Training and Emplyoment Guidance Letter

9

Employment and Training Administration Advisory System U.S. Department of Labor Washington, D.C. 20210	CLASSIFICATION WORKFORCE INFORMATION
	CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL DWSS/WORKFORCE INFORMATION
	DATE

TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER NO.

TO: ALL STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES

ALL STATE WORKFORCE ADMINISTRATORS

ALL STATE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD CHAIRS AND

DIRECTORS

ALL STATE WORKFORCE LIAISONS

FROM: EMILY STOVER DeROCCO

Assistant Secretary

Employment and Training Administration

SUBJECT: Application Instructions for Program Year (PY) 2008 Workforce Information Grants: Workforce Information Formula Allocations to States

1. Purpose. To announce the grant application process and to transmit guidance for the development and management of the PY 2008 Workforce Information grants to states.

2. References. The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; Wagner-Peyser Act, Sections 7(a)(3)(D), 7(d), and 15; Sections 111(d)(8) and 309 of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA); Parts I and II, Section IV of the WIA/Wagner-Peyser Two-Year Planning guidance (70 Federal Register 19206 (April 12, 2005)); 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 93, 96, 97, and 98; and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-87.

3. OMB Approval. In conformance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), OMB reviewed and approved this information collection (OMB

RESCISSIONS None

EXPIRATION DATE Continuing

Control Number 1205-0417). Under 5 CFR 1320.5(b), an agency cannot conduct, sponsor, or require a response to a collection of information unless the collection displays a valid OMB Control Number and valid expiration date. The current expiration date for this information collection is __________. The reason for the collection of information is to assist in the planning and management of the Workforce Information formula grants to states. The states’ obligation to respond is required to obtain benefits. Each respondent is required to submit an annual State Certification of Required Grant Deliverables (estimated to average 63 hours to complete), a state Economic Report (estimated to average 433 hours to complete), and an annual performance report (estimated to average 80 hours to complete).

4. Background. The world is witnessing one of the greatest economic transformations in history. Revolutions in technology and information have ushered in the era we know as globalization. This era is marked by tremendous advances in communications, travel, and trade, allowing individuals instant access to commerce from almost anywhere in the world. While some regions of the country have thrived as a result of globalization, others have struggled to compete.

Some regions and states are seeking to transform their economies because they have been dependent on a few industries that are not faring well in the global economy. These regions are being forced to revitalize and reinvent themselves. At the same time many regions have made considerable progress in incorporating talent and skills development into their larger economic strategies and integrating workforce development, economic development, and education efforts into a comprehensive system that is both flexible and responsive to the needs of businesses and workers.

To facilitate the growth of a regional economy requires attention to three critical elements: infrastructure, investment, and talent. Talent can drive the other two elements because investment capital will follow the talent, while infrastructure can be built to support a growing economy. The Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative was launched in recognition that this third key element, talent, drives prosperity. The bedrock of a nation’s competitiveness is a well educated and skilled workforce. WIRED is being advanced by ETA through investments in 26 regions in the nation (with more planned for the future), and the WIRED framework and concepts constitute ETA’s current strategic policy direction.

A key to success for the WIRED initiative is the quality and strength of the regional partnership. The partnership should be composed of the organizations necessary to transform the regional economy, including the workforce investment system and education, civic, business, government, entrepreneurial, and philanthropic organizations to drive economic transformation. Together, they should gather and analyze a wide array of current workforce information and economic data in order to create new knowledge about regional economies to support strategic planning, routinely track economic conditions, benchmark economic competitiveness in the global marketplace, and measure outcomes.

Section five below provides highlights of the vision and ETA’s goals, strategies, and expectations for the workforce information system.

