Narrative: III. a. 1.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Illinois State Statute 20 ILCS 3975/1.require that the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board (IWIB) provide strategic leadership and oversight that will further the state’s goals to meet the workforce needs of businesses and workers. The IWIB created and adopted bylaws to further guide the IWIB’s work and processes. During 2018-2019, the IWIB initiated its first strategic planning process to ensure the expanded functions under WIOA are carried out. This process moved the board from a tactical, operational approach to one where the members think strategically and serve as system leaders. The IWIB updated its strategic plan in 2020. The WIOA Unified State Plan for Illinois continues to be a tangible product resulting from the IWIB strategic planning process, in conjunction with priorities outlined in Governor JB Pritzker’s Executive Order 3, Illinois’ Five-Year economic development plan, and multiple required state workforce and education state plans of system partners.

IWIB Strategic Plan

The Governor-appointed IWIB includes leaders from business, industry, state agencies, education, labor, and community-based organizations with the goal of evaluating and meeting the workforce needs of Illinois’ employers and workers. WIOA requires that state workforce boards take a leadership role in guiding the workforce system through policies, strategies, and performance that address the needs of businesses, consumers, employees, community members, and partners. These boards are responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, and modification of the Unified State Plan, convening all relevant programs, required partners and stakeholders, and providing oversight and strategic leadership for the state workforce development system.

Furthermore, boards are to act as conveners of the system bringing together employers and community partners at the state, regional, and local levels to promote economic growth through these partnerships and ensure alignment between education and workforce services. Active participation of all board members and close collaboration with partners, including public and private organizations, is vital to this success.

In Illinois, this active participation occurs through a committee and task force structure, in which IWIB representatives from private/public partner programs implement policy recommendations to strengthen Illinois' workforce system.

In developing the Vision and Mission of the 2020 Unified State Plan, the IWIB and state leaders from WIOA partners recognized (with the help of facilitation by the National Governors Association) that it is better to focus on fewer priorities that can truly be identified, implemented, and evaluated to assure success than to create an extensive list that may or may not be achievable in a positive way for Illinois. As such, the IWIB approved new priority areas to be incorporated into the strategic plan modifications. A formal Vision and Mission for the IWIB, along with the priority areas, served as the framework for the board to make strategic decisions to lead the workforce system. As a starting point, the IWIB identified five priority areas that focus on integrated and equitable service delivery design, business engagement through sector strategy framework, career pathway development, and metrics for measuring success.

Vision

Illinois will strive to be a national workforce development leader by creating a cohesive, business-led system that equally supports job seekers and businesses through regional economic prosperity and global markets.

Mission

“The Illinois workforce system’s purpose is to integrate education, workforce, and economic development resources and services that support economic growth and job creation for individuals, businesses, and communities in the State.”

Priority Areas

1. Integrate service delivery, improving access and opportunity for all populations.
2. Promote business demand-driven orientation through a sector strategy framework, grounded in strong partnerships within business and among business at all levels of the system.
3. Grow career pathways to enhance opportunities for Illinoisans to stimulate the economy.
4. Monitor, track, and assess clear metrics for progress and success to inform continuous improvement and innovation efforts.
5. Ensure accountability as a board and as system partners for outcomes and transparency through marketing and outreach to the system.

IWIB Goals

Equitable access is a fundamental principle within WIOA, the Illinois WIOA Unified Plan, as well as a high priority of the Governor. The work of the IWIB is to establish goals to improve inequities for the populations we serve, create accessible career pathways for all customers that address barriers to employment, and enhance equality among partners.

Business Engagement:

The IWIB will engage the business community through sector strategies and career pathways that strengthen and expand the building and sustainability of business-led partnerships. Engagement will be targeted through industry sectors and emerging pathways by promoting work-based learning, seeking out minority owned businesses, and developing innovative approaches to improve competitiveness and equity among partners.

 Customer-Centered Design:

Executing a customer-centered service delivery model has the intended outcome of utilizing approaches that produce equitable outcomes and result in higher customer satisfaction for both businesses and jobseekers. This will be accomplished by addressing challenges to employment and creating career pathway approaches for all clients that lead to industry-recognized credentials and ultimately sustainable employment.

Technology:

Deploying user-friendly accessible technology to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the system provides for coordinated service delivery which is a foundational approach under WIOA.

Workforce Board Impact:

Strengthening state and local workforce board effectiveness moves these boards into a strategic position to set priorities and garner a better understanding of roles and responsibilities.

While the Strategic Plan and subsequent updates were a major undertaking, the IWIB continues to provide focused efforts through its structure of standing committees, task forces and policy work groups further outlined in the State Board Overview section of this plan. The IWIB continues to hold an annual retreat that provides additional opportunity for board member engagement in developing new priorities, coordinating board initiatives, and identifying areas of necessary professional development. In 2022, the IWIB is planning to update the strategic plan.

