DIRECTIVE	:	TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION NOTICE NO. 27-93
TO	:	ALL STATE JTPA LIAISONS ALL STATE WORKER ADJUSTMENT LIAISONS
FROM	:	BARBARA ANN FARMER Administrator for Regional Management
SUBJECT	:	Planning Guidance for Job Training Partnership Act Title III State Plans for Program Years (PYs) l994/l995

1. Purpose. To transmit proposed Planning Instructions to assist States in preparing Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Title III State Plans for Program Year (PY) 1994, which begins July 1, 1994, and PY 1995, which begins July 1, 1995.

2. References.

   1. Job Training Partnership Act, as amended.

   2. Interim Final JTPA Regulations, 20 CFR Part 631, published in the Federal Register on December 29, 1992.

   3. Training and Employment Information Notice No. 22-93, dated November 15, 1993.

3. Title III Planning Process for PY 1994 and PY 1995. Pursuant to 20 CFR 631.36 and 631.40, this document provides draft instructions to the States for the submission of the JTPA Title III State Plans. The attached proposed Planning Instructions for Title III State Plans have been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. States are encouraged to begin planning for PY 1994/1995, as described in Training and Employment Information Notice (TEIN) No. 22-93, using these proposed planning instructions as a guide.

   The Department invites comments on the proposed planning instructions during the 30-day period following the date of this TEIN. The comments will be shared with OMB, and considered in the preparation of the final planning instructions. The States will be provided with final planning instructions once they have been approved by OMB.

   The State planning instructions, including guidance regarding how States can demonstrate compliance with the Act and with the specific requirements at Section 311(b), are not in final form because the planning process is designed to include the opportunity for participation by all appropriate Federal, State and local partners. The Department will be providing additional guidance, technical assistance, and planning tools to facilitate an effective planning process.

   As States are aware, the Department is developing a comprehensive workforce development strategy, incorporating several new initiatives, for ensuring that American workers who face job loss or a career change get the information, assistance, retraining and skill development support they need to succeed on the job in a changing world economy. These initiatives have potentially significant implications for dislocated worker programs, and could have a significant impact on the way States decide to use their Title III grant resources in PY 1994 and PY 1995.

   Title III planning activities for PYs 1994/1995 are expected to focus on expanding and improving the quality of services to and outcomes for dislocated workers and employers. These activities can be described as follows:

   CUSTOMER FOCUS: Establish a strong capability to identify and meet the needs of the customer;

   EXPAND CUSTOMER OPTIONS: Increase the availability of quality services and the number of qualified providers of such services;

   QUALITY OUTCOMES: Focus on the attainment of quality-based outcomes;

   IMPROVE DATA: Improve the scope, quality and accessibility of data on labor market conditions and providers of services;

   INCREASE SYSTEM CAPACITY: Expand the capacity of the delivery system to serve more workers and improve its capability to provide high quality services to individual workers;

   IMPROVE EARLY INTERVENTION: Increase the timeliness of outreach and intake activities in relation to dislocation events.

   Each State plan must indicate how the State will meet the new goals of program quality and increased capacity.

   State planning should also consider the implementation of UI worker profiling (P. L. 103-152) in States during PY 1994 and PY 1995. Under worker profiling, UI claimants who are identified as dislocated workers will be required to participate in reemployment services through a service system designated by the Governor. Specific guidance on implementing worker profiling will be forthcoming.

4. Substate Planning. Each State should work with the substate grantees to develop an appropriate substate

   planning process that will allow development of a substate plan that meets the requirements of Section 313(b) and §631.50. The Department will work with single substate area States to develop appropriate planning instructions and guidance for the preparation and submission of substate plans for those States. This process will be communicated directly to the appropriate States.

5. Program Implementation and TAT Plan. In support of State efforts to improve program quality and capacity, the Department will make available a limited amount of TAT funds to support special TAT projects designed by and for the States to be completed by the end of PY 1994. These projects must address one or more of the program emphases contained in section III of the proposed Planning Instructions, and must be in addition to ongoing State TAT activities and responsibilities. Procedures for applying for these funds will be described in a forthcoming TEIN. Within the planning document, States are to describe their ongoing TAT activities.

6. Plan Submission<. The plans are to be submitted to the Department on or before May 1, 1994. State Title III Plans should be sent to: James D. Van Erden, Administrator, ATTN: Title III Plans, Office of Work-Based Learning, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N4649, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D. C. 20210. Each state should also submit a copy of the plan to the appropriate DOL Regional office.

7. Action. The Department invites the States to share the proposed Planning Instructions with all appropriate parties, including the Dislocated Worker Unit, State Job Training Coordinating Council or State Human Resource

   Investment Council, and Substate Grantees. The States are encouraged to meet with their Substate Grantees to review the substate planning guidelines as they are formulated.

8. Inquiries and Comments. Comments on the proposed State Plan guidelines during the 30-day comment period described above should be directed to the appropriate Regional Administrator. Other inquiries on Title III planning should be directed to the Office of Worker Retraining and Adjustment Programs at 202-219-5577.

9. Attachments.
   
   

   1. Draft Planning Instructions for Job Training Partnership Act Title III State Plans for Program Years (PY) 1994/1995

   2. Possible Formats for Information for Selected Sections of the Planning Instructions