*Advocates in California dedicated to enhancing the talents of people to fulfill the human useful resource wants of the state need to see extra range amongst younger folks becoming a member of the workforce.
Dr. Angelo Farooq, Chair of the California Workforce Improvement Board (CWDB), says he’s pleased with the work his workplace has achieved to attach younger folks from numerous backgrounds to alternatives in varied fields — however extra must be achieved.
The CWDB is a board reporting to the Governor that’s charged with overseeing and strengthening the state’s workforce improvement system, governing all federal workforce funds coming into to the state, and growing a standard coverage framework for associated packages.
“The CWDB companions with different governmental entities such because the Division of Rehabilitation, Division of Training, and Division of Social Companies to leverage funding to facilitate entry to work expertise alternatives for youth, together with paid state internship packages,” Farooq informed California Black Media (CBM).
Farooq, who was appointed Chair of the Nationwide Affiliation of State Workforce Board Chairs (NASWBC) in August, says the CWDB additionally companions with non-profit organizations to open pathways to careers for younger Californians.
“The CWDB obtained approval from the federal Division of Labor on a Workforce Innovation and Alternative Act (WIOA) waiver that targets techniques concerned youth – that’s homeless or housing insecure, foster care, and justice-involved youth,” Farooq added.
“This waiver permits Native Workforce Improvement Boards extra flexibility in the way in which they use their youth funding to particularly goal techniques concerned youth earlier than they disconnect from the varsity system.”
In August the Legislature handed ACR 16, a decision that requires the state to “develop a statewide plan that can cut back persistent financial inequities endured by California’s youth,” based on the invoice’s language.
The 2021 American Group Survey (ACS) of the USA Census reported that 572,756 youth in California 16 to 24 years of age had been neither at school nor at work.
For Black and different minority youth, the statistics are extra dire. At 22.3%, the speed of Black teenagers and younger adults,16 to 24 years outdated, who’re disconnected from the academic system and workforce was greater than two occasions greater the quantity for his or her White friends, which was 10.9% Farooq stated CWDB is at present working to increase its youth portfolio; after handed this yr, the CWDB will deepen the partnership work to develop a statewide plan that can intention to cut back persistent financial inequities for “alternative youth.”
Though addressing youth unemployment is a high precedence for the CWDB, the board doesn’t restrict its packages and advocacy to younger folks.
The company develops initiatives designed to create work pipelines for focused deprived teams, together with previously incarcerated and justice-involved people, in addition to pathways to employment in rising industries like development and infrastructure.
In September, The U.S. Division of Labor awarded a $5 million grant to the CWDB underneath the Constructing Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program, the most important quantity awarded to an company of its sort within the nation. In Farooq’s function as chair of the NASWBC, it’s the first time California has lead workforce improvement initiatives on the nationwide stage.
“I’m honored to have the belief and confidence of my colleagues throughout the nation,” stated Farooq, after he was elected.
“In my 5 years serving as Chair of the CWDB, we now have expanded excessive highway partnerships to new sectors, established development partnerships in each nook of our state, and rather more. I look ahead to working with my fellow workforce improvement board chairs to share what has labored right here in California and the way we will lengthen financial alternative to extra People.”
The NASWBC is an affiliate of the Nationwide Governors Affiliation (NGA) Middle for Greatest Practices, which helps administration and conferences for the Affiliation.
Members of the affiliation are the chairs of Governor-appointed state workforce improvement boards. The Affiliation supplies a automobile for state workforce board chairs and workers administrators to be taught from the experiences of their friends, share greatest practices and discover frequent floor on nationwide coverage points.
“Dr. Farooq has been instrumental in constructing a high-road financial system right here in California,” stated Secretary Stewart Knox of California’s Labor & Workforce Improvement Company.
“Beneath Governor Newsom’s management, Dr. Farooq and the CWDB have over $1 billion in workforce investments within the area right this moment and are main the way in which in creating good jobs and assembly the workforce wants of California companies,” Knox added, praising his colleague who can be President of the Board of Training for Riverside Unified College District (RUSD).
After Farooq’s election to the NASWBC, United States Secretary of Labor Julie Su despatched her congratulations.
“Congratulations to my pal, former colleague, and fellow Californian Angelo Farooq on his election right this moment,” she stated.
“The Nationwide Affiliation of State Workforce Board Chairs is within the arms of a dedicated and artistic chief.”
“Angelo is aware of that the workforce system performs an essential function in connecting employers with the varied, expert workforce they want and employees with the high-quality jobs they deserve, together with employees from traditionally underserved communities or these dealing with important limitations to employment,” she added.
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