Stanislaus County leaders poised to privatize career services for adults and young people
Stanislaus County supervisors could eliminate the Workforce Investment Board, create a new board to replace it and seek a contractor to operate one-stop career centers.
About 40 county employee positions are affected by the change. The county could lose workforce development funding from the federal government if it does not privatize the career centers in Modesto, Oakdale and Patterson.
The centers provide resume writing and information about jobs and vocational training to adults, dislocated workers and young people.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, signed by President Obama in 2014, called for privatization of workforce development services across the nation to better create opportunities for vulnerable populations.
The county is faced with finding one or more contractors to provide the local career services. The county must be in compliance with the federal law by July 1, 2017.
The county’s economic and workforce development activities have been managed through an agreement with the Stanislaus Economic Development and Workforce Alliance since 2002. The county began a process of reshaping the Alliance with a name change to Stanislaus Business Alliance in 2014.
The Business Alliance will stop reporting to the Workforce Investment Board and work on the Opportunity Stanislaus campaign.
The county’s Alliance Worknet division has operated the one-stop career centers with 38 employees. Officials will attempt to find jobs for affected employees in other county departments. The Alliance Worknet will continue to provide job readiness and other employment services for the Community Services Agency’s welfare-to-work clients.
Tuesday’s proposed actions include:
▪ Eliminating the Workforce Investment Board and recruiting members for a new Workforce Development Board with at least 19 members.
▪ A request for proposals for a vendor to run the one-stop career centers.
▪ Cutting six employee positions from the Alliance Worknet budget, effective July 18. Three of those positions are vacant and one affected employee is retiring.
In addition to privatizing the career centers, the federal government will expect the county to have strong partnerships with other agencies, such as the state’s Employee Development Department, the California Department of Rehabilitation and agencies that provide local education services.
In another item Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors is slated to hear a presentation on an expenditure plan for a proposed countywide road tax.
The board also could approve an updated “housing element” for Stanislaus County’s general plan. The housing element addresses the housing needs for county residents over the next 20 years.
Ken Carlson: 209-578-2321
Board of Supervisors watch
The Board of Supervisors will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the basement of chamber of Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St., Modesto. The following items will be considered:
- Office of Emergency Services purchase of a special response vehicle with Homeland Security grant funds.
- Amended joint powers agreement for the Stanislaus Council of Governments.
- Update on the temporary water assistance program for drought-stricken county residents.
This story was originally published April 4, 2016 at 6:56 PM with the headline "Stanislaus County leaders poised to privatize career services for adults and young people."