News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 21, 1999
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Locke issues executive order on workforce training

OLYMPIA — Gov. Gary Locke today issued an executive order to encourage state agencies and private industry to step up efforts to retrain workers for the changing Washington economy.

"We simply cannot lag in our efforts to move toward a more highly trained work force," said Locke. "Each year, there are 38,000 job openings for workers with post-secondary vocational training. Yet our two-year colleges, private career schools and apprenticeship programs produce only about 19,000 such jobs each year. In addition, tens of thousands of jobs in the software industry go unfilled because of a lack of qualified workers.

"Our economy is robust, but it will remain strong only if we are committed to workforce training as that economy undergoes constant change," Locke continued. "This executive order directs the state Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board to develop objectives, goals and measurable results, working with business, labor and local workforce development councils."

The governor's executive order makes it clear that workforce development is a priority issue for him and deserves full attention.

Specifically, Locke's executive order instructs the Workforce Board to address the following challenges:

* Close the gap between the need of employers for skilled workers and the supply of Washington residents prepared to meet that need.

* Enable workers to make smooth transitions so they may fully benefit from the new, changing economy. The board will develop a coherent strategy for dislocated workers that includes incumbent worker training.

* Help disadvantaged youth, persons with disabilities, new labor market entrants, recent immigrants, and low-wage workers in moving up the job ladder during their lifetimes by developing a wage progression strategy for low-income workers. Specific progress should be made in improving operating agencies and reducing the earnings gap facing people of color, adults with disabilities, and women.

Locke also directed the state Workforce Board to use the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to help in targeted retraining with measurable results.

Among the features of the federal law is a unified approach to promoting universal access to a wide variety of training programs and information about job opportunities through a one-stop system called WorkSource. Additionally, training programs will be evaluated to see how well they prepare people for jobs, and the information will be available so consumers can choose the training program and provider that best fit their needs.

Locke also directed the board to work closely with the state Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Department of Labor and Industries, the Department of Social and Health Services and local workforce development councils.

"All of these entities have specific resources that can make workforce training more effective," said Locke. "But cooperation and coordination are the keys to success."

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