Workforce Florida, Inc. was created by Governor Jeb Bush
and the Florida Legislature with the passage of the Workforce
Innovation
Act of 2000, Chapter 445, Florida Statutes. A 45-member
board appointed by the Governor oversees and monitors the administration
of the state’s workforce policy, programs and services
carried out by the 24 business-led Regional
Workforce Boards and the Agency
for Workforce Innovation. Direct services are
provided at nearly 100 One-Stop
Centers with locations in every
county in the state. This innovative approach to workforce
development in Florida is illustrated in the model below.
The Workforce system was re-designed to create partnerships
between economic development, workforce development and businesses.
In addition, the system is operated through performance-based
contracts that increase accountability of all entities to meet
strategic and legislative-mandated goals.
WORKFORCE FLORIDA BOARD
The Workforce Florida board is comprised
of three standing committees -- Executive, Finance, and One-Stop--and
three standing councils. The councils, Youth
Development, Career, and Business
Competitiveness, are
tasked with developing strategies to target the needs of job
seekers and employers across the employment spectrum-from entry
into the workforce to cultivating workers to fill coveted high
skill/high demand jobs. On an as needed basis, the board may
form Task Forces or other special groups to focus on specific
issues.
Committees
Executive Committee
Executive Committee Members
Finance Committee
Finance Committee Members
One-Stop Committee
The One-Stop Committee provides guidance and recommendations
regarding one-stop minimum standards, credentialing, improving
access to one-stop services and recognizing best practices.
One-Stop
Committee Members
Councils
Youth Development Council promotes
successful entry into the workforce through education and
job experience,
including
school-to-work initiatives that enlist business and community
support to ensure that students have the educational and
occupational skills required to succeed in the workforce.
Also addresses adults entering the workforce for the first
time and youth programs related to welfare reform.
Career Council assists
families transitioning from welfare to work and former welfare
recipients working
in low-wage jobs with limited mobility. Also includes the
Incumbent Worker Training program, which helps employers
retrain and
upgrade the skills of their employees to meet the changing
demands of the economy and avert layoffs.
Business Competitiveness
Council aligns
Florida's education and training programs with higher-paying,
high-demand jobs
that
advance careers, build a more skilled workforce and enhance
the state's efforts to attract, grow and expand job-creating
businesses. The high skills/high wages strategy is comprised
of several initiatives including identifying high-demand,
good paying occupations and linking performance to educators
who
graduate workers for these jobs; targeted industry sectors;
regional high skills/high wages committees which bring economic
developers, businesses and educators together; and customized
training programs--Quick Response and Incumbent
Worker--for
the state's existing and new-to-Florida businesses.
Local Workforce Boards While Workforce Florida provides policy, planning and oversight
at the state level, 24 regional
workforce boards with significant
representation from the business community are largely responsible
for implementing programs in their communities. Each regional
board has performance measures and contracts to provide accountability,
however, the choice of initiatives and programs it implements
are under the local board’s control. This allows for
programs to reflect the economic development, business and
workforce needs of each particular region of the state.
One Stop Centers
Workforce development services in Florida are available primarily
through a system of nearly 100 One-Stop Centers designed to
provide easy access to diverse services including job placement
and training, temporary cash assistance and special support
services such as subsidized childcare and transportation.
Florida’s One-Stop Center network was established to
bring workforce and welfare transition programs together under
one physical or "virtual" roof to simplify and
improve access for employers seeking qualified workers or training
programs for their existing employees and job seekers.
Today, there are nearly 100 One-Stop Centers across Florida
managed at the local level by regional workforce boards. Some
are full-service centers providing direct access to a comprehensive
array of programs at a single location, while others are satellite
facilities capable of providing referrals or electronic access.
Florida’s One-Stops are affiliated statewide through
the Employ Florida brand.
To find a One-Stop near you visit
www.employflorida.net or
call toll-free 1-866-FLA-2345.
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