5. Workforce Information Goals and Strategies. ETA’s goal is to continue the transformation to workforce information and services that support regional economies. To achieve this goal, ETA expects states to:

• Participate in economic and workforce activities that are designed to identify regional assets, exploit strengths and opportunities, and address weaknesses;

• Develop workforce information and economic analyses for WIRED and other regional economic development initiatives;

• Integrate workforce information and economic data into user-friendly and accessible tools information, and products for use by workforce professionals in providing career guidance and by students, adults, and workers of all ages to use in making career decisions;

• Lead efforts to assure that economic development strategies are aligned with economic and workforce assessments;

• Help economic development project teams address gaps identified in their assessments and participate as catalysts in the development of implementation strategies; and

• Help develop integrated economic development strategies unifying workforce and economic development systems and connecting to other public and private entities.

In addition to the workforce information routinely produced by the state workforce agencies (SWAs), ETA expects that other relevant data sources will be leveraged by grantees to expand the scope and enhance the utility of information products and services. In 2003, ETA developed “An Environmental Scan of Workforce Information Sources to Assist Employment Economic Development Education and Workforce Investment Planning and Decision Making.” It has been updated annually and is at http://www.doleta.gov/Programs/pdf/environmental-scan-report-final-pdf. Other possible sources and types of data to be sought include:

• Data collected by economic development agencies, trade, and industry associations, and Chambers of Commerce.

• Data available from government sources such as the U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Federal Reserve, and the National Center for Education Statistics.

• Data from site selection subscription services.

• Data from private sector job boards such as America’s Job Exchange.com, Careerbuilder.com, JOBcentral.com, Monster.com, and, Employon.com to analyze skills in demand for geographic areas.

• Demographic characteristics of the workforce such as educational attainment, and where workers live and work.

• Industry cluster analyses.

• Occupational analyses.

• Occupational supply and demand analyses from job vacancy statistics, the Occupational Supply Demand System (www.occsupplydemand.org), and other sources.

• Education assets such as the presence of community colleges, proprietary schools, and four year institutions.

• Training program inventories.

• Infrastructure and economic assets for geographic areas.

• State and regional patent data and analyses from the U.S. Patent and Trade Office (www.uspto.gov).

• Venture capital availability and investments.

• Federal grant investments by geographic areas. (www.census.gov/govs/www/cffr.html).

• Government, university, and private sector research investments.

6. Partnership Expectations. These PY 2008 workforce information grant guidelines require consultation between the grantees’ SWAs, state workforce investment boards (SWIBs), local workforce investment boards (LWIBs), the leadership of WIRED grantees within the state, and other strategic partners and stakeholders in order to increase the scope and utility of workforce information to inform talent and economic development strategies and enhance career guidance.

ETA expects grantees to operate as catalysts for establishing strategic partnerships driving the WIRED framework. Grantees are also expected to collaborate with economic development agencies, education and training institutions, business groups, industry associations, and other public and private producers and distributors of labor market and economic information to gather and analyze a wide variety of workforce and economic data to drive strategic planning, track economic conditions, benchmark competitiveness, and measure outcomes.

7. Funding and Leveraging Resources. Funds will be provided to states to produce, at a minimum, the core information products and services required by Attachment III of this guidance, and for the development of other workforce information products and services which at a state’s discretion, might be required to support the transformation of the workforce system to a talent development system.

A total of $--,---,--- is available for PY 2008, minus $---,--- allocated in total to Guam and the Virgin Islands, and $---,--- held in reserve for postage. The remaining amount of $--,---,--- will be distributed by formula to states and the District of Columbia, with 40% distributed equally to all states and 60% distributed based on each state’s relative share of the civilian labor force for the 12-month period ending September 2007 (see Attachment I for the table of state allocations). States are urged to collaborate with other data providers and to leverage resources in order to expand their capacity to produce quality workforce information and economic analysis. Many entities have expertise and resources that can be leveraged. Some examples of leveraging resources are developing fee-for-service agreements with customer organizations; obtaining matching funds from other organizations for a common grant activity; or incorporating other organizations’ labor market or economic information to enhance the scope and utility of workforce information.

8. State Certification of Required Grant Deliverables. States are required to submit a grant Statement of Work Certification (see Attachment IV) affirming that all six deliverables required by the grant Statement of Work Guidelines (see Attachment III) will be accomplished during PY 2008. The Certification must be signed by the governor or by both the SWA administrator and the chairperson of the SWIB.

