Annual
Report

Program Year

July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023

The sun rises with everyday opportunity. It’s the chance for a fresh start and the promise of a new path. That’s what workforce development is. It is meaning and purpose.

At the Workforce Development Board of Ventura County, workforce is our only business. We help companies find, train and retain the right employees for their workforce. In addition, our no-cost services help residents secure quality jobs to become economically self-sufficient. Through our work and that of our regional partners, we are working to strengthen a community by connecting businesses to the talent they need and talent to the jobs they seek. In Program Year 2022–2023 (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023), we served more than 850 job seekers and placed more than 193 individuals in jobs.

Throughout Program Year 2022-2023, the Workforce Development Board of Ventura County took committed action to:

  • Breaking down barriers to employment bringing grant funded programs to Ventura County
  • Recruit for Workforce Development Board members that represents the diversity of our community
  • A commitment to human-centered services and program design
  • Sharing our strengths and outcomes throughout California and engaging with change-making philanthropy

Messages From...

Executive Director Rebecca Evans & Workforce Development Board of Ventura County Board Chair, Stephen Yeoh

Dear Workforce Development Board of Ventura County Members and Partners,

I proudly present our Annual Report for Fiscal and Program Year 2022-23. This year, unlike any other, tested our spirit. We navigated choppy waters of economic fluctuation, evolving skills demands, and persistent social inequities. Yet, guided by our unwavering purpose to empower and connect, we emerged stronger as a region.

Our Ventura County workforce adapted alongside the shifting tides of the economy. Your unwavering support and agility were the anchors that held us steady. Together, we reimagined programs, training over 800 individuals for in-demand jobs in healthcare, clean energy, and beyond. We forged partnerships with over 500 businesses and organizations, bridging the gap between job seekers and opportunities. Through our innovative programs, we empowered all community members with career resources and training, regardless of location.

The future holds both challenges and opportunities. Emerging industries look for exciting new skillsets, while the quest for equitable prosperity demands our focus on closing the skills gap and promoting inclusivity. Together, we will bridge the skills gap, investing in training programs for in-demand jobs. We will support talent pipelines, collaborating with schools, businesses, and community organizations. And we will champion inclusivity, ensuring every community member can thrive in the evolving landscape.

Thank you for your partnership. Onward, with boundless optimism, towards a thriving and inclusive Ventura County workforce!

Rebecca Evans
Executive Director
Workforce Development Board of Ventura County

Dear Workforce Development Board of Ventura County Members and Partners,

As we turn the page on another year, I, alongside our esteemed Board, stand on the solid ground of remarkable progress. This year marks my second and final year as Board Chair, and I am honored to have witnessed our extraordinary journey together. We empowered individuals with skills and the confidence to chart their careers from the bustling Port of Hueneme to the 126 Corridor.

Automation and shifting markets will test us, demanding constant adaptation and agility. However, our Board possesses the experience, innovation, and an unwavering spirit. We are not mere passengers on this journey but the architects, designing a future where every citizen has the tools and confidence to thrive. We will invest in training programs that equip our workforce for the digital age. We will cultivate talent, nurturing the seeds of future leaders in classrooms, businesses, and community hubs. Most importantly, we will ensure that every Ventura County community member has an equal seat at the table of progress. With boundless optimism and unwavering commitment, let us move forward, our foundations of skill and opportunity firmly laid, leaving no one behind.

Thank you for the privilege of serving alongside you. The journey may soon end for me as Chair, but building partnerships to create upward mobility remains our steadfast course.

Sincerely,
Stephen Yeoh,
MBA, PMP
Chief of Peace of Mind, Un1teee
Chair, Workforce Development Board of Ventura County

Impact Report

3,900

visitors to our America’s Job Centers of California

5,351

services
provided

23

initiatives to serve job seekers and businesses

more than

850

job seekers served in our programs

193

individuals placed in
jobs

151

credentials, certifications, and diplomas achieved


* Program Year July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023
Note: Placement in employment is measured
six and twelve months after exit.

Advancing Workforce Equity

We are committed to developing, nurturing, and sustaining an equitable community where all individuals can thrive. We pledge to amplify the voices of under-represented or historically excluded communities by removing barriers resulting from racial and social injustice and inequities. We strive to ensure that equity, diversity, and inclusion are embedded at all levels of our programs by acknowledging, analyzing, and addressing the root causes of inequities. In an equitable workforce, all jobs are good jobs. Workforce equity means eliminating racial gaps in employment and income. It means the public and private workforce racially represents the general population at all skill and pay levels across occupational groups and sectors.

