Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT committee
NOVEMBER 21, 2019
Subject
SUBJECT: METRO WORKFORCE INITIATIVE NOW - LOS ANGELES (WIN-LA)
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE the status report on Metro Workforce Initiative Now - Los Angeles (WIN-LA).
Issue
ISSUE
The transportation industry is experiencing a gap in the demand for and supply of skilled workforce, making succession planning and workforce development crucial for Metro to deliver Measure M programs over the next 40 years and beyond. Metro is focused on meeting the workforce challenges through various systematic approaches outlined in Metro’s Career Pathways (MCP), which include the transportation school, Workforce Initiative Now-Los Angeles (WIN-LA) along with the Project Labor Agreement/ Construction Careers Policy (PLA/CCP) and other initiatives. Furthermore, by harnessing Metro’s investments in transportation infrastructure the creation of high-quality jobs through regional workforce development can build the industry’s future labor force and improve equity outcomes for communities throughout Los Angeles County and the United States.
Background
BACKGROUND
Metro formally announced WIN-LA on July 28, 2017 at a pledge event that convened members of Metro’s Board of Directors, including members from the region’s workforce development and community college sectors, prime contractors and the small business community including labor representatives and others. The pledge event showed commitment to supporting WIN-LA and the regional collaboration to deliver an employer driven workforce development program to identify, assess, train and employ the future transportation workforce. The pledge event also commemorated the regional collaboration between Metro, the City of Los Angeles Workforce Development Board, the County of Los Angeles Workforce Development Board, including the five consortia regional Workforce Development Boards (WDB), by signing of a ceremonial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Through concerted efforts the regional partnership was formalized in February 2018 through execution of MOUs with the City of Los Angeles WDB and the County of Los Angeles WDB followed by Pacific Gateway WDB and South Bay Workforce Investment Board (WIB) in 2018. As an employer driven workforce development initiative delivered through a regional collaboration of partners, WIN-LA focuses on creating career pathways in the transportation infrastructure industry through the intentional outreach and inclusion of priority communities throughout LA County and beyond.
> Our Vision: Metro’s infrastructure revolution is the pathway to better lives and sustained communities.
> Our Mission: WIN-LA is Metro’s Commitment to attract, hire and grow a world-class transportation workforce from the communities of LA County.
> Our Core Objective: To help people obtain the education and training they need to get jobs at Metro and within the transportation industry.
Furthermore, the formalization of WIN-LA is also through integration with the MCP; incorporation in Metro’s Vision 2028 Strategic Plan within Goal 3; and alignment with Metro’s internal recruitment and hiring processes including pilot application on designated procurements and contracts.
Figure 1. Metro Career Pathways
Discussion
DISCUSSION
As Metro continues to lead the infrastructure, transportation and mobility transformation for the region, the need to build a responsive workforce is imperative. Concurrently, across the transportation industry, there is an aging workforce and generational shift impacting workforce capacity building and succession planning and an overall change in perceptions regarding skilled labor and workforce; hence, there is the potential for ongoing challenges and labor gaps in the years to come. As of September 2018, more than 40% of Metro’s workforce will be eligible for retirement over the next five years; 50% of Metro’s workforce will be eligible for retirement by 2024; and nearly 70% of employees are over the age of 40. Therefore, the shifts occurring nationally across the industry and those localized within Metro and other regional municipal transportation agencies further supports Metro’s mission to deliver an employer driven workforce development program such as WIN-LA.
Moreover, Metro’s Vision 2028 and the Program Management Plan inclusive of “Twenty-Eight by ‘28” Initiative outlines an aggressive infrastructure program that will deliver over twenty-eight highway and transit projects by 2028 and beyond. Consequently, the potential for an increased demand in skilled labor and a high-volume workforce for ongoing operations, maintenance and support services is likely, and the need to build the capacity and availability of the regional labor workforce is of utmost importance. This report provides a high-level update on the WIN-LA program framework and the phased implementation that commenced in summer 2018 through a soft-launch. This includes preparations for the program’s pilot implementation which leverages formalized commitments on Metro’s local funded procurements for the creation of high-quality jobs with private employers and supports industry-wide workforce capacity building.
