Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center Continues

Congratulations to Dr. Caren Sax’s Interwork Institute in our Administration, Rehabilitation, and Post-Secondary Education Department.  Their Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC) recently received another year of funding from the Rehabilitation Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Education.  The WINTAC will receive $3.5 million per year for five years, ending on September 30, 2020.

Dr. Chaz Compton (a two-time SDSU graduate, MS in Rehabilitation Counseling and Ed.D./Postsecondary Educational Leadership, Community College Concentration) directs WINTAC.  The purpose of WINTAC is to provide training and technical assistance (TA) to State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies (SVRAs) and related agencies and rehabilitation professionals and service providers to help them develop the skills and processes needed to meet the requirements of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).  WINTAC is a collaborative effort, led by SDSU, and includes the following institutions/entities:

• George Washington University
• Syracuse University’s Burton Blatt Institute 
• University of Arkansas CURRENTS
• The National Disability Institute 
• The Career Index
• PolicyWorks
• The Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation 

The WINTAC provides universal, targeted and intensive TA in five topic areas related to changes made by WIOA.  These topic areas are:

1. Provision of pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) to students with disabilities and supported employment services to youth with disabilities;
2. Implementation of the requirements in section 511 of the Rehabilitation Act that are under the purview of the Department of Education;
3. Provision of resources and strategies to help individuals with disabilities achieve competitive integrated employment, including customized employment and supported employment;
4. Integration of the State VR program into the workforce development system;
5. Transition to the new common performance accountability system under section 116 of WIOA, including the collection and reporting of common data elements.

The WINTAC is currently providing intensive technical assistance to 20 agencies across the country and provides other TA and training to thousands of Workforce Development professionals every quarter.  Through WINTAC, SDSU and our partners are helping make a positive difference as individuals with disabilities transition into meaningful employment.