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SUMMARY OF PROGRAM Provide the vision and mission of the State E&T program. In addition, describe how your State agency's E&T program meets the purpose of E&T which is to: Increase the ability of SNAP participants to obtain regular employment Meet State or local workforce needs The Department of Social Services (DSS), Office of Workforce & Community Initiatives (OWCI) administers Missouri’s Employment and Training (E&T) program for SNAP participants known as SkillUP. The mission of the Department of Social Services is to Empower Missourians to live safe, healthy, and productive lives. The SkillUP program provides SNAP participants opportunities to gain skills, training, or experience that will improve their ability to attain employment and decrease their dependency on public assistance programs. The intention of the SkillUP program is rapid attachment to work that leads to self-sufficiency for individuals and families. The program offers job search training, education, and supportive services to participants. The SkillUP program provides short-term training in the quickest possible time to lead to employment. Training is completed within one year or less, aligns with the participant’s employment plan, and leads to employment and self-sufficiency. SkillUP provides supervised job search, job search training, education, skills training, intensive case management, and supportive services to SNAP participants not participating in the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. SkillUP is a voluntary program for all SNAP participants. Participants in SkillUP are divided into two categories: Able Bodied Adults without Dependents (ABAWDs) and Non-ABAWDs. ABAWDs meet hourly work requirements every month to maintain SNAP eligibility. Provider staff report all employment, training, and work hours to the Family Support Division (FSD). SNAP participants are automatically determined as an ABAWD or non-ABAWD in the MoJobs system. The FSD makes the final determination on ABAWD or non-ABAWD status. The status is not used to determine the funding for a participant; it is only used to determine if participation hours must be reported to the FSD. Page 10 of the Provider Handbook has a funding flowchart that aids in determining funding source. Enrolling in SkillUP does not guarantee an individual is placed in their desired service or training. Enrollment in any education, training, or work activities must align with the assessment and Employment Plan and depends on the availability of funding at the time of enrollment. DSS has contracts or agreements with 10 Missouri Workforce Development/Investment Boards (WDB/WIB), the Missouri Community College Association (MCCA), Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS), Missouri Community Action Network (Missouri CAN), Mississippi Caring Communities (MCC)/Southern Missouri Works Project (SMWP), Southeast Missouri Employment and Training Partnership (STEP), MERS Goodwill Excel Centers (Adult High Schools), Goodwill of Western Missouri, Great Jobs KC, Pawsperity, and Per Scholas, Inc. to operate SkillUP. In addition, services are provided through Missouri Work Assistance (MWA) providers including; Equus Workforce Solutions, MERS Goodwill, Local Investment Commission (LINC), and Better Family Life (BFL). All SkillUP providers utilize the Office of Workforce Development’s (OWD) case management system, known as MoJobs, to serve SkillUP participants. Providers identify potential SkillUP participants and verify 1/29/26, 8:18 AM State Plan MO FY26 - Amendment 1 https://dam-fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/microsite/snapet-mofy26stateplan//index.html 6/226