Wigs Tegl 2020

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: JOHN PALLASCH

Assistant Secretary

SUBJECT: Program Year (PY) 2020 Workforce and Labor Market Information Grants to States (WIGS): Program Guidance and Deliverables

1. Purpose. To provide program guidance for the development, management, and delivery of workforce and labor market information (WLMI) funded through the WIGS.

2. Action Requested. Per the grant agreement, during the course of the year, grantees must provide the deliverables according to the requirements and timeframes outlined in Attachment 1. Refer to Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 16-19 for grant application submission requirements for PY 2020 WIGS funding.

3. Summary and Background.

   1. Summary – This guidance, published annually, specifies grant requirements for WIGS, which are funded by ETA.

2. Background – State workforce agencies use WIGS to develop and disseminate essential state and local WLMI for job seekers, employers, educators, economic developers, and others. This TEGL describes required, encouraged, and other allowable activities, and explains the rationale for ETA policies and requirements. During times of economic changes, the data and information produced by the WIGS is particularly important.

4. 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 American Job Centers (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 populate and maintain a database (see sub-section a. below), produce two types of public products (see sub-sections b. and d. below), and ensure staff are adequately trained (see sub-section c. below). If the grantee does not produce any of the four required deliverables, it must negotiate an extension and a revised schedule with the appropriate ETA regional office.

1. Workforce Information Database (WID). WID 2.8 was released in May 2019. The states are required to implement WID 2.8 by July 15, 2020, as previously noted in the PY 2019 WIGS program guidance. Accurate and reliable data are a cornerstone of the nation’s workforce investment system. The WID includes the most important workforce-related data elements and defines them consistently, ensuring comparability across jurisdictions. The Analyst Resource Center (ARC), an ETA-funded grantee which supports consistent LMI data collection, provides and maintains information on the structure and content of the WID at www.widcenter.org/structure-2/, including background for this state requirement at www.widcenter.org/why-a-standard-structure/.

States must use WIGS funds to populate, maintain, and update the WID. States must also use WIGS funds to provide related staff training necessary to meet the WID requirements. Grantees must implement and maintain the most current version of WID and populate all ARC-designated core tables. The ARC website (www.widcenter.org/document/all-core-tables/) describes all required data elements and helps grantees obtain maximum benefit from the WID. ETA uses the WID to offer career information and guidance via CareerOneStop (www.careeronestop.org), ETA’s suite of national electronic tools for job seekers, labor market intermediaries, employers, and other states and developers use the information in their online tools.

2. State and local industry and occupational employment projections. These projections are one of the most frequently requested types of labor market information. 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. Individual jobseekers and policy makers are particularly interested in projections during times of economic changes. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) funds national employment projections, but WIGS fund the state and local (sub-state) projections produced by the states with assistance from ETA and BLS.

ETA has asked the Projections Managing Partnership (PMP), a state consortium, to begin developing a mid-term projections procedure that may become available this program year. If the mid-term projections procedure is approved by the PMP board and ETA and is available this program year, states will have the option of publishing either the two-year projection (known as the short-term projection) or the mid-term projection, or states may publish both. ETA will inform states of the status of the mid-term projections procedure throughout the year.

The employment projections requirements are described in the table following sub-section e. below and deadlines for these products are established by the PMP. ETA’s requirements do not differ between industry and occupational projections, but vary for long-term vs. short-term projections (or mid-term) and statewide vs. sub-state projections. ETA grantees who are unable to produce the required projections must report this to their ETA regional office.

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 Wage Information System (LEWIS) to provide the staffing patterns for sub-state projections. To meet these requirements, grantees may use WIGS funds to obtain training provided by the PMP (see https://support.projectionscentral.com), ARC (see www.widcenter.org), LEWIS (www.lewissupport.com/), and other LMI-related sources. Finally, state occupational projections must be posted on the PMP website (https://support.projectionscentral.com) as well as on the state LMI website to maximize public awareness and availability for use.

3. Employee development and LMI training for service delivery. In accordance with section 3(c)(4) of the Wagner-Peyser Act (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. In an effort to promote robust use of LMI, ETA encourages state LMI offices to provide training to state workforce agency staff, local AJCs, WBDs, vocational rehabilitation providers, providers to veterans returning to the civilian workforce, providers assisting citizens re-entering the workforce after incarceration, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) providers, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) service providers. The training provided, and to whom, should be identified in the state’s WIGS Annual Performance Report. 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.

Outreach and training are especially critical as states recover from the economic effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). ETA encourages LMI directors and their staff to actively seek opportunities to provide information and training to the local workforce system, employers, job-seekers, AJCs, and those seeking carrier advice.

4. 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. 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 WDBs. Economic reports created by the state must be posted to the state LMI website.

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. Examples of topics may include: 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; COVID-19 economic decline and recovery; 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.

5. Annual Performance Report. Grantees must submit a WIGS Annual Performance Report to their ETA regional office that summarizes all grantee activities, including the core deliverables and activities shown below, in the order indicated, by October 1 each year.

