Los Angeles County Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services and the Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board released drafts of two critical workforce development plans that will guide the county in building the workforce that drives the regional economy.

Despite record low-levels of unemployment, some residents are still not reaping the full benefits of the strong economy. These plans outline innovative partnerships and strategies to help county residents secure jobs, especially ones that pay family sustaining wages and offer career paths. The plans prioritize services for individuals with disabilities, CalFresh participants, non-custodial parents, English language learners, immigrants, refugees, individuals experiencing homelessness, justice involved-individuals and others with employment barriers.

At the same time, businesses in the region cannot always find the skilled talent they need locally to fill their vacancies and grow their operations. These plans outline strategies and partnerships to support regional economic growth by increasing and coordinating business engagement and better assessing the skills needed and credentials valued by employers.

These plans are the result of extensive feedback shared by over 500 community members at 15 public meetings. The goal is for these plans to reflect the diversity of opinion and perspectives found throughout the Los Angeles region.

The drafts will be available for public review and comment for a period of 30 days starting Feb. 8, until March 10. The drafts, along with their respective comment forms, can be accessed online at workforce.lacounty.gov/draftmods.

The first plan is the 2019 Biennial Modification to the Los Angeles County WDB Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Local Area Plan for Program Years 2017-21 and the second plan is the Los Angeles Basin Regional Planning Unit WIOA Regional Plan Modification for Program Years 2017-21. The State Employment Development Department requires (via EDD Directive WSD18-01) the county to assess progress at the 2-year mark in implementing these 4-year plans.

For information, email to wdb@wdacs.lacounty.gov.