Mayor will help design state's new WIOA system
Brian Coddington, Communications Director, 509.625.6740
Friday, February 20, 2015 at 10:42 a.m.
Spokane Mayor David Condon has been appointed to the Steering Committee for Washington state’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Mayor Condon will be part of efforts to produce one strategic plan for the state to provide training, employment services, adult education and vocational rehabilitation.
“I am honored that Mayor David Condon of Spokane has agreed to participate as a representative of local elected officials,” said Steering Committee co-chair Gary Chandler of the Association of Washington Business. “His background in federal policy and deep understanding of the state’s workforce system will be beneficial to the process of WIOA implementation in Washington state.”
Condon joins Chandler and eight others on the steering committee, including Mark Mattke with the Spokane Area Workforce Development Council (SAWDC).
The appointment comes as the Mayor continues an initiative to build a deeper, more qualified local construction workforce as the City prepares to take on the most significant list of public works projects ever.
Passed in July 2014, the WIOA the first federal reform of the workforce system in 15 years. WIOA replaces and modifies the Workforce Investment Act, started in 1998.
The majority of WIOA provisions become effective July 1, 2015. The goal of WIOA is to improve the quality of the workforce, increase economic self-sufficiency, reduce welfare dependency, meet employer skill requirements, and enhance the nation’s productivity and competitiveness.
In October of 2014, Washington Governor Jay Inslee designated the Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (WFTB) as the designated entity to conduct the planning and implementation process for the WIOA. The WFTB has convened four sub-committees, led by the Steering committee co-chaired by Gary Chandler of the Association of Washington Business and Jeff Johnson of the Washington State Labor Council. Additional members represent the key stake holders in the state’s workforce system.
