Narrative: III. b. 3. B. ii.

Workforce Investment Council (WIC) members are Louisiana’s workforce champions. They represent a cross­section of stakeholders in the development of a comprehensive, integrated workforce development and delivery system that begins with understanding the workforce needs of industry, connects Louisiana citizens to training, and links trained workers to high–wage, high–demand careers.

The Workforce Investment Council: • Develops Louisiana’s strategic plan for a comprehensive, integrated workforce development and delivery system. • Advocates for efficiency and cooperation among stakeholders. • Promotes the development of a well–educated, highly skilled workforce. • Develops strategies to educate Louisianans about career opportunities and businesses about services and resources available to help them meet their workforce needs. • Ensures the equitable distribution of workforce development resources across the state. • Makes recommendations to the governor of geographic designations for workforce development areas. • Directs the activities of the Occupational Forecasting Conference, responsible for overseeing state­ wide and regional job–growth projections, which underpin the planning and budgeting of state and local resources. • Oversees the Industry–Based Credential (IBC) Council, responsible for evaluating the alignment of credentials with state workforce demand for inclusion on the IBC State–Focus List, which guides training programs and other stakeholders to important occupations in the state and the industry­ recognized credentials leading to those occupations. • Oversees, jointly with the Board of Regents, the evaluation of two–year and shorter–term programs for TOPS Tech eligibility in alignment with state workforce demand, guided by state industry and occupational forecasts. • Contributes to the evaluation of TOPS Tech Early Start training providers to ensure alignment with state and regional workforce needs.

Louisiana Workforce Investment Council Strategic Plan (adopted December 15, 2015)

Building a nimble, responsive workforce development system capable of quickly aligning education and training opportunities and employer needs will ensure continued economic growth and establish Louisiana as the best place to find the next great employee.

Vison

Louisiana will be the best place to get a job or grow a business.

Mission

The Workforce Investment Council (WIC) supports development of an employer–led, demand–driven workforce development system based on occupational forecasts in which training, education and services for job–seekers prepare Louisiana residents for high–wage, high–demand career opportunities in Louisiana.

STRATEGIC GOAL 1: FORECASTING

Provide and continue to develop robust, credible industry and occupational forecasts and labor supply analyses that identify current and future workforce demand and drive policy and resource decisions.

1. Maintain comprehensive and accurate industry and occupational short– and long–term forecasts that are refreshed annually to reflect dynamic workforce needs.

2. Position the industry and occupational forecasts as The Louisiana Occupational Forecast as the guide for resource allocation.

3. Support collaboration among state agency partners to continue the annual development of a workforce supply and demand analysis to identify workforce gaps.

4. Support the continued development of user–friendly tools (i.e., Star Jobs; My Life, My Way; and HiRE) that appropriately communicate the forecast and gap analysis to each customer type (i.e. business and industry, job–seekers, state agencies and policymakers, educational institutions, workforce development boards and community–based organizations), enabling more informed decision–making and planning.

5. Coordinate the development and launch of a statewide outreach campaign, including communications and marketing, with the goal of educating students, parents, influencers, educators, job–seekers and workforce development stakeholders about career opportunities available in Louisiana, the pathways to those opportunities and available support services.

STRATEGIC GOAL 2: GROWTH AND ALIGNMENT

Meet current and future workforce demand by better aligning Louisiana’s education and training enterprises to produce more people with the skills, abilities and credentials that meet the needs of Louisiana business and industry.

1. Develop a Louisiana–specific tool that links instructional programs with employment outcomes, helping residents identify education and training pathways that lead to high–wage, high–demand careers.

2. Support growth in the Louisiana labor force pipeline by promoting:

a. An increased high school graduation rate. Goal: Reach an 80 percent graduation rate by 2020, which is the rate in top states as defined by the National Center for Educational Statistics.

b. Education, training and job opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment, as defined by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Goal: Pending performance metric release from United States Department of Labor.

c. The preparation and connection of unemployed and underemployed individuals with skills training for high–demand occupations. Goal: Pending performance metric release from U.S Department of Labor.

3. Ensure compliance with requirements to maximize federal workforce development funding for Louisiana.

4. Adopt policies likely to lead to high–wage employment outcomes that reflect state diversity demographics

5. Increase the percentage of high school graduates who are ready for work or post–secondary education and training that aligns with workforce demand and career opportunities.

6. Ensure that The Louisiana Occupational Forecast and gap analysis are used by stakeholders to prioritize resource investments.

