Nebraska Department of Labor

Jenny Nixon Author

10/28/2024 Added

2 Plays

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Josh Hanson talks about the Division of Reemployment Services with the Nebraska Department of Labor. Recorded 11/3/2021.

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[00:00:00.000]so i will probably be working with you on some projects down there josh perfect that sounds
[00:00:07.640]awesome thanks chelsea uh chelsea harian box b development based in alliance also serving
[00:00:16.200]hemmingford and then jenny they closed our office so jill's out of job up here
[00:00:21.840]oh my gosh but i also want to add a huge congratulations to shauna
[00:00:27.480]um on chapel getting leadership certified hey thank you
[00:00:32.520]on that note i guess i can introduce myself i know josh so um but i am shauna mashick with
[00:00:42.680]chapel community development julia
[00:00:47.800]you
[00:00:51.480]julia
[00:00:58.120]okay i'm hoping i just had to connect to my hotspot in my office because there are more
[00:01:04.280]thanks bags um i'm i'm julia i am currently the planner at panhandle area development district
[00:01:11.980]um i've been here for about 13 months um and we're based out of scottsdale but we serve all
[00:01:19.580]11 counties with panhandle and the 40th district of scottsdale and we're based out of scottsdale
[00:01:21.460]i'm julia i'm currently the planner at panhandle area development district um i've been here for
[00:01:21.460]four communities um but as some of you just heard i will be moving to illinois
[00:01:26.340]um and starting a new position at the end of the month
[00:01:28.660]still in planning though mylon hi i'm mylon wall i'm with the heartland center for leadership
[00:01:38.020]development our office is in lincoln good morning mike
[00:01:50.100]hi i'm mike burge valentine economic development trying to multitask a little bit here
[00:01:55.380]shelby yeah hi i'm shelby reagan i work with holt county economic development based out of o'neill
[00:02:04.020]uh phil
[00:02:07.060]hello philip jensen great plains communications shatter nebraska
[00:02:15.700]good
[00:02:18.740]uh doug mater western nebraska community college i'm workforce development director
[00:02:23.700]let's see who's in scottsbluff today
[00:02:27.380]karen anderson with the scottsdale care united chamber of commerce
[00:02:35.140]awesome karen did i miss anybody
[00:02:39.220]looking through my list here looks like we got everybody okay with that josh why don't you uh
[00:02:47.220]take it away and and uh
[00:02:48.580]share with us the great things that you have been working with yeah absolutely thank you jenny um
[00:02:54.340]like jenny said my name is josh hansen uh from the nebraska department of labor i've been with
[00:02:58.260]the department going on six years now formerly i was a regional workforce development manager
[00:03:02.820]i'm in the mid plains region and then i'm currently the last six months i've been the greater
[00:03:07.460]nebraska one-stop operator so i oversee all the workforce innovation and opportunity act in our
[00:03:13.620]regional greater nebraska workforce development board sector initiatives for the 88 counties
[00:03:18.420]in greater nebraska working with different partners such as yourselves with developing
[00:03:24.740]seamless service delivery models for both job seekers and employers so that we're identifying
[00:03:30.660]highly sought after industry recognized credentials from our local employers and then
[00:03:36.320]we're utilizing that information and that data to market it to those job seekers that we are
[00:03:41.620]assisting and working with our local community colleges and technical colleges so that we're
[00:03:48.400]we can get individuals into those career pathways get them to be successful in obtaining those
[00:03:53.440]credentials or measurable skill gains so that we are developing a highly skilled workforce for
[00:03:58.920]nebraska's employers so that they are able to continue to compete on a global market now we
[00:04:04.140]utilize a lot of different programs uh through the nebraska department later so i do have a slideshow
[00:04:09.000]i i could spend hours on the slideshow but i'm going to kind of briefly touch base on it because
[00:04:13.520]i feel like i've presented to some of you and i think i've talked to a lot of you as well too
[00:04:17.540]um
[00:04:18.300]in in the past and i'm sure that you have uh made connections with the regional workforce
[00:04:23.540]development managers in your areas or maybe some of the re-employment coordinators that you've
[00:04:27.680]worked with in the past i'm just going to kind of briefly go over some of the programs um that we
[00:04:32.560]offer through our division of re-employment services and um afterwards if there's something
[00:04:38.080]that catches your eye program wise and you want a little bit more detail then i'll provide you
[00:04:42.940]with my phone number and my email so you can reach out to me and we can kind of discuss different
[00:04:47.420]options with that
[00:04:48.280]local field office on how we can either assist you in getting access to the programs or how we
[00:04:54.960]utilize those programs in conjunction with our partners and our employers to identify
[00:04:58.980]that workforce and getting them into um these sought after or these high demand careers one
[00:05:06.740]second here let me share my screen and let me know if you all can see that good go cool
[00:05:14.820]all right so that's
[00:05:18.260]as i mentioned i do cover greater nebraska so nebraska is made up of three local workforce
[00:05:24.020]development areas greater lincoln greater omaha and greater nebraska greater lincoln serves
[00:05:29.480]lancasters and sounders counties whereas greater omaha serves douglas sarpy and washington counties
[00:05:35.060]now greater nebraska we serve the remaining 88 counties and the map that you can see there
[00:05:40.140]um is going to and that kind of light blue shows up the rest of the counties
[00:05:44.020]that we actually serve you can see a couple of the crossed out locations because unfortunately
[00:05:48.240]we did have to close our alliance and the cookfield office due to lack of traffic and
[00:05:54.000]that was a decision that was made on our executive leadership side but you can see
[00:05:59.260]that we still have a remaining of 12 career centers throughout greater nebraska and two
[00:06:04.200]american job centers now the difference between our american job center that's in grand island
[00:06:08.520]and beatrice compared to our comprehensive career centers is those american job centers
[00:06:12.840]have all of our wioa core programs and required partners actually co-located
