The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration hosted a session entitled "WIOA Youth Program COVID-19 Session" on May 4, 2020, attended by nearly 1,700 youth workforce professionals nationwide. Attendees shared their solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing youth during COVID-19. This document highlights attendees’ input shared during the webinar.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration’s Division of Youth Services has produced a set of three webcasts to support the planning and implementation of WIOA youth programs. Webcast topics include: Employer Engagement; Partner Engagement (to include other non-employer stakeholders who offer supportive services and training to youth participants); and the Recruitment and Retention of Out-of-School Youth.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration will host a webinar on June 10, 2020 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. This second webinar in a series will continue discussing WIOA performance and reporting requirements and will share information about technical assistance resources and tools. Presenters will cover technical assistance resource development, how and when local and state staff and board members would find these resources helpful with performance accountability, and where the resources are published.

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.

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.

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.

This U.S. Department of Labor policy brief reviews approaches to incorporate Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) services into career pathway programs at the state level. These approaches include selecting SNAP E&T partners already offering career pathway services to SNAP participants and helping the partners expand their reach, and collaborating with SNAP E&T partners in filling service delivery gaps. Integrating SNAP E&T services and participants into career pathways may strengthen SNAP E & T’s alignment with the workforce system, which is a priority under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

By March 2020, states are required to submit WIOA Unified and Combined State Plans for the period of 2020-2023. To assist States and their partners, the Departments of Labor, Education, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services hosted a webcast series highlighting content and submission requirements for the State Plans. Topics covered included dislocated workers, the Wagner-Peyser Act, Unemployment Insurance, Adult Education, and Vocational Rehabilitation.

This U.S. Department of Labor guide identifies reporting elements in the Participant Individual Record Layout (PIRL) that is required to implement the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Adult program. Under WIOA Adult fund regulations, American Job Centers must give priority to public assistance recipients or other low-income persons who are basic skills deficient. The resource guide offers illustrations of how to: accurately collect and report the various elements in the PIRL, categorize individuals receiving WIOA assistance into priority groups under program regulations, and indicate which services a participant receives.