Item 09 - Biennial Modification to the PY 2021-24 Regional and Local Workforce Plan

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Orange RPU 2023 Biennial Modification to PY 2021-24 Regional Plan 1 I. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW With the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014, Congress moved the national workforce system in a new direction regarding how to approach economic and labor market demands. While establishing local workforce areas over the last four decades has always considered local labor markets, WIOA recognizes that economies tend to be regional and may extend beyond the political boundaries that define local areas. WIOA’s recognition of regional economies led to California’s establishment of Regional Planning Units (RPUs), which represent groups of local workforce areas that work collaboratively to develop strategies reflecting the regional economic needs of businesses and the workforce. In accordance with federal and state guidance, the Orange Regional Planning Unit has developed a four-year Regional Plan to guide strategic initiatives throughout Program Years (PY) 2021-24, which cover June 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025. WIOA requires a Biennial Modification to the Regional Plan. This 2023 version of the Plan serves as the required update and, once approved by state officials, will become the official version of the PY 21-24 Regional Plan from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025. The Orange Regional Planning Unit The Orange Regional Planning Unit (RPU) is comprised of the three local Workforce Development Boards (WDBs) serving 34 cities and all unincorporated areas in Orange County. The RPU includes the Anaheim Workforce Development Board, which serves the City of Anaheim, the Santa Ana Workforce Development Board, which serves the City of Santa Ana, and the Orange County Workforce Development Board, which serves the remaining 32 cities and the unincorporated areas of Orange County. Orange County is the third-most populous county in California (3,162,245 people in 2022)1 and the sixth-most populous in the nation. Orange County’s population declined from 3,169,542 in 2022 and is projected to decrease by 17,537 over the next five years2. This decrease reflects an outmigration brought about by rising costs in the region, including housing costs which are among the highest in the state. This can make it difficult for many young people and families to afford to live in Orange County. Regional Plan Content WIOA prescribes content for regional plans, which focus principally on the region's labor market, economic conditions, growth industries, and other promising sectors, and how the local workforce development system responds to these factors through sector-based career pathway strategies. WIOA-required local plans supplement the mandatory 1 California Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit 2 Lightcast, 2021, https://analyst.lightcast.io/. EXHIBIT 1