[00:06:18.220]within that facility so individuals like the community colleges snap next step program
[00:06:24.400]tanf ponca tribe of nebraska winnebago tribe of nebraska long list of network of required wioa
[00:06:30.780]partners and additional title core programs are actually co-located so it makes the co-enrollment
[00:06:36.440]side and access to additional partner resources for our job seekers and our employers a little
[00:06:42.060]bit more seamless now the rest of our career centers still have direct linkage to these
[00:06:46.900]partners in those local areas and we have a lot of work to do to make sure that we're
[00:06:48.200]able to reach those areas so as we are serving our community we can still get them connected
[00:06:52.480]with those partners to assist in identifying and addressing barriers to employment that
[00:06:57.280]we may not be able to assist through our programs so i actually work for the division of re-employment
[00:07:04.140]services too so there's two separate divisions in the department of labor there's division
[00:07:08.360]of re-employment services and then division of unemployment services so we focus on the
[00:07:12.680]re-employment side of things so increasing job seeker skills identifying the needs the
[00:07:18.180]workforce needs of our employers and then trying to match those needs with the individuals
[00:07:23.080]that we're working for and are working with on a regional basis so our re-employment field
[00:07:28.440]staff provide assistance to both the employers job seekers and training providers across
[00:07:33.360]greater nebraska programs administered by the re-employment division consists of foreign
[00:07:38.340]labor certification jobs for veterans state grant program nebraska re-employment services
[00:07:43.580]trade adjustment assistance program work opportunity tax credit worker training program
[00:07:48.160]and then our workforce innovation and opportunity act which we have title one and title three and
[00:07:53.640]title one focuses on adults dislocated workers and then in school and out of school youth whereas our
[00:07:59.720]title three wagner pizer just focuses on anybody who's eligible and legal to work in the united
[00:08:04.980]states some of the things besides executing the programs that our staff also do in the local office
[00:08:11.540]is they actually operate the nebraska's public online job exchange that any works so if you
[00:08:18.140]know every all the jobs that we post and how we keep track of our programs and our federal
[00:08:23.940]performance and our case management is through our anyworks.nebraska.gov website so those
[00:08:30.500]re-employment coordinators on top of executing the programs they're making sure that all of our
[00:08:35.520]eligible training providers all of our college community college course lists are up to date
[00:08:40.260]and that those courses are going to lead them into those industry recognized credentials and
[00:08:46.460]the completion of either the short term or the long term.
[00:08:48.120]Training is going to assist them and being more marketable for entering those high demand high
[00:08:54.400]wage and high skilled positions throughout our state.
[00:08:57.440]The first one I'm going to cover is our jobs for veterans state grant.
[00:09:03.040]So the Nebraska Department of Labor we are dedicated to providing reemployment services
[00:09:06.860]to all veterans and and eligible spouses.
[00:09:10.560]So any veteran and eligible spouse of the veteran that comes into our local office they do receive
[00:09:15.460]priority of service for the full range of our public and
[00:09:18.100]training services.
[00:09:19.300]So at our local offices we do have a public resource area that has the technology for
[00:09:26.300]individuals to come utilize the computers to do their job searching to attend interviews
[00:09:31.080]print out any documentation or upload any information that they may need at free or
[00:09:36.620]post employment opportunities.
[00:09:38.360]Some of the other assistance that we provide is career assessment and counseling assistance
[00:09:43.680]with resumes cover letters and interviewing skills supportive service referrals which
[00:09:48.080]could be a broad spectrum.
[00:09:49.980]So as veterans come in or as anybody really comes into our office the first person they're
[00:09:55.040]going to make contact with is our Wagner-Pizer job seeking staff and they're like our workforce
[00:09:59.540]navigators.
[00:10:00.180]They sit down and make sure that their any works registration is completed is accurate
[00:10:05.300]and then they start to kind of build that initial rapport to identify any other supportive
[00:10:10.260]services that they may need to receive in order to eliminate barriers to employment
[00:10:14.540]so that we can really talk and concentrate on their employment and training goals.
[00:10:18.060]And start creating those career pathways for them.
[00:10:20.660]Some of the supportive services that our JBSG staff may be sending would be Veterans
[00:10:28.080]Administration, Veterans Service Officers, supportive services for veterans and families,
[00:10:32.260]and just other different veteran health care or veteran organizations that may be able
[00:10:37.700]to assist these veterans in eliminating barriers such as homelessness, transportation, work
[00:10:43.220]attire, or just medical benefits in general.
[00:10:46.360]We also assist with jobs.
[00:10:48.040]Placement assistance and referrals to actual employers, information on careers, training,
[00:10:53.000]education, and financial aid, physically assisting them with job searching and job
[00:10:58.360]search etiquette, making sure that as they're applying for some of these state or federal
[00:11:04.640]jobs that have veteran hiring preferences, that we're providing their DD-214, we're
[00:11:10.080]providing their disability assessments so that they're getting those additional points
[00:11:15.840]added on to their interviewing score.
[00:11:18.020]Labor market information to just give them a better understanding of who's hiring, what
[00:11:22.920]they're paying, and what education and skills that they're seeking.
[00:11:26.780]And if the individual doesn't have those skills, then that's what we try to work with them
[00:11:29.760]with their different training programs to obtain those skills so that we can get them
[00:11:33.200]into those industries that is their long-term goal.
[00:11:37.340]And then assistance with navigating our anyworks.nebraska.gov website as well.
[00:11:43.160]So our jobs for veterans, state grant, all of our veteran career coaches.
[00:11:48.000]In the office are actually veterans themselves.
