To:  All WIA Title I-B Adult and Dislocated Worker Program Subrecipients

Subject:  Qualifying Demand Occupations

Effective Date:  September 26, 2002

A.  BACKGROUND

The Snohomish County Workforce Development Council is statutorily required to create and maintain a list of demand and decline occupations for Snohomish County in collaboration with Washington State Employment Security Department and its Labor Market Information Division. This list, which is to be updated at least annually, must be used in the process of approving or disapproving training requests and payments for the following:

• Office of Administrative Hearings
• Unemployment Insurance Funded Training Benefits
• Unemployment Insurance Commissioner Approved for Training
• WorkFirst Funded Training
• Workforce Investment Act Title I-B Funded Training

The intent of the Snohomish County Workforce Development Council as articulated in its Strategic and Operations Plans is that Workforce Investment Act Title I-B training funds be invested in training that will lead to secure employment, wage progression, job retention, and self-sufficiency for training participants.

This memorandum supercedes Memorandum #01-09 based on changes made at the state level to the Snohomish County Qualifying Demand Occupations List on September 10, 2002. Please note that this policy does note superceded Memorandum #01-09 until September 26, 2002 which is the date on which the revised list was made publicly available.

B. GENERAL POLICY

To fulfill this statutory requirement, the Snohomish County Workforce Development Council has authorized its Executive Committee to review the list of occupations in demand, in decline, and those classified as "all other" as well as any other information provided by Washington State Employment Security Department for acceptance and/or modification. The Executive Committee has, in turn, authorized the Council staff to make modification to the designation of a specific occupation or occupations in response to a local industry event and to notify the Committee of such modification. The Executive Committee will inform the WDC in a consent agenda item any time it makes a change to the designation of an occupation on the list.

For the purpose of this policy, those classified as "all other" shall be defined as any occupation without a demand or decline designation. [Such occupations may have no designation or be listed as "All Others" on the list.]

It is and always has been the p

olicy of the Snohomish County Workforce Development Council to support job seeker and employer empowerment through informed choice, including choice of training programs to the maximum extent possible.

To that end, the Council designates the approval of any and all training developed through its Employer-Driver/formerly Customized Training procurement process regardless of designation of the position or positions for which such training is being provided as in demand, in decline, or those classified as "all other" based on either employer or partner commitment to hire/place 100% of successful training completers.

The Council also designates the approval of any and all training plans which meet the requirements of Policy Memorandum #01-07, On-the-Job Training, regardless of designation of the position as in demand, in decline, or those classified as "all other" based on the fact that such training is provided only in instances where the employer hires the trainee at the commencement of her/his training.

Additionally, the Council designates the approval of any and all training plans which meet the requirements of Policy Memorandum #01-08, Classroom Training, for positions designated as in demand in the Snohomish County Workforce Development Area.

The policy and the list will be posted on the WDC's website at www.wdcsc.org.

C. EXCEPTION POLICY

The Snohomish County Workforce Development Council recognizes that the local labor market is extremely dynamic and that such a list cannot consistently and accurately address the just-in-time needs of employers and job seekers in a mutually advantageous manner. Further, the WDC wishes to expedite the process of matching employers and job seekers to the maximum extent possible. It has therefore established an exception policy that a WorkSource Site Operator may approve classroom training plans for occupations which are designated as in decline or classified as "all other" as well as for occupations not included on the list but meet all requirements of Policy Memorandum #01-08, Classroom Training when one of the following conditions is met:

• the training program is listed on the statewide ELIGIBLE TRAINING PROVIDER LIST;
• the training program has a high placement rate for successful completers as documented through the CONSUMER REPORT SYSTEM or supplemental data provided by the institution;
• the job seeker has a letter of intent to employ upon completion of the training program.
• a community audit, sectoral analysis, skills gap analysis, or other analysis conducted by the WDC, any Puget Sound Region Economic Development Council, any Puget Sound Region Chamber of Commerce, or any Puget Sound Region two or four year postsecondary educational institution demonstrates that the occupation is in demand,
• the job seeker is willing to relocate or commute to another WDA following the completion of training where the occupation is in demand as documented on her/his INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYMENT PLAN.

Additional exceptions will be granted by the WDC's President or her/his designee on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration input from WorkSource staff experienced in unemployment insurance, extended benefits, Commissioner Approved Training, claimant placement, and/or workforce development training and placement.