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Department of Property & Procurement Government of the United States Virgin Islands 3274 ESTATE RICHMOND, CHRISTIANSTED, U. S. VIRGIN ISLANDS 00820 8201 SUB BASE, SUITE 4, ST. THOMAS, U. S. VIRGIN ISLANDS 00802 ST. CROIX MAIN OFFICE: 340.773.1561 | ST. THOMAS MAIN OFFICE: 340.774.0828 ST. CROIX FAX: 340.773.0986 | ST. THOMAS FAX: 340.777.9587 HTTP://DPPVI.GOV October 1, 2019 Arah C. Lockhart Director Virgin Islands Workforce Investment Board Sunny Isle Professional Building Suite 7 Christiansted, VI 00820 Dear Director Lockhart: Transmitted via email herewith for filing and distribution is one (1) copy of executed Memorandum of Understanding G010WIBT19 between the Government of the Virgin Islands (Office of Management and Budget) and the Department of Labor, Department of Human Services and the Department of Education. Please disseminate to all parties involved. The original will be retained for the files of this office. You can obtain a certified copy by written request. Respectfully, 7 mate C Chief Deputy Commissioner LA/df Encls. THE UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR GOVERNMENT HOUSE Charlotte Amalie, V.I. 00802 340-774-0001 Memorandum of Understanding Between The Virgin Islands Workforce Investment Board And The Virgin Islands One Stop Partners Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 This Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) entered into on this Zl ¢{-day of Augua t , 2019, by and between the Virgin Islands Workforce Investment Board and the Department of Labor (hereinafter referred to as “DOL”), Department of Human Services (hereinafter referred to as “DHS”) and Department of Education (hereinafter referred to as “DOE”), collectively referred to as “Parties” or “Core Partners” through the Department of Property and Procurement as Core and Non-Core Partners of the Virgin Islands One Stop System as described in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (“WIOA), specifically:”. e The Core Partners include: VI Department of Labor, Employment and Training; VI Department of Education, Adult Education and Literacy; and the VI Department of Human Services, Vocational Rehabilitation. e The Non-Core Partners include: VI Department of Labor, Unemployment Insurance; V1 Department of Education, Career and Technical Education; V1 Department of Human Services, Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) programs e Purpose The purpose of this agreement is to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of workforce development services in the Virgin Islands Workforce Delivery Area. It serves to establish joint processes, procedures and resource sharing that will enable partners to provide a seamless and comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding Page |2 array of workforge development services through the local One-Stop System to residents of the US Virgin Islands. This document will serve as a memorandum of understanding for the services provided by the WIOA . Adult, Youth, Dislocated Worker programs; Employment Services; Adult Education and Literacy programs; and Vocational Rehabilitation programs in the Territory of the Virgin Islands of the United States. I. Provision of Services One-Stop Centers are designed to provide a wide array of workforce development services to all customers of the system to include job seekers, career workers, employers, and businesses. The DOL is the One Stop Operator in the Territory of the US Virgin Islands. The DOL is responsible for the management and operations of the One Stop Centers in all districts. In accordance with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA) One-Stop Centers and their partners are tasked with: o Providing job seekers with the skills and credentials necessary to secure and advance in employment with family-sustaining wages; o Providing access and opportunity to all job seekers, including individuals with barriers to employment, such as individuals with disabilities, to prepare for, obtain, retain and advance in high-quality jobs and high-demand careers; o Enabling business and employers to easily identify and hire skilled workers and access other supports, including education and training for their current and evolving workforce; o Participating in rigorous evaluations that support continuous improvement of one-stop centers by identifying which strategies work better for different populations; o Ensuring that high-quality integrated data is available to make informed decisions by policy makers, employers and job seekers. General One-Stop Partner Services To ensure the effectiveness of the Virgin Islands One-Stop Centers general services provided by respective partner programs include: - Initial intake; - Eligibility determination (program specific); - Initial skills assessment (aptitude); - Individual or group career counseling; - Access to local labor market information; - Referrals to other programs/services; - Services to employers - Services to local area businesses; - Program-specific performance information - Assessment of skills needed to anticipate evolving businesses and employment. CO10WI RB Tig Memorandum of Understanding Page |3 Program Specific Services — Core Partners Title I — Adult and Dislocated Workers Programs Basic Career Services must be made available to all individual job seekers through the One-Stop Centers. The services include: e Determinations of whether the individual is eligible to receive assistance from the adult, dislocated or youth programs; e Outreach, intake (including identification through the Worker Profiling and Reemployment Services) and orientation to information and other services available through the one-stop delivery system; e Initial assessment of skill levels including literacy, numeracy, and English language proficiency, as well as aptitudes, abilities (including skills gaps) and supportive services; e Labor exchange services, including — o Job search and placement assistance and when needed by an individual, career counseling o Provision of information on in-demand industry sectors and occupations; and o Provision of