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Minutes

Kansas Workforce Investment Partnership Council
Quality Task Force
April 12, 2001

In attendance: Paul Osborn, Regents; Al Rolls, Local Area III; Candace Shively, SRS; Betty Stevens, Local Area II; Linda Weaver, KDHR; Barb Reavis, KWIP staff

Self-introductions were offered. Meeting notes from March 8 were reviewed. A question arose about whether KWIP members receive copies of Task Force minutes. Reavis will make them available to members in the future.

Osborn reported KWIP adopted the three recommendations from this Task Force which included using Kansas Award for Excellence (KAE) as a tool for Local Board continuous improvement, helping fund up to two people from each Local Area to participate as KAE examiners, and searching for ways to provide technical assistance to Local Areas.

Members speculated about whether Local Areas understood the benefits of applying for KAE. Reavis will ask KAE to present to Local Area boards, remind Local Area Administrators that the KAE examiner application is due May 1. Reavis will communicate with KWIP Chair Ken Bell about KWIP members or staff as examiners and asking KAE to present to KWIP.

Reavis walked through excerpts from Executive Order 99-6, the KWIP Vision and Mission, pointing out portions that need to be considered while defining the Charge to this Task Force. Those included "development and continuous improvement of a seamless, collaborative, universally accessible 'statewide workforce investment system,' development of linkages to assure coordination and non-duplication of employment and training services, development and continuous improvement of comprehensive State performance measures, create and implement the finest workforce development system in the country, to drive economic development in the state by helping to produce: lifelong learners; highly skilled and productive workforce; and highly skilled and high wage jobs."

Members were willing to accept the Charge to the KWIP Quality Task Force offered by Reavis:

To design a plan for continuous process improvement of the Workforce Network of Kansas. With consideration for the performance measures defined within the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, the task force will make recommendations to the Kansas Workforce Investment Partnership (KWIP) Council including additional measures to be used to indicate excellence in Kansas and incentives for achieving those levels of excellence.

Members had lengthy discussion of the WIA-mandated customer satisfaction questions and process. Those questions will gather information about how happy the customer is in general but will not determine the components of the system. If KWIP wants to measure for "seamless, collaborative, universally accessible system, coordination, non-duplication, and 'finest,'" a statewide attitude will be necessary. Members agreed that KWIP (representing the Workforce Network of Kansas) applying for the Kansas Award for Excellence would help define what those criteria would be and how to measure for them. Members believe this activity by KWIP will not only help the system, but also build credibility for KWIP and provide objective information by which to report successes. Toward that end and with the Charge in mind, the KWIP Quality Task Force recommends the following:

** KWIP should view one of their roles as the leader for continuous improvement for the Workforce Network of Kansas.
** KWIP should apply for the Level One Kansas Award for Excellence next year.
** In addition to encouraging Local Area Boards to apply for KAE next year, KWIP should encourage Partner Agency employment and training programs and one-stop career centers to apply for Level One Kansas Award for Excellence.
** KWIP should seek applicant training from KAE for the Workforce Network of Kansas as a body.

Osborn will present these recommendations to the next regularly scheduled KWIP meeting, June 22 in Emporia. Task Force members were asked to keep May 10, 1:30 on their calendar in the event a meeting is necessary. If held, the meeting will be at Kansas Board of Regents Board Room, 14th Floor, Security Benefits Building, 700 SW Harrison. Metered parking is on the street, 25 cents per hour.