California is the nation's high-tech leader in many ways, holding enviable advantages in its robust centers of innovation and the many benefits that come with having large numbers of high-tech companies centered in the state. Supporting and sustaining the innovation-driven economy that has made California the success it is today is essential. Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) offer some of the best opportunities for supporting California's high-tech workforce needs at the local level throughout the state. It may not always be clear how WIBs can effectively keep pace with the trends, however. Every region of California is different, and WIBs vary in form and function from place to place. It is challenging to get the 'big picture' and look ahead, especially when coupled with resource limitations.
Focus and information are key. The CCST "Racing for the Future" online toolkit is designed to help provide both, providing WIBs with essential tools for understanding their environment and adapting successfully to it. Every WIB has its own charter, organization, and unique context. What they share, however, is a set of central functions. This toolkit is designed to help WIBs build upon and support those functions.
The WIB Toolkit is an online sourcebook with over 150 pages of material, sorted into five easy to navigate, cross-linked sections. It includes 11 original downloadable support documents and links to dozens more that are potentially useful to WIBs.
This resource was developed through collaboration among three organizations: The California Council on Science and Technology (the project lead); the California Space Education and Workforce Institute; and the California Workforce Association, as part of the "California Innovation Corridor" (CIC) project.