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What is WIOA and why does it matter for Manobra?
WIOA in plain language
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is the primary federal law governing publicly funded workforce development in the United States. It funds American Job Centers (AJCs), Workforce Development Boards (WDBs), adult education programs, vocational rehabilitation, and job training services. If your organization receives federal workforce development funding or operates as a WIOA partner, you work within this framework.
When a workforce agency refers a client to Manobra, it wants to know: does this platform fit within our WIOA requirements? The short answer is yes — Manobra is designed as a WIOA-compatible referral resource. This guide explains what that means, what you should document, and how to confidently use Manobra as a job placement tool for your WIOA participants.
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Good news for agencies: Manobra does not require any formal partnership agreement to use as a referral resource. You can begin referring clients today. This guide helps you document those referrals in a way that supports your WIOA reporting requirements.
Participant eligibility
Which WIOA participants can Manobra serve?
WIOA funds services for several distinct population groups. The table below shows how each group maps to Manobra's core use case in commercial cleaning and facilities services.
| WIOA Population |
Eligible for Manobra Referral? |
Notes |
| Adults (18+, seeking employment) |
✓ Strong fit |
Core Manobra population. Adults with cleaning or facilities experience are directly placeable. |
| Dislocated workers (laid off, plant closure) |
✓ Strong fit |
Cleaning work is a frequently available re-entry pathway. Transferable skills are common. |
| Youth (16–24, out-of-school) |
✓ Good fit |
Entry-level cleaning work is accessible for youth. Certifications can be pursued on the job. |
| Individuals with barriers (re-entry, disability, low income) |
✓ Core mission fit |
Manobra profiles lead with skills, not background. No barrier to sign-up. Strong re-entry pathway. |
| Veterans |
✓ Good fit |
Veterans have WIOA priority. Many have facility maintenance or logistics experience that translates directly. |
| Individuals with disabilities (DOR/VR) |
◑ Case-by-case |
Many cleaning roles are accessible. Evaluate based on individual physical capacity and role type. |
Action checklist
WIOA partner compliance checklist for Manobra referrals
Use this checklist to ensure your use of Manobra as a referral resource is fully documented and WIOA-compatible. Items marked Required are necessary for WIOA performance reporting. Items marked Recommended are best practices.
Schedule intro call with Manobra
A 15-minute call with Rocio (AKA Rosie) Rangel (rocio@manobra.io) to walk through the platform, confirm the referral pathway, and get your organization's partner link. This establishes a documented partnership.
Recommended
Add Manobra to your organization's approved resource list
Document Manobra as an approved sector-specific job placement resource for cleaning and facilities services — similar to how you'd document any community resource. Note it is free for participants and no formal MOU is required to begin referrals.
Recommended
Brief your case managers and employment specialists
Ensure staff know what Manobra is, how to refer clients, and how to document the referral in your case management system. Share the worker sign-up link: manobra.io/sign-up
Recommended
Confirm WIOA sector alignment with your local WDB
Commercial cleaning and facilities services qualifies as an in-demand sector in most local labor markets. Verify this with your Workforce Development Board's current sector priorities list — most regions include building services.
Recommended
Confirm participant eligibility for WIOA services
Standard WIOA eligibility must be established before any funded service referral. This includes identity verification, work authorization, and income eligibility (for priority services).
Required
Document participant interest in cleaning / facilities work
Record in your case management system (e.g., CalJOBS, WorkSource, or equivalent) that the participant has expressed interest in employment in commercial cleaning, janitorial, or facilities services. This justifies the sector-specific referral.
Required
Assist participant with Manobra profile creation (if needed)
Support participants in creating their free Manobra profile at manobra.io/sign-up. This can be done during a scheduled session on a shared computer or on the participant's own phone. No cost, no documents required.
Recommended
Record the referral in your case management system
Log Manobra as a resource referral in your case management system — the same way you'd document referral to any community employment resource. Note: date of referral, platform name (Manobra), and sector (commercial cleaning / facilities services).
Required
Inform participant that the platform is free and available in Spanish
A key participant communication: Manobra is free for workers permanently. Available in both English and Spanish. No background check required to create a profile. Workers can sign up from their phone in approximately five minutes.
Recommended
Follow up on employment outcome (30 / 90 days)
WIOA performance measures include entered employment rate, employment retention rate, and median earnings. If a participant secures employment through Manobra, document this as an employment outcome in your case management system.
Required
Track number of participants referred to Manobra monthly
Maintain a simple count of how many participants were referred to Manobra each program year. This supports resource utilization reporting and helps demonstrate the value of the partnership to your WDB.
Recommended
Track employment outcomes from Manobra referrals
When participants report securing employment through Manobra, document: employer name, start date, hourly wage, hours per week, and job title. This directly feeds your WIOA performance metrics (entered employment, median earnings).
Required for outcomes reporting
Include Manobra in your community resource directory
Add Manobra to any public or internal resource directories your organization maintains for job seekers in cleaning and facilities services. Include: manobra.io/sign-up, note that it is free, bilingual, and sector-specific.