I. WIN-LA Program Framework
Recognizing WIN-LA’s mission to “attract, hire and grow a world-class transportation workforce from the communities of Los Angeles County,” staff has developed a program framework as demonstrated in Figure 2 to identify and develop WIN-LA “job ready” participants for careers in the transportation and infrastructure industries. WIN-LA career pathways are comprised of construction, and non-construction opportunities in operations/maintenance including administration and professional services. The program framework engages regional partners and aligns resources to identify, assess and train historically underrepresented communities including community college students, women and others to gain access to transportation careers with focus on skilled, professional and hard-to-fill positions within Metro and the transportation industry.
Figure 2. WIN-LA Framework
The development, implementation and monitoring, and control of WIN-LA is spearheaded by staff within Diversity and Economic Opportunity (DEOD) unit of the Vendor/Contract Management Department. DEOD staff has led various activities and achieved momentous milestones for the phased implementation of WIN-LA with Phase I focused on internal Metro opportunities. Activities include:
• assessment of Metro and the industry’s hard-to-fill positions;
• analysis of workforce (e.g. hiring and retirement) projections;
• review of internal positions and career pathways;
• performance of strategic initiatives with focus on creating attainable career pathways for targeted populations;
• assessment of national workforce development and/or career development programs including best practices;
• commissioning of economic and workforce analysis leading to a comprehensive report of the demographics, economic conditions and characteristics of the LA County population and workforce;
• development of WIN-LA website and client management system/platform; and
• others.
In an effort to gain a greater understanding of the demographics, economic conditions and characteristics of LA County’s population and workforce, Metro staff commissioned the development of a comprehensive analysis and report. The report titled “Economic and Workforce Analysis for Workforce Initiative Now-Los Angeles (WIN-LA), Los Angeles Metro, (Report)” was developed by Madrid Consulting Group in February 2018. As outlined in the Report, demographic characteristics have a significant role in the growth and nature of the labor force and in-turn determine to a large extent the growth potential of the local economy and future employment. Additionally, demographic characteristics such as ages, occupations and educational characteristics of the local population are key indicators of the labor force’s capabilities. The Report highlights the following characteristics of LA County’s (LACO) population which supports WIN-LA’s mission for the intentional outreach and inclusion of priority communities:
> 24% of LACO residents (25 years or older) have not obtained a high-school diploma or equivalent
> 19% of LACO residents (25 years or older) have obtained some college
> 28% LACO residents (25 years or older) have Bachelor’s degree or higher
> 31% of veterans in LACO have a Bachelors’ Degree or higher
> Nearly 1 out of 6 (16%) young people in LACO are considered disconnected youth (defined as teenagers and young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor working) with South Los Angles having the highest concentration of disconnected youth
> LACO has more than 47,000 homeless individuals.
As also highlighted in the Report, the transportation industry is burdened by a legacy and demographics that have presented challenges to recruit the next generation of the workforce. The Report highlights the following industry demographics which further supports the intentional outreach and inclusion of women and community college students as part of the priority communities:
> The high level of gender parity in the transportation industry is a notable statistic;
> 55% of the workforce is 45 years and older; and 28% is 55 years and older; and
> 5.3% of workers in the transportation industry are 19-24 year of age.
Recognizing the demographic composition of the population and the industry including Metro’s focus to lead through an equity lens; and Vision 2028 Strategic Plan Goal 3 “enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity,” the agency’s responsiveness to the current and future composition of the labor force includes outreach to hard-to-reach populations and “priority communities” identified for WIN-LA as:
§ Individuals in economically disadvantaged areas (zip codes where median household annual income is <$40,000)
§ Homeless
§ Single custodian parents
§ Receiving public assistance
§ Lacking a high school diploma or GED
§ Criminal record or history with the criminal justice system
§ Veterans
§ Emancipated foster youth
§ Chronically unemployed
Including:
§ Community college students; and
§ Women.
Metro is an Equal Opportunity Employer thus WIN-LA is also accessible to anyone interested in a career in transportation industry.
