Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic which started in 2020, employment levels dropped dramatically in Contra Costa County, resulting in many County residents being unemployed. A number of residents faced tremendous economic hardships, such as business closures and the shelter-in-place ordinance enforced beginning on March 13, 2020. The State, in partnership with local workforce development areas, applied for California’s share of the U. S. Department of Labor (DOL) funds offered through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In FY 19/20, the WDB of Contra Costa County received $540,000 in NDWG funding to assist dislocated workers with employment services, training, work-based learning and supportive services intended to prepare them for new employment opportunities as rapidly as possible. This funding allowed WDB to assist with closing some of the service gaps surrounding employment recovery during this unprecedented Coronavirus Pandemic.
On April 21, 2022, the WDB of Contra Costa County received a notification from the state that additional grant funding in the amount of $234,587.17 is available from the California Department of Labor NDWG program to the County, increasing the award from $540,000 to a new total of $774,587.17. The additional grant funding will support the administrative cost at WDB and the continued provision of employment and training to workers impacted by job loss and layoffs from the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Public Law 113-128 mandates the provision of training services to eligible adults, dislocated workers, and youth. An Individual Training Account (ITA) for job training is a training service for participants enrolled in the Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth programs, as well as for participants in other special extraneous grants. Eligible participants are enrolled into WIOA and/or special extraneous grants, assessed for training needs, and placed in occupational training with approved schools and vendors.
On-the-Job Training (OJT) is an allowable and fundable activity under Federal WIOA guidelines. Program participants are eligible for, and enrolled in, the WIOA program and are hired as regular full-time employees by local employers, and trained for the positions in which they are placed. Employers are responsible for payroll, associated taxes, and worker's compensation for each OJT program participant, as outlined in a Master Worksite Agreement. Reimbursement invoices/demands are submitted for each client employed through the OJT Program. Invoices are reviewed by Workforce Development Board staff for accuracy and submitted to the Employment and Human Services Fiscal Unit for payment.
Without approval, participants in WIOA and/or special extraneous grant programs will not have access to classroom instruction and job training that lead to self-sufficiency, which would adversely impact these participants. Local businesses will have fewer qualified candidates for positions, and the local Workforce Development Board will be out of compliance with WIOA Section 134, by not meeting expenditure requirements.