Annual
Report
July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024
Each new day can be an opportunity for the fulfillment of dreams and aspirations for the future of Ventura County. For our businesses and our local workforce, it’s a time for growth, learning, and strengthening our place in the world.
At the Workforce Development Board of Ventura County, strengthening and growing our workforce is our business. We help companies find, train, and retain the right employees for what they need to be successful. 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 2023–2024 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024), we enrolled more than 1,700 job seekers through 17 programs.
In Program Year 2023-2024, the Workforce Development Board of Ventura County created the following SMARTIE (Strategic, Measurable, Ambitious, Realistic, Time-bound, Inclusive, and Equitable) Goals to accomplish in the next two years:
- Convene a regional work-based-learning workforce summit that brings employers and education/training providers together to align their strategies and develop trainings that meet employer demand.
- Strengthen operational supports for job seekers with barriers to employment by diversifying funding, implementing protocols, and building partnerships.
- Systematize customer feedback processes to improve reporting and service delivery for job seekers and employers.
- Fully Implement business solutions and services for employers to address their needs and help them thrive.
- Expand awareness of the WDBVC services and resources for job seekers and employers by deploying an outreach and communication strategy to increase visibility across the region.
Messages From...
- Healthcare
- Business and Entrepreneurship
- Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Agriculture, Water, and Environmental Technology
- Education and Human Development
Source: FutureWorks BI; Data derived from the PIRL; Program Year 2023 Data
For more information about this infographic, including definitions of terms and how to access more local Workforce Board data insights, please visit https://futureworksystems.com/board-infographic
Impact Report
6,225
visitors to our America’s Job Centers of California
over
3,000
services provided to businesses
17
initiatives to serve job seekers and businesses
more than
1,700
job seekers served in our programs
73%
of WIOA served individuals secured jobs
Program Year July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024
* This is an estimate of how much money, in total, the participants who were working in the second quarter after exiting the WIOA program would make in a full year
Our Expanded Service Locations
Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm
STEP
(Student Training and Employment Program)
Release
Empowering Ventura County Youth: Workforce Development Board Launches Revitalized Youth Program
VENTURA — Ventura County NextGen, The Workforce Development Board of Ventura County’s new youth-focused program, is helping local youth and young adults overcome barriers to employment and embark on successful careers.
The most recently available numbers show that only 88.1% of Ventura County high school seniors graduated in 2022; while this is slightly higher than California’s average graduation rate, it still leaves nearly 12% of Ventura County youth exiting school without their high school diploma. Those with lower household incomes have significantly lower graduation rates than those with higher incomes. This demographic already deals with the difficulties of entering the workforce at a young age. However, their participation in the workforce is down nearly 3% nationally when comparing February 2024 to February 2020 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
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. Workforce equity means eliminating racial, gender, and other demographic gaps in employment and income. It means the public and private workforce racially represents the general population of our region at all skill and pay levels across occupational groups and sectors.
Note: Participants below were enrolled in WIOA. The Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) authorizes workforce development boards (WDBs) to drive the vision for the workforce system at the state and local levels and maintain the critical role of leading state and local implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
Release
New job program launched at community colleges
VENTURA — The Workforce Development Board of Ventura County (WDBVC) and the Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD) today announced the launch of a new joint job program designed to help Ventura County residents develop the skills they need to get in-demand, high-paying jobs.
The new career program will be offered at Ventura, Moorpark, and Oxnard Colleges, and include the following opportunities...
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 no-cost human resources hotline. HR experts are available to answer common human resource issues such as Wage and Hour, Paid Sick Leave, and more. The California Employers Association also offers monthly webinars to Ventura County businesses on various topics and an annual Labor Law Update.
We also offer incumbent worker training, customized recruitment services, job fairs, and information on work opportunity tax credits.
110
employer contacts via HR Hotline
340
attendees at employer's webinars
87
attendees at 4 targeted employer hiring events
569
individuals assisted by Rapid Response to layoff activities
careers explored by 97 individuals through Virtual Reality headset events
The
News
Free training available to job seekers
The Workforce Development Board of Ventura County wants to get local residents back to work. To better help the 19,700 unemployed workers seeking jobs, the board has rebranded its existing workforce development program. Now called Ventura County WORKS, the program helps job seekers in the county upgrade their skills and receive training in a variety of career fields at no cost.
Community members can learn more about available services that can help prepare them for careers in advanced manufacturing, information technology, health care and customer service.
Release
Workforce Development Board of Ventura County partners with Goodwill to offer short-term jobs restoring local parks damaged by flooding
VENTURA — Workforce Development Board of Ventura County (WDBVC) is excited to announce short-term jobs for unemployed adults, to help clean, repair, and restore local parks damaged by the devastating winter storms of 2022-23.WDBVC and Goodwill of Ventura have partnered with the federally funded National Dislocated Worker Grant (NDWG), which allows Goodwill to hire workers to clean up mudslides and landslides from the severe storms of 2022-2023.
These temporary jobs as restoration team members have flexible hours with pay of up to $25 an hour and provide on-the-job training and work experience.
Financials
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.
As we reflect on the past year's accomplishments, it's evident that our commitment to being a future-focused workforce board has never been stronger. We've embraced change and actively sought it out, transforming our approach to better serve our community.
This year, we've shifted our focus from static systems to agile strategies that anticipate and respond to emerging needs. Data, once merely a collection of numbers, has become a powerful tool for understanding our community and guiding our decisions. By combining data-driven insights with a human-centered approach, we've ensured that our programs and services are equitable, inclusive, and responsive to the diverse needs of our job seekers and employers.
We are committed to building on our successes and continuing to innovate. To achieve our goals, we will focus on the following key areas:
- Strengthening partnerships: Collaborating with employers, education providers, and community organizations to develop effective workforce solutions.
- Improving service delivery: Enhancing our programs and services to meet the needs of job seekers and businesses.
- Expanding outreach: Increasing awareness of our services and resources throughout the community.
- Leveraging data: Using data-driven insights to inform our decision-making and improve outcomes.
By focusing on these areas, we will continue to be a driving force in workforce development, creating a more equitable and prosperous future for our community.