California Workforce Investment Board

Workforce development is the process of helping people find jobs that match their skills so that they can move up the career ladder, while at the same time establishing educational and training programs to develop the pool of skilled workers that businesses and industries need in order to compete and succeed. This dual process – finding jobs for people and people for jobs – seeks to foster a prosperous, thriving economy that will benefit everyone.

The federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 provides the framework for a national workforce preparation and employment system. This system is intended to be customer-focused, and to help Americans access the tools they need to manage their careers. The system is also intended to help companies find the skilled workers they need to compete and succeed in business.

The California Workforce Investment Board (CalWIB) was established by Executive Order in October 1999 to advise and assist in planning, coordinating, and implementing the provisions of California's workforce development programs and services. The Governor is a member and also appoints other members, including representatives of business, labor, employment and training, public and higher education, economic development, and youth activities. Members from the State Legislature are appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber. As required by WIA, a majority of Board members are from the private sector.

The California Employment Development Department (EDD) administers the Title I workforce investment systems throughout the state. These systems are responsible for the state-level day-to-day administration of the WIA funds for adults, displaced workers, and youth. EDD works in cooperation with Local Workforce Investment Areas (LWIAs).
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2) What are Local Workforce Investment Areas?
Local Workforce Investment Areas (LWIAs) are designated by the Governor. California has 50 LWIAs. In some cases a single county comprises one LWIA; in other cases, a county contains more than one LWIA; in still others, an LWIA includes more than one county. In each case, the LWIA's designation is based on population and commonality of labor market. Each LWIA is administered by a Local Board certified by the state and comprised of representatives from private sector businesses, organized labor, community-based organizations, local government agencies, and local education agencies. Local Boards designate the One-Stop operators, provide policy guidance, and oversee the job training activities within their local areas.
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3) What are One-Stops?
WIA services are provided through the One-Stop Career Centers delivery system. For job seekers, the One-Stop Career Centers provide a full range of services including employment, training, and education services. For Employers seeking employees, services include resources for placing job orders and obtaining referrals, labor market data, information/referral on training resources, and business assistance to assist local companies with their recruiting, training, and outplacement needs.
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4) What kinds of programs are authorized by WIA?

WIA Title I authorizes and funds a number of employment and training programs in California. These programs help to prepare Californians to participate in the state's workforce by increasing their employment and earnings potential, improve their educational and occupations skills, and, in some cases, reduced their dependency on public assistance. Workforce investment activities authorized by WIA are provided to serve two primary customer groups:

Job Seekers, including dislocated workers, youth, incumbent workers, and new entrants to the workforce; and
Employers looking for effective workers to fill the jobs they offer.

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5) What services are available to adults and dislocated workers?
The adult and dislocated worker programs are designed to offer core services, intensive services, and training services to individuals who are 18 years of age or older.

Core services include initial assessment, job search and placement assistance, and career counseling.
Intensive services include in-depth assessment, counseling and career planning, and pre-vocational services for unemployed individuals unable to obtain jobs through core services, as well as employed individuals needing additional training services to reach self-sufficiency.
Training services are available to those who are eligible for intensive services but have been unable to obtain employment through those services.

The dislocated worker program assists workers displaced by disasters, mass layoffs, or plant closures to regain economic security. Core services are provided to return individuals to work as quickly as possible.
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6) Do clients need to go through WIA core and intensive services before they can access training?
Yes. Core services determine a client's eligibility for intensive services, which in turn determine his or her eligibility for training. For more information on services, see the Federal Register for August 11, 2000, Secs. 662.240 (core), 663.115 - 663.165 (intensive) and 663.300 - 663.320 (training).
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7) What services are available to youth?
The youth program prepares youth (ages 14 to 21) for postsecondary educational opportunities or employment. Programs will link academic and occupational learning. Services include:

Tutoring
Study skills training
Instruction leading to completion of secondary school (including dropout prevention)
Alternative school services
Mentoring by appropriate adults
Paid and unpaid work experience (such as internships and job shadowing)
Occupational skills training
Leadership development
Appropriate supportive services

