North Dakota Workforce Development Council was authorized July 21, 2017 under Executive Order 2017-10. The Governor designated the Council as the state’s workforce innovation and opportunity board in accordance with Section 101(e) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA).
The purpose of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is to provide workforce innovation and opportunity activities, through statewide and local workforce innovation and opportunity systems, that increase the employment retention, and earnings of participants, and increase the occupational skills attainment by participants, and, as a result, improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the nation.
The role of the North Dakota Workforce Development Council is to advise the Governor and the public concerning the nature and extent of workforce development in the context of North Dakota's economic development needs, and how to meet these needs effectively while maximizing the efficient use of available resources and avoiding unnecessary duplication of effort.
The Council's responsibilities to the Governor include:
- Develop in conjunction with our state’s business and industry sector the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Unified plan
- Identify the workforce needs of the state and recommend steps for meeting those needs
- Establish goals for the development and coordination of the education, employment, and training systems in the state
- Evaluate progress toward meeting the goals and strategies identified
- Recommend new policy directions or legislation proposed at the state or federal level, and determine opportunities for North Dakota as the result of those initiatives
- Identify opportunities for collaboration with economic development and workforce initiatives
- Perform duties of state and local workforce development boards as specified in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
- Establish the one-stop delivery system to provide businesses and workers with seamless access to workforce services
- Perform any function identified by the Governor
- Advise the Governor concerning the implementation of the state’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Unified Plan and its adaptation to changing economic conditions in the state, to ensure the ongoing application of a strategic approach to effective, coordinated workforce and economic development in North Dakota
- Review the workforce development system and how the system creates collaboration between students, educators and employers in North Dakota and shall make recommendations toward ensuring their effectiveness and coordination