GWDC WorkForce Center Report
As required by Minnesota State Statute 116L.665, Subd. 4, the GWDC Executive Committee must submit a report to the Senate and House of Representatives committees with jurisdiction over workforce development programs regarding the performance and outcomes of the workforce centers by January 15 of each odd-numbered year. The 2007 and 2009 WorkForce Center Report can be found on the publications page.
2011 Workforce Center Report and GWDC Response to OLA Recommendation
The OLA’s 2010 Workforce Programs report recommended that the Governor’s Workforce Development Council, together with local workforce councils and DEED, should design a process to identify local gaps in workforce services and explore how to fill them. As the OLA report states, “Minnesota needs a process in which workforce needs drive decisions about spending instead of one where available funding determines the services offered.” In response to the OLA recommendation, the GWDC will:
1) Collect Data
The GWDC will seek recommendations from local workforce councils, DEED, and other stakeholders on how a process could:
- Determine workforce needs
- Compare competing proposals for filling those needs
- Objectively select providers based on preset criteria
- Analyze how to implement, pay for, and evaluate services
2) Determine Guiding Principles and Funding Options
The GWDC will propose guiding principles for implementing the process, covering OLA recommendations for:
- Competitive approach for selecting
- Objective criteria for comparing potential providers
- Hold workforce councils accountable for considering the full scope of workforce needs in their areas
- Ensure DEED involvement in the workforce councils’ deliberations
- Require DEED to provide oversight and ongoing monitoring once a process is in place
- Process for identifying unmet workforce needs, including local and state perspectives
- Local councils should identify populations for whom services are lacking
The GWDC will explore funding options, including:
- Future incentive grants from DOL
- Minnesota Workforce Development fund
3) Recommend an Ongoing Process
The GWDC will recommend to the legislature a process to identify local gaps in workforce services and how to fill them in a report to the legislature by January 15, 2011.
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