information on nontraditional employment e Provision of referrals to and coordination of activities with other programs and services, including those within the one-stop delivery system; e Provision of workforce and labor market employment statistics information, including the provision of accurate information relating to local, regional and national labor market trends and statistics on: © Job vacancy listings in labor market areas; o Information on job skills necessary to obtain the vacant jobs listed; and o Information relating to local occupations in demand and the earnings, skill requirements and opportunities for advancement for those jobs; e Provision of performance information and program cost information on eligible providers of training services by program and type of providers; e Provision of information relating to the availability of supportive services or assistance and appropriate referrals to those services and assistance e Assistance in establishing eligibility for financial aid assistance for training and education programs not provided under WIOA; and e Provision of information and assistance regarding filing claims under Unemployment Insurance programs; Individualized Career Services — If One-Stop Center staff determines that individualized career services are appropriate for an individual to obtain or retain employment, these services must be made available to the individual. These services must be available in all One-Stop Centers. One Stop Center staff may use recent or previous assessments by partner programs to determine if individualized career services would be appropriate. These services include: GO10WTBT19 Memorandum of Understanding Page|4 Comprehensive and specialized assessments of the skill levels and service needs of adults and dislocated workers, which may include — o Diagnostic testing and use of other assessment tools; and o In-depth interviewing and evaluation to identify employment barriers and appropriate employment goals; Development of an individual employment plan, to identify the employment goals, appropriate achievement objectives, and appropriate combination of services for the customer to achieve his or her employment goals, including the list of and information about eligible training providers; Group and/or individual counseling and mentoring; Career planning; Short-term pre-vocational services, including development of learning skills, communication skills, interviewing skills, punctuality, personal maintenance skills and professional conduct to prepare individuals for unsubsidized employment or training, in some instances, pre- apprenticeship programs may be considered as short-term pre-vocational services; Internships and work experiences that are linked to careers; Workforce preparation activities that help an individual acquire a combination of basic academic skills, critical thinking skills, digital literacy skills and self-management skills, including competencies in utilizing resources, using information, working with others, understanding systems and obtaining skills necessary for successful transition into and completion of postsecondary education or training or employment; Financial literacy services; Out-of-area job search assistance and relocation assistance; and English language acquisition and integrated education and training programs. Training Services — Training services may be made available to Adults and Dislocated Workers who are eligible to receive services from the One-Stop Center. Training services may include — Occupational skills training, including training for non-traditional employment; Programs that combine workplace training with related instruction, which may include cooperative education programs; Training programs offered by the private sector; Skills upgrading and retraining; Entrepreneurial training; Job readiness training provided in combination with services described above; Adult education and literacy training provided concurrently or in combination with services described in above; and Customized training conducted with a commitment by an employer or group of employers to employ an individual upon successful completion of training. Title If — Adult Education and Literacy Programs Adult Education will offer the following basic services in conjunction with the One-Stop centers through referrals from One-Stop partners: e High School diploma preparation; Memorandum of Understanding Page|5 Pre-GED & GED preparation; Literacy — skills gap connectivity; Workplace adult education and literacy activities; Family literacy activities; English language acquisition activities; or e Integrated education and training that— 1. Provides adult education and literacy activities, concurrently and contextually with both; and 2. Is for the purpose of educational and career advancement. Services are to be provided on a voluntary basis through adult education and literacy activities, in order to: Assist adults to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and economic self-sufficiency; Assist adults who are parents or family members to obtain the education and skills that— © are necessary to becoming full partners in the educational development of their children; and o lead to sustainable improvements in the economic opportunities for their family; Assist adults in attaining a secondary school diploma and in the transition to postsecondary education and training, including skills development through career pathways; and Assist immigrants and other individuals who are English language learners in — (A) improving their— (i) reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension skills in English; and (ii) mathematics skills; and (B) acquiring an understanding of the American system of Government, individual freedom, and the responsibilities of citizenship. Title [11 — Wagner-Peyser Services (Employment Services) *Labor Exchange/Job Services, the primary services provided by Wagner-Peyser staff fall under Basic Career Services. All basic career services must be made available by Wagner-Peyser staff in coordination with other one-stop partners. They may also make available: e) (e) Short-term