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Coastal Counties Workforce Board (CCWB)

What is a Workforce Development Board?

Workforce Development Boards (sometimes called “Local Boards”) bring together representatives from business, labor, community-based organizations, education, human services, economic development and other critical groups to rethink and restructure the way local workforce development services are planned and delivered. It is their charge to create a user-friendly, world-class workforce that enables individuals to achieve their potential; ensure employers have the skilled workers they need to compete effectively in the global economy; and capitalize on the untapped potential of unemployed, underemployed, and dislocated workers, youth and other job seekers with special needs. Maine has three Workforce Development Boards, including the Coastal Counties Workforce Board (CCWB).

What are the Coastal Counties Workforce Board’s primary responsibilities?

As a community leader in workforce development, there are five significant roles a workforce board fulfills:

CONVENER – Bring together business, labor, education, and economic development to focus on community workforce issues
WORKFORCE ANALYST – Developing, disseminating, and understanding current labor market and economic information and trends
BROKER – Bring together systems to solve common problems, or broker new relationships with businesses and workers
COMMUNITY VOICE – Advocating for the importance of workforce policy, providing perspective about the need for skilled workers
CAPACITY BUILDER – Enhancing the region’s ability to meet the workforce needs of local employers

In addition to these roles, primary responsibilities of the board are to:

Promote private sector employer participation in all workforce activities, to assist in meeting their hiring needs, and to connect workforce investment with local and regional economic development strategies.
Certify the One-Stop Operator(s) with agreement of the chief elected officials.
Develop a budget for carrying out the activities of the WIB.
Identify providers of training and labor market services.
Award contracts to certified service providers.
Identify and award competitive contracts to providers of youth services based on recommendations of the Youth Council.
Establish local performance measures and standards.
Conduct oversight of all workforce activities in their region.
Develop a local plan to address the needs of the local workforce area.

Who can be a member of the Coastal Counties Workforce Board?

The Coastal Counties Workforce Board is an approximately 30-member board (this number fluctuates from time to time) with members from all six counties in our region, at least 51% of whom are members of private sector businesses. Within the 30 members, CCWB is required by law to have representatives from organized labor, economic development, local service providers and education.

Additionally, WIOA requires that board members representing business have:

Be an owner, chief executive officer, chief operating officer, or other individual with optimum policy-making or hiring authority; and
Provide employment opportunities in in-demand industry sectors or
occupations, as those terms are defined in WIOA sec. 3(23).

How often and where does the Workforce Board meet?

The Coastal Counties Workforce Board meets quarterly. Meeting dates, times and locations are posted on the CCWI website along with minutes from recent meetings.

Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc. (CCWI)

How is Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc. (CCWI) related to the Coastal Counties Workforce Board (CCWB)?

Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc. is the non-profit arm of the Coastal Counties Workforce Board. CCWI Employees are the Workforce Board’s staff. Workforce Boards are limited by federal statute in the services they can provide and the funds they can access. CCWI was established in 2003 to provide staff to the Workforce Board and provide access to additional resources to expand services to businesses and job seekers in the region.

How is Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc. involved in the community?

As a convener and overseer of workforce development activities in six counties, CCWI partners with a variety of public and private organizations to develop strategies to address economic needs in the region. Currently, CCWI is actively involved in implementing strategies to support workers who will need to upgrade their skills to remain competitive as the economy continues to transition. CCWI is also a partner with economic development agencies, community colleges, chambers of commerce and veterans groups, working to support growth in a variety of industries in Maine.

Where does the money come from to support Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc.?

Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc. is primarily supported by funds from the federal Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act of 2014. (Between 1998-2014 the predecessor legislation was the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 or WIA). In addition to WIOA funds, CCWI receives funds through grants and contracts competitively procured from the U.S. Department of Labor, the State of Maine, private foundations, business partners and individuals. Please refer to our project timeline for our grant projects.

Who are our customers?

The primary customers of the workforce investment system are job seekers and businesses. Maine’s workforce investment system is “demand driven.” This means targeting resources in ensuring that Maine’s employers have access to workers with the skills required to compete in the global economy and that Maine’s workers – both employed and unemployed – have access to education and training opportunities that provide them with the skills required by today’s employers.

Organizational Charts

Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act Maine System

CCWI Board of Directors

More Information

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