[00:11:50.040]It's a requirement for this position to have served honorably in U.S.
[00:11:56.260]Armed Forces to actually be a veteran career coach.
[00:11:59.100]So it's kind of nice for the veteran community when they come in, they have that ability
[00:12:02.840]to work with a peer one-on-one on their employment goals.
[00:12:06.040]And it does involve intensive case management.
[00:12:08.380]So the veteran career coach will develop an objective assessment summary
[00:12:12.560]to really identify those barriers that they have and additional assistance that they're going
[00:12:17.980]to need so that we can make it or so that they can be successful
[00:12:21.560]in their employment and training ventures.
[00:12:23.260]We also work with them in developing individual employment plans and goals and then objectives
[00:12:29.860]that are going to help them kind of be those stepping stones so that they can be successful.
[00:12:37.820]And then Wagner-Peyser is actually our largest program that we have
[00:12:43.700]within the Nebraska Department of Labor, and it's under the WIOA Title III program.
[00:12:47.960]So Wagner-Peyser is available for anybody who's legal to work in the United States.
[00:12:53.340]It can be a basic career service that we provide, or we can provide
[00:12:56.800]in intensive career services that's similar to JVSG.
[00:13:00.360]And as you'll see there, we help out with similar practices, such as job search assistance,
[00:13:07.140]helping getting those job referrals sent to employers, doing those resumes,
[00:13:11.220]interviewing workshops, and then placement assistance
[00:13:14.720]to different supportive services, as well, too.
[00:13:16.960]And as you see there, we do --
[00:13:17.940]we do follow priority of service anytime we're assisting individuals or enrolling them
[00:13:22.560]into our programs and making those eligibility determinations.
[00:13:26.040]And the first one is going to be those veterans, those individuals who have disabilities,
[00:13:31.180]migrant and seasonal farmworkers, justice-involved individuals,
[00:13:34.800]youth minorities, and our older worker population.
[00:13:37.820]Now, for our Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act, so this is one of very few programs
[00:13:44.880]where we actually have funding that we can provide
[00:13:47.920]to our participants. So we can provide several, we can go through several different avenues on
[00:13:54.680]the funding side of things. For individuals who need to upgrade their skills, we may look into
[00:14:00.560]getting them into those short-time trainings. At six months or less, it's going to lead into
[00:14:04.640]a certification or looking into a long-term training, such as an associate's degree.
[00:14:09.420]And with our WIOA funding, we can actually assist with paying for the tuition on behalf
[00:14:14.640]of the participants. Now, WIOA is,
[00:14:17.900]as I mentioned earlier, we have the adult, dislocated worker, and youth programs through WIOA,
[00:14:46.620]but it is legislative.
[00:14:47.880]So, it's a program that's designed to strengthen and improve our nation's workforce system,
[00:14:52.660]helping Americans, including youth and those with significant barriers to employment and
[00:14:56.900]to high-quality jobs and careers, and then helping our employers hire and retain a highly
[00:15:02.000]skilled workforce. So, some of the WIOA services you see, it's going to be intensive career
[00:15:08.680]planning and counseling. So, again, working with them and developing those objective assessment
[00:15:13.860]summaries so that we're really identifying those barriers and those needs that they
[00:15:17.860]have prior to placing them in employment, seeing what skills we need to assist them
[00:15:23.560]with upgrading or if we can promote on-the-job training with our employers. We have the short-term
[00:15:28.420]and long-term training programs. Again, short-term would be something that is six months or less
[00:15:34.000]and it's going to lead them into certification that's going to get them into the high-demand
[00:15:37.700]career. So, when we're looking at short-term programs, a lot of participants we work with,
[00:15:44.720]we send to getting their CDL training through
[00:15:47.840]Central Community College. So, it's a short-term training and that certification, that credential
[00:15:53.180]is going to lead them into a high-demand career. As of right now, I think we have about 665
[00:16:00.560]tractor trailer or CDL driving positions posted on our AnyWorks network throughout the state
[00:16:04.740]right now. Now, that's just taking data from those employers that are posting with us.
[00:16:09.020]That's not taking any consideration for maybe some of those employers that are not posting
[00:16:12.680]with us. So, that is one of our high-demand, high-wage jobs that we have right now and
[00:16:16.800]that's a big push for
[00:16:17.820]individuals who are looking into getting increasing higher wages. We might send them to a short-term
[00:16:22.840]training. Now, maybe for those that want to get a certification as like an LPN or nursing
[00:16:30.340]assistance as more of a long-term training program, then that's something that we'll
[00:16:33.840]look into as well too to assist them with obtaining that associate's degree. Then we
[00:16:38.060]have our workforce-based learning and we actually have supportive service funding for our clients
[00:16:42.500]as well. So, when I said WIOA is last reserve funding, when we are looking
[00:16:47.800]into going into a long-term training program, something that's probably going to either lead
[00:16:51.360]them to a vocational certificate or an associate's degree, then we're going to first have them apply
[00:16:57.580]for the Pell Grant to see if they are approved. If they're not approved, that's all right,
[00:17:02.360]and then we'll work with them to develop a budget on how we're going to obligate funding
[00:17:07.880]to make sure that we're covering their tuition and books so that that burdens and that financial
[00:17:12.960]burden is not going to be upon them prior to graduating or post-graduation.
[00:17:17.780]If they are awarded that grant, then they have to utilize all of that funding for their tuition
[00:17:22.760]and then we would come in for the supportive service side of things. So if they need those
[00:17:26.100]books, they need those laptops to attend distance learning, they need specific uniforms or tools to
[00:17:31.380]attend that training, or they need assistance with rent, utilities, mileage reimbursement,
[00:17:39.040]or gas reimbursement to travel to and from school, then we'll come in there on a case-by-case basis
[00:17:44.080]and assist them with that supportive service funding so that we can make
[00:17:47.760]sure that they're successful, they have all of their needs met, so that they can really concentrate
[00:17:53.700]on finishing their training program so that once they're completed with that, we can start
[00:17:58.880]working with our business service representatives and identifying employers that are seeking those
[00:18:03.760]skills so that we can get them placement as soon as they graduate.
