EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION ADVISORY SYSTEM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Washington, D.C. 20210
|
CLASSIFICATION Workforce Information |
CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL DNPTTA/Workforce Information |
|
DATE
|
ADVISORY: TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER NO.
TO: STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES
STATE WORKFORCE ADMINISTRATORS
STATE LABOR COMMISSIONERS
STATE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD CHAIRS AND DIRECTORS
STATE WORKFORCE LIAISONS
STATE LABOR MARKET INFORMATION, WORKFORCE INFORMATION, OR RESEARCH DIRECTORS
FROM: BYRON ZUIDEMA
Deputy Assistant Secretary
SUBJECT: Program Year (PY) 2017 Workforce Labor Market Information Grants to States (WIGS): Policy and Program Guidance, and Deliverables
Purpose. To provide policy and program guidance for the development, management, and delivery of workforce and labor market information (WLMI) funded through the WIGS.
References.
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13 and 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520);
2 CFR Part 200 and 2 CFR Part 2900 Uniform Administrative Requirements Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards;
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 508 as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d);
Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 27-16, June 9, 2017, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth Activities Program Allotments for Program Year (PY) 2017; Final PY 2017 Allotments for the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service (ES) Program Allotments; and Workforce Information Grants to States Allotments for PY 2017;
TEGL No. 1-16, July 8, 2016, Program Year (PY) 2016 Workforce Labor Market Information Grants to States (WIGS): Policy and Program Guidance and Deliverables;
TEGL No. 19-14, February 9, 2015, Vision for the Workforce System and Initial Implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act;
TEGL No. 15-14, December 19, 2014, Implementation of the New Uniform Guidance Regulations; and
Training and Employment Notice (TEN) No. 42-15, Change 1 of August 19, 2016, Announcing the Publication and Effective Dates of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (WIOA) Final Rules in the Federal Register.
OMB Approval. To conform with the PRA, the President’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has reviewed and approved this information collection (OMB Control Number 1205-0417), whose authorization expires May 31, 2020. 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.
Fund Allotments, Goals and Objectives. The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) previously published PY 2017 allotments for WIGS in TEGL No. 27-16 on June 9, 2017. Please refer to this TEGL for specific allotments by state. (Note that, hereafter, the term “state” also includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the outlying areas.
Each year, ETA funds these WIGS and specifies grant requirements. State workforce agencies use WIGS to develop and disseminate essential state and local WLMI for job seekers, employers, educators, economic developers, and others.
The main body of this TEGL describes required, encouraged and other allowable activities, and explains the rationale for ETA policies and requirements. Attachment 1 summarizes WIGS requirements, and includes important administrative details that are not covered in the body of the guidance, such as deadlines and submission requirements for grant deliverables.
Required, Encouraged, and Other Allowable Activities. State workforce agencies use WIGS to develop and disseminate essential state and local WLMI for a range of customer groups: 1) job seekers; 2) businesses/employers; 3) workforce and labor market intermediaries, such as employment, school, and career counselors, and case managers at AJCs, who help individuals find a job or make career decisions, or engage businesses seeking skilled workers; 4) program and service planners at educational institutions and community-based organizations; 5) policy makers, including state and local workforce development boards (WDBs); 6) partners, such as economic development entities and human resource professionals; and 7) other customers, including recipients of workforce development grants, researchers, commercial data providers, and the media. Grantees have considerable flexibility to meet customer needs, but must consult their customers and prepare several types of products.
Required products. Grantees must produce a database (a below) plus two types of public products (b and c below). If the grantee does not produce a required deliverable, it must negotiate an extension and a revised schedule with the appropriate ETA regional office.
Workforce Information Database (WIDb). WIDb 2.7 was released May 1, 2017. The states are required to update to WIDb 2.7 by January 8, 2018. Accurate and reliable data are a cornerstone of the nation’s workforce investment system. The WIDb includes the most important workforce-related data elements and defines them consistently, ensuring comparability across jurisdictions. Its variables include employment projections; wages; educational programs; the locations of educational and training institutions; contact information for all U.S. employers; and state occupational licenses.
