TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to execute all documents and any needed subsequent amendments with the City of Los Angeles to accept Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds totaling $1,075,000 to continue operations of the Harbor WorkSource Center for the term of July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015; and authorize City Manager or his designee to execute agreements and amendments with necessary WIA training provider vendors. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
Pacific Gateway operates the San Pedro-based Harbor WorkSource Center (Center) on behalf of the communities surrounding the L.A. Harbor under a contract with the City of Los Angeles. That Center functions similarly to other Pacific Gateway job centers by providing employment assistance to adults and dislocated workers, and by partnering with businesses to meet their workforce needs.
The contractual relationship with the City of Los Angeles and its Workforce Investment Board continues to bridge strategies, allowing the neighboring Long Beach and Los Angeles communities to better work together in tapping into regional employment opportunities, including those of the Harbor area and its twin ports.
In October of 2013, the City of Los Angeles issued a Request for Proposals to re-procure the WorkSource Centers under its Workforce Development System for the period beginning July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015, renewable for up to five years. The City of Long Beach, through Pacific Gateway, submitted a proposal focusing on an Integrated Service Delivery, a model first piloted at the Long Beach Career Transition Center. The proposal identified two industry clusters of focus - Healthcare and Logistics - that the Los Angeles Harbor region shares with the greater Long Beach area. Of the 25 proposals received, Pacific Gateway's proposal received the highest score.
The City of Los Angeles notified Pacific Gateway that it would receive $1,075,000 in Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds for continued baseline services to residents and services; however, the funding levels for each baseline service are not yet available.
One key strategy will be Pacific Gateway's use of the resources to provide vocational and skills development training to residents who are unemployed or under-employed. That training comes in the form of customized and on-the-job training developed and negotiated between the local business and Pacific Gateway, or can occur through more traditional classroom-based training. For the latter, the State maintains a master database of approved training institutions and programs through the California Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL). To ensure that local skill training investments lead to employment, clients accessing training services choose from the State-approved vendors on the ETPL, utilizing Pacific Gateway's labor market information, its industry partnerships, and one-on-one staff assistance in interpreting employment trends.
Based on actual client usage of the hundreds of local ETPL vendors, Pacific Gateway reimburses training providers for services at pre-determined rates ranging from $300 to $8,500 for vocational and skills development completion. Prior approvals from City Council authorized the City Manager or designee to execute required non-financial master Education Agreements with each training provider, as well as the required purchasing documents to reimburse the ETPL training providers - consistent with federal WIA regulations, and with the State's ETPL Policy and Guidance. Continued approval for these actions is requested.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Gary Anderson and by Budget Management Officer Victoria Bell on May 2, 2014.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on May 20, 2014, in order to facilitate processing of required documents.
FISCAL IMPACT
The WIA funding is currently budgeted in the Community Development Grants Fund (SR 150) in the Department of Human Resources (HR). An in-kind match commitment of $600,000 will be met by existing training program services budgeted in the SR 150 in HR. Approval of this recommendation will result in employment preparation, placement, and retention services to several thousand residents.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
DEBORAH R. MILLS
DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
APPROVED:
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER