1. Briane Cornish-Knight1
IMPEMENTATION OF THE WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY
ACT
Written testimony presented by Briane Cornish-Knight-DC
resident; ward 1 Submitted Jan. 21st, 2016
INTRODUCTION
I write to express my excitement that the District of Columbia intends to make use of WIOA
federal funds. Given our lack of significant industries (apart from federal contracting), the need
for workforce development in D.C. has and continues to be great. It is extremely exciting for
there to now be sufficient political will to utilize WIOA funds to impact those who have
experience decades of barriers to employment. Below, are some recommendations on how the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act can have the greatest impact on D.C. residents.
To summarize, WIOA funds can have the greatest impact on DC residents by 1) focusing on
improving the rate of job placement and follow-up of support services specifically for
populations that are hardest to place (i.e. those with criminal records, disabilities, no prior work
experience and/or currently homeless), 2) servicing young adults through a mix of job
placement, apprenticeship placement and entrepreneurship education and 3) the District could
strategically combine WIOA funds with HUD funded housing programs to directly support those
with criminal records who are entering the workforce after previously residing in foster care or a
homeless shelter.
Research suggests that under-served and disconnected youth/young adults residing in shelters or
foster care are most likely to end up in the criminal justice system due to economic needs and
lack of opportunity. Other jurisdictions have strategically used WIOA funds and HUD
resources to create a cross-system collaboration between housing providers and the public
workforce system. Case in point: HUD recently announced a pilot program, the Jobs Plus pilot
program, that would test pairing housing vouchers specifically for youth aging out of foster
care. The Jobs Plus pilot program is a place-based strategy that attempts to promote peer-to-
peer information sharing about work opportunities, employment services, and elimination of
financial disincentives within housing developments. As a result of this collaboration between
workforce and housing agencies, a former foster care participant is able to maintain their
housing and employment without worrying about their increasing income impacting or
threatening their current subsidized/discounted housing. Upon completion in this five year
program, the participant is will have increased their income, paid more in rent, and gained some
type of employment (in contrast to having to move into a shelter). Other examples of strategic
uses of HUD and WIOA services include co-location of homeless and workforce services and
the use of employment navigators. All of these examples increase the likelihood that households
experiencing homelessness will receive appropriate housing and workforce services.
DC’S CURRENT METRICS FOR JOB PLACEMENT ARE INADEQUATE
Currently, job placement organizations use reported income to the IRS or social security as a
metric of success. This is an inadequate metric in that there is no way to know that the person
is employed in a position that they were trained in/for. Moreover, there is no way to know
WIOA
FUNDS
SHOULD
BE
USED
IN
COLL
OABRATION
WITH
HUD/DCHA
SERVICES
TO
STRATEGICALL
Y
ADDRESS
THE
OBSTACLES
FOSTER
YOUTH
AND
HOMELESS
INDIVIDUALS
FACE
IN
MAINTAINING
STABLE
HOUSING
AS
THEY
PARTAKE
IN
A
CAREER
PATHWAY

2. Briane Cornish-Knight2
whether that income is through a subsidized or temporary form of employment. The DC
council should convene grant makers, specifically those with backgrounds in evaluative
research methods, and experts in community engagement in order to devise a better system of
determining whether a participant in a job training program has successfully found
employment.
There are countless young adults in DC (especially young people with criminal records) who
have successfully completed several training and certifications programs. Yet the majority of
them are either underemployed, in a temporary subsidized program, unemployed, or have
employment that is not the higher-paying job they receive training for. Thus, the first priority,
in administering WIOA funds, should be to identify how to connect previously trained young
adults to longer-term and higher-paying employment. Granted, this may include a need for a
”refresher training” or at least the ability of those who are trained to be able to some how
showcase that they can implement the training they’ve acquired. Nevertheless, the DC local
WIOA board must address the pattern of over-trained young adults who are
under/unemployed residents in D.C.
Relatedly, the DC council should fund new training opportunities only if there is a connected
pathway to employment (with the exception of training programs that are connected to a
entrepreneurship program). Currently in D.C., as suggested above, there are many training
programs that, even a person excels within the training, will not lead to a job offer. Thus, it is
extremely important that WIOA local boards convene employers and get a commitment to hire
a individual, provided that a young adult receives and successfully completes the requisite
training.
A carve-out should be made to allow for WIOA beneficiaries to start their own enterprises if they
are not successfully hired after the completion of their training program. While WIOA funds
cannot directly fund entrepreneurship, an individual who wants to start their own enterprise
should not be considered ineligible or treated any differently when it comes to participation in
WIOA funded programs.
The fact that young adults above the age of 24 are not eligible for WIOA funds is a huge missed
opportunity. Significant neuroscience research supports the need to support young adults who are
still in development up until their late 20s. Thus, the DC Council should look into asking for a
waiver from the federal government in order to provide important youth services to those
between the ages of 24-29.
DC can also elect to have up to 25% of its funds for youth services support in school youth. DC
should elect to take this waiver specifically to allow for such funds to support homeless youth,
foster care youth, and justice- involved youth, who are still enrolled in “last chance” schools.
Many students who are expelled from charter schools are sent to “last chance” schools like
Anacostia high school.
REQUEST
WAIVERS
FOR
YOUTH
ELIGIBILITY
AND/OR
FOCUS
ON
MOST
UNDERSERVED
POPULATIONS
YOUNG
ADULT
POPULATION
IN
DC
WIOA
SHOULD
ALLOW
FOR
AND
SUPPORT
GRADUATES,
WHO
COMPLETE
APPRENTICESHIP
PROGRAMS,
TO
START
THEIR
OWN
ENTERPRISES
WIOA
FUNDS
MUST
ADDRESS
THE
FACT
THAT
THERE
ARE
MANY
LOW-­‐
INCOME
YOUNG
ADULTS
IN
D.C.
WHO
ARE
OVER-­‐
TRAINED
&
STILL
UNDER/UNEMPLOYED

3. Briane Cornish-Knight3
WIOA allows for many support services for youth including training on entrepreneurial skills.
Entrepreneurial skills should be offered for youth as an additional and essential (ideally required)
component of apprenticeship programs. Attaching entrepreneurial skills to apprenticeship
programs allows for a young person to watch how one implements and utilizes their
entrepreneurial skills to run a business day-to-day.
ENTREPRENUERSL
SKILLS
TRAINING
FOR
YOUTH
SHOULD
BE
COMBINED
WITH
APPRENTICESHIP
PROGRAMS
TO
BE
MOST
EFFECTIVE