Report of Regents Adult Career and Continuing Education Services (ACCES) Committee to The Board of Regents

Your ACCES Committee held its scheduled meeting on October 26, 2015.  All members were present.

MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Combined State Plan – Your Committee was provided with information on the development of the Combined State Plan as required by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA was signed into law in July, 2014, superseding the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and amending the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, the Wagner-Peyser Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  The purpose of WIOA is to better align the workforce system with education and economic development in an effort to create a collective response to economic and labor market challenges on the national, state, and local levels.  WIOA brings together core programs of Federal Investment in skill development and employment and training services.  At the state level, these core programs are administered by the State Education Department, the Department of Labor, or the Commission for the Blind.

WIOA is a shift from previous law in that instead of allowing, it now requires each state to submit a unified (submitting only the required core programs) or combined (adding additional programs) state strategic plan.  New York State plans to submit a Combined Plan because it will include the Trade Adjustment Act, administered by DOL, as an additional permitted program.  Staffs from the Department of Labor, the Commission for the Blind, and SED’s Office of ACCES have been meeting regularly since January 2015 to draft a Combined State Plan.  They plan to have a finalized draft of the Combined State Plan for review and approval at the December 2015 Board of Regents meeting. ACCES (D) 1

Regents 2016-2017 State Budget Priorities – We are requesting $10 million in new state funding for the Bridge to College and Careers Pilot Program.  Program applicants would be a partnership between an adult education program and college or training provider of demonstrated effectiveness.  This program would provide career-related coursework, career pathways counseling, college readiness, and transition support services to out of school youth and adults.  ACCES (D) 2