BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1310
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Date of Hearing: April 12, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Marty Block, Chair
AB 1310 (Furutani) - As Amended: March 31, 2011
SUBJECT : Education: career technical education and workforce
development.
SUMMARY : Requires specified state agencies to coordinate on the
development of a strategic plan for connecting education and
workforce development. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development
(CLWD), the California Workforce Investment Board (CIWB), the
California Community Colleges (CCC) Office of the Chancellor
(CCCCO), the CCC Board of Governors (BOG), the State
Department of Education (CDE), and the California
Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) to develop a
strategic plan for connecting the delivery of education and
workforce development in the state and requires the strategic
plan to include the following:
a) How the state determines appropriate measures for
evaluating and collecting data on future workforce needs.
b) The alignment of workforce needs with future
postsecondary education programs and capacity at both the
state and regional levels.
c) Strategies for fostering long-term improvements in
workers' skills and knowledge.
d) Methods for closing the skills gap and strengthening the
nexus between education and the workforce.
e) Appropriate measures for improving data collection on
future workforce needs.
2)Establishes legislative intent that input be solicited from
K-12 and postsecondary education institutions, local workforce
investment boards, regional occupational centers and programs,
adult school programs, and other appropriate governmental
entities in developing recommendations for the strategic plan.
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3)Requires the CCC Chancellor and CWIB to report their
recommendations for the strategic plan to the Governor and
Legislature on or before July 1, 2012.
4)Sunsets the reporting requirement on July 1, 2016 and requires
the report to be submitted in accordance with Government Code
provisions.
5)Requires the CCCCO to provide staffing and resources necessary
for developing and reporting the strategic plan.
EXISTING LAW establishes CWIB and requires the CWIB to assist
the Governor with promoting the development, oversight, and
continuous development of a well-educated and highly skilled
workforce, and also to assist in the development of the State
Workforce Investment Plan. Existing law establishes the CCC
Economic and Workforce Development Program (EWDP) to advance
California's economic growth and global competitiveness through
education, training, and services that contribute to continuous
work force improvement, technology, deployment, and business
development.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown. However, the Senate Appropriations
Committee analysis of substantially similar legislation in 2009
identified approximately $330,000 in costs to the CCCCO for
staffing the project.
COMMENTS : Double-referral : This bill has been double-referred
to the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee.
Purpose of this bill : According to the author, as California
reaches a startling unemployment rate of 12.3 percent, the state
needs a comprehensive strategy to get Californians back into
jobs to help reenergize our economy. Now more than ever,
displaced workers, high school graduates, veterans, foster
children, and others who may not have completed their high
school degrees must be prepared for meaningful employment. The
current method of workforce preparation has great potential to
address the individual needs of a diverse population. However,
more can be done to strengthen the coordination between
community colleges, adult schools, high school career technical
programs, workforce investment boards or a variety of public,
private, and non-profit training centers. Many agencies
involved in workforce development have a type of plan or
strategy for the delivery of training, yet they fail to
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significantly work cohesively or integrate. This bill would
require the lead agencies involved with education and career
training of the state's workforce to conduct stakeholder
meetings. The information gathered would be used to provide
recommendations to the Legislature regarding the development of
a single state strategic plan on workforce development.
California's Key Workforce Development Institutions :
-----------------------------------------------------------------
| Institution | Focus |
| | |
|-------------------------------+---------------------------------|
|Labor and Workforce |Helping individuals find and |
|Development Agency |keep a job. |
| | |
|-------------------------------+---------------------------------|
|Health and Human Services |Helping individuals find and |
|Agency |keep a job. |
| | |
|-------------------------------+---------------------------------|
|California Community Colleges |Career-oriented education. |
| | |
|-------------------------------+---------------------------------|
|California Department of |Career-oriented education for |
|Education |youth. |
| |Adult programs focus on basic |
| |skills. |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Existing reports and recommendations : Recent CPEC reports have
focused on workforce development and have provided policy
recommendations for improving linkages between education and
career preparation. These recommendations include: compiling
and disseminating "Best Practices" for partnerships; engaging
the postsecondary segments in state-level collaborative
discussions regarding focusing research and planning activities
on workforce needs; increasing the focus in both K-12 and
postsecondary education on career development; improving data
linkages between K-12, postsecondary education, and the
Employment Development Department; assisting and encouraging
regional workforce strategies; and securing adequate resources
to support ongoing collaborative efforts. Additionally, CWIB,
as required by federal law, completes a State Strategic Plan for
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workforce investment every two years which addresses
coordination of training and education programs and services
between local Workforce Investment Boards and higher education
institutions. The committee may wish to consider whether the
strategic plan required by this bill duplicates existing
reporting and research.
Funding for new research projects : This bill does not provide
funding to the CCCCO for the convening and reporting duties as
required by the bill. While CWIB receives federal funding to
support the creation of the State Strategic Plan for Workforce
Investment, CCCCO would be reliant upon state funding sources.
It is unclear if the CCCCO would be able to fulfill the role
outlined in this legislation without additional funding or
changes to existing workload mandates.
Prior legislation : AB 35 (Furutani) of 2009, which was held in
the Senate Appropriations Committee, would have required CWIB to
assist CCCCO and BOG to develop a strategic plan for connecting
education and workforce development in the state.
AB 365 (Portantino) of 2007, which was vetoed, would have
required CPEC, in cooperation with the Labor and Workforce
Development Agency, to convene a Task Force on State Workforce
Needs. In his veto message, Governor Schwarzenegger wrote:
"I am supportive of efforts to align state workforce needs
with program development at postsecondary education
institutions. However, statutory authority is not
necessary for the California Postsecondary Education
Commission to meet the objective of convening meetings with
the relevant entities, and developing recommendations.
Therefore, this bill is unnecessary."
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Business Education Association
California Farm Bureau Federation
California Manufacturers and Technology Association
Opposition
None on File
AB 1310
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Analysis Prepared by : Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960