About the Workforce Planning Board
Who we are
The Workforce Planning Board of York Region & Bradford West Gwillimbury is a non-for-profit, community-based organization working to develop solutions to local labour market needs and issues.
A volunteer board of directors from seven Labour Market Partner Groups governs us: business, labour, women, youth, persons with disabilities, foreign trained professional and educators/trainers.
The Workforce Planning Board is one of 25 independent, non-government corporations in Ontario mandated to direct the planning and delivery of provincial training programs to make job and skills training more accessible, effective and responsive to local needs. The Workforce Planning Board is funded by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Ontario's employment & training network.
What we do
The Workforce Planning Board's role is to engage our community and community partners in a local labour market research and planning process that leads to cooperative efforts among partners to find local solutions to local issues.
To achieve this objective, the Workforce Planning Board undertakes the following activities:
Development and implementation of a Tomorrow's Trends, Opportunities and Priorities (TOP) process. A series of activities that includes the production of Census profiles, research of local labour market information; consultation with community partners & stakeholders; development of a community partners' action plan to develop and implement local solutions to local issues; the TOP Report to capture the results of the process.
Fostering of Local Partnerships. Activities to address specific issues, trends, opportunities and priorities identified during the TOP process. Partnerships can be found in the Partnerships Database.
Individual Workinfonet. Up-to-date information on thousands of resources to help individuals and practitioners locate employment related programs and services anywhere in Ontario. For more information visit www.iwin.on.ca.
Over the last several years, the Workforce Planning Board has helped improve their local labour market by promoting the trades as viable careers, raising awareness of literacy issues, facilitating the integration of foreign trained workers, etc.
Our strategy of reaching out through memberships in various community business organizations and attendance at events has resulted in increased awareness of who we are and where we can contribute.
Events
| Arlene Dickinson, Author of Persuasion and Co-Star of CBC’s Dragon’s Den and Al Wilson, Executive Director of Workforce Planning Board of York Region and Bradford, West Gwillimbury. |  |
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Virginia Hackson, Mayor of East Gwillimbury; Julia Munro, Member of Provincial Parliament; Heather Dewar, owner of The Roast of Sharon and East Gwillimbury Chamber of Commerce Young Entrepreneur of the Year Winner; and Al Wilson, Executive Director of the Workforce Planning Board of York Region and Bradford, West Gwillimbury. |  |
| Vaughan Chamber of Commerce Luncheon with Premiere Dalton McGuinty and Executive Director of the Workforce Planning Board of York Region and Bradford, West Gwillimbury, Al Wilson |  |
Board of Directors
Business
Patricia Cousins, Co-Chair
Robert C. Hedges, Treasurer
Manoj Jain
Carlos Sebastian
Valerie Kates
Labour
Doug Dutton, Co-Chair
Edward Nott
Laurie Ann Hewitt
Jim Follis
Educators / Trainers
Stan Talesnick
Persons with Disabilities
Ivy Henriksen
Government Representatives
Liz Robertson
Ted Burley, York Region
Foreign Trained Professional
(vacant)
Youth
Emma Rooney
Women
(vacant)
Staff
Al Wilson, Executive Director
Tina Stevens, Project Manager