[00:18:06.840]So some of the WIO eligibility for adults, all they have to be is 18 years or older and show a
[00:18:17.740]and we have a targeted population for our adults. So we're going to give priority service to those
[00:18:23.480]that have those basic skills deficient, individuals that have disabilities, receiving public assistance,
[00:18:29.200]having those criminal or those justice involved individuals having that criminal background.
[00:18:34.800]Those are the ones that we are marketing our services to and then we are trying to
[00:18:39.560]reach through our partner network. So we're identifying the most underserved individuals
[00:18:45.220]and those in the most need. So those that are either
[00:18:47.720]underemployed or completely unemployed and receiving those public assistance. However,
[00:18:53.100]basic eligibility for our adult is that they have to be 18 years or older and enroll them
[00:18:58.200]into the program. Our next requirement, our next program is our dislocated worker.
[00:19:04.080]So anybody who's lost a job due to no fault of their own or a transitioning service member,
[00:19:09.440]a qualified military spouse may be transitioning back after that spouse has been
[00:19:13.980]discharged from the military, going back to a different state. They would be,
[00:19:17.700]consider a dislocated worker, a self-employed individual who's experiencing loss of income,
[00:19:22.320]which we've actually seen a lot of since COVID-19, and then displaced homemakers.
[00:19:27.240]So individual who may be their spouse or significant other had passed away,
[00:19:32.660]divorced, something that's made them where they now have to be the breadwinner for that family,
[00:19:37.680]they could qualify as a dislocated worker program. And it's the same as our WIOA adults,
[00:19:42.500]except for there's no income-based verification on there. So with a lot of our adults,
[00:19:47.680]WIOA enrollments, we will verify the last six months of income prior to enrolling them to make
[00:19:53.060]those determinations on if they are the underserved population in most need of receiving
[00:19:58.300]our services. When it comes to dislocated worker, they could have been making six figures a year
[00:20:02.880]two months ago, and if they lost their job due to no fault of their own, then they're going to
[00:20:07.700]qualify under our dislocated worker program. And then for youth, we have both, we have an
[00:20:12.760]in-school youth and out-of-school youth program. For in-school youth, the,
[00:20:17.660]they have to be at least 14 to 20 years of age and currently enrolled in school.
[00:20:22.040]They have to meet a low income criteria, and then they have to meet one of the several sub
[00:20:26.880]requirements that we have. So either basic skills deficient, homelessness, pregnant teen,
[00:20:31.540]single parents, try to remember all of them, justice involved. And there's, there's a large
[00:20:39.960]list of sub requirements and they just have to meet one of those after low income. So
[00:20:44.300]to be eligible for enrollment in WIOA. And again,
[00:20:47.640]that opens the door to a lot of different things, whether it be youth work experience,
[00:20:52.160]where we go out and promote the hiring of youth to our employers and reimburse the employers for
[00:20:58.900]the training aspects that it's going to take them to get them where they need to be within
[00:21:02.280]the organization, sending them to those short term, long term training through our community
[00:21:06.980]colleges, or doing on the job training with our employers, which is similar to our youth work
[00:21:12.580]experience as well too. And then for our out of school youth, they have to be eight or 16
[00:21:17.620]to 24 years of age and not currently enrolled in school. They also have to meet a low income
[00:21:22.480]criteria and have to be experiencing a barrier to employment, which is the sub requirements
[00:21:27.100]that I have listed. And so I want to talk to you a little bit on the WIOA side of things. So,
[00:21:36.400]you know, we focus a lot on the short term and long term training, because obviously,
[00:21:40.340]we want to give them the opportunity to really vision or visualize their career path,
[00:21:47.600]and we know a lot of our employers that are operating in Nebraska are seeking specific
[00:21:53.960]credentials and skills. So we're really pushing that with our industry sector initiatives,
[00:21:58.800]and our employers are the ones that drive those initiatives. So part of my job, and our business
[00:22:05.040]service representative jobs is talking to these industry sector leaders to identify what barriers
[00:22:11.200]that they're facing in hiring individuals in their community or their region. And then
[00:22:17.580]so the recruitment barriers, and then what retention barriers that they're having as well,
[00:22:21.260]too. Once we gather that data, then we utilize that to drive our initiatives, to work with our
[00:22:25.580]community colleges, to identify programs that they're offering, making sure that they're on
[00:22:29.540]our eligible training provider list, so that we can actually fund that for our participants
[00:22:34.740]through our WIOA grant. From there, too, we look at doing OJT a lot as well. So we have a
[00:22:47.560]job. They don't have time or the luxury to go back to school and to earn these credentials. So
[00:22:53.780]we'll reach out to employers in the local areas to see if they'd be interested in doing an on-the-job
[00:22:59.400]training pre-award with our agency, where if we identify an individual who meets the criteria
[00:23:06.080]for WIOA and is interested in a specific industry and doing an OJT, then we'll reimburse that
[00:23:12.340]employer up to six months of the initial wages. Then they have to be making at least
[00:23:17.540]$12 an hour before we can do an OJT pre-award with them. It's a great way to cut costs on
[00:23:23.600]training and loss of production for not having that vacancy filled by the employer. We do
[00:23:29.840]do a lot of OJTs to the employer side where they can really get that hands-on, real-life
[00:23:34.700]on-the-job training. Then once that six months is up, it's on the employer if they want to
[00:23:39.760]retain that individual. However, in order to be eligible for an OJT contract, we do have to look
[00:23:47.520]at their history of their retention. I can't remember the top of my head. It has to be under
[00:23:53.840]a certain percentage of turnover in the last 24 months before we would be willing to do an OJT
[00:24:00.660]with them. Just to give you an idea of some of the programs under our WIOA side. We also partner
[00:24:06.800]with our SNAP Next Step Employment and Training E&T program, which is through the Department of
[00:24:11.560]Health and Human Services. A lot of our field offices on that first map actually have SNAP
[00:24:17.500]workforce coordinators co-located in our local offices. So, they actually work in the same
[00:24:22.600]office. They just work for the Department of Health and Human Services. And SNAP offers a lot
[00:24:27.240]of the same funding that our WIOA program offers as well, too. So, they can provide supportive
[00:24:34.300]service funding for housing, utilities, transportation, work uniforms, interview,
[00:24:40.680]attire, books, school equipment, and tools that individuals may need. They just have to be able to
[00:24:47.480]be eligible to receive SNAP benefits or food stamps. So, one practice that we're enhancing on
[00:24:57.200]in our local field offices is co-outreach and then co-enrollment, co-intake and co-enrollment
[00:25:04.480]between WIOA staff with the Department of Labor and then SNAP Next Step staff with the Department
[00:25:09.300]of Health and Human Services. We identify these clients that are eligible and receiving SNAP
[00:25:13.480]benefits, and they automatically are eligible for WIOA because they are receiving that public
[00:25:17.460]assistance and they're the underserved targeted population that we're looking at serving.
