Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board (WDB) Innovation Fund

About the Program

Category: Volunteers (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

On September 17, 2017, the WDB established the Innovation Fund, an annual $1 million set-aside from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to better engage our WDB Members following a think-tank approach. This model will lift promising practices and strengthen sector partnerships between the public, private, education, labor, and community-based organizations which would spur the creation and implementation of novel employer-based and demand-driven trainings. This unique model prepares County residents with multiple barriers to employment for careers in high growth or in-demand sectors by pairing the guidance and subject matter expertise of our WDB to evaluate the proposed projects before implementation. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WDB added the challenge to focus on innovative projects that would drive recovery efforts and further lend support to the impacted business community. Despite the effects of the pandemic, we have identified over 15 projects across 6 industries offering family-sustaining jobs within high-growth or in-demand sectors. We will bring these projects to scale to make a better impact in the local economy and we continue to optimize our workforce delivery system to be as nimble as possible in response to unforeseen economic crisis for a sustainable and bright future.