Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board. 

The Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Workforce Board) was created in 1991 to provide planning, coordination, evaluation, monitoring, and policy analysis for the state workforce training system as a whole, and to advise the Governor and the Legislature concerning the training system.  It is a tripartite partnership of business, labor, and government with a Governor-appointed board of 11 members. 

National Retail Federation Foundation's RISE Up.

RISE Up is a training and credentialing program that provides foundational employability skills to assist people in getting hired and promoted in the retail industry.  The curriculum and exams are industry-recognized and were developed in collaboration with 20 retailers.  RISE Up offers four credentials:  retail industry fundamentals; customer service and sales; business of retail; and warehouse, inventory, and logistics.  

The Workforce Board, in consultation with the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) and statewide retail employer organizations, must:  

• identify core skills needed for employment in the retail industry;
• identify existing courses, educational pathways, and apprenticeships for students and entry-level job seekers to gain the core skills identified;
• map educational pathways and apprenticeships that retail workers may use to pursue promotions and job advancement opportunities;
• identify where there are gaps in educational courses, trainings, and apprenticeships for retail workers; and
• identify in-demand, higher wage, nonindustry specific professions within the retail industry that experience and education in retail may lead to. 

The Workforce Board must then use this information to engage stakeholders, including the SBCTC, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Department of Corrections, the Employment Security Department, the Career Connected Learning Cross-Agency Work Group, and statewide retail employer organizations to make recommendations to the Legislature on the following:

• strategies to develop additional courses, pathways, and apprenticeships to make retail certifications and credentials available for job seekers and current retail employees;
• strategies to build a network for students and job seekers who complete retail certification courses to connect with potential employers;
• options for engaging and partnering with retail employers to provide courses to incumbent front-line workers for the purpose of up-skilling and promotions, including in-demand, higher paid, nonindustry specific positions within the retail industry; and
• options for increasing training and job opportunities in the retail industry for underserved communities and previously incarcerated individuals. 

The Workforce Board must submit two reports to the Legislature:  a progress report by December 1, 2022; and a final report with recommendations by December 1, 2023.  The requirements expire July 1, 2024.