Under 19
(101)
19-24
(156)
25-32
(107)
33-44
(125)
45-54
(84)
55-64
(82)
65 & Older
(21)
Female
(352)
Male
(319)
Didn't Identify
(5)
Hispanic or Latino
(408)
American Indian / Alaskan Native
(18)
Asian
.......................... ........
(26)
African  American/Black
(46)
Hawaiian Native / Other Pac. Islander
(5)
White / Caucasian
(393)
Attained high school diploma
(254)
Attained  a high school equivalency
(24)
Completed  one of more years of postsecondary education
(46)
postsecondary technical or vocational cert.  (non-degree)
(31)
Attained  an Associate's degree
(39)
Attained  a Bachelor's degree
(57)
Attained  a degree beyond a Bachelor's degree
(16)
No  Educational Level Completed
(209)

Participants by Zip Code

Numbers do not include individuals enrolled with a non-Ventura County address.
Press
Release
Ventura Breeze Logo
June 21 — Discover Limitless Career Opportunities at Local Youth Job Fair (Bilingual Report)
by Editorial Team - January 1, 2023

VENTURA The Workforce Development Board of Ventura County (WDBVC) in partnership with Goodwill Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties are hosting a job fair this summer to help local youth discover limitless career possibilities and connect with top employers. The WDBVC provides over 5,000 services to job seekers annually, and they want to provide the local youth with the opportunity to make connections and find an abundance of career opportunities.  Local employers hiring youth and are interested in participating are encouraged to sign-up

Creating Solutions for Businesses

Our Business Solutions team is here to serve the needs of businesses and job seekers in Ventura County. We play a critical role in ensuring talent soars and business grows.

We partnered with the California Employers Association to provide Ventura County businesses with a free human resources hotline. HR experts are available to answer common human resource issues such as Wage and Hour, Paid Sick Leave, and the COVID-19 pandemic directives.

We also partnered with Transfer to provide immersive VR career exploration solutions for individuals to experience well-paying jobs in high-demand fields.

95

phone calls placed on the HR Hotline

14

job fairs and hiring events attended

In
The
News
Workforce Development Board helps businesses recruit and retain workers
by Editorial Team • April 8, 2023

VENTURA— The Workforce Development Board of Ventura County’s business solutions team will host a free training webinar for local businesses from 10 to 11 a.m. Tues., April 18. The virtual session will explore collaborative ways to ensure that businesses find employees ready to hire and have resources for success.

The interactive webinar will cover strategies in business engagement that help struggling businesses prepare employees for virtual recruiting and work, remote work policies and support, and more.

Press
Release
Workforce Development Board of Ventura County Invites Public Comments On Regional And Local Workforce Plans
by Community Contributor • July 5, 2022

VENTURA — The Workforce Development Board of Ventura County (WDBVC) has released its 2023 Regional and Local Plan modifications for workforce development in the county. The plans are available for public review and comments from 1/20/23 through 2/19/23.

In 2021, the WDBVC developed Regional and Local Plans and incorporated its strategic priorities and vision, in addition to what is required by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Every two years, the WDBVC must update these plans. Therefore, in October 2022, the Board met to update the strategic goals and identify milestones to achieve them before the end of 2023. The Regional and Local Plan updates were developed using various outreach and research methods to ensure that multiple perspectives were identified and heard across sectors and stakeholders and that the reports contained solutions for more robust economic and job growth.

Financials

WIOA Core Funds
$7,791,073.40
WIOA 15% Grants
$4,159,381.00
Non-WIOA Grants
$10,448,732.00

Looking Forward

Reflecting on our accomplishments and envisioning the landscape ahead is natural as we turn the page on another year. But we strive to be a future-focused workforce board, and looking forward means more than anticipation – it's a responsibility.

This year, we've not merely witnessed change. We've embraced it. We've shed the skin of static systems, replacing them with agile approaches that actively seek out new opportunities. It's a mindset shift, a constant hum of curiosity propelling us beyond the horizon, uncovering pathways to enhance and expand our services. Once an inert collection of numbers, data has transformed into a vibrant tapestry of insights under our watchful gaze. We collect, we analyze, and we anticipate. But numbers alone paint an incomplete picture. This year, we've doubled down on human-centered design, ensuring that every thread in our system, from workforce programs to career guidance, is woven with equity at its core. Regardless of background or circumstance, every individual deserves a tapestry of opportunity, and we're meticulously stitching it together, ensuring no one is left unraveled. Innovation, once a futuristic whisper, has become the pulse of our work. We've embraced new tools and technologies, not as fads but as instruments to amplify our impact.

Looking forward, the vista is both boundless and exhilarating. We will continue to push the boundaries, seek the uncharted, and weave a tapestry of human potential that is both vibrant and inclusive.

In Summary

We help people and support businesses, but our work is much more than that. By keeping businesses moving and people working, we are fortifying an economy that impacts the lives of our county and beyond.

Research*1 shows we cannot expect a full economic recovery in job growth for ten years or 2033. Therefore, the Workforce Development Board training programs will seek to carry out our leadership role and outlook in bringing new, well-trained, career-minded employees to support businesses in need.

*1) https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/labor-shortages-forecast-to-persist-2023.aspx

Click here to see last year's Annual Report.