[00:25:21.780]So we'll do those pool enrollments that we're gathering all the required documentation for
[00:25:26.020]each of our programs. And then those two case managers will sit with those participants
[00:25:30.300]and develop those joint individual employment plans and objectives so we can identify different
[00:25:35.300]funding streams and how we're going to support them through each of our program. So again,
[00:25:41.840]we're utilizing as much funding as we can to support the client while reserving funding
[00:25:46.040]to continue to serve
[00:25:47.440]other Nebraskans throughout the year.
[00:25:53.120]So some of the assistance that SNAP and Next Step E&T, so you see it's a lot of the same
[00:25:56.940]that we provide with a lot of our different programs through the Department of Labor.
[00:26:00.560]They also help out with job search, preparing for interviews, updating those resumes, occupational
[00:26:05.200]skills trainings, work experience and on-the-job training opportunities, tuition assistance
[00:26:09.620]with short-term training.
[00:26:11.720]The case management is also provided. So it's a co-case management practice that we have
[00:26:16.420]between WIOA
[00:26:17.420]and SNAP. So they continuously as a team check on the progress of the employment plan with
[00:26:22.000]the participant, follow up after the start of a new job to ensure employment situation
[00:26:26.540]is a good fit for them and their family. And then SNAP really reviews the SNAP benefits
[00:26:31.320]and discuss different budgets to make sure so that they understand the changes that are
[00:26:35.740]going to be happening with their SNAP benefits.
[00:26:38.000]So one big topic of discussion in the last couple of years is benefit clips.
[00:26:42.280]So individuals that are receiving these public assistance and not willing to either take
[00:26:47.400]a promotion within their current industry or pursue different occupations because they
[00:26:52.380]may earn enough money to get off of those public assistance, but it's still not making
[00:26:58.460]up for what they lost in those public assistance, if that makes sense.
[00:27:01.900]So if an individual makes a dollar more than whatever the calculation is that SNAP uses,
[00:27:08.360]they no longer receive that public assistance, and it actually puts them into a lot worse
[00:27:12.660]situation than they were.
[00:27:14.800]So we're really working with our SNAP workforce coordinators.
[00:27:17.380]Along with the Department of Labor, so that we're identifying wages, we're broadcasting
[00:27:22.720]this information to our employers so that we can try to increase some of these different
[00:27:26.300]wages or promotional opportunities so that individuals are not reluctant on staying on
[00:27:31.660]public assistance instead of going out and getting a job.
[00:27:35.680]So that's something that we work with.
[00:27:37.420]And that's something that we're working with on the Economic Mobility Task Force throughout
[00:27:42.120]the state as well, too, is designing training for both our field staff, our network of
[00:27:47.360]partners and job seekers so that they understand the effects of a benefit clips.
[00:27:52.660]And it'll assist us with developing individual employment plans and goals that are going
[00:27:57.620]to lead them to wages where they're not going to experience that clip effect.
[00:28:04.240]So SNAP Next Step eligibility.
[00:28:09.620]So anybody that's receiving SNAP is going to get referred to the SNAP Next Step Workforce
[00:28:15.340]Coordinator.
[00:28:16.340]From there, the referral is going to be sent.
[00:28:17.340]They're going to be sent immediately to one of our WIOA field offices.
[00:28:20.360]And then they're going to schedule that joint meeting so that they have an opportunity to
[00:28:24.920]market all their programs and how it's going to benefit the individual.
[00:28:29.380]They don't have to enroll in the SNAP Next Step E&T if they're receiving SNAP, but it's
[00:28:35.880]just another great benefit to assist them in decreasing the time that they're receiving
[00:28:39.500]that benefit and getting them back into employment full time.
[00:28:47.320]Right.
[00:28:48.320]So another program that we have with the Department of Labor is our Trade Adjustment and Assistance
[00:28:54.000]Act Reauthorization Act.
[00:28:55.920]And like I mentioned, we have a lot of different programs that we operate.
[00:29:00.320]And it's definitely not a one size fits all approach.
[00:29:03.080]And that's why we have so many of these different programs for both the jobseekers and our employers.
[00:29:11.920]Some may be eligible and may find it beneficial to use one program, but some may want to be
[00:29:16.020]able to stack programs.
