Marano Fellows Class of 2014
Name: Geoffrey King
Title:

Program Manager

Organization:

District of Columbia Workforce Investment Council

Location: Washington, DC
Industry Sector: Hospitality and Construction

Organizational Background & Mission: The District of Columbia Workforce Investment Council (WIC) is a private-sector led board that serves as both the state and local workforce investment board under the Workforce Investment Act. The WIC is responsible for advising the Mayor, Council, and District government on the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of an integrated and effective workforce investment system. The WIC contributes to the District’s goal of creating a city where all residents can participate fully in the region’s economy, all businesses can find the skilled workforce they need to compete, and all communities are contributing to, and benefitting from, economic prosperity.

Interest in Sector Work: The District has appropriated $1.6 million in local funding in fiscal year 2014 to support the implementation of a Workforce Intermediary Pilot Program that is administered through the WIC. Building off of nationally-recognized best practices, the recommendations of a specially appointed Task Force, and interviews and site visits with over 60 employers, training providers, workforce experts, and other stakeholders, the initiative is bringing together multiple stakeholders connected to two target industries - hospitality and construction - to develop and implement training and placement strategies that help employers in these key sectors fill immediate and long-term skill needs. The Program is currently in its startup phase, and the WIC has awarded three initial grants to hospitality job placement and occupational training providers that are providing services to jobseekers and employers that are focused on strengthening the alignment between hospitality-industry stakeholders and ensuring District residents have better preparation and access to employment opportunities. A Hospitality Industry Advisory Committee of hotel and restaurant stakeholders is also assisting the WIC in overseeing and informing the program.

My interest in sectoral work relates to my role in administering this program, as well as my personal career focus on evidence-based policy and helping individuals advance into self-sufficiency.