The CEO Council for Growth and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce signed onto a joint letter from the National Metro Business Alliance to members of the U.S. House and Senate to outline support for the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act.  The legislation aims to strengthen Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) with the end goal of growing businesses and jobs. It ties directly with the CEO Council’s foundational priority of Talent.

 

Here is a copy of the letter. Below is some more basic information on the legislation,

Proposed Provisions of the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act:

  • Retains both the business majority and private sector chair on the State and local workforce investment boards
  • Reduces the size of the WIBs by eliminating some mandated seats
  • Extends performance measures to all funding under the bill thereby increasing program accountability, while at the same time eliminating 15 programs
  • Creates a single state planning process
  • Promotes alignment of workforce development, economic development, and education investments
  • Makes clear that local WIBs should focus on labor market analytics and the needs of business, including detailing a process to create performance standards for business services.

 

Resources:

  • For more detail on the provisions contained in the bill, a one-page summary of the legislation can be found here.
  • The statement of managers, including a section-by-section summary of the legislation, can be found here.
  • A summary of key improvements WIOA makes to current workforce development programs can be found here

 

The National Metropolitan Business Alliance is composed of 25 of the nation’s most important regional business organizations, representing metropolitan areas that together account for more than 47 percent of US GDP.