Kansas Workforce Partnership

The Workforce Investment Board is responsible for shaping the workforce development system in the three counties in our service area. The term "workforce development system" refers to the broad range of services and activities that help develop a skilled workforce, help to ensure that employers are able to find qualified employees to meet their needs, and help job seekers and employees acquire the skills and resources necessary to obtain and maintain sustainable employment.

One-Stop Centers
The centerpiece of the workforce development system is the one-stop center. Under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), each local board is responsible for the selection and oversight of one or more one-stop operators to carry out the day-to-day operations of these centers. The Workforce Partnership Board has selected the Kansas Department of Commerce to be the one-stop operator for our three-county area.

The one-stop operator delivers its services through a network of one-stop career centers. In our area, these centers are called "Workforce Centers." These Workforce Centers are intended to be the primary access points to the workforce development system. Their locations are listed below.

Kansas City Workforce Center 552 State Avenue Kansas City, KS 66101 (913) 281-3000 FAX (913) 281-0069	Leavenworth Workforce Center 515 Limit Street, Suite 200 Leavenworth, KS 66048 (913) 682-4152 FAX (913) 682-1804
Overland Park Workforce Center 8417 Santa Fe Drive, Suite 100 Overland Park, KS 66212 (913) 642-8484 FAX (913) 642-7260

Under WIA, the services of a number of "mandatory partners" must be made available through the one-stop centers. Mandatory partners become part of the one-stop delivery system through a number of different means, including co-location, shared offices, joint appointment scheduling, and electronic linkages. Below is a list of one-stop partners mandated by WIA, with the organization or organizations that fulfill each role in our local area.

Program/Activity	Partner
Adult, Youth, and Dislocated Worker services under WIA	Kansas Department of Commerce
Employment services under Wagner-Peyser Act	Kansas Department of Commerce
Adult education and literacy activities	... Johnson County Community College ... Kansas City Kansas Community College ... University of Saint Mary
Vocational Rehabilitation programs	Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, Kansas Rehabilitation Services
Title V of Older Americans Act	SER Corporation
Carl Perkins Act vocational education activities	... Kansas City Kansas Area Technical School
Trade Adjustment Act programs	Kansas Department of Commerce
Veterans employment and training programs	Kansas Department of Commerce
Employment activities carried out under the Community Services Black Grant program	... Economic Opportunity Foundation ... Harvest America Corporation
Employment and Training Activities carried out under U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding	United Way of Wyandotte County
State unemployment compensation programs	Kansas Department of Labor

Training Providers
The one-stop operator and its one-stop partners combined make up the one-stop delivery system. However, the workforce development system extends beyond the one-stops. An important element of that larger system is the network of training providers who help individuals acquire job skills that they need to obtain and maintain employment. The Workforce Partnership board approves programs and providers that provide training in marketable skills, and that are able to demonstrate satisfactory completion and employment rates. This approval makes the program eligible to receive WIA-funded vouchers that individuals can use to receive training.

Eligible training providers include community colleges, proprietary schools, vocational schools, and nonprofit programs. Employers and labor organizations also conduct skills training for their employees or members. They are important training providers that make valuable contributions to the workforce development system, although they generally cannot be eligible training providers under the Workforce Investment Act.

Other Partners
A wide range of public and private sector entities are involved directly or indirectly in the system in roles that are less formal than one-stop partners or eligible training providers. Many non-profit organizations provide employment-related services-job coaching, job development, soft skills training, case management, among many other activities-on behalf of their customers. Labor unions are an important part of the system, as are the businesses that employ and often train the workforce. Temporary staffing and placement firms also play an important role in helping individuals gain employment, develop experience, and even upgrade their skills. Finally, educational institutions at all levels are important pieces of the system. The Workforce Partnership works with all these types of organizations to ensure that the area's workers have the skills that will allow them and their employers to succeed.