pre-vocational services, including development of learning skills, communication skills, interviewing skills, punctuality, personal maintenance skills and professional conduct to prepare individuals for unsubsidized employment or training in some instances pre- apprenticeship programs may be considered as short-term pre-vocational; Workforce preparation activities through the use of job clubs, workshops and job fairs: Financial literacy services; and Out-of-area job search assistance Title [V — Vocational Rehabilitation Services COlOWlBT]9 Memorandum of Understanding Page |6 As part of the One-Stop system of services offered to all participants the Vocational Rehabilitation Services team offers: o Transition planning for youth; o Educational/informational workshops to interested students, parents/advocates on the Vocational Rehabilitation Process and where referrals may be accepted; o Development of an Individual Plan of Employment (IPE) with eligible clients; and for students, before they leave the school setting; o Exploratory career opportunities in community—based businesses; and Utilization of employer engagement and outreach efforts to tailor positive employment outcomes for the most significantly disabled individuals The Vocational Rehabilitation program offers the following activities to eligible individuals with disabilities: (1) job exploration counseling; (11) work-based learning opportunities; (iii) | counseling on post-secondary educational opportunities; (iv) workplace readiness training; and (v) instruction in self—-advocacy Program Specifie Services ~ Non-Core Partners Career and Technical Education - CTE One-Stop participants shall have access to Career and Technical Education training programs that meet the local Demand Occupation List. CTE services available at the American Job Centers include: e Access to information on Career and Technical programs and services; e Career counseling to support career pathway development; e Access to integrated education and training opportunities through CTE and Adult Education partnership activities; and e Access to work-based learning opportunities WIOA includes enhanced “priority of service” requirements to ensure that recipients of public assistance and other hard-to-serve populations are able to access critical employment and training services through the AJC system. Both SNAP and TANF program participants meet the “priority of service” category and are therefore full participants in the Virgin Islands Job Centers. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — SNAP e SNAP services to the American Job Centers include: e Referrals to and from SNAP E&T programs; e Conduct skills assessments e Assist participants in accessing One-Stop services as required to include: © Adult Education activities; o Occupational Skills activities and training; coloWiaTi9 Memorandum of Understanding Page |7 o Job search and referrals Temporary Assistance for Needy Families —- TANF TANF participants will have access to the full array of services from partner programs offered at the American Job Centers. Unemployment Insurance — RESEA Program Unemployed individuals who are seeking employment and require additional assistance to secure a job may access WIOA basic and individualized services and have access to partner programs and services available at the American Job Centers as applicable. Senior Community Service Employment Program —SCSEP All customers will be afforded access to services provided through the Virgin Islands American Job Centers to include: career development, labor market information and a wide range of employment and educational enhancement opportunities. Specifically, e Provide Intake and Assessment of SCSEP applicants; e Develop Individual Employment Plans (IEP) for all SCSEP participants; e Place SCSEP enrollees into Community Service or subsidized employment; e Assign enrollees into educational activities and other skill building training activities; e Monitor enrollees, job sites and educational classes; e Make referrals to and from the AJC as necessary for customer workforce progression Il. COST OF SERVICES Funding under this category may include cash and/or in-kind contributions which provide a stable and equitable funding stream for on-going one-stop delivery system operations and funding for the infrastructure costs incurred at the One-Stop Center. *Please see attached Infrastructure Cost Agreement I. METHODS OF REFERRAL The Partners agree to make referrals of individuals and customers using the most efficient and expedient means possible. The Partners agree to share customer specific information on an as-needed basis as allowed by law, for the benefit of and with the expressed consent of the customer, or if applicable, the customer’s parent of guardian. Such referrals may include the use of email, telephone, writing, or personal contact. a. Referral of customers between Title I and Title Il shall be done through direct appointment by program staff stating specific reason for referral i.e. GED testing, or literacy activities as it relates to Title II referrals and job search, career readiness workshops, job specific training activities or job placement as it relates to Title I referrals; b. Referral of customers between Title I and Title IV shall be done through direct appointment by program staff stating specific reason for referral i.e. transition planning for youth with COTOWLBT19 Memorandum of Understanding Page|8 disabilities, career counseling and work based preparatory/training activities as it relates to Title IV referrals and job search, career readiness workshops, job specific training activities or job placement as it relates to Title I referrals; c. Referral of customers between Title I and non-core partners shall be done through direct appointment by program staff to TANF, SNAP, Career & Technical programs based on Individual Service Strategy stated requirements and from non-core partners to Title I for job search, career readiness workshops, job specific training activities or job placement. IV. METHODS OF ACCESS TO SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGY All participants, to