CA Senate Send Job Training Plan to Brown

SACRAMENTO – On Aug. 30, the California Senate approved and sent to a bill to Gov. Jerry Brown that seeks to help provide the necessary resources to train and better prepare workers.

The measure would direct the California Workforce Investment Board to target job-training resources.

Existing law requires that the board, in collaboration with specified state and local partners, develop a strategic workforce plan that’s updated at least every five years and addresses the state’s latest economic, demographic and workplace needs.

Senate Bill 118 would help earmark training for our future workforce needs through key requirements that would:

• Establish workforce education and training principles that are coupled with a statewide sector strategy focus for state board activities.
• Mandate the board conduct an annual skills‑gap analysis identifying those industries facing shortages of skilled workers or sectors with job-growth potential.
• Ensure the state workforce investment plan be organized around the adoption of sector strategies that use the state-level skills-gap analysis as a guide.

SB 118 is supported by numerous education, labor and training groups, including the Torrance Chamber of Commerce; the City of Long Beach; the California Labor Federation; the California Manufacturers and Technology Association; the California Workforce Association; the Jewish Vocational Services of San Francisco; the National Skills Coalition; the State Building and Construction Trades Council; the AFL-CIO; and the Council of California Goodwill Industries.