If circumstances prevent accomplishment of a specific grant deliverable during PY 2008, a deferral must be negotiated with the ETA Regional Administrator including the reasons for delay and a proposed completion date noted as an addendum to the Statement of Work Certification. Planned grant activities and grant accomplishments must be documented in the state’s grant file and those records made accessible, per 29 CFR, Part 97.42(e)(1), for examination by ETA or other authorized Federal representatives.

9. Accountability. The effectiveness of grantee performance will be assessed and documented through the following approach:

a. ETA Grant Reviews. The ETA regional offices will conduct periodic reviews of states’ progress towards meeting the PY 2008 certified grant deliverables, the degree to which collaboration with the SWIB and other partners (e.g. economic development, education, business) exists and quarterly reviews of grant expenditures and obligations.

b. Performance Reporting. ETA implemented common measures reporting and revised reporting requirements in PY 2005. These include reporting on the impact of workforce information services on participant outcomes.  As of

July 1, 2005, states were required to capture a wide variety of workforce information services provided to participants and to report the outcomes achieved by participants who received workforce information services.  States began reporting the Entered Employment Rate, Employment Retention Rate after Six Months, and Earnings for participants following receipt of workforce information services.  In PY 2008, ETA will continue to monitor the outcomes achieved by participants who received workforce information services.  

c. Consultation and Customer Satisfaction Assessment. Section 15 of the Wagner-Peyser Act (WIA Section 309) requires states to consult with customers about the Labor market relevance of the information disseminated through the statewide workforce information system. ETA has expanded the definition of customers to include those marshaled by the workforce system and WIRED grantees to foster economic and talent development. Consultation with the workforce investment system and other customers provides the basis for formulating continuous improvement strategies for workforce information. ETA is not prescribing an approach or methodology for conducting customer consultations. Methods might include focus groups, various types of surveys, documented consultations, customer satisfaction assessments, or other methods the state considers appropriate.

d. Annual Performance Report. Grantees are required to submit an annual performance report for the workforce information grant (29 CFR 97.40(b)(1)), signed by both the SWA administrator and the SWIB chairperson, or the governor, as specified in Attachment V, Section A. The report must include a description of outcomes compared to certified grant deliverables and, where appropriate, an explanation as to why a grant deliverable was not accomplished and what will be done to ensure accomplishment.

The annual performance report must also include a summary of the results of the grantee’s customer consultations regarding state workforce information products and services and a summary of activities to be undertaken to add customer value where needs for improvement are indicated. The report may also include recommendations for consideration by ETA for changes and improvements to the required grant deliverables.

Grantees must electronically submit the annual performance report as a .pdf file to the appropriate ETA regional office 90 days following the end of the program year. ETA will post the annual performance reports on the ETA Web site for the purpose of informing the system of overall grant performance.

10. Special Grant Requirements. Funds provided by this award may not be used to supplant funds obligated from other funding sources for workforce information activities. All costs incurred under the grant must support the cost objectives specified in Section 6 of this guidance and must conform to the principles for "reasonable" and "allocable" costs as specified in OMB Circular A-87.

Any data collection activities must conform to technical standards and methodologies established by the Bureau of Labor Statistics or document, in the state’s grant file, a sound business rationale for the use of an alternative methodology. Any information technology systems or applications developed with these funds must adhere to industry-standard, open architecture principles with documentation and software made available for use by other organizations for Federal Government purposes.

11. Publications and Other Information Products. Grantees are required to submit .pdf or links to .pdf copies of the state economic analysis reports (Deliverable 3) and any special studies and economic analyses (Deliverable 6) to the appropriate regional office 90 calendar days following the end of the program year.

Grantees are also requested to submit .pdf or links to .pdf copies of publications and other products produced with these grant funds that are considered to be of special interest to the workforce investment system to the appropriate regional office. Examples of products of special interest might be workforce information targeted to the needs of WIRED grantees and other economic development regions, other specific customer groups, industry-specific research and analysis, state brochures describing the availability and functionality of electronic, self-service tools, documentation of innovative applications developed for database access or manipulation, or innovative workforce information services available to customers.

