What is Workforce Development?
Workforce development is critical to maintaining a strong economy and competitive edge in todays rapidly changing and expanding marketplace. Today, workers must possess a wide variety of skill sets, a level of adaptability previously unknown, and the ability and willingness to learn in order to remain competitive in the job market. Enabling more residents to achieve employment at a living wage. The term "living wage" means a wage level that permits individuals and families to be self-sufficient within the economy in which they live and work. Enabling more residents to earn a living wage will also reduce dependence on all forms of public assistance.
The workforce development system has two (2) primary customer groups:
- Employers all businesses and industries& regardless of size
- Workers all current and future workers&of all ages
Workers can be divided into three basic groups:
- Emerging workforce: persons, primarily youth, entering the workforce for the first time;
- Existing workforce: persons currently in the workforce, including under-employed and the "working poor";
- Transitional workforce: persons currently out of the workforce, including welfare to work, previously incarcerated, and unemployed.
The challenge of workforce development is to ensure that the needs of both customer groups are met. For employers, the workforce system should ensure that there is a workforce of sufficient size and skill to support continued economic vitality. For workers, the system should ensure that individuals have opportunities to acquire the skills necessary to, at a minimum, gain and keep employment that provides a living wage. This includes not just those persons who are outside of the workforce or yet to enter the workforce, but also those people who are currently working, but need continued training and education to keep up with the demands of a highly competitive and constantly changing world economy. There are myriad factors that influence the level of need for workforce development programs. It is important to identify the needs and characteristics of the different populations that use services. Additionally, it is essential to understand the economic environment in which we live and work.
Return to Top of Page
