§371-18.5 Workforce advisory boards; established. (a) In addition to any workforce advisory board established pursuant to this chapter, the director may establish workforce advisory boards to be placed in the department for administrative purposes only. Section 26-34 shall not apply to the workforce advisory boards established pursuant to this section.

(b) The director or the director's designee shall serve as the chairperson of any workforce advisory board.

(c) The director may designate the membership of the workforce advisory boards, and the members shall be selected on the basis of their knowledge, experience, and expertise. The members may consist of partners, stakeholders, educators, practitioners, and employers in important or emerging businesses or industries that have been identified in the State.

(d) The workforce advisory boards shall:

(1) Advise the department on strategies for developing the industry workforce, including recommending projects and programs to promote the expansion and development of the industry;

(2) Develop a mission, objectives, and goals with particular emphasis on pre-service programs and opportunities;

(3) Advise the department in developing partnerships and cooperative educational programs with providers, organizations, and stakeholders to further the workforce advisory board's mission and objectives;

(4) Coordinate and align workforce programs and develop strategies to meet worker and employer needs;

(5) Engage employers across the workforce system to align training with needed skills and match employers with qualified workers;

(6) Provide new and incumbent worker training and transitional jobs that promote work-based training; and

(7) Align the performance indicators for core programs, and add new performance indicators related to services to employers and post-secondary credential attainment.

(e) The members of the workforce advisory boards shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for expenses, including travel expenses, incurred in the performance of their duties and shall serve two-year terms. [L 2015, c 166, §3]