[00:29:17.300]As well, too, so that they're fulfilling their workforce needs.
[00:29:20.820]So for our TAAR, it assists workers who have lost their job as a result to foreign trade.
[00:29:28.520]So the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act, it provides services, like I said, to those who
[00:29:32.640]lost their employment due to foreign trade.
[00:29:35.160]This may include all or some of the company's operations moving overseas or the source of
[00:29:40.860]products or services from other countries.
[00:29:45.840]Eligibility for the trade program is very important.
[00:29:47.280]It's very specific and actually requires an approval from a trade petition, which is going
[00:29:52.600]to be submitted by the employer.
[00:29:54.280]Some of the trade services are going to be similar to WIOA, assistance with training,
[00:30:00.800]income support, job search assistance, relocation assistance, reemployment, trade adjustment
[00:30:06.280]assistance for older workers, and then health coverage tax credit.
[00:30:09.780]We haven't had a lot of trade enrollments over the last few years, which is a good thing.
[00:30:14.240]It means we're not losing a lot of our industries in Nebraska.
[00:30:17.260]To foreign trade, but there have been several industries that have participated in the trade
[00:30:23.820]services because maybe just one product or one specific occupation within that industry
[00:30:31.220]was sourced out to either another state or overseas.
[00:30:35.780]So those workers would qualify for these different training and income support funding that we
[00:30:43.020]program services that we provide, and it's just going to assist.
[00:30:47.240]And either gaining different experience or credentials to stay within that corporation
[00:30:51.740]and move up, or it's going to assist them with transitioning into a new industry a little
[00:30:56.660]bit more smoothly.
[00:30:57.960]So trade eligibility is limited to those that are affected by a layoff that has been certified
[00:31:05.540]as trade eligible.
[00:31:06.440]Affected workers apply for benefits and services through their local job centers.
[00:31:10.600]So whether it be our American job centers or our one-stop centers throughout the state,
[00:31:14.640]eligibility is determined.
[00:31:17.220]after they've met the trade staff and their application
[00:31:19.720]has been processed. All right, and then registered apprenticeship program. So this is actually a
[00:31:29.670]program that's for our employers. And for registered apprenticeship, we have both youth
[00:31:34.550]and adult registered apprenticeships. And there's no actual funding provided to the employer itself.
[00:31:39.690]But we really promote these registered apprenticeship programs because we're
[00:31:43.070]seeing a strong retention in the apprenticeships after they've completed the actual plan. So it's
[00:31:48.990]something that is going to be combined with a supervised on the job training with tech with
[00:31:54.130]technical classroom instruction and subjects related to the actual occupation they're working
[00:31:58.250]in. As I said, apprenticeships have been proven to be a very successful strategy for preparing
[00:32:03.450]skilled workers to help America compete effectively in the global economy. And it's going to help
[00:32:08.350]really retain those workers. I think the last study that we had was the 85% of apprentice
[00:32:13.730]that are involved in a registered apprenticeship with their employee actually
[00:32:18.270]stay with the company for a long period of time, which we know turnover is a huge thing in Nebraska
[00:32:24.990]and it's very expensive for organizations. For them, sitting down and developing a registered
[00:32:29.770]apprenticeship program with the state, Nebraska Department of Labor, and U.S. Department of Labor,
[00:32:33.890]that's going to assist them in making sure that they're crossing their T's and dotting their I's
[00:32:38.930]on the safety, the curriculum, and the pay that they're going to be providing these apprentices.
[00:32:43.890]So as we're working with identifying
[00:32:47.550]job seekers, we can kind of promote the value of a registered apprenticeship and
[00:32:52.770]how the time spent by the employee is going to assist them in moving up within the organization.
[00:32:58.010]It's going to really increase their chances with employment retention.
[00:33:01.190]So there are five components to a registered apprenticeship. It's employer driven.
[00:33:08.530]It's on the job training, related technical instruction, wage increase, and then they get a
[00:33:13.510]national occupational credential as well, too, which is going to
[00:33:16.830]assist them in their industry branding. It's going to assist them with getting them out there
[00:33:22.270]to job seekers, being recognized as an employer or an industry that's putting the time and effort
[00:33:28.650]to train their entry-level workers and going to assist them with continuing
[00:33:33.330]to succeed within the industry and providing promotional opportunities and wage increases
[00:33:38.650]as they're hitting these mile marks within the technical instruction.
[00:33:41.950]All right. Then we have a re-employment
[00:33:46.630]services and eligibility assessment known as RACIA or Nebraska Re-Employment Services.
[00:33:51.230]So RACIA strives to empower unemployment insurance claimants with the tools necessary,
[00:33:56.390]with the necessary tools to rapidly gain sustainable employment while upholding the
[00:34:01.050]integrity of the unemployment compensation program. So anybody that is filing unemployment
[00:34:06.690]and does not have, is not attached to their former workers. So a lot of people that are
[00:34:11.610]in seasonal jobs, such as road construction, seasonal farm labor, if they,
[00:34:16.610]they are laid off just for the season and they have a return to work date within 112 days,
[00:34:21.450]then they're not required to attend Nebraska re-employment services. Anybody else who's
[00:34:26.610]filing for unemployment does not have a guaranteed return to work date with their
[00:34:30.770]former employer with 112 days has to complete an any res orientation prior to receiving their
[00:34:36.650]first payment of unemployment insurance. So the any res is really the first time an individual
[00:34:42.250]who's receiving unemployment may interact with,
[00:34:46.590]a workforce professional with the Nebraska Department of Labor. They sit down,
[00:34:49.650]they explain the process for the unemployment, what they need to do. They really dig in to try
[00:34:56.090]to identify any fraud during that initial orientation, as well too, to make sure people
[00:35:00.670]aren't just trying to work the system. And then they work with identifying those employment
[00:35:04.850]goals and ambitions that the claimant has, and then send those referrals to our job seeking staff
[00:35:11.870]and our WIOA program, SNAP representatives, TANF, any other agencies that
[00:35:16.490]can help them with that.