II. WIN-LA Regional Collaboration
The success of WIN-LA’s integrated program framework and the desired measurable outcomes in support of economic uplift for priority communities relies upon the regional collaboration of partners and the aligned services of inter-agencies, service providers and community stakeholders. In recognition of desired measurable outcomes, Metro’s collaborative of partners comprised of regional WDBs; California Community Colleges LA/OC Regional Consortium; Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD); and Transportation Workforce Institute (TWI) supports the leverage of resources available through state, federal and local programs such as the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the Strong Workforce Program. Moreover, the collaborative includes the engagement of community-based partners, labor partners and others including private sector partners in support of delivering a strategic workforce development program that facilitates the intentional outreach and inclusion of priority communities and many others with the goal of helping them gain access to education, training and supportive services to become a part of the future job-ready workforce and talent pipeline for Metro and the transportation infrastructure industry. Following are the core principles of this first-ever regional collaborative:
* Cross section of public and private sector partners
* Shared values, goals and objectives
* Enhanced access to education and training
* Integrated and coordinated support services
* Innovative strategies for outreach, identification and inclusion.
A. Advisory Committee
In effort to further strengthen the regional collaborative and bolster WIN-LA’s goals and objectives, Metro staff convened a WIN-LA Advisory Committee in fall 2017. The advisory committee is comprised of leaders from community-based organizations such as The Weingart Center, Chrysalis, First Place for Youth and Alliance for Children’s Rights; partnering workforce development agencies, academia including Metro’s Faith Based Leaders Group and internal Metro partners such as Human Capital and Development (HC&D), Office of Civil Rights and others. The WIN-LA Advisory Committee serves to:
* Provide insight and expertise in the development and implementation of WIN-LA program, career pathways and collaborative services
* Inform best practices for workforce development and leveraging expertise of services providers with focus on priority communities
* Enhanced access to education and training
* Support in the identification of resources for regional impact.
B. Regional Career Service Centers
Leverage of the formal MOUs with the regional WDBs supported the selection of eleven (11) America Job Centers of California (AJCC) (formerly recognized as WorkSource Centers) to serve as WIN-LA Career Services Centers (CSC) to provide intake, assessment, case management including support services and career coaching for WIN-LA participants. A map outlining the CSC locations is provided as Attachment A. Individuals interested in pursuing a career in transportation may enroll in WIN-LA online at winla.metro.net and select a designated WIN-LA CSC. Participants enrolled in the program must successfully demonstrate the commitment to pursue a career through the program. The participants commitment is through the achievement of key milestones to demonstrated “job readiness” such as the completion of:
§ Career pathway planning
§ Transportation Workforce Readiness
§ Customer service training
§ Interview preparation, and
§ Other foundational, training and/or supportive service milestones as assigned by the career coach.
Recognizing WIN-LA provides job-ready participants the opportunity to compete for jobs with Metro and other employers in transportation infrastructure industry, there is no guarantee of employment; hence the program provides participants with exposure to industry topics, education, training and skills including access to regional services that serve as an added value to participants in pursuit of a high-quality job and career.
C. Transportation Workforce Readiness
In recognition of the need to build the future job-ready talent pipeline and regional labor force not only for Metro but the transportation infrastructure industry at-large, the program includes the intentional integration of education into WIN-LA’s framework. Moreover, in keeping to WIN-LA’s objective to help people obtain the education and training they need for high-quality jobs supported by career pathways, Metro, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Community College Consortium, LACCD and TWI developed a non-credit certificate program by leveraging the Community Colleges Strong Workforce Program. The Non-Credit Certification program titled Transportation Workforce Readiness (TWR) includes two courses: Transportation Career Preparation and Customer Service and Success on the Job. The new certification program is comprised of learning modules related to work readiness including a transportation industry overview, customer service, computer skills/technologies and other course offerings.
The non-credit certificate program serves as introduction for many WIN-LA program participants to post-secondary education, industry focused training and career development instruction. The Non-Credit TWR Certificate program has been approved by LACCD and is currently awaiting approval at the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. The formal approval of the certificate program will support the ongoing alignment of the region’s Strong Workforce Program to WIN-LA.
III. WIN-LA Implementation
The phased implementation of the program with initial focus on Metro internal career commenced with a soft-launch and will be followed by the pilot application on designated covered projects. This phased approach lends to the opportunity to assess the success of the program, identify opportunities for enhancement and gain insights from program participants and regional partners. Metro staff successfully hosted an inaugural cohort of program participants through the soft-launch in August 2018. The TWR course was delivered to WIN-LA’s inaugural cohort as part of the program soft-launch. The following chart summarizes milestone activities related to the soft-launch (Phase I) along with the participate count.
