Professional Development Opportunities


Youth development is a growing and dynamic field. Whether you need to know about the latest in youth development or how to implement Workforce Investment Act (WIA) youth programs, you can upgrade your skills and keep up-to-date with LearningWork Connection professional development services.

Online and print Focused Futures toolkits and workshops provide practical, research-based and evidence-driven modules that connect youth development, program delivery, and WIA performance. Our expert staff also can provide you with a single statistic or reams of research in answer to your questions.
We also develop and facilitate workshops for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Scheduled workshops will be posted here along with registration information.

Online Toolkits

Workshops are great ways to develop professional skills, but sometimes it’s difficult to take the time away from work. That’s why LearningWork Connection is introducing interactive, online training. Our online training takes place according to your schedule and provides practical ideas that you can use right away.

LearningWork Connection now offers three of our Focused Futures toolkits on program design, writing requests for proposals (RFPs) and contracting as interactive online training. The training was developed in conjunction with Social Policy Research Associates (SPRA) and funded by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Focused Futures Online Training

Webinars

LearningWork Connection is hosted several webinars to provide information and clarity on a variety of workforce development topics geared toward those professionals who work with the Workforce Investment Act youth program.

Eligibility for WIA Youth Programs

Presenter: Rick Herman, SCOTI WIA Manager, Ohio Department of Job & Family Services, Office of Workforce Development

This Webinar will cover common issues around eligibility including income verification and other determination activities such as general requirements and documentation of barriers.

*Due to technical difficulties, we are not able to post the Eligibility webinar; however, you can download the PowerPoint presentation.
LWC Eligibility Webinar Presentation

Literacy and Numeracy

Presenter: Robert J. Haas, WIA Performance Manager, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Office of Workforce Development

This webinar will provide further clarification on some of the questions local areas have or struggle with in regards to the literacy and numeracy measure. Topics will include which youth are included in the measure and understanding SCOTI documentation.

Literacy and Numeracy Webinar (1 Hour, 17 Minutes)

Understanding and Using Test Results

Presenter: Diana Jackson, Director, LearningWork Connection

All WIA youth must take an assessment of their academic skills as part of the objective assessment. This webinar will review the types of scores reported by tests of academic skills and how and when to use different types of scores for planning youth participation and for program evaluation.

Understanding and Using Test Results Webinar (55 Minutes)

Mapping Your WIA Youth System

Presenter: Diana Jackson, Director, LearningWork Connection

WIA requires that local areas provide comprehensive youth development services through the 10 youth program elements. In order to create a coordinated system, all stakeholders must be able to collaborate so that youth receive the services they need. This webinar will focus on mapping your local system so that all parties know what and were services are provided and what level of collaboration is needed to build a successful system.

Mapping Your WIA Youth System Webinar (57 Minutes)

Balancing Risk in WIA Youth Systems

Presenter: Diana Jackson, Director, LearningWork Connection

A well-designed WIA youth system is like a high-performing investment portfolio: both make investments across various programs to balance risk and assure performance. The webinar will discuss ways of balancing risk in programming so that hard-to-serve populations can be served without putting performance at risk.

Balancing Risk in WIA Youth Systems Webinar (1 Hour, 30 Minutes)

Workshops

LearningWork Connection offers several workshops throughout the year to help workforce development professionals effectively serve Ohio’s youth.

Collaboration Training for WIA Youth Contacts, One-Stop Centers and Job Corps

With diminishing resources and increasing number of at-risk youth who need services, collaboration will be essential to meeting the employment and training needs of Ohio’s youth. Many programs offer similar services to similar populations of youth. Working together, programs can maximize resources while ensuring a successful transition to adulthood for the youth they serve.
This workshop, designed specifically for local WIA youth contacts, One-Stop Center personnel and Job Corps representatives, provided:

  • A crosswalk of where these three programs connect in the services they provide, the populations of youth they serve, and the performance they must meet;
  • Strategies for effective collaboration and partnership building including co-enrollment and referrals; and
  • Tactics for raising awareness and cross-promotion of the programs.

Designing Effective Programs

Successful WIA youth programming connects principles and practices of positive youth development, the 10 required program elements, and WIA youth common measures. This workshop provided information and tools to help local youth councils, WIA administrators and service providers systematically design youth programs that:

  • Meet the developmental needs of youth;
  • Provide all program elements required by WIA; and
  • Put local workforce investment areas on track form meeting WIA common measures.

Designing effective programs included a crosswalk of WIA program elements, evidence-based youth development principles and practices, and the common measures where these principles are most likely to have a positive impact. It also included practical tools for service providers to design programs that keep youth development and WIA performance at the forefront, and tools to help administrators map the big picture of their total youth program.

Developing Requests for Proposals and Writing Contracts

Good youth development leads to positive youth outcomes and system and program performance. When youth programs are designed in keeping with effective principles and practices of youth development, performance follows, because good youth development helps young people succeed. A procurement process that integrates the principles of positive youth development and outlines specific desired program outcomes is likely to result in positive WIA performance.
This workshop provided information, examples, and tools to help local youth councils (YCs) and workforce investment boards (WIBs) navigate the procurement process by:

  • Understanding the procurement process;
  • Creating requests for proposals (RFPs) with an eye on performance; and
  • Selecting programs that reflect evidence-based youth development principles and practices.

This workshop connected the RFP to local area long-term goals, helped youth councils and administrative entities write RFPs that solicit the best possible youth programs, and evaluated proposals to identify and select effective youth programs. It then provided tools for writing contracts that provide flexibility not only for programs to meet identified outcomes, but also for local areas to actively manage contracts

Elements of a WIA Youth Program

The Workforce Investment Act requires local workforce investment areas to recognize the full spectrum of youth needs and to make available programs and services to help meet these needs. This workshop provided information and tools on each of the 10 required youth program elements to help local youth councils, administrators, and service providers:

  • Understand the connection between WIA and youth development;
  • Meet the requirements of federal and state legislation, regulation, and policy; and
  • Understand the roles of the youth council, the administrative entity, and the service provider in delivering youth services.

Elements of a WIA Youth Program included a complete discussion of each program element and practical tools to help youth councils, administrators, and service providers fulfill their roles within the WIA youth system.

Objective Assessment/ISS

An objective assessment of all WIA youth participants is required by the Workforce Investment Act and is a key framework activity that guides the services a youth receives.
This workshop provided information and tools on:

  • Components of the objective assessment;
  • Strategies for collecting required information;
  • Appropriate assessments; and
  • How to use an objective assessment as the basis for the Individual Service Strategy (ISS).

Pre-enrollment Process

Successful WIA youth programs:

  • Make pre-enrollment activities available to all youth in the community;
  • Identify at-risk youth for whom the WIA program is suitable; and
  • Refer other youth to other programs and services.

This workshop provided information and tools on pre-enrollment activities to help local youth councils, administrators and service providers provide effective pre-enrollment activities to all youth as appropriate, including recruitment, intake, initial assessment, eligibility determination, and referral.

Shared Youth Vision

In Ohio, 145,000 youth are disconnected from school and employment and have no degree beyond a high school diploma or GED. Ohio’s Shared Youth Vision (SYV) is part of a national youth framework to invest in programs that help at-risk youth make a successful transition to adulthood. The SYV uses a cross-agency approach to streamlining employment and training programs and services for youth.
This workshop provided an overview of the SYV, its four components, and strategies for how local programs can implement the SYV.