12. Grant Expenditure Period. The maximum expenditure period for these funds is three years under the Wagner-Peyser Annual Funding Agreement. The grant will cover, at a minimum, the 12-month period from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009, but may, if negotiated between the state and the ETA regional office, cover a longer period of time up to the maximum expenditure period ending June 30, 2010.

13. Grant Modifications. The grantee and the ETA regional office may jointly modify planned expenditures, within the state allocation, during the grant period of performance. The regional office has authority to recommend the reallocation of grant funds to the ETA grant officer when overall grant expenditures and obligations are substantially below quarterly budgeted forecasts.

14. Financial Management and Reporting. States are to forecast actual cash needs by Program Year quarter on Standard Form (SF) 424A, Section D, for all quarters covered by the grant. State workforce agencies will report quarterly expenditures by direct data entry of the SF 269, Federal Cost Report, into the Web-based Enterprise Business Support System (EBBS). Per 29 CFR 97.41(b)(4), quarterly financial reports are due 30 days following the end of each quarter. Questions regarding financial management and reporting for PY 2008, or for any existing prior year fund balances, should be addressed to the appropriate ETA regional office.

15. Action Required. Grant applications are due to the regional offices within 45 days of the date of this guidance. A submission date later than 45 days may be approved by ETA Regional Administrators. SWA administrators are requested to:

a. Immediately transmit these grant application instructions to the appropriate SWA office and to the SWIB.

b. Submit the original and two (2) copies of the PY 2008 grant application package with a transmittal letter signed by: (1) the governor; or (2) both the SWA administrator and the chairperson of the state SWIB to the appropriate ETA regional office.

c. Include in the grant application package:

1. Transmittal Letter

2. Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)

3. Budget Plan (SF-424A, Section D only)

4. Statement of Work Certification

16. Inquiries. Questions on statement of work and grant requirements should be directed to the appropriate ETA regional office. Grant and financial management questions may be directed to the regional office or to Gwendolyn Baron-Simms at (202) 693-3309 or to Fred Tello, Grant Officer, at (202) 693-3333.

16. Attachments.

I. State Allocations for PY 2008

II. Grant Procedures

III. Statement of Work Guidelines

IV. Statement of Work Certification

V. Annual Performance Report Instructions

Note: This is the attachment used for 2007. PY 2008 allocations will reflect appropriated resources.

Attachment I

U. S. Department of Labor

Employment and Training Administration

Workforce Information Grants to States

PY 2007 vs PY 2006Allotments

State PY 2006 PY 2007 Difference % Difference

Total $33,180,000 $31,680,000 ($1,500,000) -4.52%

 