Table 1: Soft-Launch Summary Stats
|
Initial Outreach |
Inaugural Orientation |
Start of TWR |
Completion of TWR |
Deemed Job Ready |
|
249 |
128 |
94 |
80 |
71 |
|
July 26, 2018 |
August 3, 2018 |
August 6, 2018 |
August 9, 2018 |
August 24, 2018 |
As of September 2019, twenty-seven (27) individuals have gained employment which represents 33% of the inaugural cohort who completed TWR. Participants of the inaugural cohort have successfully gained employment within the operations/maintenance and construction career pathway in positions such as: Bus Operator, Custodian, Service Attendant and first period apprentice with Laborers Union working on Metro’s Regional Connector Transit Rail Project. The WIN-LA Fact Sheet which highlights the measurable outcomes for the program from inception to CYQ2 2019 is provided as Attachment B.
Through the coordinated efforts of Metro staff and the collaborative of partners, various initiatives were implemented to further strengthen the program in the areas of outreach and inclusion, career pathway introduction including post-employment support and training in promotion of retention and professional development. Three impactful programs that were established through the soft-launch consist of the implementation Metro’s Fair Chance Program, the Laborers’ Local 300 Pilot Boot Camp, and the WIN-LA Transit Professional Workshop.
a. Metro Fair Chance Program
Understanding that Metro is an Equal Opportunity Employer and WIN-LA is available to anyone in interested in a career in the transportation industry, the program also strives to outreach and engage members of priority communities throughout LA County and beyond. The agency’s responsiveness to fulfill this vision is further supported by the development of Metro’s Fair Chance Program implemented in January 2019 through the coordinated efforts of Metro’s DEOD and HC&D staff and the authorization of the Chief Executive Officer.
In response to the lessons learned and insights gained through WIN-LA’s soft-launch, Metro staff in consultation with County Counsel established the agency’s first-ever formal Fair Chance Program comprised of a comprehensive program and process that includes elements of an appeals process and a “Fair Chance Round Table” with representatives from HC&D, EEO and County Counsel. The Fair Chance Program has been established in compliance with Metro’s processes, policies and procedures including federal and state employer labor statutes.
b. Laborers’ Local 300 Pilot Boot Camp
The need to build a responsive workforce for Metro to deliver upon the commitments of Measure M and the “Twenty-Eight by ’28” Initiative for the coming years and beyond includes that of skilled and non-traditional labor force. Metro’s PLA/CCP and partnership with the LA/OC Building Trades provides a formal mechanism for building capacity within the construction career pathway. WIN-LA further complements the PLA/CCP by serving as another opportunity for Metro to outreach, engage and introduce men and women to careers in the construction pathway. In response to this complementary alignment of these workforce development programs, Metro staff collaborated with Laborers’ Local 300 to offer the chance for WIN-LA inaugural cohort to explore a career in construction. In April 2019, Laborers’ Local 300 hosted a construction orientation for select “job ready” WIN-LA participants followed by a boot camp. As a result, one WIN-LA participant gained employment on Metro’s Regional Connector Transit Project.
c. WIN-LA Transit Professional Workshop
Metro staff established the WIN-LA Transit Professional Workshop as a training course for program participants to enroll upon gaining employment. The course is an opportunity to provide post-employment supportive services in promotion of retention, ongoing training and career development. The training course delivered in partnership with Metro’s DEOD and Talent Development staff launched in June 2019. The course provides recently employed participants with tools and strategies for reflection and planning for their career pathway. Participants also engage in discussions with Metro’s senior leadership team, transportation leaders and others that serve as an introduction to the foundations and future of transportation industry.
Moreover, keeping to the vision to leverage the infrastructure transformation that Metro is leading as a pathway to better lives and sustained communities through linkages to high-quality jobs; and to build the labor force for Metro and the industry to deliver Measure M programs over the next 40 years and beyond, Metro will harness local investments in transportation infrastructure projects for the creation of high-quality jobs and improved equity outcomes for priority communities and others within Los Angeles County and throughout the United States. The Phase II implementation of WIN-LA is in recognition of the measurable impacts that transportation infrastructure has on local, state and national economies, thus the agency has established a formal process for the pilot application of WIN-LA on covered procurements funded through local investments. The desired results of the pilot application of WIN-LA on designated covered projects is the creation of high-quality jobs for program participants with Metro’s prime contractors serving as private employers.
