DATE: June 24, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Paul Nerland, County Administrative Officer
Blake Konczal, Executive Director, Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board
SUBJECT: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Four (4) Year Local Plan for Program Years 2025-2028
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Four-Year Local Plan for Program Years 2025-2028.
REPORT
The Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board (FRWDB) is a Joint Powers Authority between the City of Fresno and the County of Fresno that manages Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding, disbursed by the United States Department of Labor, to provide services that will ensure participants find jobs and that businesses have access to a skilled workforce. WIOA and California Unemployment Insurance (UI) Code require that local Workforce Development Boards submit a comprehensive four-year Regional and Local Plan (Plan) to the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB). Approval of the recommended actions will allow FRWDB to submit the Plan to the CWDB by the June 30, 2025 deadline. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There is no alternative action. If this item is not approved, the County will be out of compliance with WIOA requirements and could lose funding for WIOA activities that benefit the residents of Fresno County.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. FRWDB is 100% funded by non-County sources. These have their origin primarily with the United States Department of Labor and are supplemented by other federal and State of California grants.
DISCUSSION:
Final rules for WIOA were released jointly by the Department of Labor and Department of Education in late June 2016. WIOA Sections 106 and 108 and California UI Code Sections 14221-14222 require that local boards submit a comprehensive four (4) year Regional and Local Plan to the CWDB. On December 20, 2024, the state released the directive on Regional and Local Planning Guidance for 2025-2028 (WSD 24-09). This directive provides guidance and establishes the procedures regarding the preparation of both regional and local plans required by the WIOA.
As outlined in the directive, Regional Planning Units (RPU) must submit one (1) electronic copy of the Regional Plan, signed by the Local Board Chair(s), and one electronic copy of each Local Plan within the RPU, signed by both the Local Board Chair and the Chief Elected Official.
The CWDB’s Strategic Workforce Development Plan for California has a broad vision and outlines ambitious goals for how the public workforce system can work with its partners to shape and support economic prosperity across the state and its regions. Under WIOA, the state has established 15 RPUs within the State of California that align workforce development activities and resources within the context of a larger regional economy and develop and deploy available resources to provide coordinated and efficient services to job seekers and employers. Each RPU is required to develop a regional strategic plan. The FRWDB is one of eight Workforce Development Boards in the designated San Joaquin Valley and Associated Counties’ RPU. The other local boards include Kern-Inyo-Mono, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare.
The Function of the Local Plans:
Under the State Plan, the primary purpose of local workforce plans and partnerships is to facilitate access to workforce services at the local level. While WIOA Section 106 Regional Plans and partnerships are specifically focused on construction of a regional training and education architecture that aligns with regional labor markets, the Local Plan addresses how individuals will access and experience this regional workforce architecture primarily through local service delivery efforts, principally those of WIOA partners operating in the America’s Job Centers of California system, but potentially through other partners of the workforce system, as well. In this regard, it is typically at the local level where services will be integrated, resources braided, and supportive services provided to individuals being served by partners.
In order to complete all aspects of the requirements of the Plan, the Directive mandates that each local board release the draft Plan for a 30-day public comment period and hold a public meeting for stakeholders to ensure opportunities to participate in, and provide feedback on, the Local Plan as part of the initial development of the Plan. The stakeholder meeting was held October 10, 2024. The draft plan was released for a 30-day public comment period on February 26, 2025, with comments due by March 25, 2025.
There were no comments in disagreement with the draft Plan received during the public comment period, and there were no comments received that resulted in significant changes to the initial draft Plan.
As outlined in the directive, the final Plan is required to be submitted to the CWDB no later than April 27, 2025. The directive allowed for the final Plan to be submitted, pending approval and final signatures. In order to meet the submission deadline, the draft plan was sent to the CWDB pending final approvals from the FRWDB, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, and the City of Fresno.
The plan will be presented to the FRWDB on June 4, 2025, for approval. Upon approval of this item, the final plan with all required signatures will be submitted to the state by June 30, 2025.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
The Plan has been submitted to the Fresno City Council for review and approval.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #25, June 8, 2021
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - FRWDB WIOA Local Plan
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander