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Promoting a prosperous community by providing a progressive workforce system
Goals, Objectives and Strategies
Mission Statement: Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council (BFWDC) promotes a prosperous community by providing a progressive workforce system. We are dedicated to ensuring that the needs of employers, adult, and youth job seekers are met through collaborating with regional partners, understanding and adapting to the changing needs of our region, and providing leadership in workforce development.
Vision Statement: The BFWDC contributes to our prosperous region by elevating human potential. The BFWDC will provide leadership to advancing the region’s economy by helping prepare and connect employers and job seekers through WorkSource Columbia Basin and TC Futures.
Business and
Economic Development
Support business development and competitiveness by aligning with economic development and growth efforts.
Objective 1: Increase awareness of workforce services and programs available to local business owners.
Objective 2: Connect businesses with skills-based testing resources; develop skillsets to promote/elevate businesses to the next level by implementing a localized job quality framework* to guide decisions and critical investments in delivering business services.
*Job quality framework is a blueprint of actionable, detailed strategies for companies to improve their jobs and work conditions.
Objective 3: Identify the skills gaps and challenges of current and future business owners and economic growth efforts.
Youth
Improve access to opportunities for youth and young adults* with barriers to employment to transition to an economically successful adulthood.
* (In-School Youth- 14-21 years) (Out of School Youth- 16-24 years)
Objective 1: Empower the next generation by expanding near-peer* youth opportunities and awareness of workforce programs offered.
* A Near Peer is an individual who has recently gone through an experience that someone will now or soon be facing.
Objective 2: Connect with the digital world of youth and meet them where they are. Use social media and devices to explore education and employment prospects by utilizing social media platforms to communicate opportunities.
Objective 3: Increase awareness and understanding of alternative career pathways- such as technical education, certificates, trade programs, apprenticeships, and educational opportunities, including 2 & 4-year degrees.
Adult
Improve access to opportunities for adults to become economically successful.
Objective 1: Increase education, training, and upskilling of ALICE* workers.
*ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — earning more than the Federal Poverty Level, but not enough to afford the basics where they live.
Objective 2: Meet job seekers where they are to introduce them to employment training and skill-building opportunities.
Objective 3: Identify employment and education barriers of job seekers and work with community partners to mitigate them.
Community Outreach
Strengthen collaboration with partners to meet the workforce needs of our employers and community.
Objective 1: Enhance the onboarding of new board members and community partners in the public workforce system, programs, and support services available.
Objective 2: Explore credential reform to improve equitable access, mobility, and long-term economic success.
Objective 3: Increase participation in the regional workforce development system by developing strategic partnerships integrating system services, data accountability, and resources.
To Support the Achievement of our Goals & Objectives, the Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council will:
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Encourage the planning and integration of services across multiple programs to achieve successful and impactful results for our employers and job seekers.
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Promote individual partner goals as goals of the collective to enable the creation of strategies that support our workforce system and thereby enhance the performance of each partner.
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Provide guidance and leadership in maintaining an environment that enables the delivery of quality services to employers and job seekers.
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Diversify our funding sources to enable the increased provision of employer and job seeker services to our region.
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Market the services and resources available at WSCB and TC Futures to the community.
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Recruit diverse, community-minded board members who can, through the contribution of their strengths, expertise, lived experience, and network/relationships, enhance the BFWDC’s regional impact.