Strategic Business Plan 2017 - 2020 Strategic Business Plan 2017 - 2020 | Page 47

System Goal and Rationale
Board Strategy or Initiative and Quantitative Outcomes
Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend (WFSCB) provides services to employers
that meet their needs now, and works with employers and training providers to meet future
needs through strategic planning and continued partnerships. Providing critical localized
labor market intelligence to employers and local training providers ensures training programs
are in line with the needs of the local community.
In late 2016, WFSCB kicked the first of many employer roundtable discussions
bringing together education and employer partners. Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi
(TAMUCC) is looking to expand their Mechanical Engineering Technician (MET) program
to include a competency-based 100% online curriculum. As part of the planning phase,
TAMUCC asked WFSCB to bring together MET employers to discuss the competencies
needed and determine what would be considered demonstrative success. In early February
2017, WFSCB representative met with local training providers and members of the local
Home Builders Association (HBA) to discuss hiring trends, training capacities, and local
employer needs. From both of these discussions came a better understanding of what
employers expect that will continue to make academic programs relevant to employers in the
Coastal Bend region.
Additionally, WFSCB’s Business Service unit provides customized services to
employers in the region. Three hundred and forty-two (342) hiring events were conducted
across the Coastal Bend in 2016. This service directly connects an employer who is hiring
with job seekers who meet their needs. Many times job seekers are offered jobs on the spot.
These hiring events along with semi-annual job fairs like Hiring Red, White, and You! and
Coastal Bend SHRM provided an immediate, direct connection between employers and job
seekers.
Twenty-seven (27) local area employers chose to participate in the 2016 Teacher
Externship program. In July 2016, forty-four local educators spent a week with a local
employer learning about the day to day work schedule, job duties, and skills needed to get the
job done. This connection between educators and employers help to bring hands-on
experience into the classroom each fall and make educators advocates for local industry and
the lucrative careers offered by these employers. 
System Goal and Rationale
Engage in Partnerships:
Through collaborative and transparent processes, workforce system partners focus on
outcomes that improve the employability of all program participants—from across a wide
spectrum of capabilities and experiences—to meet employer needs. The leveraging of
partnerships to enhance system alignment and outcomes depends on trust, a culture of
collaboration both within and external to the workforce system, deep working relationships,
and technical capacity to communicate to share needs, data, and information. Partnerships
can provide for common planning, intake, and reporting on outcomes, as well as ensuring a
“no wrong door” approach to the provision of workforce programs and services.
Board Strategy or Initiative and Quantitative Outcomes
WD Letter 22-16, Attachment 2
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