States must use WIGS funds to populate, maintain, and update the WIDb, and to provide related staff training. Grantees must implement and maintain the most current version (now 2.7) of WIDb and populate all Analyst Resource Center (ARC)-designated core tables. The ARC Web site (www.widcenter.org) describes all required data elements and helps grantees obtain maximum benefit from the WIDb. ETA uses the WIDb to offer career information and guidance via a Web platform, CareerOneStop (www.careeronestop.org), ETA’s suite of national electronic tools for job seekers and labor market intermediaries such as employment counselors, employers, and many others.
State and local industry and occupational employment projections. These projections are the most frequently-requested type of employment statistic other than the unemployment rate. Projections are used: to identify in-demand industries and occupations for career guidance; to plan employment, education and training, and economic development programs; as supporting documentation to apply for Federal grants; and for many other purposes. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) funds national employment projections, but WIGS fund the state and local projections, produced by the states with assistance from ETA and BLS.
The employment projections requirements are described in the table following sub-section c below and deadlines for these products are established by the Projections Managing Partnership (PMP), a state consortium. ETA’s requirements do not differ between industry and occupational projections, but vary for long-term vs. short-term projections, and statewide vs. sub-state projections. ETA grantees who are unable to produce the required projections must report this to their ETA Regional Administrator.
Grantees must use the methodology, software, and guidelines specified by the state-led PMP to produce all projections. Additionally, grantees must use the Local Employment and Wages Information System (LEWIS), formerly the Estimates Delivery System (EDS), to provide the staffing patterns for sub-state projections. To meet these requirements, ETA encourages grantees to use WIGS funds to obtain training provided by the PMP (see https://support.projectionscentral.com, ARC (see www.widcenter.org) and other WLMI-related sources.
A statewide annual economic analysis report. ETA regards state economic and labor market analyses as essential to plan WIOA and other workforce programs. Therefore, ETA requires statewide economic analysis reports, and encourages annual publication. However, ETA recognizes that conditions may not change sufficiently each year to necessitate an annual report, and gives states the discretion to determine their frequency. For years in which a comprehensive economic report is not issued, grantees must publish other economic reports of value to state policymakers (including the governor and state legislature), as well as state and local workforce development boards (WDBs).
In accordance with section 3(c)(4) of the Wagner-Peyser (29 U.S.C. 49b(c)(4), as amended by section 303(b)(2) of WIOA, states must provide employee development and LMI training to ensure quality service delivery. Such training should be provided to State workforce agency staff, to their local AJCs, and WDBs, in an effort to promote robust use of Workforce LMI. The training provided, and to whom, should be identified in the State annual reports. The provision of LMI training will help support a one-stop delivery system that provides high quality and professional services to the job seeker and businesses.
Grantees have broad discretion over the reports’ contents, but they should include analyses of trends and challenges — at both the state and sub-state levels — of such topics as gross domestic product; employment growth or decline (actual and projected); unemployment and other labor market hardship indicators (such as low earnings); identification of growing and/or in-demand occupations and/or industries; other analyses of important industries and occupations; and skill shortages, mismatches or deficiencies, within the limitations of the available data. The analyses should address the jobless population as a whole, as well as the experiences, needs, and challenges of the targeted populations identified in state planning requirements.
ETA will not accept the following submissions for the economic analysis report or its substitute: 1) data tables alone; 2) job listings; 3) maps alone; 4) reports done by the grantee for BLS (e.g., news releases, employment situation reports, Projections, etc.); 5) reports solely funded by Federal sources other than WIGS, or 6) any publication that does not contain any economic analysis related to that state.
Deliverable |
Required, encouraged and other allowable activities |
Due Date |
Statewide long-term
|
Statewide 10-year projections are required in alternate years. |
No 10-year Projections are due in 2018. |
Statewide short-term |
|
One Week following February 28, 2018.
