The needs of businesses vary from industry to industry and it is crucial the One-Stop System not only fully understands these differences but also responds appropriately to them. The Orange County, Anaheim and Santa Ana Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) understand the importance of creating a demand-driven system and together presented the "Industry Summit Series" project in 2008-2009 as a significant step towards differentiating between varying industry's unique needs and then strategizing on how the One-Stop System can best meet those needs throughout Orange County. The Summit Series sought to resolve the current disconnect between the types of training opportunities that are currently available and the actual industry need. The "Industry Summit Series" project convened four (4) separate Summits with different targeted partners, assisted by BW Research Partnership and the Orange County Business Council:
Healthcare Industry: Building upon the research done through the Orange County Healthcare Industry Report and the work of the Orange County Healthcare Collaborative.
Computer Science Industry: Building upon the results from the Orange County Workforce Investment Board’s (OCWIB) “Computer Cluster Collaborative” (C3) project.
Energy / Environmental Industry.
Orange County Workforce Summit and Conference: Feedback gained from the other three (3) Summits will maximize the success of this broader-based Summit. Mark your calendar for September 24… more information to come soon.
Presentations to and findings from these industry forums, as well as related labor market reports, are posted below. If you have any questions about our labor market research or would like to learn more about these industries, please contact us at ocwib@occr.ocgov.com
The Orange County, Anaheim and Santa Ana Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) thank the Rancho Santiago Community College District for hosting the forums.
The Workforce Innovation Fund IT Cluster Competitiveness Project
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), recently awarded Orange County a $3,000,000 Workforce Innovation Fund grant for the Information Technology Cluster Competiveness Project. The “Information Technology Cluster Competitiveness Project” will implement a new approach for engaging business and education stakeholders in an intensive planning process concerning the education and training needs of companies in Information Technology (IT) across Orange County.
Project Overview
Goals
Better results for job seekers and employers
Stronger cooperation across programs
Objectives
Produce a “roadmap” that plots a course to address “just in time” training needs, those just around the bend and the long-range workforce needs of industries in which IT skills are a critical element to companies’ success, resulting in 5* pilot programs:
Pilot 1 - Development of New IT Programs
Pilot 2 - Retrofitting Existing IT Curricula
Pilot 3 - IT Pipeline Initiative
Pilot 4 - “Bridge the Digital Divide” Initiative
Pilot 5 - Allied IT Business Support System
*Pilot 6 – TBD: A sixth pilot may reveal itself based on industry feedback
Intended Outcomes
Short-Term: An increase in placements of new and returning workers into IT positions; skills upgrade of incumbent workers already in the Orange County IT industry; and prepare a greater number of high school students for entry-level IT jobs or advanced IT training.
Long Term: An Increase in the availability of a large pool of skilled IT workers; and increasing capacity of the workforce system partners to support a wide range of IT business needs.
The roadmap for the project activities will be steered by two stakeholder groups:
1. Business Stakeholder Group: representing both the IT vertical and the horizontal structures.
2. Education Stakeholder Group: representing the K-12 system, adult education, regional occupational programs,
private post-secondary training agencies, community colleges, and public and private universities.
The grant is administered by Orange County’s Community Investment Division/OC Workforce Investment Board (CID/OCWIB). The Orange County Community Investment Division serves as the administrative support to the Orange County Workforce Investment Board (OCWIB) and is primarily responsible for administering programs and activities of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) in Orange County. The WIA assists individuals who are employed, unemployed and underemployed, to increase their self-sufficiency and/or improve their ability to meet the demands of Orange County businesses and employers. Through WIA, the Community Investment Division seeks to meet the needs of businesses and employers by offering programs that focus on job matching, recruitment, and specialized business and employee assistance.