Alabama 521,838 497,844 (23,994) -4.60%

Alaska 289,733 276,788 (12,945) -4.47%

Arizona 606,975 588,028 (18,947) -3.12%

Arkansas 417,532 402,754 (14,778) -3.54%

California 2,517,818 2,377,436 (140,382) -5.58%

Colorado 572,085 549,657 (22,428) -3.92%

Connecticut 476,709 456,335 (20,374) -4.27%

Delaware 301,478 288,928 (12,550) -4.16%

District of Columbia 284,990 270,584 (14,406) -5.05%

Florida 1,346,686 1,305,486 (41,200) -3.06%

Georgia 818,732 798,817 (19,915) -2.43%

Hawaii 326,854 313,441 (13,413) -4.10%

Idaho 339,126 326,403 (12,723) -3.75%

Illinois 1,072,842 1,022,617 (50,225) -4.68%

Indiana 655,487 627,413 (28,074) -4.28%

Iowa 456,141 437,464 (18,677) -4.09%

Kansas 434,164 413,513 (20,651) -4.76%

Kentucky 500,627 479,042 (21,585) -4.31%

Louisiana 513,672 464,464 (49,208) -9.58%

Maine 336,825 321,718 (15,107) -4.49%

Maryland 619,665 595,123 (24,542) -3.96%

Massachusetts 678,507 641,320 (37,187) -5.48%

Michigan 900,341 851,816 (48,525) -5.39%

Minnesota 625,262 590,980 (34,282) -5.48%

Mississippi 418,105 394,758 (23,347) -5.58%

Missouri 633,721 602,038 (31,683) -5.00%

Montana 309,202 295,622 (13,580) -4.39%

Nebraska 372,682 354,185 (18,497) -4.96%

Nevada 400,960 387,101 (13,859) -3.46%

New Hampshire 340,067 324,226 (15,841) -4.66%

New Jersey 811,805 775,725 (36,080) -4.44%

New Mexico 365,776 350,006 (15,770) -4.31%

New York 1,448,995 1,381,028 (67,967) -4.69%

North Carolina 797,071 765,938 (31,133) -3.91%

North Dakota 291,961 279,041 (12,920) -4.43%

Ohio 1,003,271 949,774 (53,497) -5.33%

Oklahoma 467,100 447,271 (19,829) -4.25%

Oregon 485,051 462,032 (23,019) -4.75%

Pennsylvania 1,056,202 995,426 (60,776) -5.75%

Puerto Rico 425,499 405,531 (19,968) -4.69%

Rhode Island 319,006 304,861 (14,145) -4.43%

South Carolina 511,426 490,073 (21,353) -4.18%

South Dakota 301,464 287,507 (13,957) -4.63%

Tennessee 617,744 591,810 (25,934) -4.20%

Texas 1,676,453 1,611,388 (65,065) -3.88%

Utah 403,414 392,287 (11,127) -2.76%

Vermont 291,640 278,919 (12,721) -4.36%

Virginia 743,751 716,429 (27,322) -3.67%

Washington 665,575 637,419 (28,156) -4.23%

West Virginia 347,927 333,335 (14,592) -4.19%

Wisconsin 637,592 605,539 (32,053) -5.03%

Wyoming 282,908 270,213 (12,695) -4.49%

State Total 32,040,457 30,587,453 (1,453,004) -4.53%

Guam 93,191 91,238 (1,953) -2.10%

Virgin Islands 84,132 82,589 (1,543) -1.83%

Outlying Areas Total 177,323 173,827 (3,496) -1.97%

Postage Reserve 962,220 918,720 (43,500) -4.52%

Attachment II

Grant Procedures

A. Grant Agreement. The Wagner-Peyser Annual Funding Agreement covers the Wagner-Peyser Base Grant and the Workforce Information Grants to States for FY 2008/PY 2008. The Annual Funding Agreement includes Assurances and Certifications that apply to all grants covered by the Agreement. Therefore, those Assurances and Certifications need not be submitted with the Workforce Information Core Products and Services Grant application.

B. Grant Application. Grant applications are to be developed in accordance with Attachments I through IV. The grant application must include a transmittal letter signed by both the designated SWA administrator and the designated representative of the State Workforce Investment Board, or the governor, a signed Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424), Budget (SF-424A, Section D only) for all quarters covered by the state plan, and a grant Statement of Work Certification. States are requested to submit the original and two copies of the complete grant package to the appropriate ETA Regional Administrator within 45 days of the date of this guidance.

C. Grant Approval. Regional Administrators are responsible for final approval of the grant and will issue an approval letter, with a copy of the approved grant package, to the state and a copy of the approval letter and approved grant package to the grant officer. A Notice of Obligation will be issued by the grant officer after the receipt of the Regional Administrators approved grant application.

D. Grant Modifications. The grantee and ETA regional office may jointly modify forecasted quarterly expenditures, within the state allocation, during the grant period of performance. The regional office has authority to recommend funding adjustments to the grant officer when overall grant expenditures are substantially below quarterly budgeted forecasts in the approved SF- 424A.

