REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Approve Bay-Peninsula Regional Strategic Workforce Development Plan
Report
BACKGROUND
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) requires local workforce development boards in a planning region to engage in a regional planning process resulting in the preparation and submission of a single regional plan that describes workforce development activities and service strategies and that incorporates local plans for each of the local areas within the planning region. The Bay-Peninsula Regional Planning Unit (RPU) includes the workforce boards located in the counties of Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Benito, and San Francisco.
The State Plan is the controlling state policy document on workforce development. It sets the State’s policy direction for the local and regional plans and serves as a conceptual map for local boards and their partners as they jointly develop these plans. The Local Plan, because individuals experience the workforce system through local programs, facilitates local program access within a regional architecture or framework. The Regional Plan is the regional architecture or framework. It aligns local programs with regional labor markets and industry sectors that are driving regional employment.
The State issued guidance for preparation of the regional and local plans with a specific framework and guidelines for required content. NOVA’s local plan, which was approved by Council on February 28, 2017, was submitted to the State concurrent with the regional plan. The local and regional plans were approved by the California Workforce Development Board at its meeting of August 11, 2017. Now that the regional plans have been finalized, the State requires each local area in a region to submit evidence of approval of the regional plan by its Chief Elected Official. The Sunnyvale City Council serves in this capacity for NOVA and is therefore requested to approve the Bay-Peninsula RPU Regional Plan.
EXISTING POLICY
Council Policy 5.1.1: Socio-Economic - Goals and Policies: Education and Training Goal 5.1F: Provide job training and employment services, within constraints of operative Federal regulations and available Federal funding, to address the locally-determined employment and training needs of economically disadvantaged residents and others with special needs.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental, organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
DISCUSSION
The State of California has established 14 RPUs, with NOVA assigned to the Bay-Peninsula RPU with three other local workforce boards, including San Francisco, San Jose-based work2future, and San Benito County. The State requires that the regional planning process entail coordination with K-12 education, community colleges, adult education, industry sector leaders, organized labor, economic development entities, business associations, community-based organizations, and WIOA-mandated partners.
Work2future was identified as the lead for the Bay-Peninsula RPU to oversee the development of the regional plan. The local workforce boards in the RPU worked with a consultant, Social Policy Research Associates, to develop the regional plan. A community stakeholder meeting was convened on December 16, 2016 to present the framework and key strategies for the regional plan to a broad range of community representatives and to obtain their input. NOVA hosted this stakeholder meeting at the Sunnyvale Community Center. A final draft of the comprehensive regional plan was then released for public comment on January 26, and the final plan was submitted to the State on March 15.
The goals of the proposed regional plan are as follows:
1. Employers are actively engaged with the regional workforce system that understands and appropriately responds to their skilled workforce needs. (Demand-driven skills attainment)
2. Unemployed and underemployed individuals can (a) easily access and participate in workforce services appropriate for their skill levels, barriers to employment, and career goals; and (b) transition into relevant training opportunities to move up in a career pathway in an in-demand sector or occupation. (Upward mobility)
3. Regional workforce system partners align and coordinate services and resources to create a “no wrong door” employment and training network easily accessed by workers including high need and historically disadvantaged populations such as farmworkers, ex-offenders, those who are limited English proficient, and out-of-school and/or disconnected and foster youth (including former foster youth), as well as employers. (Aligning and coordinating program and services)
The plan identified five priority sectors for the region that are considered critical to the growth of the regional economy and creation of high-demand, high-opportunity jobs: advanced manufacturing, construction, health care, hospitality, and information technology. The top 25 in-demand occupations for the priority sectors were identified by total projected job openings from 2012-2022 and included the specific skills and knowledge required for these top occupations. Strengths of the workforce development activities in the RPU were highlighted, with strategies for addressing any weaknesses. The approach for the regional sector pathways for each priority sector incorporated an understanding of regional employers’ hiring and training needs and mapping career pathways within each industry sector in partnership with adult education, community colleges, and other partners. Many career pathway programs by sector have already been established, with some projected in the future. Engagement and inclusivity are key themes throughout the plan to ensure the region effectively serves all target populations and that strategies and approaches for providing services incorporate partnerships with all key community stakeholders. To view the complete regional plan, please visit <http://novaworks.org/AboutUs/WIOAStrategicPlan.aspx>.
FISCAL IMPACT
The source of funds for the services is WIOA funds. Since funds are obligated to programs only based upon appropriations dedicated to NOVA, sufficient WIOA funds will exist to cover all anticipated obligations of day-to-day program operations.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Approve the Bay-Peninsula Regional Strategic Workforce Development Plan.
Staff
Prepared by: Jeanette Langdell, Employment Training Manager
Reviewed by: Kris Stadelman, Director, NOVA Workforce Services
Reviewed by: Walter C. Rossmann, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager