§ 540 — Workforce education and employment and training leaders

(a) The Commissioner of Labor and the Executive Director of the Office of Workforce Strategy and Development shall be the leaders of workforce education and employment and training in the State and shall have the authority and responsibility for the coordination of the State’s workforce system as provided in this section.
(b) The powers and duties provided in this section shall not limit, restrict, or suspend any similar powers the Commissioner of Labor or the Executive Director of the Office of Workforce Strategy and Development may have under other provisions of law.
(c) For purposes of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the Department of Labor shall be designated as the State Workforce Agency and the Commissioner of Labor shall serve as the State Workforce Administrator.
(d) As co-leader of workforce education and employment and training in the State, the Commissioner of Labor, in consultation with the Executive Director of the Office of Workforce Strategy and Development where appropriate, shall:
(1) ensure the coordination and administration of workforce education and employment and training programs operated by the Department of Labor;
(2) enter into agreements, to the extent necessary, with other State agencies and departments for services to improve the employment and economic outcomes for individuals receiving public assistance, including agreements to provide customized or specialized services that are beyond the basic services required by federal law;
(3) develop strategies and provide support to entities responsible for federal investments in the State’s workforce system;
(4)(A) develop strategies designed to reduce employee layoffs and business closures; and
(B) provide reemployment services to employees affected by layoffs and closures;
(5) administer a system where employment and training resources are provided to individuals and businesses through both physical and virtual service delivery methods;
(6) establish job centers in such parts of the State as the Commissioner deems necessary and evaluate such centers on an as-needed basis;
(7) maintain a free and secure electronic job board that, to the extent practicable, compiles all available job, registered apprenticeship, education and training, and credentialing opportunities that support job seekers and career advancers;
(8) use data to ensure that State workforce education and employment and training activities are aligned with the needs of the:
(A) available workforce;
(B) employers to fill their current and future job openings; and
(C) specific credentials required by employers;
(9) require that each business, training provider, or other entity receiving State funding to conduct workforce training submit a report that evaluates the results of the training; and
(10) notwithstanding any provision of State law to the contrary, and to the fullest extent allowed under federal law, ensure that the program administrator in each State and State-funded workforce education and employment and training program collects and reports data and results at the individual level by Social Security number or equivalent.
(e) As co-leader of workforce education and employment and training in the State, the Executive Director of the Office of Workforce Strategy and Development, in consultation with the Commissioner of Labor and the State Workforce Development Board where appropriate, shall:
(1) advise the Governor and members of the Governor’s cabinet on the establishment and management of an integrated system of workforce education and training in Vermont;
(2) coordinate across public and private sectors to identify and address labor force needs and ensure that workforce development program information is easily accessible to students, employees, and businesses;
(3) develop a comprehensive workforce strategy that contains measurable statewide workforce goals along with a biennial operational plan to achieve those goals that shall:
(A) be developed in collaboration with, and representative of, workforce system partners, including public, private, nonprofit, and educational sectors and the State Workforce Development Board;
(B) include a set of metrics, designed in consultation with the Agency of Administration’s Chief Performance Office, used to evaluate the effectiveness of, to the extent practicable, all workforce development programs;
(C) align with and build upon other required strategic planning efforts, including the WIOA State Plan;
(D) be informed by the inventory system as set forth in subdivision (4) of this subsection (e); and
(E) be reviewed and updated as necessary, but at least once every two years;
(4) create, maintain, and update a publicly accessible inventory of all known workforce education and employment and training programs and activities in the State in order to:
(A) annually assess the investments and effectiveness of the workforce development system;
(B) ensure coordination and nonduplication of workforce education and employment and training activities; and
(C) identify best practices and gaps in the delivery of workforce education and employment and training programs;
(5) identify and manage priority projects specific to regional workforce needs;
(6) facilitate effective communication between the business community, State and local government, and public and private educational institutions, for the purpose of workforce pipeline development and job placement;
(7) coordinate intentional outreach and connections between students and employment opportunities in the State; and
(8) ensure the State Workforce Development Board is carrying out its duties and responsibilities as set forth in section 541a of this chapter.
(f)(1) The Executive Director of the Office of Workforce Strategy and Development shall, once every two years, issue a comprehensive biennial workforce report to the Governor, the House Committees on Appropriations and on Commerce and Economic Development, and the Senate Committees on Appropriations and on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs, on or before December 1, that includes an evaluation of the accomplishments of the State workforce investment system and the performance of participating agencies and institutions covering the previous two calendar years. The report shall include identification of system priorities, need for future funding requests, identification of proposed legislative and administrative changes, and any other information relevant to the performance and future needs of the workforce investment system. The report shall summarize performance and outcome information submitted by federally and State-funded workforce development and investment programs for all public and nonpublic programs.
(2) To the extent practicable, workforce reports required of the Department of Labor, including the apprenticeship report required by 21 V.S.A. § 1113(e)(2), shall be incorporated into the comprehensive report required by subdivision (1) of this subsection.
(3) The Executive Director of the Office of Workforce Strategy and Development shall have the support and coordination of the Department of Labor in developing and submitting the biennial report required by subdivision (1) of this subsection.
(4) The provisions of 2 V.S.A. § 20(d) (expiration of required reports) shall not apply to the report to be made under subdivision (1) of this subsection. (Added 2013, No. 199 (Adj. Sess.), § 41; amended 2015, No. 11, § 9; 2015, No. 157 (Adj. Sess.), § K.1; 2017, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 19, eff. May 21, 2018; 2017, No. 189 (Adj. Sess.), § 15; 2025, No. 65, § 7, eff. July 1, 2025.)