Recommended
Communicate outcomes back to Manobra
Share aggregate data (number referred, number placed) with Manobra quarterly if possible. This helps us improve the platform for your population and gives you data to support continued use of the partnership with your WDB.
Recommended
Why this works
How Manobra aligns with WIOA performance measures
WIOA holds workforce organizations accountable for specific performance outcomes. Here's how Manobra directly supports those measures.
WIOA Measure
Entered Employment Rate
Manobra connects participants directly with contractors who are actively hiring. Placements through the platform can be counted toward entered employment outcomes.
→ Manobra supports this directly
WIOA Measure
Employment Retention (2nd & 4th quarters)
Commercial cleaning work is consistent, year-round employment. Contractors using Manobra are seeking stable workers — not gig placements. Retention rates in the sector trend toward longer tenure for placed workers.
→ Stable sector supports retention outcomes
WIOA Measure
Median Earnings
Entry wages average $15–$17/hr with certified workers earning $22–$30+. This exceeds minimum wage in most WIOA-eligible markets and supports median earnings benchmarks.
→ Wage range supports earnings benchmarks
WIOA Measure
In-Demand Sector Alignment
Commercial cleaning and facilities services is classified as a demand occupation in most regional labor market analyses. Referrals to Manobra directly align with WIOA's emphasis on in-demand sector job placement.
→ Sector-specific tool for a demand occupation
Quick reference
WIOA terms you'll hear in partner conversations
AJC / AJCC
America's Job Center / America's Job Center of California. The physical locations (formerly One-Stop Centers) where WIOA services are delivered. Also called WorkSource, WorkForce Centers, or Career Centers depending on the state.
WDB
Workforce Development Board. Regional bodies that oversee WIOA implementation, allocate funds, and set local sector priorities. They supervise AJCs and can approve new referral tools and partners.
Business Services Rep
A specific role at every AJC whose job is connecting employers and platforms with job seekers. This is the person to ask for when contacting an AJC about a Manobra partnership. They take employer and partner calls as part of their regular work.
WIOA Title I
The adult, dislocated worker, and youth employment and training programs. The most relevant WIOA funding stream for Manobra partnerships — it funds the case managers who make referrals.
Eligible Training Provider (ETP)
Organizations approved by the state to provide WIOA-funded occupational training. Manobra is not a training provider — it is a placement platform. However, if your clients receive cleaning certifications through an ETP, Manobra is the tool to help them use those credentials.
In-Demand Occupation
Jobs classified by the local WDB as having sufficient openings, projected growth, and wage potential. Commercial cleaning and facilities services consistently qualifies. Referrals to in-demand sectors strengthen WIOA performance metrics.
Performance Measures
The metrics WIOA holds agencies accountable for: entered employment rate, employment retention rate (2nd and 4th quarters after exit), and median earnings. Manobra placements can contribute to all three.
CalJOBS / WorkSource / OSOS
State-level case management systems where WIOA participant activities, referrals, and outcomes are recorded. When you refer a client to Manobra, log it in your state's case management system as a resource referral.
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Note on formal MOUs: WIOA does require Memoranda of Understanding between AJCs and their required partners. Manobra is not a required WIOA partner — it is a community resource and employer connection tool. No formal MOU is required for your organization to refer clients to Manobra. Simply document referrals in your existing case management system.
Questions? We're here.
If you have any questions about WIOA compatibility, how to document referrals, or how to present Manobra to your supervisor or WDB — reach out directly. We know this process well and we're happy to help.
📧 rocio@manobra.io
📞 1-855-585-OBRA (6272)
🌐 manobra.io/partners
This guide is intended for workforce agency partners of Manobra. Not legal advice. For specific WIOA regulatory questions, consult your state workforce agency or WDB compliance officer.
About Manobra
The first hiring platform built for the commercial cleaning workforce.
Manobra is a free, bilingual platform where workers in commercial cleaning and building services build a professional profile — leading with their skills and certifications, not their employment gaps — and get found directly by contractors who are hiring. I started Manobra because I kept seeing the same gap: hardworking people in this workforce — Hispanic workers I see as my own uncles and aunts — walking into their local job agencies like the America's Job Center of California (AJCC), EDD, and county workforce development boards, looking for a way in, and walking out without it. The work was there. The connection wasn't. Manobra bridges that gap. We connect the people in unemployment agencies, re-entry programs, WIOA-funded programs, and English-as-a-second-language pathways to real opportunities to get hired in this industry — workers join free, and contractors pay for access to vetted, credentialed talent. These are the people behind the spaces, and they deserve a platform built for them.
Who's behind it
Rocio (AKA Rosie) Rangel — Founder
A Latina founder with 24 years inside the commercial cleaning and building services industry, Rocio rose from the front desk to the C-suite as COO of a national industry organization before building Manobra. She started this platform because she saw firsthand that the industry's frontline workforce — heavily Latino, immigrant, and facing real barriers to employment — had no infrastructure built for them. Manobra is that infrastructure.