County one-stop job centers ink interlocal agreements
August 21st, 2008
By John Johnston
Managing Editor
The City of Delray Beach has joined with Palm Beach Gardens and South Bay, authorizing the designation of a regional workforce board, under Workforce Alliance, Inc, as a “one-stop” operator and direct provider of services.
The US Congress in 1998 passed the Workforce Investment Act ('WIA) -- designed to provide universal access to workforce development services in each state, and in each county nationwide.
In turn, the Florida Workforce Development Board ('WDB") and Workforce Florida, Inc. (WFI) was created by the Legislature in 2000 to design and direct Florida's workforce development strategy and to designate workforce development areas – Palm Beach County then designated as Workforce Development Region 21.
Measuring
The overall theory behind both Federal and State workforce alliance programs was that traditional attempts at governmental assistance to those with job placement problems usually failed because there was no system in place to collect, measure and report on program effectiveness. The workforce alliance system was designed to address that problem. In Florida, the specific program developed was called Workforce Florida, Inc.
Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida Legislature, with the passage of the Workforce Innovation Act of 2000, created WFI. A 45-member board appointed by the governor oversees and monitors the state’s workforce policy. In turn, programs and services carried out by the 24 business-led regional workforce boards and the Agency for Workforce Innovation are provided through direct services at nearly 100 “One-Stop Centers” with locations in every county in the state.
Workforce development services in Florida are available primarily through these “one-stop” centers designed to provide easy access to diverse services including job placement and training, temporary cash assistance and special support services such as subsidized childcare and transportation.
In County
In addition, there are nearly 100 One-Stop Centers across Florida managed at the local level by regional workforce boards. Following are the three such centers in Palm Beach County; all are full-service facilities:
· Central Career Center, 1951 North Military Trail, Suite D, West Palm Beach, FL 33409; (561)-340-1060 x2397(Fax) (561)340-1057.
· South Career Center 901 North Congress Avenue, Suite C-201Boynton Beach, FL 33426; (561)-853-0181(Fax) (561)-853-0183.
· West Career Center 1085 South Main Street Belle Glade, FL 33430-7106; (561)-829-2040(Fax) (561)829-2041.
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