Attachment III

Statement of Work Deliverables

Funds shall be used to produce deliverables one through six specified in this Attachment. The deliverables include the production of industry and occupational employment projections, the population and maintenance of the Workforce Information Database (WID) and other economic and workforce information products and services required to support the state, regional, and local talent development system.

Grantees are required to produce all six deliverables with PY 2008 funding. Except for deliverables one and two, which are expected to be standard and comparable across states WID maintenance and enhancements and Industry and Occupational Employment Projections), all other required deliverables allow states flexibility to determine the relative priority of the product or service, the content and form of the deliverable, and the level of investment that best meets the states’ needs. States are required to consult with the State Workforce Investment Boards (SWIBs), WIRED regional partnerships, Labor Workforce Investment Boards (LWIBs) and other stakeholder organizations in order to receive significant stakeholder input into the development of the grant deliverables.

ETA acknowledges and supports states using funds provided by this grant to produce other information products and services such as workforce information training and occupational and career guidance to support talent development or other workforce information that is documented as a customer demand.

1) Continue to populate the Workforce Information Database with state and local data.

The WID provides states with a common structure for storing information in a single database in each state. The database is intended to serve as the cornerstone for information delivery, workforce research, and product development for information that is standard and comparable across all states. The database, once populated, brings together critical workforce information from many sources to promote better analysis and more sophisticated interpretation. Using the same version of the database in all states is important for providing interstate access to workforce information. Therefore, states are required to implement and maintain the most current version of the WID and populate all tables designated as core tables in accordance with guidelines issued by the Analyst Resource Center (ARC).

Database content must be updated timely in order to be as current as the state’s most recent publications and data releases. Information and technical support will be provided on the ARC Web site at: http://www.almisdb.org. The listing of the current core data elements, i.e., those elements that must be populated by all states, and associated tables may be found at the same Internet address.

States are required to populate the database with the following licensing files: license.dbf and licauth.dbf. Licensing data must be updated every two years. States are required to submit licensing data through the National Crosswalk Service Center (NCSC) for inclusion on http://www.CareerInfoNet.org. The licensed occupations information on America’s Career InfoNet (ACINet) site. The licensed occupations information on ACINet has been recoded from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) taxonomy to the Occupational Information Network (O*NET)/Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) taxonomy. The NCSC will assist states in recoding their files to O*NET/SOC for submittal to ACINet, if necessary. States may access information and support through the NCSC Web site at http://www.xwalkcenter.org or by calling (515) 242-5034.

Training, support material, and information updates will be provided through the ARC technical Web site, links to related sites, and electronic newsletters to help states realize the full potential of the WID and related resources. On-site training requiring staff travel will be kept to a minimum. It is important that all states take advantage of the resources and training opportunities provided. Funds may be used for any costs required to populate, maintain, and update the database including staff training.

2) Produce and disseminate industry and occupational employment projections.

States are to continue producing and disseminating state and sub-state industry and occupational employment projections, using the methodology, software tools, and guidelines developed by the Projections Workgroup and the Projections Managing Partnership. In the case where a state uses another methodology, state officials should document the methodology and indicate the reason for using alternative methods.

Statewide projections are to be developed for the 2007 to 2017 and 2008 to 2010 periods. The primary activity for PY 2008 will be the production of statewide long and short-term occupational projections. However, this requirement does not preclude states form producing sub-state and local projections. In fact, states are encourages to do so.

States are required to populate the WID with the statewide 2008-2010 short-term and 2007-2017 long-term projections data and submit the long-term data for public dissemination following procedures established by the Projections Workgroup and the Projections Managing Partnership. The Workgroup will provide states specific instructions for data submission.

States are encouraged to participate in training opportunities that may be offered by the Projections Workgroup and the Projections Managing Partnership.

3) Publish an annual economic analysis report for the governor and the SWIB.

Funds are to be used to develop and publish annual, detailed state economic analyses to inform talent and economic development policy and investment determinations by the governor, the SWIB, LWIBs, WIRED regions and other partners including community colleges, economic development organizations, and other talent development stakeholders. To the extent available from the state or other sources, the state analysis should include pertinent data and analyses of local and regional economies. If this deliverable, in whole or in part, is the responsibility of another state agency or office, opportunities for partnering and leveraging information with the responsible agency should be explored and an explanation provided in an addendum to the grant certification.

