To provide guidance to the states regarding the content of the WIA Annual Report narrative; including strategies for serving veterans (as referenced in section 4, part E), and the procedures for submission of the report to the Employment and Training Administration (ETA). The Annual Report is due on Monday, October 1, 2012.

To (a) share with the workforce system a joint memorandum by the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture, the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Assistant Secretary of the Army, and the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality to agency leadership recommending they encourage their respective field staff build on or create new partnerships to employ young Americans this summer, and (b) provide the workforce system with information on partnering with public land management agencies and conservation corps to create or expand summer employment opportunities for Workforce Investment Act (WIA) youth and young adults on public lands.

To notify State Workforce Agencies of the availability of Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 funds for activities that support the integrity of the UI program for the prevention, detection, and recovery of improper UI benefit payments; improve state performance; address outdated Information Technology (IT) system infrastructures necessary to improve UI program integrity; and enable states to expand or implement Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) programs.

To encourage workforce investment system leaders to develop and enhance partnerships and resource-leveraging efforts with Registered Apprenticeship programs in order to increase job seekers’ access to career pathways utilizing Registered Apprenticeship. Although state and local workforce system budgets continue to be constrained and high growth employment opportunities are very scarce in this economy, partnering with Registered Apprenticeship is a proven way to improve placements for job seekers looking for a sustainable career, as well as to engage with employers in communities seeking to improve the skills of their workforce.

To inform and to remind the workforce investment system of the performance reporting requirements and associated timelines for submitting the reports for the following programs/activities:

• quarterly and annual reports and data validation results for the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) title IB programs and National Emergency Grants (NEGs);
• quarterly reports and data validation results for the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service;
• activities authorized under chapter 41 of title 38 United States Code (Local Veterans’ Employment Representative and Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Programs);
• the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program,
• the Indian and Native American Program (INAP); and
• the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP).

To provide information on the availability of a UI SIDES Messaging and Communications Toolkit (Toolkit) containing products and tools designed for use by state UI agencies to communicate with employers and third-party administrators (TPAs) about the offerings and benefits of SIDES and SIDES E-Response.

To provide the public workforce system with an overview of VRAP, the role of the system in implementing the program, and inform the system that additional information will be made available as procedures and protocols for implementing the program are finalized.

To announce the release and availability of ETA Occasional Paper – Green Jobs and Health Care Implementation Study: Interim Report.

To announce the release and availability of three ETA reports: Impact of the Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) Initiative; Department of Labor Report to Congress on FY 2009 Appropriation for Reemployment and Eligibility Assessments; and Impact of the Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) Initiative in Nevada.

To provide policy and program guidance for the development, management, and delivery of Labor Market Information and Workforce Information (LMI-WI) core and special information services to state and local workforce investment boards (WIBs), One-Stop Career Centers, businesses, other employers, and the job-seeking public.