June 2, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the federally funded Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services’ (OSERS) Rehabilitation Services will host a webinar on June 2, 2020 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT and pay tribute to this historical occasion by showcasing “Success Stories” of how the VR program helped change the lives of students and adults with disabilities.

This podcast, as part of the Building Evidence on Employment Strategies for Low-Income Families project, includes interviews with developers of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model in San Diego County, California on the model’s implementation. IPS intends to help people with serious mental illness access and find employment. The podcast discussion also reflects IPS’ impact in serving individuals with a range of physical disabilities and health conditions other than mental illness.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) will host a webinar on May 7, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET to discuss benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Presenters include representatives from the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division, Employee Benefits Security Administration, and ETA’s Office of Unemployment Insurance.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration has presented a set of resources and guidance for workforce development entities. These resources include updated requirements on grants management and performance reporting for all U.S. Department of Labor-funded programs. A set of frequently asked questions addresses the National Farmworker Jobs Program, the Indian and Native American Program, the Senior Community Service Employment Program, the Trade Act or Trade Adjustment Assistance Program, the operations of American Job Centers and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), WIOA-funded Layoff Aversion Activities and Rapid Response, WIOA-funded Youth grants, WIOA Dislocated Worker grants, WIOA Performance Outcomes, and WIOA waiver flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation webpage provides links to program snapshots that highlight program outcomes for the following Tribal HPOG 2.0 Program grantees: Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc. and Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board, Turtle Mountain Community College, and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. These snapshots highlight descriptive results from the HPOG Participant Accomplishment and Grant Evaluation System (PAGES) as well as qualitative data from the Tribal HPOG 2.0 evaluation.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA) will host a webinar on May 4, 2020 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET to discuss how to manage WIOA youth programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Presenters from the ETA will answer participant questions and share resources and best practices.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, Jobs for the Future (JFF) planned to convene individuals working in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors in person for its biennial workforce development and education summit on June 9 and June 10, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, JFF has decided to transition to a free virtual event to be held in June 2020. JFF plans to reconvene in person in New Orleans in June of 2021.

The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) has issued guidance to state directors of adult education on the continuity of operations during the current COVID-19 environment. The guidance, presented in frequently asked questions format, addresses WIOA performance reporting, performance negotiations, states’ upcoming competitions to award local provider contracts, distance learning requirements, testing protocols, and policies regarding costs covered.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration has released a recording of a webinar hosted on April 2, 2020 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET which overviewed the Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL 12-19), National Dislocated Worker Grant Program. The webinar discussion covered changes from prior guidance, performance reporting requirements, and application guidelines.

The Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC) has identified a set of resources for Vocational Rehabilitation programs to use in distance service delivery to persons with disabilities during the COVID-19 crisis. This compendium, which will be updated frequently, includes resources related to COVID-19 in general, teleworking and telecounseling, effective practices for line staff to deliver services, online training opportunities, and technology and programs to facilitate remote services and organizational management. There is also a set of federal disability resources related to COVID-19 and COVID-19 resources for individuals with disabilities.