Employment Training Panel: pilot program: employment training needs.

Existing law establishes the Employment Training Panel within the Employment Development Department. Under existing law, the panel is charged with performing various duties, including establishing a 3-year plan based on the demand of employers for trained workers, changes in the state's economy and labor markets, and continuous reviews of the effectiveness of panel training contracts. Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development Program with the purpose of, among other things, using labor market information to advise the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges and regional community college bodies on the workforce needs of the state's competitive and emerging industry sectors, and collaborating and coordinating investment with other state, regional, or local agencies involved in education and workforce training in California. This bill, upon appropriation by the Legislature, would require the Employment Training Panel to establish a pilot program to serve the employment training needs of small businesses. The bill would require the program to leverage the capacity of the existing statewide network of community college contract education centers operating with multiple employer contracts. The bill would require the Employment Training Panel to develop the pilot program to achieve specified purposes, including strengthening the linkages between higher education institutions and employers. This bill would require the Employment Training Panel, in developing the program, to work with key workforce and economic development partners, including the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges, the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, and the California Workforce Development Board. The bill would also authorize the Employment Training Panel to establish one or more ad hoc advisory groups of stakeholders. The bill would require all data collected from the pilot program to be inputted into the Employment Training Panel's data tracking system. The bill would require the Employment Training Panel to submit 2 reports to the appropriate legislative committees on the implementation of the program and program activities, as specified. This bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2026.