§ 542 - Regional workforce investment boards - Vermont Statutes

§ 542. Regional workforce investment boards

(a) At the request of a regional group recognized by the council as interested in workforce training, the workforce development council shall establish a regional workforce investment board in the region. Regional workforce investment boards shall act with oversight from the workforce development council.

(b) Members of each regional workforce investment board shall include individuals or representatives of employers and employees from large and small businesses, secondary and post-secondary educational institutions, regional technical centers, economic development organizations or chambers of commerce, or both, workforce education and training organizations, and public agencies with work force education and training responsibilities. The workforce development council shall review the regional workforce investment board membership to ensure a balance between employers, employees and workforce program providers with 51 percent of membership representing employers. Members shall not receive compensation or reimbursement for expenses.

(c) Each regional workforce investment board may:

(1) Coordinate a delivery system of workforce education and training services that is responsive to the needs of employers, employees and individuals interested in receiving workforce training and is consistent with policies established by the workforce development council. The system shall avoid duplication of services among workforce education and training programs and service providers.

(2) Perform periodic regional needs assessments and establish priorities for regional workforce development, and report on such assessments and priorities to the workforce development council.

(3) Determine whether each program and provider collaborates and coordinates its activities with other programs.

(4) Review and endorse requests by workforce programs and providers for waivers of state and federal regulations in support of high performance, if such requests are consistent with the goals of the statewide integrated network of workforce education and training as established by the workforce development council.

(5) Ensure the most effective use of funds by encouraging collaborative work on budget preparation and grant proposals submitted by programs and providers.

(6) Encourage partnerships with businesses and providers to develop new education and training opportunities that meet regional labor market needs and that are consistent with policies established by the workforce development council.

(7) Continue to support school-to-work efforts through a youth council and integrate school-to-work, and welfare reform initiatives so that these initiatives are integrated into the workforce education and training system.

(8) Develop an integrated network of service providers including department of labor career resource centers consistent with policies established by the workforce development council.

(9) Maintain a process for sharing information about program needs and opportunities among programs, providers, employers and the general public.

(10) Coordinate the dissemination of, and assure access, to pertinent labor market information.

(11) Coordinate the dissemination of, and assure access, to pertinent workforce education and training program and services information for individuals and businesses.

(12) Explore new ideas and models that advance policies established by the workforce development council, and act as a clearinghouse for all providers and programs in the region.

(13) Ensure that new program ideas complement the goals of the workforce development council including the goal of an integrated network of workforce education and training.

(14) Conduct an inventory of businesses for potential alternate learning environments.

(15) Advise the workforce development council about standards and procedures for a uniform accountability and information data base for programs and providers.

(16) Perform such other duties identified by the workforce development council to be necessary or desirable in carrying out the purposes of this chapter.

(d) Subject to available resources, each investment board shall report to the workforce development council in the manner described by the council. The report shall include the following:

(1) A comprehensive regional workforce development strategic plan that addresses the region's economic development, education and training, and employment needs, including a plan for outreach to workers who earn less than a livable income, which for the purposes of this section means the equivalent of the annual basic needs budget for a single person without dependents, as computed pursuant to annual calculations performed by the joint fiscal office. The strategic plan shall be updated biennially or as requested by the workforce development council.

(2) An annual workforce development work plan that describes the efforts of its members to implement the goals of the strategic plan, including the following:

(A) Specific training solutions and programs that address the needs identified in the strategic plan.

(B) Work opportunities that help increase the income of workers who earn less than a livable income.

(C) Proposed outcomes and accountability measures for determining whether the objectives described in the regional workforce development strategic plan have been met.

(3) [Deleted.] (Added 1995, No. 45, § 1; amended 1999, No. 27, § 3, eff. May 19, 1999; 1999, No. 119 (Adj. Sess.), § 5, eff. May 18, 2000; 2005, No. 103 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 5, 2006; No. 212 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 2009, No. 33, § 22.)