Narrative: III. a. 2. I.

I. Coordinating with Economic Development Strategies

Coordination of Regional and Local Planning

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (Commerce) is the state agency that leads economic development efforts for Illinois and is responsible for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title IB and Trade Training Program activities. Commerce is also responsible for the administration of the required and allowed Governor’s Statewide Workforce Activities as outlined in WIOA. It is recognized that supporting innovative workforce programs that connect employers to a highly skilled workforce is central to Illinois’ commitment to ensure that businesses thrive in Illinois. Toward that end, the state is coordinating a data/demand-driven strategic planning process across education, workforce and economic development at the state, regional and local levels using Illinois’ ten Economic Development Regions (EDR). The use of the ten EDRs illustrates Illinois’ commitment to data-driven economic development in the state. Commerce’s Regional Economic Development Regional Managers and supporting staff are responsible for managing business relationships, developing business plans and cultivating customer relationships and company growth in their assigned regions or territories. The goal is to provide a one-stop resource focus on providing customized services to business including:

• Intergovernmental Coordination 
• Technical Assistance with Site Selection 
• Regional Collaboration with Key Stakeholders 
• Assistance Eliminating Governmental Red Tape 
• Custom Workforce Training 
• Expedited Permitting, Licensing & Other Approvals 
• Connection to Civic & Business Partners 
• Potential Financial Support 

Commerce will also connect the core and required partners with the latest economic development initiatives in the state. For example, the State of Illinois, in partnership with Intersect Illinois and the Illinois Economic Development Association is introducing a new statewide business outreach and retention initiative called, CORE: Creating Opportunities for Retention and Expansion. The first step in this process is to conduct in-depth training sessions designed to explain this statewide alliance, instruct communities on specific steps of participation, and to coordinate specific measures aimed at meeting the growth and development needs of local/regional employers. A key goal of this initiative is to better coordinate and communicate with business. These activities are in direct alignment with the regional planning, business coordination and sector strategies outlined in this plan. The reauthorization of the Perkins Act marks a unique opportunity for local workforce boards to partner with secondary and postsecondary Perkins recipients (community colleges) on their local WIOA and Perkins Plans, respectively. Perkins recipients will be required to conduct a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment, inclusive local workforce boards, WIOA partners and employers. This assessment will inform regional and local planning and may be a tool used to inform local planning for WIOA. This coordination of planning should result in alignment of resources and services in each local area. 

Coordination of Economic Development Activities and Business Services

The State of Illinois understands that in order to give businesses and job seekers the workforce services they need, we need to better integrate our delivery services to business. Illinois’ Integrated Business Service Framework provides the foundation for workforce, education and economic development partners to better listen to, learn from and respond to Illinois’ businesses. This framework was developed by a statewide group of business leaders and workforce partners and is meant to identify the elements and requirements of an integrated business services model for state and regional programs that will best equip them to understand and meet the ongoing workforce needs of Illinois’ businesses.

Support for Employer-Driven Regional Sector Initiatives

Illinois has embraced the concept of employer-led sector partnerships as a vehicle to become nimbler in meeting the needs of business. Commerce, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (Employment Security) and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) have collaborated on sector strategies for years, including the Workforce Innovation Fund manufacturing project, creating the State Sector Strategy Framework and the Talent Pipeline Management Initiative. Illinois is currently working to expand the successful pilot with Vermilion Advantage in the East Central Illinois region to other regions of the state. In late 2019, several cross-agency teams working on apprenticeship expansion grants completed the US Chamber Talent Pipeline Management Academy and are now positioned to start fieldwork in forming regional sector-based employer collaboratives.  The next round of grantees will be awarded in early 2020 and they also are expected to receive Talent Pipeline Management training. In addition, over the next four years, Commerce staff intends to increase its staff support of public awareness of sector strategies which includes the TPM initiative. This effort will include engaging with local chambers of commerce, business and industry groups, local chapters of the Society for Human Resources Management, local economic development agencies and local workforce boards.

As noted above, Commerce’s regional economic development staff actively engaged in the regional workshops and planning meetings and will continue to be key resources in connecting workforce and education professionals with key businesses in targeted industry sectors. Commerce’s regional economic development team will take a more active role in working with local workforce and education partners to implement regional sector strategies in key industries.

Provide Career Pathways for Economic Advancement

Throughout the sections on Partner Engagement with Educational Institutions, Partner Engagement with Other Education and Training Providers and Leveraging Resources to Increase Educational Access, this plan describes partnerships to expand career pathway opportunities through accelerated programs and work-based training while aligning and integrating programs of study that lead to industry-recognized credentials.  Priorities and strategies developed from this alignment will ensure career and work readiness at all levels. The engagement of educational institutions to create a job-driven education and training system will allow the state to make significant and strategic system improvements to address workforce development needs through flexible, responsive and progressive programs informed by labor market information. Initiatives will be rooted in labor market data that will inform education and workforce systems when establishing programs thereby allocating resources to in-demand occupations and away from those jobs that have declining opportunities due to changing economic conditions. Additionally, employment and wage data will facilitate the measurement of workforce outcomes of students to demonstrate performance and effectiveness of programs.

Provide Labor Market Information for Regional Planning

Commerce, Employment Security, ICCB and the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) Interagency Data Team will continue to provide an analysis of economic and labor market information to the state and local economic development professionals. The Interagency Data Team will play an important coordinating role to foster better intra-regional communication (such as through WIOA regional planning) so that as many communities as possible within a region have a similar vision that can be used to leverage the efforts of all. The state and local economic development professionals play an important role in working with business to validate and refine the labor market information (LMI) based on the current needs of business in the region and local areas.  In 2019, the Interagency Data Team reviewed national best practices to improve data analysis and presentation used for data packets provided to WIOA regional planning teams to make LMI more accessible to a wider audience of stakeholders. Data packets are included as Attachment O (https://www.illinoisworknet.com/WIOA/Resources/Documents/Attachment%20O%20-%20Regional%20Planning%20Data%202020.pdf).

Expand Employer Access to Labor Market Information

The Interagency Data Team will develop new opportunities for employers to communicate their forecasted demand for workers and review and provide input into industry and occupational projections developed through Employment Security. This will include new tools for employers working together in leading regional partnerships to continuously communicate short-term forecasts of job openings and competency and credentialing requirements for these jobs. This will build the best practices from employer-led national and state initiatives, including the United States Chamber of Commerce Talent Pipeline Management Initiative. The team also will improve employer capacity to easily communicate career opportunities and current job openings to regional partnerships and their broader labor market in Illinois. This will be accomplished through employer tools that can be easily integrated with their current human resource information systems and their own websites that provide information on careers and job openings.