1. Workforce information database (WID);

2. Industry and occupational employment projections;

3. LMI training for service delivery; and

4. Annual economic analysis and other reports.

Whether a core or optional activity, each summary must identify:

1. A description of the activity;

2. How customer consultation is used in each activity;

3. Which customer needs are met by each activity; and

4. If the activity supports collaborations or leveraged funding.

Additionally, given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, ETA expects that conditions in most states will change sufficiently to warrant a section in the Annual Performance Report to describe how the LMI office contributed to the states effort to help the state and local economy.

Grantees are also asked to make any recommendations or suggestions to their regional office for improving the use of WIGS funding.

Please note: The WIGS Annual Performance Report must be signed by the state workforce agency head prior to submittal to the regional office. If this is not possible, a written justification explaining why the state workforce agency head has not signed must be provided to Federal Project Officer (FPO) for this grant.

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.

1. Partnerships. In order to best serve their customers and optimize the Federal investment, grantees should establish and maintain partnerships that grantees consider relevant and mutually beneficial. Such partnerships help to increase resources, improve program outcomes, and help WLMI data influence planning and program decisions. Examples of partnerships to develop may include schools (K-12, 2-year colleges, universities, career and technical schools), state-wide and local WDB and economic development boards, any eligible training provider, SNAP E&T agencies, TANF agencies, veteran-serving organizations, and other government agencies in your states and regions that use LMI or can use LMI in their planning and decision-making.

2. Customer consultation. One of the key tenets of WIOA is meeting the needs of businesses and jobseekers. Further, 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 to perform outreach, but suggests it be performed 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 WIGS Annual Performance Report.

3. Data collection and research methodology. All ETA-funded data collection, population, and dissemination activities must conform to the appropriate BLS, PMP, ARC, or generally accepted professional standards and methodologies. 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 be clearly described.

4. Publication requirements. In order to maximize the availability of WLMI products, grantees must post grant-funded products, reports, and workforce information on their websites 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, or host WLMI websites 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 in Attachment 2 for convenience but is a standard requirement included in ETA grant award documents.

5. Information technology (IT) specifications. To maximize its usefulness, any IT system or application developed with WIGS should 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.

Additionally, states are encouraged to maintain and share with ETA state LMI website analytics, such as the number of visitors, page views, top LMI pages or websites visited, or other analytics the state would like to share. This information should be reported in the WIGS Annual Performance Report.

Required forms, files, and deadlines. Please refer to TEGL No. 16-19, “Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth Activities Program Allotments for Program Year (PY) 2020; PY 2020 Allotments for the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service (ES) Program and the Allotments of Workforce Information Grants to States for PY 2020,” for application submission requirements for PY 2020 WIGS grants.

1. 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.

2. Deadlines. By accepting WIGS funding, a state agrees to fulfill all work specified in this guidance and adhere to the specified deadlines. ETA expects grantees to expend WIGS funds using a “First in First Out” spending system. All funds received from an earlier date should be expended before spending funds received from a later grant. Any carryover must be expended before spending new funding. Grantees must expend the funds within the three-year period ending June 30, 2023. 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 200 (Uniform Guidance see: https://cfo.gov//cofar/#RUUG). WIGS cannot be used to supplant funding from other Federal or state sources. Please contact your regional FPO if you have questions or need technical assistance.

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 reemployment, work-based learning, training, and career pathways strategies that lead to rapid reemployment and 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 including UI claimants; industry- or occupation-specific research; data visualizations, job vacancy surveys; supply/demand analysis; reports based on analyses of on-line job orders (job ads) data sources; and studies of topics of continuing interest such as labor or skill gaps, mismatches, deficiencies, and especially products and services provided in support of helping the state and local economy recover from the effects of COVID-19. Examples of these reports and products are found on state websites and various US Department of Labor websites.

Other allowable activities. ETA encourages states to provide training and technical assistance to customers outside of the required LMI training for state and local workforce development staff. All LMI training provided by WIGS funded staff should be reported in the WIGS Annual Performance Report and should include the following information:

1. Type of LMI training provided

2. The customer group receiving the training

3. Date

4. Location

5. Estimated number of individuals receiving the training

ETA also encourages grantees to leverage WIGS funds by expanding partnerships among the workforce investment system, and education, training, and economic development communities.

5. 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 Rahel Bizuayene at [email protected] or National Grant Officer Serena Boyd at [email protected].

6. References.

• 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);

• TEGL 10-19, February 3, 2020, Technical Assistance regarding the Submission Deadline for the Unified and Combined State Plans under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) for Program Years (PYs) 2020-2023 and Other Related Requirements;

• TEGL No. 15-14, December 19, 2014, Implementation of the New Uniform Guidance Regulations;

• TEGL 16-19, April 23, 2020, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth Activities Program Allotments for Program Year (PY) 2020; PY 2020 Allotments for the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Services (ES)Program and the Allotments of Workforce Information Grants to States for PY 2020; and

• TEGL 20-19, April 29, 2020, Revised ETA-9130 Financial Report, Instructions, and Additional Guidance.

