9. Local Planning and Policies

What the Law Requires: Local workforce investment boards are to respond to the needs of the local labor market and design programs to provide workers with the skills needed to succeed in the local economy. The Governor may require local workforce boards to participate in regional planning activities. Local boards, in partnership with elected officials, are to develop five-year plans which:

• allot funds for adult, dislocated worker and youth programs

• select one-stop operators and contract training providers

• negotiate performance standards

• identify training providers eligible to receive vouchers

• apportion funds for core, intensive and training services

• describe employer linkages and economic development strategies

• procedures for review and comment by interested parties, including business, labor organizations and CBOs.

In the transition from JTPA to WIA, states will work with local elected officials and WIBs to design local plans that are consistent with the state plan. This process should include provisions to modify plans to reflect changes in the delivery system as well as labor market realities, including changes in poverty, unemployment as well as sectoral/occupational changes.

Labor’s Perspective: Labor should participate in the development of the local plan and be consulted on a full range of issues, including:

Setting budgets for core, intensive and training services - Funds for adults and dislocated workers will be spent on core, intensive and training services. Each local WIB should establish a process that determines the appropriate balance among these services. For example, there should be sufficient resources for training. The WIB should make every effort to utilize, in a complementary fashion, the resources brought by the one-stop partners, particularly the Employment Service in order that sufficient resources are available to meet the training needs of workers in the local labor market.

Coordinating with economic development - Several jurisdictions have passed living wage ordinances helping to assure that public tax dollars promote family wage job creation. Labor should insist that local WIBs pursue policies that link job training with "high road" economic development strategies.

Identifying labor market needs and demand occupations - The labor movement is in a unique position to provide substantive and up-to-date analysis of local labor markets.

• Labor representatives must insist on a role in identifying living wage jobs with substantial potential for growth and a role in evaluating programs that measure the results of the public investments made.

• The local WIB must establish procedures which include consultation with unions who represent workers having skills in which training is proposed as well as consultation with any labor organization whose members are affected by WIA programs.

• The decentralized structure of WIA poses a potential problem if local areas don’t share information. Labor representatives should encourage information-sharing across local labor market boundaries.

Providing review and comment - Interested parties, including business and labor organizations, have 30 days to comment on the plan. This should be extended to at least 60 days. The local WIB must make assurances that all comments will receive a response and be included in the plan submitted to the state.

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