For Immediate Release
February 1, 2016
Contact: Keenan Austin
(202) 724-8105
Grosso Attends First Workforce Investment Council Meeting of 2016
Washington, D.C.—Today, D.C. Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large) attended the first Workforce Investment Council (“WIC”) meeting of 2016 where the Board welcomed the new Chairman, Andy Shallal and Executive Director, Odie Donald. The Board primarily focused on adopting the draft of the D.C. Unified State Workforce Development 4-Year Plan, which is necessary for U.S. Departments of Labor compliance with the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (“WIOA”) that became federal law on July 22, 2014.
Councilmember Grosso released the following statement on the meeting and his role on the WIC:
“I am hopeful that now with a new Chair and Executive Director, the Board can continue its important work. It is critical that while the WIC is keenly focused on the drafting of the 4-year state plan in the months ahead, we must still honor the previous work of the Board to better align the business community, D.C. government agencies, and WIC sanctioned bodies like the American Jobs Center Subcommittee and the Career Pathways Taskforce to produce greater workforce readiness and training. Timelines for the WIC must be made clear to the members of the D.C. Council and that as an oversight body, the Council is encouraged to be heavily engaged during the plans’ passive approval period later this month.
As the Chairman on the Committee of Education, I am particularly concerned about the coordination between public charter schools concentrated on adult education and youth reengagement, the DCPS career academies, the DC ReEngagement Center, and UDC’s Community College. All of those bodies receive public dollars to educate our youth and adults to become career and college ready. Those providers rely heavily on the WIC, the Department of Employment Services, and other key agencies to expeditiously move available federal and local dollars. It is imperative to me that the WIC is routinely reviewing agencies who are responsible for allocating those dollars and that the WIC has timely review and vote periods to ensure that providers are not losing out on available funding. Public education service providers and trainers need to be a major focus of our conversations about the 4-year state plan.”
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