Workforce Strategic Planning Collaborative
Today’s tight labor market, coupled with historic federal investments through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), make the 2024 Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) state planning cycle a unique opportunity for Governors to set the strategic direction for their state’s public workforce system. Yet the IIJA, CHIPS and IRA do not contain dedicated funding or mandated role for the workforce system, presenting a challenge for Governors and state policymakers to leverage WIOA strategic planning, funding, and infrastructure to prepare the necessary workforce for these new economic opportunities.
To help states capitalize on this opportunity, the United States Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and the National Governors Association, Center for Best Practice (NGA Center) have partnered to create the Workforce Strategic Planning Collaborative (WSPC). The WSPC will engage Governors’ policy advisors, state workforce development boards, and other state workforce development agencies and policymakers to use their 2024 WIOA State Plan to reshape workforce development service delivery by taking advantage of the federal investments in infrastructure and other opportunities created through IIJA, CHIPS and IRA.
The partnership will engage states in exploring and supporting strategies to leverage the planning process to develop, nurture, and expand workforce partnerships with both current and non-traditional partners including state departments of energy and transportation. The collaborative will focus on the unique system-wide lens.
NGA Webinar – Workforce Strategic Planning Collaborative
Sep 27, 2023 04:00 PM
The NGA Center invites workforce development stakeholders to attend a virtual event at 4:00-5:00 on Wednesday, 09/27 that will offer updates and opportunities for engagement with the Workforce Strategic Planning Collaborative (WSPC). The event will also feature remarks from leadership at the U.S. Department of Labor as well as state best practices. Through the WSPC, the NGA Center and DOL will publish tools and provide support to states as they develop their four-year plans required under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and set the strategic direction for their workforce systems.
Please contact Jack Porter (jporter@nga.org) for more information.
Resources
NGA and US DOL Launch the Workforce Strategic Planning Collaborative
The Workforce Strategic Planning Collaborative will include three distinct phases:
- Phase I – State Planning Tool Development: The NGA Center and USDOL will create and publish a state planning tool that will provide Governors with a menu of options to consider as they develop their WIOA plans in partnership with their State Workforce Development Board.
- Phase II – Tool Deployment and Application: The NGA Center and USDOL will provide training opportunities to ensure the tool’s utility and impact for state planning. These opportunities will be provided through both virtual and in-person convenings.
- Phase III – Continued Action: Once state plans are submitted, the NGA Center and USDOL will provide opportunities for states to engage in peer learning activities that elevate best practices and outline the road ahead for implementation of the four-year plans.
“Today’s labor market has made workforce development a top priority for Governors. We look forward to helping Governors capitalize on this strategic opportunity, address widespread talent shortages, and carry out their vision for building a stronger workforce in their states through this new collaborative.”
Timothy Blute, Director, NGA Center for Best Practices
Sign Up for Project Updates
Developed through a comprehensive review of WIOA’s statute, final rule, and relevant guidance (as well as through years of collaboration with local, state and federal workforce development leaders), this brief outlines high-impact opportunities for Governors in the following three key areas:
- Creating, communicating, and executing the state’s vision and priorities for workforce development;
- Directing funding toward those priorities by leveraging authority over funding formulas and Governor’s Reserve funds; and
- Ensuring quality service delivery to employers and jobseekers by overseeing system performance and accountability.
This toolkit draws on insight from federal officials to outline the most pertinent programs and opportunities for state workforce development policymakers to consider as they seek to play a proactive role in implementing IIJA, CHIPS, and IRA.