Strategic Goals
East Texas Workforce Development Board Members
East Texas Workforce Development Board
Texas House Bill 1863, along with provisions of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, sought to integrate various workforce programs under one policymaking body. The East Texas Workforce Development Board was established to oversee this integration and coordination of more than twenty separate employment and training programs in our area.
A report by the Comptrollers office in 1995 provided the principles that serve as the cornerstone of workforce development boards:- Driven by Business and Industry and Labor
- Universally Available
- Locally Designed
- Responsive to Customers Needs
- Accountable
The East Texas Workforce Development Board is a volunteer board appointed by the Chief Elected Officials. The Board is composed of a majority membership of individuals from the private sector along with individuals representing labor, education, and community organizations from counties within the East Texas Region.
The vision of the East Texas Workforce Development Board is to promote the development of a model workforce development system that is accountable to the current and emerging needs of business and the workforce. To that end, our mission is to "Build a first class workforce that will attract employers and make a difference in the economy and the quality of life in the community."
Simply put, we intend to build the best workforce development system in the state. We intend to achieve this by several avenues.- Through the Workforce Investment Act we are making valuable job search assistance and career planning services available in our workforce centers for all of our residents, regardless of income level. We also have specialized outplacement services available to respond to mass layoffs and plant closings.
- Training is being made available through the Workforce Investment Act that will allow residents to increase their marketability and value to employers. Participants will access Texas Workforce Commission approved training providers which include community colleges, technical colleges, and private vocational schools. In addition, on-the-job training and internship opportunities will be made available through area employers.
- We are working to decrease welfare dependency in the region, by offering job search and work skills assistance for persons receiving time limited welfare benefits. Between 1995 and 1999 the number of families receiving welfare in East Texas has dropped from 23,198 to 10,287, a reduction of 55%. Through the Choices Program and the Welfare-to-Work Program, workforce center staff work with clients to assure that they find employment that keeps them off the welfare rolls.
- Through the workforce center operators, we are building a system which provides services for economically disadvantaged youth of the region that will prepare them for careers in the 21st century. This system encompasses an expanding network of specialized, stand alone projects for economically disadvantaged youth with special needs.
- We are committed to making reliable, up-to-date labor market information available to employers and job seekers that is tailored to the needs of East Texans who want to live and work in our region, or anywhere else in the nation.
- We are here to assist employers in the challenge of finding good employees. We are committed to serving the needs of employers by attracting quality hiring prospects to our centers and providing them with the tools to reach their full potential.
- Last but not least, we recognize that the availability of quality, affordable child care is a critical need for our workforce. In our role as the administrator of the subsidized child care management system in East Texas, we shall work closely with the operator of that system, ACS State and Local Solutions Child Care Management Services, to assure that as many children as possible receive quality child care that improves their learning capacity and life potential. Ultimately, our Board sees this as the key in improving our workforce in the long term.
Strategic Goals:
Workforce Center Services- To provide a single point of contact for all workforce development services needed by job seekers and employers.
- To provide an integrated and accessible front door for all workforce services in every county.
- To provide welfare recipients with a safety net while they go from dependency to self-sufficiency.
- To provide welfare recipients with support including child care, transportation, education skills and work opportunities so that they can attain self sufficiency.
- To enhance the employability and skills levels of economically disadvantaged youth.
- To Foster communication among area organizations serving youth and to increase the level of understanding of strategies that address the employability of youth.
- To foster a workforce environment which encourages education to seek innovative approaches to provide adults with the skills they need to be successful and self sufficient.
- To assure that labor market information is accurate and current for the region for individuals who need the information to make workforce development decisions.
East Texas Workforce Development Board Members