include those with significant barriers to education and employment, will have access to services, including access to technology and materials made available through the One-Stop delivery system. Universal access to basic career and program information is available to all persons in the community. Basic information and literature from each partner program will be available at each Job Center location and at each partner agency. Information pamphlets will detail contact information to each program and service referenced in the literature. All Partner Program participants will have access to Resource Rooms, labor market information, Eligible Training Provider lists and job search tools and activities. All Partners shall participate in the development of sector strategies and employ career pathways to access education, training and support services that align with the skill needs of local employers V. GENERAL PROVISIONS All partner programs listed above agree to the following general provisions as determined by the WIOA and in an effort to provide services and activities in a seamless manner through the One-Stop or American Job Center as part of the Virgin Islands Workforce Development System. All programs and services performed under the WIOA agree that they will comply with Section 188 of WIOA Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity regulations as set forth in 29 CFR Part 38; the Americans with Disability Act (42 U.S.C./2101 et seq.); the Non-traditional Employment for Women Act of 1991; Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; title [IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended; and with all applicable requirements imposed by or pursuant to regulations implementing those laws, including but not limited to 29 CFR Part 37 and 38. GCO10WIBT19 Memorandum of Understanding Page |9 All parties to this MOU certify that they will comply with the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, 41 U.S.C. 702 et seq., and 2 CFR Part 182 which require that all organizations receiving grants from any Federal agency maintain a drug-free workplace. All Parties shall comply with the Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment (31 U.S.C. Section 1352) 29 CFR Part 93, and 34 CFR Part 82, as well as the requirements in the Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR 200.450. The Parties shall not lobby federal entities using federal funds and will disclose lobbying activities as required by law and regulations. All parties certify that they will adhere to all statutes, regulations, policies and plans regarding priority of service, including, but not limited to priority of service for veterans and their eligible spouses and priority of service for the WIOA Title I Adult program as required by 38 U.S.C. sec. 4215 and its implementing regulations and guidance and WIOA sec. 134(c)(3)(E) and its implementing regulations and guidance. All parties agree to abide by all applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations regarding confidential information, including PII from educational records, such as but not limited to 20 CFR Part 603; 45 CFR Section 205.50; 20 USC 1232g and 34 CFR part 99 and 34 CFR 361.38 as well as any applicable local laws and regulations. Additionally, in carrying out their respective responsibilities each party shall respect and abide by the confidentiality policies and legal requirements of all of the other parties. Co-located partners at the One-Stop Center agree that those parties will assume responsibility for the costs of their own programs as determined by statutory laws and regulations. All partners continue to have statutory responsibilities relating to the administration of individual programs outside of and not contained in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA). Partners agree to develop and maintain an integrated case management system, as appropriate, that allows information collected from customers at intake to be captured at once. All partners agree that the collection and ‘use of any information, systems, or records that contain personally identifiable information will be limited to purposes that support the programs and activities described in this MOU. VI. DURATION OF AGREEMENT This Memorandum of Understanding will be effective for not less than three (3) years to ensure appropriate funding and delivery of services. Revisions to the MOU may be requested at any time by any of the partners. Requested revisions must be negotiated with the Workforce Development Board. The request must be presented to the Board in written form. Action on the revision will take place within fifteen (15) days of receipt by the Board. This Memorandum of Understanding may be reviewed annually be the Workforce Development Board to ensure quality and consistency. GO1OWIBT19 Memorandum of Understanding Page | 10 IN WITNESS WHEREOPF, the parties have hereunto set their hands on the date and year indication. WITNESSES: GOVERNMENT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Ty Cindy, 6/3/19 Witness Gary Molfoy Date Commissioner Vie tit. Fb Department of Labor Witness ee f. 21.19 Kintberley Obhisey-G¢yhez 7 Date Commissioner Designee Department of Human Services Witness LZ. —~7) fe. ge JB it es eZ acquel Ber -Benja mn Date Commissioner Ny, WT, MWA Department of Education tness COTOWIR TIO. Memorandum of Understanding Page | 11 (bron Lil 4 / Date Witnegs _ Anthohy Thomas Commissioner Department of Property and Procurement W ess DL A Louwa Mpadeg. Holt9 Wit pau ren Safady * Date Chairman OES fy J! an eS LAA. VI Workforce Development Board Witne ae CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL I hereby certify that this is a true and exact copy of the Memorandum of Understanding entered into between the Virgin Islands Workforce Investment Board and the Department of Labor. the Department of Human Services and the Department of Education for the purpose to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of workforce development services in the Virgin Islands Workforce Delivery Area Anthony Thomas, Commissioner Designee Department of Property and Procurement GCO1TOWIBT19