[00:35:16.570]And then they work with identifying those employment goals and ambitions that the claimant has, and then send those referrals to our job seeking staff and our WIOA program, SNAP representatives, TANF, any other agencies that can help them with that.
[00:35:46.550]And then they work with identifying those employment goals and ambitions that the claimant has, and then send those referrals to our WIOA program, SNAP representatives, TANF, any other agencies that can help them with that.
[00:36:16.530]And then they work with identifying those employment goals and ambitions that the claimant has, and then send those referrals to our WIOA program, SNAP representatives, TANF, any other agencies that can help them with that.
[00:36:46.510]And then they work with identifying those employment goals and ambitions that the claimant has, and then send those referrals to our WIOA program, SNAP representatives, TANF, any other agencies that can help them with that.
[00:37:16.490]And then they work with identifying those employment goals and ambitions that the claimant has, and then send those referrals to our WIOA program, SNAP representatives, TANF, any other agencies that can help them with that.
[00:37:46.470]And then they work with identifying those employment goals and ambitions that the claimant has, and then send those referrals to our WIOA program, SNAP representatives, TANF, any other agencies that can help them with that.
[00:38:16.450]We also have our monitor advocates system, and I can go into huge detail with this, but part of the outreach to migrant seasonal farm workers is to kind of look around, judge, and identify any sort of workforce issue or workplace issues that they're having, making sure that they have sanitary work conditions, making sure that if they're providing housing, that housing is safe, it's sturdy, and everything's good to go, and making sure that they're knowing their rights as an agricultural worker and resources that are available to them if they have
[00:38:46.430]any complaints. So any sort of wages, discrimination, anything like that, then we deal with those as well too within our field, and we identify them, then we help them navigate the system and actually filing those complaints, and then that goes up to our state
[00:39:00.330]monitor who reaches out to the employer to resolve some of those issues.
[00:39:05.250]And then migrant seasonal farm worker eligibility. So for seasonal farm workers, a person during the last 12 months has worked or is working
[00:39:16.410]in farm work of a seasonal or temporary nature and is not required to be absent overnight from his or her permanent place of residence.
[00:39:23.830]Non-migrant individuals who are full students are excluded from this eligibility.
[00:39:28.770]And then migrant farm workers are a seasonal farm worker who had traveled to do the farm work and was unable to return to his or her permanent residence within the same day.
[00:39:36.830]So those individuals are the ones that we're trying to outreach so that we're promoting our programs to see what we can do again to either get them full time year round position within their current
[00:39:46.390]industry or identify different industries that's going to increase their wages that's going to provide them with sustainability, whether it be family sustaining wages or self sustaining wages, and not going to require them to be absent from their homes.
[00:40:00.610]All right, so a lot of things that I just discussed now were the job seeking services but we also have a business service division as well too. And the purpose of our business services, or preferred employer program is to connect employers to our workforce programs and services
[00:40:16.370]that provide those comprehensive workforce solutions, and to facilitate meaningful collaboration that leads to long term solutions. So our business service representatives are really the jackpot trains of the new wall with all of our programs and they go out and market our programs to our employers, so that they can have a better understanding of how we're identifying job seekers in those local areas, what we're doing to upgrade those skills that they're matching what these industries are seeking our approach in our business services is
[00:40:46.350]solution based they address the needs of employers by strategically aligning resources to include various services and programs by creative by creatively thinking to develop solutions that are innovative and customized so as I said there's not a one size
[00:41:00.750]fit all approach our business services they really dive deep anytime an individual registers for any works, our business services have to contact and do an on site visit to make sure they're a legitimate organization before we're going to give them access to a
[00:41:16.330]they sit down and provide that initial workforce consultation so that they're have a better understanding of their operational needs and what their recruitment efforts have consist of, and where we can come in to kind of fill some of those gaps and provide additional assistance with identifying those skill that skilled workforce and getting them into those positions.
[00:41:34.230]There, you know, there's been a lot of talk with in staffing shortages throughout the state so one thing we're working on with our BSR team is identifying alternative hiring pools such as individual
[00:41:46.310]individuals that are justice involved.
[00:42:16.290]And then we have our foreign labor certification program this is another business service that we offer so any employer that's going out and hiring, either that's petitioning to bring in an H2B visa worker and H2A visa worker, they have to post all their jobs within any works and then we strive to fill those positions with US workers.
[00:42:46.270]And then we go out and look for job seekers who meet those specific qualifications that are US citizens. We assist them with developing those resumes and the application process and then we monitor that to see if these employers are taking them into strong consideration and then follow up with employers to identify, you know, what skills or experience were they missing as to why they could not hire that US worker.
[00:43:09.850]If they've made the argument that they're not getting enough skilled US workers to apply for the actual position.
[00:43:16.250]Then they can continue to petition for either that H-2B or H-2A visa worker.
[00:43:21.690]From there, once that's been identified and approved by USCIS and USDOL, then our staff, we have just two in the state, they actually go out and perform the housing inspections for these either agriculture or trade workers.
[00:43:35.930]They go through and make sure that all the living conditions, the square footage, all the amenities are provided for these visa workers, and then, again, coordination.
[00:43:46.230]So, again, we really try to identify U.S. workers that meet these qualifications when they post these jobs and fill them with U.S. citizens.
[00:44:02.290]All right, so then we have our work opportunity tax credit, which is a federal tax credit available to employers for hiring individuals from certain targeted groups who have consistently faced significant barriers to employment.