7. Attachments.

1. Consolidated Requirements for WIGS Grantees

2. Language for Grant Product Attribution and Intellectual Property Rights

Attachment I

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.

Deliverables and Requirements	Due Dates	Submission, Formatting and Other Requirements
REPORTING
SF 424 (Application for Federal Assistance) Instructions for the SF-424 and forms can be found at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html. Select either “Instructions” or “PDF” for OMB number 4040-0004, currently the third row on the page. 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. Sample completed SF 424 forms may be obtained from the applicable ETA regional office.	The SF 424 is required to be submitted according to the instructions in TEGL 16-19.	States must submit the SF 424 to www.Grants.gov.
ETA Form 9130 quarterly financial reports. All sections of the form must be completed.	Within 45 days after the end of each quarter. Specified in TEGL 20-19.	August 15, 2020, November 15, 2020, February 15, 2021, and May 15, 2021.
WIGS 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. Describe all deliverables, highlighting new accomplishments and noting whether partnerships or collaborations were involved. The required customer consultations regarding products and services, including the customer needs identified. If customers identified needed improvements, state the responsive measures taken. Partnership and collaborative efforts, including activities to leverage grant funding and new activities. Recommendations to ETA for changes and improvements. Description of the training provided to include date, subject, who attended and the presenter(s).	October 1, 2021	1) This report must be submitted to the appropriate ETA regional office in a Section 508-compliant accessible PDF format for posting online on www.doleta.gov. 2) States must post this document on their LMI website. 3) 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. 4) See general product and publication requirements.

Deliverables and Requirements	Due Dates	Submission, Formatting and Other Requirements
PRODUCT AND PUBLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Product Requirements (general) Provide accurate and actionable information that enables informed decisions by customers, and supports the development of data-driven strategies and policies. Produce products benefitting the governor, state legislature, state and local WDBs, relevant stakeholders, and the public. ETA encourages grantees to notify their regional office when products are posted on the Internet.	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. States must post this document on their LMI website.
Workforce Information Database (WID). Implement and maintain the most current version (soon to be 2.8) of the WID and populate all designated core tables in accordance with Analyst Resource Center (ARC) guidelines (required data elements are listed at www.widcenter.org/state-dbas).	July 15, 2020	Implemented in the manner specified by the ARC. (States should inform their regional office if they use supplemental or non-standard WID tables.)
Occupational licensing information: states must populate the database with the license.dbf and licauth.dbf licensing files.	June 30, 2021	States must submit data in the manner specified by ARC.

Deliverables and Requirements	Due Dates	Submission, Formatting and Other Requirements
Employment Projections (general)	Ongoing	State must provide links to all published projections in the WIGS Annual Performance Report. States must post published employment projections on their LMI website and provide them to the PMP for posting on its website. Any unpublished projections products must be provided to the ETA regional office.
Statewide long-term industry and occupational projections 10-year projections	not required this year	No statewide 10 Year Projections required under this TEGL. Please note these will be required under next year’s TEGL.
Either statewide short-term or mid-term industry and occupational projections short-term projections, or If available in PY 2020 and approved by ETA and the PMP, states may replace the short-term projection with a mid-term projection. The due dates apply to either option.	Due March 5, 2021 for either short-term or mid-term projections.	File must be provided to PMP in a manner to be specified by the PMP. These should also be posted to the state LMI website.
Sub-state long-term industry and occupational projections 10-year projections	Due July 8, 2021 for projections from 2018-2028.	File must be provided to PMP in a manner to be specified by the PMP. These should also be posted to the state LMI website.
Sub-state short-term, or mid-term if ETA/PMP approved, industry and occupational projections [Optional: allowable and encouraged, but not required, activity]	NA	If submitted, the file must be provided to PMP in a manner to be specified by the PMP. These should also be posted to the state LMI website if they are created.

Deliverables and Requirements	Due Dates	Submission, Formatting and Other Requirements
Annual and Economic Analysis Reports (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.	Economic Reports due October 1, 2021 Annual Reports and signed cover letter due October 1, 2021	The WIGS Annual Performance Report must have a signed cover letter, from the state Workforce Agency director, stating the state has fulfilled all the deliverables of the WIGS grant. The state LMI Director is to submit the signed letter and report as separate files to the appropriate ETA regional office. All Economic Analysis and WIGS Annual Performance Reports files must be in PDF format. Annual and Economic Reports accepted by the FPO must be posted to the state LMI website. 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.
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. Please post any published report on the state LMI website.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS	Due Date
Data collection. All data collection, population, and dissemination activities must conform to the appropriate BLS, PMP, ARC, or generally accepted professional standards and methodologies.	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 II

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.”

RESCISSIONS None

EXPIRATION DATE Continuing