7. Support increased production of post–secondary credentials that lead to high–wage, high–demand career pathways.

8. Promote meaningful, portable industry credentials supported throughout the workforce delivery system that align to workforce demand.

9. Brand Louisiana Star Jobs and HiRE as the best tools to identify high–wage, high–demand jobs in Louisiana, and the education and training necessary to attain those jobs.

STRATEGIC GOAL 3: ACCOUNTABILITY

Institute a system of accountability for the workforce development system. Ensure WIC accountability to the Governor of Louisiana, other WIC members and the Louisiana Workforce Commission, and promote accountability of the Workforce Development Boards as defined by WIOA to the WIC.

Workforce Investment Council

• Conduct a formal stakeholder analysis by the June 2016 WIC meeting, which will be incorporated into the WIC strategic plan to better understand roles, responsibilities, interactions of all workforce development partners.

• Submit a strategic plan in alignment with WIOA to the governor and annually report plan progress as required by statute.

• Hold stakeholders accountable for achieving agreed–upon strategic goals that align workforce supply and demand.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of Workforce Development Boards in meeting workforce demand. LWC will provide a draft evaluation process within three months of receiving federal performance guidelines.

• Direct the activities of the Occupational Forecasting Conference.

• Drive state and local policy to support the alignment of education and training with workforce demand.

• Oversee the Industry–Based Certification Council, responsible for evaluating the alignment of credentials with state workforce demand for inclusion on the IBC State Focus List.

• Oversee, jointly with the Board of Regents, the evaluation of two–year and shorter–term programs for Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) Tech eligibility in alignment with state workforce demand.

• Contribute to the evaluation of TOPS Tech Early Start training providers to ensure alignment with state and regional workforce needs.

• Support the alignment of Jump Start Pathways with statewide

STRATEGIC GOAL 3: ACCOUNTABILITY

Institute a system of accountability for the workforce development system. Ensure WIC accountability to the Governor of Louisiana, other WIC members and the Louisiana Workforce Commission, and promote accountability of the Workforce Development Boards as defined by WIOA to the WIC.

Workforce Investment Council

• Conduct a formal stakeholder analysis by the June 2016 WIC meeting, which will be incorporated into the WIC strategic plan to better understand roles, responsibilities, interactions of all workforce development partners.

• Submit a strategic plan in alignment with WIOA to the governor and annually report plan progress as required by statute.

• Hold stakeholders accountable for achieving agreed–upon strategic goals that align workforce supply and demand.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of Workforce Development Boards in meeting workforce demand. LWC will provide a draft evaluation process within three months of receiving federal performance guidelines.

• Direct the activities of the Occupational Forecasting Conference.

• Drive state and local policy to support the alignment of education and training with workforce demand.

• Oversee the Industry–Based Certification Council, responsible for evaluating the alignment of credentials with state workforce demand for inclusion on the IBC State Focus List.

• Oversee, jointly with the Board of Regents, the evaluation of two–year and shorter–term programs for Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) Tech eligibility in alignment with state workforce demand.

• Contribute to the evaluation of TOPS Tech Early Start training providers to ensure alignment with state and regional workforce needs.

• Support the alignment of Jump Start Pathways with statewide

STRATEGIC GOAL 3: ACCOUNTABILITY

Institute a system of accountability for the workforce development system. Ensure WIC accountability to the Governor of Louisiana, other WIC members and the Louisiana Workforce Commission, and promote accountability of the Workforce Development Boards as defined by WIOA to the WIC.

Workforce Investment Council

• Conduct a formal stakeholder analysis by the June 2016 WIC meeting, which will be incorporated into the WIC strategic plan to better understand roles, responsibilities, interactions of all workforce development partners.

• Submit a strategic plan in alignment with WIOA to the governor and annually report plan progress as required by statute.

• Hold stakeholders accountable for achieving agreed–upon strategic goals that align workforce supply and demand.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of Workforce Development Boards in meeting workforce demand. LWC will provide a draft evaluation process within three months of receiving federal performance guidelines.

• Direct the activities of the Occupational Forecasting Conference.

• Drive state and local policy to support the alignment of education and training with workforce demand.

• Oversee the Industry–Based Certification Council, responsible for evaluating the alignment of credentials with state workforce demand for inclusion on the IBC State Focus List.

• Oversee, jointly with the Board of Regents, the evaluation of two–year and shorter–term programs for Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) Tech eligibility in alignment with state workforce demand.

• Contribute to the evaluation of TOPS Tech Early Start training providers to ensure alignment with state and regional workforce needs.

• Support the alignment of Jump Start Pathways with statewide