Through its 2017-2020 Local Plan, the Workforce Board:
- Projects labor market conditions and identifies the needs for skilled workers
- Sets the strategic direction for Workforce Solutions and the Board’s investments to meet the region’s needs for an educated and skilled workforce
- Describes how Workforce Solutions is organized to deliver high-quality, valued service for the region’s employers and people
- Ensures the public workforce system is open and accessible to its customers and accountable to funders, local elected officials and stakeholders
The Local Plan lays out the broad workforce and human resources needs for the region’s future, and helps us make decisions about how we use our system and resources to meet those needs. These forecasts show us where our workforce development efforts should be focused and tell us what kinds of jobs and industries will be our region’s key occupations and employers. This information is critical to educators, communities and businesses because it explains how we will need to evolve and adapt our workforce to changing economic demands.
The Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast system includes our Employer Service, local career offices and their supporting units, adult education providers, and our early education quality efforts. We have designed this system to be responsive to our customers’ wants and needs, open and accessible to all, and able to offer professional advice and resources that help our employers meet their human resource needs and individuals build careers.
The Local Plan describes in detail how the parts of our system work together and how we will meet the requirements of our federal and state funders to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent effectively and efficiently. The Local Plan includes a description of our efforts
- to work with employers in the region’s key industries;
- to connect with our partners in organized labor, education, and community organizations;
- to offer current and meaningful career and labor market data for all our customers;
- to ensure access to our service for individuals with disabilities;
- to ensure priority for low-income residents in access to our service and financial assistance; and
- to address the workforce needs of individuals experiencing homelessness, returning citizens, and adults and young people in need of basic education.
The Board contracts for the delivery of system services and expects to issue a request for proposals in late March.
The Gulf Coast Workforce Board approved the Local Plan on February 7, 2017.