14 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch Taking the Lead... Workforce Development Boards By Christa Wendland, OTA Communications Consultant SELF-PROMOTION ISN’T EXACTLY trucking’s strong suit, often to its detriment. Trucking doesn’t often get top billing and is often taken for granted. All of this works against the industry when it comes to recruiting for any number of open positions, as well as developing the next generation of workers. A certain level of buzz came out of the pandemic and the supply chain issues, with more people recognizing how essential trucking is to everyday life. So, how can trucking build on this while building its ranks? Simple answer: Workforce Development Boards. What is a Workforce Board? The concept of workforce boards is to determine what industries or sectors to support, and then allocate appropriate funding to the local Worksource or Employment offices to help recruit and train a workforce to support those industries. Of course, who sits on these boards influences where funds are directed. Oregon is part of the workforce development system that is funded by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) which authorizes more than 550 local businessled workforce development boards that serve all fifty states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Territories to oversee workforce development services through a network of approximately 3,000 American Job Centers (also called One-Stop Career Centers). Oregon has nine local workforce areas throughout the state which are supported by local civic, business, and community leaders to strategize ways to best leverage funding and resources to build and support the workforce demands of their communities. A few OTA members have been involved in regional workforce
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