Grantees are encouraged to expand the scope and depth of each analysis they perform by including information, where relevant and based on needs identified through customer consultation, from external, credible sources of workforce, labor market, and economic information in addition the workforce information routinely produced by the grantee. Examples of other possible data sources are cited Page 4 of this TEGL in Section 5.

States are required to footnote and clearly reference the information sources used in the annual economic analyses. ETA will provide technical assistance to states in accessing and incorporating information from non-state sources through Webinar training and presentations.

4) Post products, information, and reports on the Internet.

States are required to post grant produced products, reports, including deliverables three, and six , and other workforce information on the Web or disseminate the information through other electronic media to facilitate use by the talent and economic development system, other partners, and stakeholders, and the general public. Funds may be used for developing, maintaining, improving, and hosting Internet Web sites and other electronic delivery systems in support of this deliverable.

5) Partner and consult on a continuing basis with workforce investment boards and key talent development partners and stakeholders.

These PY 2008 workforce information grant guidelines require consultation between the grantees’ SWAs, SWIBs, LWIBs, the leadership of WIRED grantees within the state, and other strategic partners and stakeholders in order to increase the scope and utility of workforce information to inform talent and economic development strategies and enhance career guidance.

ETA expects grantees to operate as catalysts that establish strategic partnerships to drive the WIRED framework. The grantee is expected to collaborate with economic development agencies, education and training institutions, business groups, industry associations, and other public and private producers and distributors of labor market and economic information, to gather and analyze a wide variety of workforce and economic data to drive strategic planning, track economic conditions, benchmark competitiveness, and measure outcomes. The needs identified through consultations must be documented in the grant file.

6) Conduct special studies and economic analyses.

When needed, states shall conduct special state, regional and local studies and economic analyses to provide information support for communities in economic transition, state and sub-state talent development initiatives, and responses to major layoffs or disasters.

Attachment IV

Statement of Work Certification

State Workforce Information Grant

The State of ________________________ certifies that it will accomplish grant deliverables one through six specified in Attachment III of the Workforce Information Core Products and Services Grant Application Instructions for Program Year 2008.* Per 29 CFR, Part 97.42(e)(1), file documentation of grant activities and accomplishments will be available for examination by ETA or other authorized Federal representatives.

______________________________

Governor

______________________________

Date

Or

_____________________________ ____________________________

SWA Administrator SWIB Chair

_____________________________ ____________________________ Date Date

* If circumstances prevent accomplishment of a specific grant deliverable(s) during PY 2008, a deferral must be negotiated with the Regional Administrator, and the reasons for delay and a negotiated completion date noted as an addendum to this Statement of Work Certification.

Attachment V

Annual Performance Report

States are required to submit an annual performance report, signed by the governor or both the State Workforce Administrator (SWA) and the State Workforce Investment Board (SWIB) which concisely summarizes accomplishments, the results of customer consultations about existing and needed workforce information products and services. The report is intended to serve as an accountability, management, and analysis tool for states and ETA.

A. Accomplishments. For each required deliverable, provide a concise summary of:

• The outcomes achieved and an analysis that explains the cause of any significant variance from the Grant Certification. Describe any actions required to accomplish the required deliverables.

• The extent to which activities have conformed to the deliverables schedule, including an explanation for the cause of any significant variance from the schedule.

• Actual aggregate expenditures and an explanation for any significant variance from estimated aggregate expenditures.

B. Customer Consultations. Provide a concise summary of:

• The methods used for consulting with customers, and customize requirements.

• Activities to be undertaken to add customer value to the deliverables, where needs for improvement are identified based on customer feedback.

C. Recommendations for Improvements or Changes to the Deliverables.

These may be based on one or more of the following:

• Recommendations based on accomplishments.

• Recommendations based on consultations with customers.