6/4/01

Local Skills Gap Update

Contained below is a chart summarizing the status of Local Skills Shortage Assessment projects awarded during February and March, 2001. There are four main purposes to this project:

  1. To enhance local planning by looking at the nine major policy questions that local boards need to address to shape their local workforce systems;

  2. To conduct a scan of available information on the local labor market and identifying information gaps;

  3. To identify the occupational and skills needs of businesses;

  4. To establish methods to regularly collect skills needs requests.

The New York State Department of Labor awarded funding to local workforce investment areas to develop local information consistent with the above stated purposes, and to begin developing a systematic approach to identify and address local needs through the strategic planning efforts of the local workforce partnership. The New York State Workforce Investment Board authorized the New York State Department of Labor to conduct a statewide outreach in this area. The data gathered from this local assessment of critical occupational skill shortages will provide the State Board with valuable information for identifying areas to be addressed through state level policy and/or additional funding efforts.

The Department recently granted an extension to all of the project recipients for submission of the required reports. The initial report which summarizes the results of the community scan and the Local Board’s response to the nine major policy questions (which are shown below) is due to the Department by July 15, 2001.

WIA Local Policy Questions

Skills Gap RFA Tracking Sheet (Updated 7/3/02)