The Two Year Projections are projected to 2019 with a base year of 2017. |
Sub-state long-term |
10-year projections |
No Sub-state 10 Year Projections this year |
Sub-state short-term |
Encouraged, but not required, activity |
|
Work Force Information Database (WIDb) |
All States should update to WIDb 2.7 |
January 8, 2018 |
(WIGS) 2017 Statewide Economic Analysis Report |
States submit this report to the appropriate ETA regional office. |
September 30, 2018 |
(WIGS) 2017 Annual Reports and signed letters. |
States submit this report to the appropriate ETA regional office. This report should provide web links to any additional economic and labor market reports and products. |
September 30, 2018 |
|
|
|
WLMI Training for the Workforce System |
ETA encourages but does not require states to provide such training for AJC and WDB staff. |
Ongoing |
Licensing information: states must populate the database with the license.dbf and licauth.dbf licensing files. |
States must submit data to the ARC in the manner specified |
At least every 2 years |
Encouraged economic and labor market reports and products. ETA encourages grantees to produce other reports and data in addition to those specified above. Grantees have wide discretion in both the topics and presentation format. These reports should include accurate data, actionable information, and resources that enable job seekers, employers, staff in AJCs, state and local WDBs, policy makers, and the workforce investment system to make informed decisions about the work-based learning, training, reemployment, career pathways strategies that lead to worker advancement along a continuum of high-demand and higher wage jobs. Examples of such other products include: online self-service tools and other occupational and career guidance resources for job seekers; industry- or occupation-specific research; data visualizations, job vacancy surveys; supply/demand analysis; reports based on analyses of real-time (job ads) data sources; and studies of topics of continuing interest such as labor or skill gaps, mismatches, or deficiencies. ETA encourages grantees to review the reports issued by other states to obtain useful ideas (http://www.doleta.gov/performance/results/AnnualReports/annual_report.cfm).
Other allowable activities. ETA strongly encourages grantees to provide training and technical assistance about various types of WLMI and its uses to state and local WDBs, AJC partners, state Wagner-Peyser staff, WIOA program planners and policy makers, and other workforce system stakeholders. The purpose of this training is to assist stakeholders in using WLMI for data-driven program planning and informed decision-making. It also assists such staff to better identify and more rigorously report when participants receive WLMI services, to ensure that performance reports better measure the value and impact of WLMI. ETA also encourages grantees to leverage WIGS funds by expanding partnerships among the workforce investment system, and education, training and economic development communities.
Required Methods. Grantees have considerable flexibility in conducting their work, but must meet certain methodological standards in collaborating with partners, consulting with customers, collecting data, disseminating statistics; maintaining data integrity, confidentiality, and security; and posting their products on the Internet.
Partnerships. In order to best serve their customers and optimize the Federal investment, grantees are to establish and maintain partnerships that grantees consider relevant and mutually beneficial. Such partnerships help to increase resources, improve program outcomes, and help LMI-WI data influence planning and program decisions.
Customer consultation. One of the key tenets of WIOA is meeting the needs of businesses and jobseekers, and WIOA requires states to consult with customers, including employers, WDBs, core partner programs such as education agencies, participants, students, and others, about the relevance of the WLMI collected and disseminated. WIGS grantees must consult with customers to ensure the workforce system is providing relevant and integrated information to support decision-making by state and local WDBs and other stakeholders. ETA does not prescribe how this outreach is done, but suggests that it also be done in collaboration with other workforce system entities that are doing similar outreach, such as business engagement or industry outreach staff at the state and local level. Grantees must document these consultations in their grant file and annual performance report.
Data collection and research methodology. All ETA data collection activities must conform to BLS technical standards and methodologies except when the grantee documents a defensible rationale for an alternative and submits the information to the appropriate ETA regional office. Information used in reports must: 1) be based in part on needs identified through customer consultations and product assessments; and 2) come from credible sources that meet professional standards. Multiple sources must be used, except when the report is based upon a single survey. Sources must be clearly referenced and/or footnoted. Any additional methodologies employed and any variants encountered in the research must also be clearly described.
Publication requirements. In order to maximize the availability of WLMI products, grantees must post grant-funded products, reports, and workforce information on their Web sites in a readily accessible manner (unless otherwise indicated), and meet standard Federal accessibility requirements (www.section508.gov). To meet this criterion, grantees may use WIGS funding to develop, maintain, improve, and/or host WLMI Web sites and other electronic delivery systems. Grantees must also use the approved language in Attachment 2 on products or sites that are funded by WIGS. This language is repeated in Attachment 2 for convenience but is a standard requirement included in ETA grant award documents.
Information technology (IT) specifications. To maximize its usefulness, any IT system or application developed with WIGS is to adhere to industry-standard, open architecture principles with documentation and software made available for use by other organizations for Federal governmental purposes. To enhance the reporting of the delivery of both virtual, in-person and hard copy WLMI services to customers, states are encouraged to work toward greater management information system (MIS) integration to capture WLMI services provided.
