19D - WORKFORCE PLAN 2017-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Plan Employer expectations and requirements for new workers continue to increase as industries evolve via improved efficiency and rapid technological advancement. Many employment opportunities offered in today's economic environment require a complicated mixture of soft and technical skills, even at entry-level positions, and many businesses find themselves struggling to fill positions that require this combination, a phenomena known as the skills gap. Fortunately, many educational institutions in the county recognize this need for enhanced skills and are shaping programs to cater to the increasing skill requirements of Orange County's businesses. As a result, the number of high school students who are college -ready and well prepared for post K -12 success is of growing significance. Declaration: Orange County's deep talent pool and increasing educational attainment, provides an important competitive advantage for the present and the short -term future. Recent economic and social issues, however, may threaten the county's long -term competitiveness. The county's high cost of living may force talented workers to relocate elsewhere, widening the growing skills gap and demand for skilled workers in the region. Policymakers and key regional stakeholders should take steps to address these issues and maintain one of the county's most important competitive advantages of a skilled workforce. Regional Coal /Objective: Improve access and quality of service delivery to support an enable upward mobility for all Californians through innovation organized around development of regional sector pathways. Strategy: Increase, expand, and improve programs that increase opportunities for all workers and job seekers for employment, including from under - represented demographic groups, to enter or sustain careers in fields with high wages and /or career advancement opportunities, including for those with barriers to employment, State Plan AltgnMe ant: Enabling upward mobility for all Californians, including populations with barriers to employment. Alignment, coordination, and integration of workforce /education programs and services to economize limited resources to provide the right services to customers based on particular and unique needs, ��"'�`"�1,�`�[�n�»,.�yy�:.,.R ,�1�4��L� ` IE�Ir • • -, f�VJ,n P ��, �""�.��.�a•� ANALYSIS OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN THE REGION Orange County's business community has experienced a growing awareness of the publicly funded workforce, education, and training systems. Current workforce development activities are comprised of various networks of public, education, private for profit and private non- profit agencies that collaborate on a regular basis to provide resources necessary to coordinate a large -scale workforce development effort. The table below highlights major regional workforce activities that are occurring in the OC region today: net Activit leg i escription Slingshot Initiative The SlingShot Initiative catalyzes collaborative efforts by businesses, industry, government, workforce development, economic development and education stakeholders within a region to address employment challenges with regionally selected solutions to regionally defined problems. The OC Region's SlingShot Coalition is designed to respond to industry led and identified needs to address a growing skills gap and waning regional talent pipeline, Specifically, the OC Region SlingShot will develop processes to establish a viable and sustainable regional talent pipeline of skilled workers for the manufacturing sector through training, apprenticeships, and On- the -Job Trainin s, Regional Industry The AS 116 Regional Industry Clusters of Opportunity (RICO) Initiative, designs and implements regional Clusters of Opportunity economic development strategies in the alternative fuel and advanced vehicle technology industries, This (RICO) Initiative project focused on promoting the accelerated deployment of hydrogen infrastructure, the accelerated adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and the creation of a talent pipeline to support a hydrogen fuel industry in the OC Region. Although the grant ended in early 2016, the outputs of the projects have continued beyond the grant term and the region continues to further develop and implement regional industry clusters of opportunity (RICO) career pathways and /or talent pipeline strategies for K -12 students; and to involve regional partners to advance the competitive position of tar eted RICO efforts resulting in economic prosperRy. Stronger Workforce California Community Colleges Implementation of programs to address the high levels of unemployment in Program California that is fueled by the skills gap through innovative, data - driven analysis of: demand and supply a s in local markets; tar eted investments to strengthen and scale the most effectve workforce training_ Page 10 19D -25