Focus Topic Areas:

• Involving private sector/business with Council/system
  
  
• Linking to economic development and strategies to include job growth
  
  
• Link to Labor Information Work Group for labor information, trends, etc.
  
  
• Employers
  
  
• Grants, incentive grants, and other funding streams
  
  
• Support to West Virginia's Vision Shared initiative
  

Suggested Tasks:

1. Review Council Study Group Reports for specific recommendations for this committee.
   
   
2. Charter sub-groups to address key issues or identify improvement needs, etc.
   
   
3. Define current and future worker and skill demands.
   
   
4. Identify the types and number of workers that will be needed in the future and provide "gap" analysis where attention must be given.
   
   
5. Establish contact and build linkages to all local WIBs through the WIB Chair and business members of the local board.
   
   
6. List concerns about the present system that do not meet the requirements of business (employers) or are barriers to gaining or improving business support.
   
   
7. Work with employers and their associations to promote investment in education and training of workers.
   
   
8. Connect to the Council's work chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, trade and professional associations, etc.
   
   
9. Work with major business organizations and trade associations so as to find solutions to resolve their workforce development issues.
   
   
10. Identify gaps in the State Council's business representation and work to address the gaps.
    
    
11. Ensure that all types of employers (e.g., large or small) and locations (e.g., urban and rural) are fully integrated into the work of the Council.
    
    
12. Connect to the National Governor's Association (NGA), National Business Roundtable and other national business and professional associations that can be of assistance in the Council's work.
    
    
13. Prepare policy and process recommendations for consideration by the full Council.
    
    
14. Collect, analyze and publish quality "intelligence" about West Virginia's workforce and about the link between high skills and good pay.
    
    
15. Determine priority training needs of the employers and direct state training funds to those needs.
    
    
16. Help define the most appropriate approaches for labor market information and provide guidance to the Labor Market Information Working Group.
    
    
17. Help develop strategies for retaining skilled workers in the state.
    
    
18. Uses technology to facilitate communication within the workforce development and labor exchange systems.