Workforce Connections (WC), Southern Nevada’s Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB), announced today how its allocation of federal funding from WIOA Title I Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth will be awarded to agencies to help train and employ Southern Nevadans for the 2019 program year, starting July 1, 2019.
WIOA Title I is one of seventeen funding streams that together bring over $100 million of employment and training funds to the One-Stop Delivery System in Southern Nevada.
The WIOA Title I funding items were originally on the April 9, 2019, joint meeting agenda. The WC Board and LEO Consortium postponed the items until now so that the new Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Innovation (OWINN) and the Governor’s Workforce Development Board (GWDB) would have an opportunity to review the request for proposal (RFP) process.
The process of setting the strategic vision for the 2019 Investment Cycle started nearly a year ago and included stakeholders from education, economic development, workforce development and business. The directives set by the WC Board and LEO Consortium included:
- Continuing the transition of WIOA Title I services to One-Stop centers with the other required WIOA partner programs
- Maximizing the leveraging of partner resources with effective referrals, co-enrollments and partnerships
- Focus on alternate labor pools: underemployed, re-entry, disengaged youth, veterans and individuals with disabilities
- Focus on Nevada’s targeted industry sectors and in-demand occupations, including apprenticeships and other work based learning models
- Seek the highest return on investment (ROI) for the public funds
- Utilize performance data to measure ROI and make strategic decisions
The RFPs were released on November 8, 2018 after several public RFP 101 workshops that explained in detail the funding process and expectations. A mandatory bidder conference was held on November 15, 2018 for those submitting proposals.
Workforce Connections received 39 proposals for 13 clusters, addressing employment and training services in the counties of Clark, Nye, Lincoln and Esmeralda. All 39 proposals passed the initial technical review stage and were then evaluated and scored by an independent third party contractor. The 34 proposals that met the minimum score were then ranked by an Ad-hoc Selection Panel comprised of WC Board members and WIOA system partners. Proposals with the highest rankings were recommended to the full WC Board and LEO Consortium for funding approval.
The new WIOA Title I service contracts will begin on July 1, 2019, for the following clusters:
- Lincoln Cluster: Title I Adult and Dislocated Worker
- Lincoln Cluster: Title I Youth
- Nye and Esmeralda Cluster: Title I Adult and Dislocated Worker
- Nye and Esmeralda Cluster: Title I Youth
- North Cluster: Title I Adult and Dislocated Worker
- North Cluster: Title I Youth
- South Cluster: Title I Adult and Dislocated Worker
- South Cluster: Title I Youth
- Central Cluster: Title I Adult and Dislocated Worker
- Central Cluster: Title I Youth
- Adult Re-entry Cluster: Title I Adult and Dislocated Worker
- Youth Re-entry Cluster: Title I Youth
The contracts are for an initial one-year term with up to three extensions of one year each.
For more detailed information please visit: https://nvworkforceconnections.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/meetings_05-09-19_JOINT-BOARD-LEO-CONSORTIUM-FULL-PACKET.pdf
*The pre-apprenticeship YouthBuild cluster was not recommended for funding as the U.S. Department of Labor recently awarded a $1.1M grant award in January to provide these services in our local area.
“Workforce Connections strives to be an excellent steward of public funds, so we make improvements to our funding process every investment cycle. This year’s process is the most inclusive, thorough and transparent one we have had so far. We believe it will bring tremendous improvement to the delivery of employment and training services in Southern Nevada,” said Valerie Murzl, Workforce Connections Board Chair.
“As Local Elected Officials we hold the fiduciary responsibility for the public funds. We appoint members to the Workforce Connections Board representing business, education, economic development and workforce development. As subject matter experts, their recommendations help us shape the investment in employment and training services for Southern Nevada,” said Henderson City Councilwoman Gerri Schroder, Chair of the Workforce Connections Local Elected Official Consortium.For additional information on Workforce Connections and the One-Stop Delivery System please visit www.nvworkforceconnections.org.
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