Workforce

Workforce Development

Business faces no greater challenge than to find, develop, train and retain, quality employees. In this day of global competition, it is the companies with the best employees who will succeed. From its inception, ETCOG has been instrumental in providing workforce development services to East Texas, improving the "bottom line" for area businesses by addressing the employment and training needs for employers and job seekers.

In a memorandum of understanding with the East Texas Workforce Development Board and the Chief Elected Officials Board, ETCOG has been designated to carry out the administrative entity and grant recipient function for the fourteen county East Texas Workforce Development Area, which coincides with ETCOG’s service area. In this capacity, ETCOG administers subcontracts with organizations that provide workforce services and provides staff support for the Workforce Development Board and the Chief Elected Officials Board, which provide policy oversight for area workforce programs.

Workforce services are provided through a network of four one-stop Workforce Centers located in Tyler, Longview, Marshall and Palestine along with satellite offices located in the remaining ten counties of the region. ACS-State and Local Solutions subcontracts with the Workforce Development Board to operate workforce center services in the 14 county Workforce Development Area.

The Workforce Center system exists to help employers face the challenge of finding qualified employees. We are committed to serving the needs of employers by attracting job seekers to the centers and providing prospective employees with the tools to reach their full potential. This is achieved through several avenues:

1. Valuable job search assistance and career planning services are available in workforce centers for all East Texas residents, regardless of income level. Also, specialized outplacement services are available to respond to mass layoffs and plant closings.

2. For employers, the Centers offer access to resources that assist in meeting their workforce needs. These resources include: online posting of jobs, assistance and onsite space for interviewing and testing, access to Labor Market Information, assistance with employment law and tax incentive questions, as well as job fairs, to name a few.

3. Efforts to decrease welfare dependency in the region include offering job search and work skills assistance for persons receiving time limited welfare benefits. Program subcontractors work with clients to assure that they find employment that keeps them off the welfare rolls.

4. In its role as the administrator of the subsidized child care assistance program in East Texas, ETCOG subcontracts with ACS-State and Local Solutions to assure that as many children as possible receive quality child care that improves their learning capacity and life potential.

The comprehensive services offered through the Workforce Center system are made possible through the consolidation of funding streams. In the past, it was possible that state agencies could have overlapping mandates and policies, leading to confusion and frustration by the general public. Texas House Bill 1863, along with provisions of the Workforce Investment Act, sought to alleviate some of this by integrating various workforce programs under one policy making body. The East Texas Workforce Development Board was established to oversee the integration and coordination of more than twenty separate employment and training programs in the region. The board is comprised of representatives of business, labor, education public agencies and community based organizations and is appointed by local elected officials.

Among the programs that have been integrated into the One-Stop delivery system are the following:

WIA Services - Authorized under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act offers employment and training services to adults, dislocated workers and youths. There are three levels of service – Core, Intensive, and Training. Through WIA, individuals can access assistance in finding employment free of charge and may qualify for training if they lack the skills needed to earn a "self-sufficient wage."

Food Stamp Employment and Training (FSE&T) – Seeks to provide employment services to those individuals receiving food stamps.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) – Employment services offered through the Choices Program to recipients of TANF. This program helps individuals receiving time limited cash assistance to find long-term employment.

Child Care Services (CCS) – Provides subsidized child care to low-income working parents.

Wagner-Peyser Employment Services (ES) – Legislation that ensures universal access to a system in which job seekers are matched with jobs and employers.

Trade Adjustment Assistance and NAFTA/TAA Services – The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) provides training and job search/relocation assistance to individuals who lose their jobs due to foreign imports.

Veterans’ Employment Services – Program where Vietnam Era veterans, disabled veterans, and recently separated veterans can receive job search assistance, education, and training.

Project RIO Services – Provides a link between education, training and employment during incarceration with employment, training and education after release in an attempt to reduce recidivism.

Wendell Holcombe supervises the Workforce Development Programs Department, which is the administrative arm for the East Texas Workforce Development Board and the CEO Board. The Department is divided into five areas of responsibility, each having its own staff. The Monitoring and Technical Assistance section conducts oversight visits to program locations and offers assistance to subcontractors in order to ensure compliance with relevant laws and policies. Child Care Services offers oversight to the Child Care Services (CCS). Management Services Section is in charge of the informational and computer systems that the Workforce Development Programs utilize. The Contract Services Section negotiates, prepares, and manages agreements with Workforce Center operators, CCS, and other service providers. The Planning and Board Support Section has the responsibility for providing the Workforce Board with policy recommendations and support staff. It also prepares plans and conducts procurements.

The East Texas Workforce Development Area received a TEACH grant in the amount of $148,887 to administer a pilot project that increases retention of child care teachers by providing them educational opportunities and recognition. The grant period for the project is May 1, 2003 to April 30, 2004 by which time over one hundred (100) child care provider staff will have successfully completed their educational requirements and will be recognized at a special ceremony.

Through workforce projects, annual conferences for youth professionals are being held to bring together representatives from various youth organizations to work on solutions to common problems. Approximately 140 individuals were in attendance at the most recent conference with attendees being engaged as part of smaller workgroups, which have diligently pursued individual action plans. The Youth Development Workgroup implemented an after-school pilot program in Gilmer. The Youth Education Workgroup completed a youth designed brochure that encourages non-traditional students to pursue higher education. The Youth Life & Family Issues Workgroup is preparing a "Know Your Child Video" to help parents and concerned adults recognize when their children are in trouble. Grant funds have been secured for this project and work is ongoing. The Youth Employment/Business Involvement Workgroup is nearing completion of a Regional Business Directory.

For the coming year, the East Texas Workforce Development Board has focused on the need to align Workforce Development with the activities of Economic Development. A standing committee is being created for the task of coordinating workforce efforts with economic development interests to promote the goal of business retention, expansion and attraction.

These projects, along with the opportunities offered through the workforce centers, reflect ETCOG’s continued commitment to offer the best services possible for the employers and job seekers of our region.

East Texas Workforce Website