools and procedures before implementing data validation across all our federal LWDA partners.

Thank you, Anoka, Dakota, and Ramsey Counties for your willingness to start this new journey with DEED! 

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

Updates:

The March issue of Minnesota Economic Trends has been published, with a huge set of in-depth articles that cover relevant topics. Two articles that provide new insights include:

Why Isn't Minnesota's Labor Force Growing? 

Retirement is the key contributor to Minnesota's slowing labor force growth. The state’s percentage of the population aged 55-plus increased more than our neighboring states and the U.S. as a whole from 2019 to 2023. That increase, coupled with higher household incomes and greater access to retirement accounts in Minnesota compared to neighboring states, is likely helping a higher share of Minnesota workers retire and suppressing Minnesota’s labor force growth. 

Journeys to and from the North Star State: Understanding Minnesota's Complex Migration Patterns in the 21st Century

Migration is not just a number or a trend; it is a dynamic force influencing Minnesota's economic and social fabric. Understanding the patterns of who comes in, who leaves and why can provide critical insights for more robust policy planning and resource allocation.

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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