CSP Special Populations & Workforce Development 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which group is explicitly identified as a priority population for adult formula funding services?
- College graduates with student loan debt
- Low-income individuals, public assistance recipients, and basic skills deficient individuals (Correct answer)
- Entrepreneurs seeking small business development support
- Workers earning below the state median wage
Correct answer: Low-income individuals, public assistance recipients, and basic skills deficient individuals
WIOA Title I adult formula funds must prioritize low-income individuals, public assistance recipients, and those who are basic skills deficient.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of a Reentry Employment Opportunity (REO) program under WIOA for justice-involved individuals?
- Provide legal representation for parole hearings
- Offer subsidized employment and supportive services to reduce recidivism (Correct answer)
- Monitor probation compliance through workforce participation
- Expunge criminal records to improve employability
Correct answer: Offer subsidized employment and supportive services to reduce recidivism
REO programs use subsidized employment and supportive services to help justice-involved individuals stabilize economically and reduce the likelihood of reoffending.
Question 3: A career services provider is working with a 55-year-old client who has been unemployed for 18 months. Which program specifically targets older workers for employment and training services?
- WIOA Youth program
- Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) (Correct answer)
- Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)
- Rapid Response program
Correct answer: Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
SCSEP, authorized under the Older Americans Act, provides subsidized, community-service-based job training for low-income persons age 55 and older.
Question 4: Ban-the-box policies, adopted by many states and localities, restrict employers from doing which of the following?
- Testing applicants for drug use prior to a conditional job offer
- Asking about criminal history on initial job applications (Correct answer)
- Running credit checks on applicants without consent
- Requiring background checks for all positions
Correct answer: Asking about criminal history on initial job applications
Ban-the-box policies remove criminal history questions from initial job applications, delaying background check inquiries until later in the hiring process.
Question 5: The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is most beneficial to career services providers because it incentivizes employers to hire which population groups?
- Workers with advanced degrees in STEM fields
- Targeted groups including ex-felons, TANF recipients, and veterans (Correct answer)
- Part-time workers transitioning to full-time employment
- Workers displaced by international trade agreements
Correct answer: Targeted groups including ex-felons, TANF recipients, and veterans
WOTC provides federal tax credits to employers who hire members of targeted groups such as ex-felons, TANF recipients, veterans, and long-term unemployed individuals.
Question 6: Which employment model involves customizing a job by carving out tasks from existing positions to match a specific worker's skills and interests?
- Transitional employment
- Supported employment
- Customized employment (Correct answer)
- On-the-job training (OJT)
Correct answer: Customized employment
Customized employment involves individually negotiating the conditions of employment—including job tasks—based on the strengths and needs of the individual and the employer.
Question 7: A career services provider working with a client who has a felony conviction should advise that federal law permanently bars individuals with drug-related felonies from receiving which benefit?
- Unemployment insurance in most states
- SNAP (food stamp) benefits in states that have not opted out of the ban (Correct answer)
- Section 8 housing vouchers nationwide
- WIOA-funded training services
Correct answer: SNAP (food stamp) benefits in states that have not opted out of the ban
The 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act imposed a lifetime SNAP ban for drug-related felonies, though many states have since opted out.
CSP Special Populations & Workforce Development 3
Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which group is explicitly identified as a priority population for adult formula funding services?