Charge: Identify ways to improve employment and training opportunities, particularly for low-income/disadvantaged populations, through low-wage worker initiatives.

Recommendations:

3 months
Improve access to E&T, particularly by disadvantaged populations, by ensuring program policies and procedures encourage E&T:
Catalog existing policies to determine where policy changes could increase access to E&T, particularly by disadvantaged populations; identify recommendations/findings from the Higher Education Commission report that are critical to increasing acess to E&T by low-income adults.

6-9 months
Improve access to E&T, particularly by disadvantaged populations, by ensuring program policies and procedures encourage E&T:
Determine avenue to advance policy changes (guidance, regulations, legislations, budgetary) and introduce proposed changes; SUNY to identify methods to increase outreach and assistance to low-wage workers; identify methods to improve timeliness of VESID service delivery.

12 months+
Improve access to E&T, particularly by disadvantaged populations, by ensuring program policies and procedures encourage E&T:
Support implementation of policy changes and evaluate effectiveness; determine if policy changes increase access/enrollments in education and training; SUNY to implement increase outreach and supports for low-wage workers; implement (on a pilot basis initially) strategies to improve timeliness of VESID service delivery to expand job placement and E&T services to individuals with disabilities.

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3 months
Identify key interagency collaborations that would improve access to E&T, particularly by disadvantaged populations:
Partner agencies identify where improved collaboration among State and local partners could enhance E&T enrollments and outcomes – to bridge current gaps.

6-9 months
Identify key interagency collaborations that would improve access to E&T, particularly by disadvantaged populations:
Recommend new program models or approaches to ES Cabinet members – develop associated work plans with benchmarks to measure progress.

12 months+
Identify key interagency collaborations that would improve access to E&T, particularly by disadvantaged populations:
Implement collaborative projects and report on outcomes to date; determine if program continuation/replication is warranted and/or any need to adjust program design.

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3 months
Implement Career Pathway programs to enhance low-wage worker initiatives by improving participant’s skill development and earrings potential:
Develop a catalog of known Pathway model programs in NYS and best practice models from other states to identify key elements for success; identify career pathway maps for select industries based on economic development goals/LMI and sectors with entry and upgrade opportunities for lower skilled worker; identify key issues from provider perspective.

6-9 months
Implement Career Pathway programs to enhance low-wage worker initiatives by improving participant’s skill development and earrings potential:
Identify and promote priority career Pathways based on economic development goals and labor market needs (pathway should define career path as well as education an training required; priority to careers that offer sustainable wages); develop targeted implementation strategy (each State partner to incorporate pathway model as an avenue to enhance low wage worker initiative); identify funding options and technical assistance available to program operators.

12 months+
Implement Career Pathway programs to enhance low-wage worker initiatives by improving participant’s skill development and earrings potential:
Incorporate “pathway” models within existing and new low-wage worker initiatives as a mechanism to increase wages at placement and wage progression; review where existing gaps remain and develop methods to address gap (may include bringing items to SWIB for discussion).

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3 months
Expand job opportunities for disadvantaged/underemployed by increasing use of existing federal targeted employer tax credits:
Catalogue current education/outreach efforts for credits; describe current use pattern and identify organizations currently authorize to pre-certify eligible individuals.

6-9 months
Expand job opportunities for disadvantaged/underemployed by increasing use of existing federal targeted employer tax credits:
Determine options to expand current education/outreach efforts; expand use of credits by program providers; expand pre-certifications where permissible.

12 months+
Expand job opportunities for disadvantaged/underemployed by increasing use of existing federal targeted employer tax credits:
Incorporate promotion of federal tax credits within low-wage worker initiatives and other avenues; identify if federal agenda should include amendment to tax credit eligibility, and, if so, advocate for changes.

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3 months
Improve access to E&T by adults by expanding capacity and use of Distance Learning (DL) models:
Catalogue current education/outreach efforts for credits; describe current use pattern and identify organizations currently authorize to pre-certify eligible individuals.

6-9 months
Improve access to E&T by adults by expanding capacity and use of Distance Learning (DL) models:
Identify gaps in DL options and develop recommendations to address gaps; identify programs that can incorporate a distance learning approach and develop implementation plan.

12 months+
Improve access to E&T by adults by expanding capacity and use of Distance Learning (DL) models:
Implement distance learning models along with methods to evaluate program effectiveness; programs to develop policies on use of distance learning to indicate when appropriate and how to ensure quality programming/client success.

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