A local Workforce Development Board is a group of community leaders appointed by local elected officials and charged with planning and oversight responsibilities for workforce programs and services in their area. In North Carolina, 20 local boards are responsible for the following:
- Developing local plans for the use of Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act funds
- Oversight of the local service delivery system
- Coordinating activities with economic development entities and employers in their local areas
The majority of each board is represented by members of the local business community. In all, board membership includes individuals representing business and industry, economic development agencies, community-based organizations, education, organized labor, public assistance agencies and more.
Each Board may also have a Youth Committee, which advises Board members on program policies and service delivery for youth.
The NCWorks Commission serves as the state-level workforce board, and you can read more about this body's work elsewhere on this site.
For More Information
You can view a list of each WDB's Youth Services Providers here.
Youth Committee
A Youth Committee is a team of community leaders that care about young adults. Youth Committees provide an opportunity for the local community to create, through a common vision, a system of activities and services that will enable young adults to be successful in education and the workplace, and to become leaders in their community. Youth Committees may provide information and to assist with planning, operational, and other issues relating to the provision of services to youth and make youth policy recommendations to local Workforce Development Boards.
Membership
The membership of the Youth Committee must include individuals who represent community-based organizations with a demonstrated record of success in serving eligible youth. Such members may be:
- Service agencies, such as juvenile justice and local law enforcement agencies;
- Local public housing authorities;
- Parents of eligible youth seeking assistance
- Organizations that have experience relating to youth activities;
- Job Corps Centers,
- Agencies serving youth with disabilities,
- Agencies serving youth with cultural barriers or language barriers,
- and many more options.
Many Youth Committees include young adults as well as representatives from business and education. The input of young adults is a vital component in the development of a system that most directly affects them. Ongoing efforts ensure their active participation, as well as that of parents.
Responsibilities
The Youth Committee identifies both duplication and gaps in the services and activities offered to area youth, works to address the needs of the young adult population as a whole, and emphasizes the importance of continuity of service in appropriately meeting the complex needs of young adults who are disconnected from education or the workplace.
The Youth Committee can be actively engaged in planning and managing Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act youth funds received in their Local Area, as well as:
- Building community awareness and demonstrating leadership by addressing key development, education and employment issues affecting youth;
- Facilitating the coordination of youth activities in the community;
- Influencing and leveraging other community youth funds and services; and
- Allowing for and encouraging input from young adults is a vital component in the development of a system that most directly affects them.