Youth participants also receive guidance to counseling and follow-up services.
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8) Can an emancipated 17-year-old be enrolled as an adult for WIA services?
No. WIA and the regulations specify that to be enrolled as an ault or a dislocated worker an individual must be at least 18 years of age. Emancipated or not, a 17-year-old is still a minor. However, there are no services offered by the adult program that are not available in the youth program (on-the-job training, job search assistance, occupational skills training, etc.). The youth need not even know that he or she is in one program or the other.
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9) What if I am unsatisfied with services I receive from a One-Stop or LWIA?
If you have concerns about WIA services you have received, your first course of action should be to take advantage of the appeal process that every LWIA is required to have in place. A specific inquiry about your LWIA's appeal and/or complaint procedures may provide you with a means of resolving your situation. If you remain unsatisfied, the next step would be to get in touch with the EDD Regional Advisor for your LWIA.
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10) Where can I go for general complaints about my present or former employer?
If you have a problem with a present or former employer that is unrelated to WIA services, consult the Web site of the California Department of Industrial Relations, especially their "Work It Out" Web page. You will find several links to labor law in California, and directions on filing a variety of complaints, should you so desire.
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11) Is there one Web site where I can find Requests for Proposals (RFPs) in the state of California?
There is no central Web site that lists all RFPs in California. Individual state, county, and local agencies do, however, publish there own RFPs as the occasion arises, both online and by other means. Your best bet is to check periodically the Web sites of those agencies that are of particular interest to you.
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12) How often, and when, does the California Workforce Investment Board meet?
CalWIB meets three to four times per year. Information on meetings is posted to the Web site as they are scheduled, and agenda materials are posted as they become available. Check our Web site regularly for details.
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13) How often do the Board's committees and work groups meet?
The Board's committees and work groups by their nature do not follow a formal meeting schedule. For information on the status of their various projects, check the agenda packet for the most recent State Board meeting, which usually includes the work group reports that were presented to the Board at that time. If you would like details about specific groups, contact us and we'll have the appropriate staff person respond.
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14) What is the Eligible Training Provider List?
WIA training programs are conducted by what are called Eligible Training Providers. California's Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL) includes all providers who have been approved to recieve WIA funds for the training programs they offer. To get on the ETPL, and organization must apply to the LWIA in which the organization is located.

The ETPL is on the EDD Web site at http://etpl.edd.ca.gov/wiaetplind.htm. A person accessing the ETPL can perform a number of searches (by provider, location, training program, etc.) that can help to locate programs in specific career fields or geographic areas.
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15) Do providers on the ETPL remain there permanently, or must they be recertified?
Programs must be periodically determined to be eligible to remain on the ETPL. This determination is to be made within 18 to 24 months of their initial listing and annually thereafter. For example a program that was first listed in the July-September 2002 quarter would be subject to a subsequent eligibility determination in the January-March 2004 quarter, with the determination due to EDD by April 30, 2004. Subsequent eligibility is based on the rates of students completing the program and entering employment. You can find a description of this process on p. 11 of the ETPL Policy and Procedures on the EDD Web site.
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16) To whom should I address a complaint about an ETPL provider?
Concerns about an ETPL provider should be brought to the attention of the LWIA responsible for the provider. EDD also has Regional Advisors who oversee the administration of the WIA.
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17) Can funds from the WIA Governor's 15 Percent Discretionary Fund be used to pay for the full cost of an internship program?
WIA funds may be used to fund youth internships. Refer to WIA sec. 129(c)(2)(D), which says: "...as appropriate, paid and unpaid work experiences, including internships and job shadowing..." Adults and dislocated workers may also qualify for paid internships under the work experience criterion if they meet WIA eligibility guidelines. Refer to WIA Sec. 134(d)(4)(D)(iii).
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18) What is the definition of an economically disadvantaged adult?
The term "economically disadvantaged adult" was a category under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) that no longer applies under WIA. WIA adult and dislocated worker programs do not have a means test for income; only youth programs use income as an eligibility criterion. For more information on WIA eligibility requirements, see the Federal Register for August 11, 2000, Secs. 663.110 - 663.310 (audlts and dislocated workers) and Sec. 664.200 (youth).
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19) How can I learn about any job fairs in my area?
The best way to learn of job fairs in your area would be to contact the LWIA nearest you.
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20) Contractors with the federal government are required to post available positions through the workforce development system. What is the process for doing this?
Available positions can be listed by registering with America's Job Bank. Click on "Register here" under "Employers" and you will be taken through the registration process. Positions in California that are listed with America's Job Bank will automatically be posted to EDD's CalJOBS Web site.
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21) What is Cal-WARN?
Cal-WARN refers to a state law, passed in 2002, requiring employers to give 60 days written notice of mass layoffs (50 or more persons), relocation, or termination of employees. The notice must be provided to affected employees, the Employment Development Department, the local workforce investment board, and the chief elected official of each city and county affected. Employers who fail to provide the notice may be liable for back pay, benefits, penalties, attorneys' fees and court costs. It is called Cal-WARN because it is California's version of a federal law, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires employers with 100 or more employees to provide 60 days notice of a layoff involving 50 or more employees. The Cal-WARN Act extends the requirement to businesses with 75 or more employees.
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