Piedmont Workforce Network Strategic Plan

Executive Summary

The area's future depends on increasing the skill levels of all workers across the board, as well as broadening the area's economic base. The WIB has developed strategic initiatives that we believe will assist in this endeavor. Our key areas of focus will be to become more responsive to business needs for a skilled workforce. We will work with specific industry sectors to assist with increasing their productivity and competitiveness. And we will position the workforce development system to become part of the economic and community development initiatives for the Region.

Vision:

A community that works.

Mission:

Our mission is linking resources to meet employment needs.

Customers:

Our primary external customers are current and prospective employers and potential and current employees.

Role:

The WIB will play several roles in furtherance of our vision and mission:

• We endeavor to catalyze change in the education and business community to build effective partnerships.
• We will be a community facilitator and convener to identify issues and act collectively with business and education partners to address them.
• We will act as an intermediary/broker between businesses and schools, to ensure mutually beneficial relationships and outcomes.
• We will strategically invest in program innovation.

Strategic Goals

The WIB has identified three strategic goals to guide our work over the next three years. We believe that these three goals will help the WIB become more focused on our core work, more stable and relevant within the various communities with which we interact, enhance our ability to attract diverse revenue and resource streams, broader in our approach to workforce development, and more responsive to the needs of industry. By accomplishing these goals, we will better assist all our customers.

Goal One:

Increase the WIB's participation in and influence on economic and community development.

Goal Two:

Identify and market the skills required to meet the needs of the changing workplace/labor market

Goal Three:

Develop the supply of workers for selected industries and occupations.