[00:44:15.230]So, this is one.
[00:44:16.210]So, this is one of our marketing tools that we utilize to try to convince employers to hire individuals from the diverse talent pool.
[00:44:24.450]So, individuals who have disabilities, the veteran population, those that have that justice-involved background, who have been receiving long-term unemployment or public assistance.
[00:44:35.350]We try to promote these employers with utilizing the work opportunity tax credit to hire these individuals as a financial incentive.
[00:44:41.870]Some of the benefits of WOTC.
[00:44:46.190]WOTC is that it can reduce employers' federal income tax liability by as much as $9,600 per employee hired.
[00:44:53.030]There is no limit on the number of individuals an employer can hire to qualify for the tax credit.
[00:44:58.750]And WOTC reduces an employer's cost of doing business, requires little paperwork, and increases America's economic growth and productivity.
[00:45:07.230]And again, it just incentivizes them to kind of look outside the box when they're performing their recruiting strategies.
[00:45:16.170]I kind of said a little bit of these.
[00:45:17.370]So qualified veteran, ex-felon, individuals that are receiving assistance to the vocational rehabilitation programs, summer youth, employee, individual receiving public assistance such as SSI, SNAP, TANF, or RRC, long-term family assistant recipient, and then qualified long-term unemployment.
[00:45:36.810]So these are the kind of the pools that we're trying to identify through our programs, and we're really marketing to our employers.
[00:45:43.550]Not only do they have the opportunity.
[00:45:46.150]To receive these tax credits. They also have the opportunity to participate on on the job training with us with the same individuals. So they're reducing their federal income tax at the same time while getting an employee for the first six months paid by us so that they can train them up or we're spending the money to send them to get these technical certifications or these occupational skills, so that they are going to be successful within this industry.
[00:46:11.330]So it's really a package deal that we try to present to our employers and to our job seekers.
[00:46:16.130]So Josh, the rural remote counties, what's the definition on those?
[00:46:37.150]I'm sorry. Oh, let me go back here.
[00:46:40.070]Rural remote counties, that I'm not 100% sure. I have to do a little bit more research, but I'll look that up.
[00:46:46.110]I know I have it somewhere in my binder on there.
[00:46:49.790]So we actually have a program coordinator for the state who oversees all the WOTC applications on there.
[00:46:57.350]So I'll just reach out to Keaton too and just get a little bit more clarification on that.
[00:47:02.590]This is one of the state programs that we have. A lot of the other programs that I talked about, especially on WIOA, is just greater Nebraska.
[00:47:10.630]So greater Lincoln and greater Omaha, the Department of Labor does not hold the WIOA.
[00:47:16.090]WIOA grants in those local workforce development areas.
[00:47:19.230]It used to be Equus. I can't remember who has it now.
[00:47:23.790]Lincoln had just turned over, but National ABLE has a WIOA grant.
[00:47:27.430]We still have some different programs, the Department of Labor.
[00:47:29.910]But for greater Nebraska, we actually oversee and hold the WIOA grant, which is nice for us because we have that money and that funding.
[00:47:38.590]And we don't have to go through partners to obtain it.
[00:47:41.350]We just go through partners to identify additional funding and additional resources for jobs.
[00:47:46.070]So that we're making sure that we're practicing that great funding stream and that we're utilizing all the resources available to really upskill those workers.
[00:47:54.750]But I will look into that and I'll get you guys an answer to that.
[00:47:57.450]Yeah. And we want to make sure we have an opportunity to answer questions, too.
[00:48:02.610]So I'm hoping that you'll leave a little time.
[00:48:04.230]Yes. Yep. Yep. Absolutely.
[00:48:07.190]I'm going to skip through that. I think we're just about.
[00:48:10.030]OK, so federal bonding program. This should be about the last slide.
[00:48:12.510]So another program that we actually hold the federal bonds.
[00:48:16.050]Through the U.S. through the state Department of Labor and its unique hiring tool that provides employers insurance coverage during the first six months of their employment or job promotion for individuals who have prior criminal history.
[00:48:27.130]The federal fidelity bonding provides five thousand dollars of insurance to employer in case of events such as theft, larceny or embezzlement by the employees.
[00:48:35.610]So just another incentive to hire individuals of these justice involved.
[00:48:38.830]And we actually have staff who go out into the local jail and prison systems and do.
[00:48:46.030]Workshops and identifying individuals, then once they're released, we get them enrolled in our programs and we really start doing the groundwork to it to assist them in transferring back into being productive citizens upon the release.
[00:49:00.670]Another program we have is our worker training grant.
[00:49:02.890]Now, this is an actual program that employers can utilize to upgrade skills of their existing workforce.
[00:49:09.130]So say they have a position that they're looking at eliminating, then they can fill out a worker training grant.
[00:49:16.010]They can also fill out an application request where they can get approved with funding to provide for instructional supply costs, book costs, the cost of the certification so that the individual does not have to be laid off, they can just transfer them somewhere else within the organization.
[00:49:36.010]All right, that was it. Now, I'm sure there's a lot of questions I know we have a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:49:45.990]But I'm sure there's a lot of questions I know we have a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:50:15.970]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:50:45.950]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:51:15.930]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:51:45.910]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:52:15.890]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:52:45.870]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:53:15.850]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:53:45.830]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:54:15.810]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:54:45.790]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:55:15.770]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:55:45.750]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:56:15.730]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:56:45.710]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:57:15.690]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:57:45.670]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:58:15.650]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:58:45.630]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:59:15.610]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[00:59:45.590]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[01:00:15.570]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[01:00:45.550]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[01:01:15.530]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[01:01:45.510]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.
[01:02:15.490]But I'm sure there's a lot of programs and like I said, there may not be some that sticks out to you right this instant.

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