Application for Federal Assistance, Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements.
Application forms. As noted above, please refer to TEGL No. 27-16 for application submission requirements for PY 2017 WIGS grants. Note that this TEGL specified a due date of July 14, 2017 for submission of application forms.
Other standard forms and files. ETA requires grantees to complete ETA Form 9130 quarterly financial reports within 45 days of the end of each quarter. In addition, grantees must maintain their internal grant files in electronic form, and make these available upon request to ETA.
Expenditures. By accepting WIGS funding, a state agrees to fulfill all work specified in this guidance, including submission of all deliverables by the established deadlines. ETA expects grantees to expend WIGS funds during the July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018 period, although carry-over is permitted. Grantees must expend the funds within the three-year period ending June 30, 2020. During the performance period, the grantee and the ETA regional office may jointly adjust planned expenditures within the state’s allotment. All WIGS expenditures must support the required and allowable activities, and conform to "reasonable," "necessary," and "allocable" costs specified in 2 CFR Part 200 and 2 CFR Part 2900 Uniform Administrative Requirements Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (see: https://cfo.gov/cofar/#RUUG). WIGS cannot be used to supplant funding from other Federal or state sources. Please contact your regional Federal Project Officer (FPO) for technical assistance
Additional Resources. ETA’s Labor Market Information Central (https://lmi.workforcegps.org/) is the agency’s principal repository of technical assistance resources to enhance the use of WLMI. These resources include ETA’s Guide to State and Local Workforce Data (https://lmi.workforcegps.org/resources/2015/04/03/15/48/Guide_to_State_and_Local_Workforce_Data) a directory of links to state and local employment projections and research pertaining to skill shortages, mismatches and deficiencies; the identification of high growth and/or in-demand industries and occupations; and how to understand and use data for special populations such as dislocated workers, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and Native Americans. ETA encourages the states to establish an Internet link somewhere on their WLMI Web site to ETA’s LMI Central resource.
Action Requested. As described in TEGL 27-16, and above, to initiate the PY 17 WIGS, state workforce agencies (SWA) were required to submit the SF 424 to Grants.gov by July 14, 2017. Per the grant agreement, during the course of the year, grantees will provide the deliverables according to the requirements and timeframes outlined in Attachment 1.
Inquiries. For questions on grant requirements, contact the applicable ETA regional office. For financial management questions, contact the applicable ETA regional office; Grants Management Specialist Chanta Ferrell at [email protected] or National Grant Officer Serena Boyd at [email protected].
Attachments
Consolidated Requirements for WIGS Grantees
Language for Grant Product Attribution and Intellectual Property Rights
Attachment 1. Consolidated Requirements for WIGS Grantees
The following table summarizes the deliverables and requirements in column 1 (the body of the TEGL explains these in full). Columns 2 and 3 contain important administrative details that have not been included in the body of the TEGL, which focuses on policy. Brackets are used in the table to indicate activities that are not required.
Deliverables and Requirements |
Due Dates |
Submission, Formatting and Other Requirements |
|||
RECORDKEEPING AND REPORTING |
|
|
|||
SF 424 (Application for Federal Assistance) at https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424-V2.0.pdf All sections of the form must be completed.
If a state believes it is necessary to revise their expenditure plan due to unforeseen factors, the state may petition the regional office for approval to modify the plan.
|
The SF 424 was required to be submitted to Grants.gov by July 14, 2017. |
|
|||
ETA Form 9130 quarterly financial reports. All sections of the form must be completed. |
Within 45 days after the end of each quarter |
|
|||
Annual Performance Report. The report must include hyperlinks to all published products, and major unpublished products must be attached. It must also summarize all activities, including the following.
