Item 23 - Agreements with the County of Orange to Strengthen Regional Workforce Development

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Strengthening Regional Workforce Development Partnerships December 17, 2024 Page 2 The Orange Workforce Alliance (OWA) consists of three local Workforce Development Boards that serve 34 cities and several large unincorporated areas in Orange County. These boards include the Anaheim Workforce Development Board (serving the City of Anaheim), the Santa Ana Workforce Development Board (serving the City of Santa Ana), and the Orange County Workforce Development Board (serving the remaining 32 cities and unincorporated areas). The OWA works collaboratively with various partners to leverage the region's strengths, address challenges, and expand opportunities for community members and businesses, promoting economic vitality. The State allocates RERP grant funds to support regional planning. OWA will utilize these funds to accelerate and enhance ongoing efforts under the Regional Workforce Plan, focusing on system alignment, partnerships, and regional programs that promote economic growth, equity, shared prosperity, and environmental sustainability. A key objective of the RERP grant is to strengthen the partnership with Orange County community colleges by creating targeted short-term education interventions to improve workforce preparation and participation, particularly for English language learners, immigrants, and first -generation college students. The project prioritizes two key industry sectors: healthcare and information technology. OWA will partner with local community colleges to develop training programs in fields such as Medical Laboratory Technician, Cybersecurity, Supply Chain Management, Web Services, and Introduction to Information Technology. These programs will incorporate strategies to support the target populations, including additional support services, cohort models, and Vocational English as a Second Language training (Exhibit 1). Additionally, the California Workforce Development Board has awarded WIOA Governor's discretionary funds for Regional Plan Implementation (RPI) 5.0 to support the implementation of local and regional workforce plans in 15 state -defined workforce areas. The purpose of the RPI 5.0 funding is to assist OWA in developing regional leadership, organizing industry leaders, and collaborating with workforce, education, and economic development partners to scale efforts and build the capacity of frontline workforce staff and partners (Exhibit 2). For these agreements, the County Workforce Development Board contracts directly with the State and subsequently sub -contracts with the City to facilitate participation in the regional workforce partnerships. FISCAL IMPACT Approval of the appropriation adjustment will recognize $30,000 in funds from Orange County Grant Revenue Federal Grant -Indirect account (no. 12418002-52001) and $110,000 from State Grant -Indirect account (no. 12418002-52027) and appropriate the same amounts to expenditure accounts as shown in the table below. Grant includes 10% Administrative costs with remaining to Program expenses.