(a) The California Workforce Development Board, in
collaboration with state and local partners, including the Chancellor
of the California Community Colleges, the State Department of
Education, other appropriate state agencies, and local workforce
development boards, shall develop the State Plan to serve as a
framework for the development of public policy, employment services,
fiscal investment, and operation of all state labor exchange,
workforce education, and training programs to address the state's
economic, demographic, and workforce needs. The strategic workforce
plan shall be prepared in a manner consistent with the requirements
of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014.
(b) Consistent with the federal Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act, the State Plan shall provide a framework for state
workforce policies and support sector strategies.
(c) The California Workforce Development Board shall work
collaboratively with state and local partners to identify ways to
eliminate systemwide barriers and better align and leverage federal,
state, and local Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funding
streams, and other funding streams, and policies to develop, support,
and sustain regional alliances of employers and workforce and
education professionals who are working to improve the educational
pipeline, establish well-articulated career pathways, provide
industry-recognized credentials, certificates, and recognized
postsecondary credentials, and address the career advancement needs
of current and future workers in competitive and emergent industry
sectors and clusters. The California Workforce Development Board and
its partners shall work collaboratively to maximize state and local
investments and pursue other resources to address the skills-gap
needs identified pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (d).
(d) In order to support the requirement of the plans in
subdivision (a), the California Workforce Development Board shall do
the following:
(1) Identify industry sectors and industry clusters that have a
competitive economic advantage and demonstrated economic importance
to the state and its regional economies. In developing this analysis,
the California Workforce Development Board shall consider the
expertise of local workforce development boards in the state's
respective regional economies and shall encourage the local workforce
development boards to identify industry sectors and industry
clusters that have a competitive economic advantage and demonstrated
economic importance in their respective local workforce development
areas.
(2) Identify new dynamic emergent industry sectors and industry
clusters with substantial potential to generate new jobs and income
growth for the state and its regional economies. In developing this
analysis, the California Workforce Development Board shall consider
the expertise of local workforce development boards in the state's
respective regional economies and shall encourage the local workforce
development boards to identify new dynamic emergent industry sectors
and industry clusters with substantial potential to generate new
jobs and income growth in their respective local workforce
development areas.
(3) Provide a skills-gap analysis enumerating occupational and
skills shortages in the industry sectors and industry clusters
identified as having strategic importance to the state's economy and
its regional economies. In developing this analysis, the California
Workforce Development Board shall consider the expertise of local
workforce development boards in the state's respective regional
economies and shall encourage the local workforce development boards
to conduct skills-gap analysis for their respective local workforce
development areas. Skills-gap analysis for the state and its regional
economies shall use labor market data to specify a list of
high-priority, in-demand occupations for the state and its regional
economies. This list shall be used to inform investment decisions and
eligible training provider policies.
(4) Establish, with input from local workforce development boards
and other stakeholders, initial and subsequent eligibility criteria
for the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014
eligible training provider list that effectively directs training
resources into training programs leading to employment in
high-demand, high-priority, and occupations that provide economic
security, particularly those facing a shortage of skilled workers.
The subsequent eligibility criteria, to the extent feasible, shall
use performance and outcome measures to determine whether a provider
is qualified to remain on the list. At a minimum, initial and
subsequent eligibility criteria shall consider the following:
(A) The relevance of the training program to the workforce needs
of the state's strategic industry sectors and industry clusters.
(B) The need to plug skills gaps and skills shortages in the
economy, including skills gaps and skills shortages at the state and
regional level.
(C) The need to plug skills gaps and skills shortages in local
workforce development areas.
(D) The likelihood that the training program will lead to job
placement in a job providing economic security or job placement in an
entry-level job that has a well-articulated career pathway or career
ladder to a job providing economic security.
(E) The need for basic skills in combination with programs that
provide occupational skills training for individuals with barriers to
employment and those who would otherwise be unable to enter
occupational skills training.
(F) To the extent feasible, utilize criteria that measure training
and education provider performance, including, but not limited to,
the following:
(i) Measures of skills or competency attainment.
(ii) Measures relevant to program completion, including measures
of course, certificate, degree, licensure, and program of study rate
of completion.
(iii) For those entering the labor market, measures of employment
placement and retention.
(iv) For those continuing in training or education, measures of
educational or training progression.
(v) For those who have entered the labor market, measures of
income, including wage measures.
(G) The division of labor for making initial and subsequent
eligibility determinations under this division shall be modeled on
the division of labor envisioned in the federal Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act of 2014.
(H) If the state receives a waiver from the federal subsequent
eligibility provisions specified in the federal Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act of 2014, the state workforce development board
shall establish its own subsequent eligibility criteria that take
into account all of the criteria specified in subparagraphs (A) to
(G), inclusive.