|
October 1, 2018
|
This report must be submitted to the appropriate ETA regional office in a Section 508-compliant accessible PDF for posting online on www.doleta.gov Unless a product referred to is a Web site, all Internet links in the document must lead directly to the product, not to a Web site that includes the product. See general product and publication requirements. |
|||
PRODUCT AND PUBLICATION REQUIREMENTS |
|
|
|||
Product Requirements (general)
|
Ongoing |
All products must include the date of issuance or revision, and an acknowledgement that the product was produced either in whole or in part with Department of Labor-funded WIGS. Documents must be formatted to permit parts to be copied (including specific words), e.g., a MS Word document or accessible .pdf formatting enabling such copying. |
|||
Publication Requirements (general). States must post all grant-funded products, reports, and workforce information on the Internet in a manner accessible to all members of the public (unless otherwise indicated), and comply with Rehabilitation Act Section 508 requirements. |
Within a reasonable period after the completion of the work |
States must include links to all WIGS-funded published material on their LMI Web site, and present it in a manner that makes it easy for the public to find this material. |
|||
Workforce Information Database (WIDb). Implement and maintain the most current version (now 2.7) of the WIDb and populate all designated core tables in accordance with Analyst Resource Center (ARC) guidelines (required data elements are listed at http://www.workforceinfodb.org). |
Within 180 days from the release of a new database version
|
Implemented in the manner specified by the ARC. [States should inform their regional office if they use supplemental or non-standard WIDb tables.] |
|||
Occupational licensing information: states must populate the database with the license.dbf and licauth.dbf licensing files. |
At least every 2 years |
States must submit data in the manner specified by ARC. |
|||
Employment Projections (general)
|
Ongoing
|
State must provide links to all published projections on a single Web page. Unpublished projections products must be provided to the ETA regional office (to confirm that the deliverable was completed). |
|||
Statewide long-term industry and occupational projections
|
One week following June 30, 2017 for projections from 2016-2026. |
File must be provided to PMP in a manner to be specified by the PMP |
|||
Statewide short-term industry and occupational projections
|
One Week following February 28, 2018. |
File must be provided to PMP in a manner to be specified by the PMP |
|||
Sub-state long-term industry and occupational projections
|
No Sub-state 10 Year Projections this year |
No Sub-state 10 Year Projections this year |
|||
Sub-state short-term industry and occupational projections
|
NA |
If submitted, the file must be provided to PMP in a manner to be specified by the PMP. |
|||
Annual and Economic Analysis Report (or substitute as explained in the body of the TEGL). The information must be based on needs identified through customer consultations; must come from multiple, credible sources; and must be clearly referenced and/or footnoted. |
September 30, 2018
|
|
|||
Other Published Reports. The information must be based on needs identified through customer consultations; must come from multiple, credible sources; and must be clearly referenced and/or footnoted.
|
Within 90 calendar days following the end of the program year |
Must be formatted in a manner to permit parts of it to be copied (including specific words), e.g., a MS Word document or accessible .pdf formatting enabling such copying. |
|||
OTHER REQUIREMENTS |
|
|
|||
Consultations with customers about WLMI produced with grant funding.
|
Ongoing |
|
|||
Data collection. All data collection activities must conform to the BLS technical standards and methodologies. If this does not occur, the grantee must document a defensible rationale for an alternative. |
Ongoing |
|
|||
IT systems and applications. Any IT system or application developed with WIGS is to adhere to industry-standard, open architecture principles with documentation and software made available for use by other organizations for Federal governmental purposes. |
Ongoing |
|
Attachment 2. Language for Grant Product Attribution and Intellectual Property Rights
The following language needs to appear on all products developed in whole or in part with grant funds:
This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the recipient and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner.”
In addition, the following text needs to appear when applicable.
The Federal Government reserves a paid-up, nonexclusive and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use for federal purposes: i) the copyright in all products developed under the grant, including a subgrant or contract under the grant or subgrant; and ii) any rights of copyright to which the recipient, subrecipient or a contractor purchases ownership under an award (including but not limited to curricula, training models, technical assistance products, and any related materials). Such uses include, but are not limited to, the right to modify and distribute such products worldwide by any means, electronically or otherwise. Federal funds may not be used to pay any royalty or license fee for use of a copyrighted work, or the cost of acquiring by purchase a copyright in a work, where the Department has a license or rights of free use in such work, although they may be used to pay costs for obtaining a copy which is limited to the developer/seller costs of copying and shipping. If revenues are generated through selling products developed with grant funds, including intellectual property, these revenues are program income. Program income must be used in accordance with the provisions of this grant award and 2 CFR 200.307.
| File Type | application/msword |
| Author | Pam Frugoli |
| Last Modified By | SYSTEM |
| File Modified | 2017-08-29 |
| File Created | 2017-08-29 |