BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

CANTON -- St. Lawrence County officials are taking steps to better assist adult and dislocated workers by shifting funding from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act program to areas of need.

During the Feb. 26 finance committee meeting, employment and training counselor Pam Lewis told legislators that the needs of those coming into the office would be better met if funds were shifted to "provide more flexibility and ensure WIOA is able to provide services to as many eligible participants as possible."

Lewis told legislators that the numbers of those coming in to seek aid are not very balanced between adult and dislocated workers.

"Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act program, the dislocated worker funding is considerable but we do not receive too many dislocated workers who come into the office," she said.

Lewis said one of the primary issues is the eligibility status for dislocated workers who can also qualify under the adult program but adults are not able to qualify as a dislocated worker.

Ten percent of each of the three WIOA programs, including adult, youth and dislocated workers, is designated as administrative as well.

Lewis said those funds were under utilized as well.

"Throughout the majority of the fiscal year we were short a senior account clerk for a while and then an assistant accounting supervisor for a while," she said.

That led to excess administrative funding in the end.

Lew told legislators she wanted to transition the funds "to better serve more people."

Under WIOA regulations, Local Workforce Development Boards may transfer up to 100% of administration back to the originating program funds in all three programs but can't exceed the original 10% designated as administration, according to the resolution.

Regulations also state that the Local Workforce Development Board may transfer 100% of a program year allocations between the adult and dislocated worker programs.

In total, $214,000 will be transferred to appropriations for adult training tuition fee accounts when legislators finalize the appropriations during the next full board meeting.