LEVERAGING OPPORTUNITY, MEETING DEMAND:

ALBANY, N.Y., Dec. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Invest In Skills NY, a statewide coalition released a 9 point policy blueprint, which articulates the need for New York state to build an efficient, accountable, and coordinated workforce development system that can respond to the changing needs of the economy.

The challenges facing New York's economy are clear. There is not enough skilled talent to meet the current and future needs of the labor market. By the same token, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers lack the skills necessary to secure family-sustaining employment. This disconnect reveals the need for a more coordinated strategy to connect untapped labor supply with labor demand. This policy blueprint, Leveraging Opportunity, Meeting Demand: A Blueprint for Building New York's Workforce Development System, provides state policymakers with a framework and strategy for taking advantage of this opportunity to build a responsive workforce development system in New York State.

The Invest In Skills NY coalition is leveraging the recent vision and funding outlined by Governor Cuomo, which included a commitment to invest $175 million in workforce development, launch an office of workforce development and build a data infrastructure. This blueprint outlines the first steps Governor Cuomo and other policymakers should follow.

• Empower leadership. Set state goals. Develop a plan.
• Restructure and empower the State Workforce Development Board.
• Set statewide postsecondary attainment and training goals to connect labor supply with labor demand.
• Develop a statewide plan leveraging the federal 2019 WIOA re-write.
• Build a career pathways system:
• Mandate government agencies to develop an integrated workforce development system.
• Create a mechanism to fund activities and programs across the continuum of workforce development.
• Foster continuous improvement and innovation.
• Build a 21st century data infrastructure
• Use labor market information to drive investment.
• Measure performance outcomes across all workforce programs.
• Evaluate programs to understand their efficacy.

The Invest In Skills NY Coalition is a statewide advocacy partnership between employers, postsecondary and training institutions, and the economic and workforce development communities who advocate for making a skilled workforce an economic priority in New York.

SOURCE Invest In Skills NY