Empowering Tribal Workforce Development - …

1 Empowering Tribal Workforce Development Indian Country's Policy Recommendations for the Federal Government This brief presents policy recommendations for the federal government as it supports Tribal nations, Native organizations, and Tribal colleges and universities as they design, refine and strengthen their Workforce Development efforts. These recommendations were collated by the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Partnership for Tribal Governance. Version October 2016. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. This brief would not have been possible without the invaluable contribu ons of the following individuals and organiza ons: Alex Yazza, Jr., Execu ve Director, Owens Valley Career Development Center Arlene Templer, Director, Department of Human Resource Development , Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Chris Meyer, Director, Department of Educa on, Coeur d'Alene Tribe Christopher Gomez, Lieutenant Governor, Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Christopher Mu oz, Human Resource Director, Tigua, Inc.

2 Cindy Hoaglen, Director, Tribal TANF Program, Round Valley Indian Tribes Cora Mae Haskell, Asset Development Coordinator, Four Bands Community Fund Cynthia Lindquist, President, Cankdeska Cikana Community College Dave Archambault II, Chairman, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe David Gipp, President Emeritus, United Tribes Technical College Eileen Briggs, Execu ve Director, Tribal Ventures, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Fawn Sharp, President, Quinault Indian Na on Gary Mejchar, Program Manager, First American Capital Corpora on Gloria O'Neill, President and CEO, Cook Inlet Tribal Council Lana Chanda, Director, Employment and Training Department, Gila River Indian Community Lanor Curole, Voca onal Rehabilita on Director, United Houma Na on Leander Russ McDonald, President, United Tribes Technical College Lisa Rieger, Vice President and General Counsel, Cook Inlet Tribal Council Lorenda Sanchez, Execu ve Director, California Indian Manpower Consor um Margaret Zientek, Assistant Director, Employment and Training Department, Ci zen Potawatomi Na on Maryann McGovran, Chairwoman, North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California Na ve American Employment and Training Council, Department of Labor NCAI Tribal TANF Task Force Norm DeWeaver, Former Na onal Representa ve, Indian and Na ve American Employment and Training Coali on Ryan Howard, Deputy Execu ve Director, Owens Valley Career Development Center Tanya Fiddler, Execu ve Director, Na ve CDFI Network Cover photos courtesy of Coeur d'Alene Tribe Council Fires, Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, and Gila River Indian News.

3 Brief: Empowering Tribal Workforce Development 15. Empowering Tribal Workforce Development : Seeding Opportunities for Innovation Indian Country's Policy Recommendations for the Federal Government Collated by the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Partnership for Tribal Governance (PTG). This brief presents a list of key policy recommenda ons for the federal government as it supports Tribal na ons, Na ve organiza ons, and Tribal Colleges and Universi es (TCUs) as they design, refine, and strengthen their Workforce Development e orts. It is not an exhaus ve list; rather, it features Indian Country's primary recommenda ons for ac ons that the federal government can take to empower Tribal Workforce NCAI compiled these recommenda ons over 18 months through: its research project documen ng innova ve Tribal approaches to Workforce Development ; interviews and surveys it conducted with Tribal leaders and Workforce Development prac oners; a series of Tribal Workforce Development sessions it convened at its conferences; its ongoing consulta on with its TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) Task Force and Economic Development , Finance, and Employment Subcommi ee; and its par cipa on in a December 2015 Workforce Development Roundtable convened by the Senate Commi ee on Indian A airs.

4 Tribal Innova on: The Springboard for Tribal Workforce Development Success A considerable body of research built over the past three decades concludes defini vely that Tribal self . determina on/self governance is the only policy that has ever succeeded in improving the lives of Na ve people2 and the quality of life in Tribal communi Nowhere does this finding ring more true than with Tribal Workforce Development . From the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana to the Coeur d'Alene Tribe in Idaho to the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona to the Quinault Indian Na on in Washington to Ysleta del Sur Pueblo in Texas, Tribal na ons along with Na ve organiza ons and TCUs are cra ing innova ve, customized solu ons to their par cular Workforce Development challenges, solu ons that (1) make real di erences in the lives of Na ve people in search of employment and the educa on, skills, and experience necessary to build successful careers, and (2) strengthen Tribal sovereignty in the process.