While the IWIB began strengthening local involvement in the policymaking process, the Strategic Plan modifications further emphasize the board’s desire to build stronger partnerships and communication between the IWIB and local workforce boards. This will occur through direct communication between the IWIB Co-Chairs and board members and local workforce innovation boards (LWIB), invitations to jointly participate in state and local board meetings, and the development of an outreach plan to ensure that local boards understand and participate in Illinois’ efforts to create a quality workforce, with a focus on the unique needs of each regional and local market. Technology solutions will be examined to facilitate and encourage better interaction among IWIB and LWIB members.

Board Member Orientation and Outreach

Acting on several of the priorities found in the Strategic Plan, the IWIB began development of outreach and orientation for current and new members.

All the work of the IWIB comes with the need to have fully engaged members. Revisions in 2021 to the IWIB By-Laws require that all members be actively participating on at least one standing committee, task force or work group. Members are encouraged to   attend assigned committee, task force and workgroup meetings, as well as the full IWIB quarterly meetings. Members unable to meet these obligations will be consulted by IWIB Executive Committee members to determine any necessary changes such as identification of more appropriate involvement or could lead to a request to replace the individual with a new appointment. Furthermore, a set of operational and communications protocols were developed to formalize structure and member composition of committees, task forces and work groups, provide a consistent set of standards for conduct and compliance with OMA, and ensure all activities are consistent with board goals and expected outcomes.

A new orientation process will ensure new members are provided the information necessary to effectively participate in the activities of the board by more thoroughly understanding key tenets and functions of a state board under WIOA, the one-stop system in Illinois, the services and programs available by partners, and expectations as board members. The Member’s Manual outlines all of the information and processes, including state statutes and guidance that apply to appointed boards. This “living” document will be able to be revised as necessary to reflect current information and data. A budget worksheet provides information on the resources available under direction of the IWIB and mandated training that appointed members, similar to those of state employees, must comply with annually. Another tool to inform new members will be a mentoring program to connect new members with long-standing board members with similar interests by sector or geography. This will provide new members with an immediate resource to the history of the board and a better understanding of its direction moving forward.

Committees, Task Forces and Work Groups

The IWIB continues its structure of utilizing standing committees, task forces and work groups to further expand collaborative efforts in Illinois by inviting employer and stakeholder engagement in the operation of the state workforce system. This structure was established to ensure that board members remain engaged in furthering the identification and understanding of root causes in workforce and economic development challenges, and to provide opportunities for consultation and input from those directly connected to and actively involved with the system. Staff from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) coordinate support to these bodies. In addition, the IWIB utilizes resources from WIOA partner agencies and state universities to support its work.

The IWIB continuously evaluates the success of its structure and has created new sub-groups as necessary to ensure appropriate focus on the most important priorities and activities. Moving into the new Unified State Plan cycle, the IWIB has deactivated the Information Technology Committee with reassignments of necessary activities to other committees and work groups, The new Business Engagement Committee will provide a direct resource to support the business-driven model Illinois’ workforce and education systems seek.

Committees are generally longstanding groups that conduct regularly occurring business on behalf of the IWIB and are designed to focus on long-term issues and strategies. Task forces, on the other hand, are short-term and goal-oriented bodies that are appointed to achieve articulated outcomes by a specified date and employ highly engaged membership and staff support to accomplish those outcomes.

Work Groups are utilized to develop and revise policies that direct system operations for local workforce boards, agency partners, one-stop centers & operators and service providers. At any given time, there have been as many as five policy work groups engaged in the same policy development and implementation process. Each is approved by the IWIB through action items that detail the objectives and timeframes (if appropriate) of the group. All Committees, workgroups and task forces are comprised of members of the IWIB, local boards and chief elected officials, business and core agency partners, in addition to identified stakeholders throughout the state. Going forward, and further outlined within this Plan, the IWIB addresses the following priority areas: service integration, one-stop certification, eligible training providers and demand occupations, and local workforce innovation board composition and staffing models.

The IWIB Executive Committee is responsible for establishing the committees, task forces and work groups and designating the members of these working bodies, subject to the approval of the full IWIB. While the IWIB encourages wide participation from stakeholders, a Chair, selected from among current IWIB business members, is identified for each Committee and Task Force to ensure continued effective, efficient and focused efforts on the IWIB’s behalf. Chairs are encouraged for work groups as well. Recently, the IWIB held discussions and approved a process whereby a Co-Chair can be identified to lead and support the work of the standing committees. A Co-Chair can be a representative of the system with intimate knowledge and experience of the committee work and does not have to be selected from among IWIB members. This allowance provides for the ability to support areas of system development that a board member might not have as a strength.

IWIB members have increased their alignment with education groups within the state to build strong linkages that will expand work-based learning opportunities and open career pathways for all learners. Building these strong linkages is part of the board’s role as a system leader, and supports further alignment of the education, workforce and economic development vision. IWIB representatives actively participate in the Illinois P-20 Council, the Illinois Pathways Advisory Council and the Higher Education Commission on the Future of the Workforce, as well as the technical assistance work group on New Skills for Youth and the 21st Century Workforce Advisory Fund Board. IWIB members also participate in the Integrated Business Services teams. IWIB staff provide information to the board related to other workforce, education and economic development efforts occurring throughout the state to assist them in better understanding their roles and how they can affect continuous improvement opportunities throughout the system.