SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD OVERVIEW

Mission

"To drive innovative and transformational change in the development of the region's talent through focused delivery of quality services with integrity and flexibility. We collaborate with business, industry , economic development and education to prepare and provide skilled workers and improve the standard of living in our communities."

Vision

"We are a dynamic and thriving region where prepared job seekers and quality career opportunities align with the needs and demands of business and industry."

The Local Workforce Development Board

Local Workforce Development Boards, in partnership with local elected officials, plan and oversee the local system. Local plans are created and updated annually to be submitted for the Governor’s approval.  The Local Board is responsible for developing the Local Plan and conducting oversight of the One-Stop system, youth activities and employment and training activities in partnership with the chief elected official.

  • Selecting One-Stop Operator and Career Service Provider;
  • Selecting eligible youth service providers based on the recommendations of the Youth Council, and identifying eligible providers of adult and dislocated worker intensive services and training services;
  • Developing a budget for the purpose of carrying out the duties of the Local Board;
  • Negotiating and reaching agreement on local performance measures;
  • Coordinating workforce investment activities with economic development strategies and developing employer linkages;
  • Other duties as defined by WIOA.

The Local Workforce Development Board

Strategic planning is one of the areas of key responsibility of a Board. Each Local Workforce Development Area (LWDA) Board orchestrates the design of a local plan, which it submits to the state for approval. It is the culmination of long-term goal setting, future-oriented thinking, and sound decision making. The strategic plan establishes a path between the present and a vision for the future. The goals of strategic planning are to develop a vision, to determine performance indicators for fulfilling that vision, and to outline the steps necessary for meeting those performance outcomes.

The Administrative Entity and Fiscal Agent

The Administrative Entity and Fiscal Agent that disburses funds for workforce investment activities at the direction of the Local Workforce Development Board with the concurrence of the Local Chief Elected Official is –The Southeast Tennessee Development District.

Composition on the WDB

Workforce Development Boards must be majority private sector/business representatives and also include representatives of education providers, labor organizations, community- based organizations, economic development agencies, and each of the "One- Stop" partners.

Attracting and Involving Employers

Both the U.S. Congress and the Tennessee Legislature have mandated that employers drive the WDB’s policy direction. It is imperative that the WDB includes in its planning a process for ensuring that local business and industry are an integral part of the workforce system. To serve job seekers successfully, the whole system must be fully responsive to employers’ needs for skilled workers.

The more employers use the system, the better the system becomes. This includes Board members themselves who set an example by taking advantage of the services available in the workforce system. Board members who use the system increase their insight into the system which allows them to make more significant suggestions for improvement and to contribute more meaningfully to planning, oversight, and evaluation.

Oversight

Another key responsibility of the WDB is oversight. To ensure efficient management of the system, board members must clearly communicate expectations to board staff, who are there to implement the plan as the board exercises its oversight responsibility.

Oversight begins with asking critical questions that determine whether the WDB is an effective steward of the system and the tax dollars it manages on behalf of its constituents. WDB members must regularly evaluate internal budgets and its contractors’ expenditures and progress toward meeting performance goals. The LWDA directs American Job Center staff to develop a process to ensure that performance goals are achieved, and staff performance is evaluated on the outcome. Oversight must be an ongoing, continuous process.

Areas of Responsibility:

Areas of responsibility for WDB members include, but are not limited to:

  • understanding and communicating employer needs
  • maintaining a strategic focus on workforce issues in the community
  • building a plan with objectives designed to meet the skill needs of local employers
  • taking a leadership role in setting local workforce policy
  • designing the area’s workforce solutions
  • utilizing the services of workforce solutions
  • identifying employers who will hire trained workers
  • developing expectations of performance outcomes and customer satisfaction
  • meeting performance measures for the local workforce system
  • monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the area’s service providers
  • directing Board staff to make adjustments, as appropriate, to ensure quality of services and attainment of goals
  • designing solutions to assist job seekers in meeting the hiring needs of employers

Youth Committee

The Youth Committee is a subgroup of the Local Workforce Development Board. It is responsible for the following:

  • Coordinating youth activities in a local area;
  • Developing portions of the local plan related to eligible youth, as determined by the chairperson of the Local Board;
  • Recommending eligible youth service providers, subject to the approval of the Local Board;
  • Conducting oversight with respect to eligible providers of youth activities in the local area, subject to the approval of the Local Board;
  • Carrying out other duties, as authorized by the chairperson of the Local Board.

revised 03/29/2019 - B

Board

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