5 Along the way, they are discarding or modifying one size fits all programs and approaches that may work for governments elsewhere and that o er the bureaucra c path of least resistance for the federal government. As one TCU president put it, Flexibility works enabling tribes to do what we're good at doing. We know our problems in mately. We also know the solu ons. 4 The Federal Government's Role: Fostering Tribal Innova on Since success is demonstrated to hinge above all else on the ability of Tribal na ons, Na ve organiza ons, and TCUs to innovate, then what is the appropriate role of the federal government in Tribal Workforce Na onal Congress of American Indians Partnership for Tribal Governance | Embassy of Tribal Na ons | 1516 P Street NW | Washington, DC 20005 Brief: Empowering Tribal Workforce Development 1. Development ? Is it to uniformly impose a standard set of answers to Tribal Workforce Development challenges across Indian Country?

6 Or is it provide Tribal na ons, Na ve organiza ons, and TCUs with the governance freedom, programma c flexibility, training and technical assistance, and resources that they need to design and implement bold strategies capable of advancing the dis nct Workforce Development priori es of the specific Tribal communi es that they serve? The evidence points overwhelmingly to the proven benefits of the la er, and the proven failures of the former. Put simply, the federal government's job is to foster a posi ve environment for Tribal Workforce Development . Its responsibility is to work closely with Tribal na ons and communi es to iden fy and remove the obstacles that currently obstruct Tribal innova on, and create new opportuni es for Tribal ingenuity to take root and flourish. Its task is to endow its systems, processes, programs, and funding protocols with the ease and adaptability that Tribal na ons and communi es have shown that they need to e ec vely build their human capacity in accordance with their cultural values and in furtherance of their community and economic Development goals.

7 Ul mately, as one long me Tribal Workforce Development expert explains, It's about le ng tribes be tribes, and doing things in a Tribal way. 5 Some Cri cal Next Steps in Fostering the Environment for Tribal Innova on Fulfilling these obliga ons is easier said than done, and it will take me, focused a en on, and sustained e ort. It is important to acknowledge the progress that the federal government already has made in providing Tribal na ons and communi es with greater la tude to devise their own tailored Workforce Development solu ons, with Public Law 102 477 and Sec on 166 of the Workforce Innova on and Opportunity Act (WIOA) among the notable examples (emphasis added by NCAI). According to Indian Country, however, the federal government must do more to fully enact the posi ve steps it has taken, as well as undertake addi onal measures to further empower Tribal Workforce Development e orts.

8 It also is important to note that the federal government's obliga ons to empower Tribal Workforce Development extend not only to Tribal governments, but to TCUs and Na ve organiza ons including regional non profit organiza ons and Na ve community Development financial Ins tu ons (CDFIs) that serve the educa on and Workforce Development needs of Na ve people in urban and rural service areas across the country. Like other Americans, Na ve people par cularly those of working age are mobile and reside in a range of di erent locales, with popula ons living (and working) on and o Tribal lands and some traveling between communi es on a regular They require and deserve ready access to quality, culturally appropriate programs and services no ma er where they live, work, and study, and it is the federal government's job to foster that access so that they are able to succeed in the 21st century American economy.

9 The recommenda ons below inclusively address the key players involved in developing a robust Workforce that meets the needs of individual Na ves as well as Tribal na ons and communi es. MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR Tribal Workforce Development INNOVATION The federal government's adop on and implementa on of the following six recommenda ons would seed broader opportuni es for Na ve led innova on in the design and provision of Workforce Development services. Such opportuni es are cri cal for making these services more comprehensive, 2 Na onal Congress of American Indians Partnership for Tribal Governance e ec ve, and responsive to the economic, social, and cultural needs of Na ve communi es. These recommenda ons come from Tribal leaders, Tribal Workforce Development prac oners, TCU administrators and educators, and other key stakeholders, and are presented to Congress and the Administra 1.

10 The Secretary of Labor Should Charter a Special Task Force to Iden fy Opportuni es for Innova on in Tribal Workforce Programs: In close collabora on with Tribal na ons and other Na ve controlled en es providing Workforce Development services, the Secretary of Labor should charter a special task force specifically devoted to exploring and recommending measures to provide opportuni es for innova on in the planning, opera on and delivery of Tribal Workforce Development services. One or more members of the Department of Labor's Na ve American Employment and Training Council (NAETC) should serve on this task force. These measures should include: The Secretary, in coopera on with other appropriate Departments and agencies and in close collabora on with this special task force, should inaugurate a program to provide seed grants for mul ple special Na ve Workforce projects that employ innova ve approaches to the delivery of Workforce Development services at the Tribal community level.