Common use of Purpose of this MoU Clause in Contracts

Purpose of this MoU. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (codified at 29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.), hereafter referred to as “WIOA”, requires under 20 CFR §678.500 that a Memorandum of Understanding, hereafter referred to as “MOU”, is developed and executed between the Local Chief Elected Official (Local CEO), the Local Workforce Development Board - the MassHire Greater New Bedford Workforce Board, Inc., hereafter referred to as “workforce board”, and WIOA-mandated Partners as established by 20 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §678.400 and other Partners as described by 20 CFR §678.410 hereafter referred to collectively as “Partner(s)”. The purpose is to establish a cooperative working relationship between the parties and to define their respective roles and responsibilities in achieving the policy objectives of WIOA and establish a Universal Career Pathways System, hereafter referred to as “The System”. The process conducted for achieving this MOU is outlined in Attachment D. This MOU also serves to create the framework for providing services to employers, employees, job seekers, and others needing workforce services, hereafter referred to as “Shared Customers”, in the designated local workforce area of Greater New Bedford on the South Coast of Massachusetts, hereafter referred to as the “South Coast”. This MOU replaces the interim MOU signed by all parties on June 30, 2017. The workforce board functions as the Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB) throughout the Greater New Bedford designated area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The workforce board competitively procures service providers to function as the operators of the Greater New Bedford Career Center, hereafter referred to as “Career Center” as outlined in 20 CFR §678.300, of which the WIOA Required Partners agree to participate in the selection process of One-Stop Operators as required by WIOA, at least once every 4 years. This MOU represents an agreement between the workforce board, the Career Center, and all WIOA- mandated Partners to meet compliance with all requirements under WIOA and to execute a data and demand-drive workforce development system in the service area to further support the development of local service strategies to meet the needs of local businesses and job seekers. Non-mandated Partners are defined and are included in this MOU. Greater New Bedford’s One-Stop career delivery system via the Career Center, referred to at the federal level as American Job Centers (AJC), fosters partnerships and provides career-seeker and businesses the services to achieve the key provisions of WIOA and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Combined Workforce Development Plan: (1) increasing the focus on serving the most vulnerable workers; (2) expanding education and training options; (3) helping disadvantaged and unemployed adults and youth earn while they learn; and (4) aligning planning and accountability policies across core programs. These objectives will be accomplished by ensuring access to The System a universal career pathways system of high-quality access points that make up the local workforce system. This includes an anticipated shared technology-based portal to allow universal access to the full range of services available in the community for all career-center related customers seeking, but not limited to, the following: • Employment in the South Coast region; • Building basic educational or occupational skills through the Career Center and other Partners; • Earning a postsecondary certificate or degree at local institutions including, but not limited to, Bristol Community College or the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth related to job or career readiness; • Obtaining guidance on how to make career choices through the Career Center and other Partners; or,