The application of the pilot is defined through WIN-LA Program Procedures and enforced in accordance to Metro’s acquisition policy, processes and procedures. The following summarizes the standards for the pilot application of WIN-LA on designated Metro projects leading to a workforce commitment through goal setting on covered projects as part of Phase II implementation of WIN-LA:
• Covered procurements: procurements for the work of persons, firms and other entities that perform planning scheduling, design, environmental, geological, management or other work aligned to administration, operations, maintenance and/or professional services;
• Procurement approach: All Request for Proposal (RFP) for local funded covered projects with an independent cost estimate of $5 million and above for a 1 year or beyond term;
• Application: All covered projects excluding Architectural and Engineering (A&E) and other excluded projects as defined;
• Participation: contractor participation is mandatory and evaluated in accordance with criteria and associated weights;
• Evaluation Mechanism: all RFPs for covered projects require proposers to submit as part of its proposal a WIN-LA Career Plan evidencing how it will achieve the commitment for the creation of high-quality jobs for WIN-LA program participants for the term of the contract;
• Evaluation Criteria: proposers’ WIN-LA Career Plan will be evaluated based on the percent commitment of total project labor wages and benefits allocated for the creation of high-quality jobs for the employment of WIN-LA program participants; and the identification of job classifications, number of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions and the employment term; and WIN-LA plan elements (e.g. career development, work based training and/or post-employment support services)
• Evaluation Scoring: proposers’ WIN-LA Career Plan will be evaluated using weighted scoring (e.g. maximum 2% of the total 100%); and
• Other provisions.
The pilot application of WIN-LA on designated covered procurements including the enforcement elements were developed in consideration to other programs that leverage the agency’s investments in transportation infrastructure projects such as the United States Employment Plan (USEP) and the Local Employment Plan (LEP), the PLA/CCP including the Contractor Outreach Mentoring Plan (COMP). The pilot application of the program will allow Metro staff to gain lessons learned, assess the measurable impacts and implement the program within the agency’s authority through the application on local funded investments and ultimately pursue state and federal authorization in the future.
IV. Path Forward
Staff will continue to advance efforts for the implementation of WIN-LA through the phased approach which entails various activities and milestones to be achieved into next year and beyond such as:
§ Formalization of Phase I through establishing a process within Metro’s HC&D system for WIN-LA candidates apply for career opportunities with Metro;
§ Collaborate with regional collaborative of partners to formalize the delivery and roll-out of Transportation Workforce Readiness to ensure long-term impact
§ Implementation of Phase II by finalizing the WIN-LA Program Procedures for the pilot application on covered projects and contracts through workforce goal setting; and conform in Metro solicitations by Spring 2020;
§ Establish formal MOUs with the additional regional WDBs comprised of Southeast Los Angeles WDB and Verdugo WDB;
§ Advance a broad communications and outreach initiative in alignment to the phased implementation approach; and
§ Continue to assess the effectiveness of the program and the demonstrated measurable outcomes of the program with focus on expanding it in the future on Metro’s state and federal covered projects; and enlisting other transportation and municipal agencies into the regional collaborative.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The implementation of Workforce Initiative Now - Los Angeles (WIN-LA) aligns with strategic goal 3 - enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Staff will continue to advance efforts for the implementation of WIN-LA through the phased approach to achieve lasting impacts and measurable outcomes by harnessing Metro’s investments in transportation infrastructure for the creation of high-quality jobs that can build the industry’s future labor force and improve equity outcomes for communities throughout Los Angeles County and the United States.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - WIN-LA Career Service Center Regional Partner Map
Attachment B - WIN-LA Fact Sheet
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Shalonda Baldwin, Deputy Executive Officer, Project Management, Diversity and Economic Opportunity (213) 418-3265
Michael Flores, Manager, Diversity and Economic Opportunity, PLA/CCP and WIN-LA (213) 922-6387
Kyle Wagner, Principal, Diversity and Economic Opportunity Representative, WIN-LA (213) 418-3336
Miguel Cabral, Executive Officer, Diversity and Economic Opportunity (213) 418-3270
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Debra Avila, Chief Vendor/Contract Management Officer, Vendor/Contract Management, (213) 418-3051
