History & Who's Who

History

Each of the 19 counties in the region and the Mayor of Abilene agreed to create a local board in spring 1996. The first members were appointed in summer 1996 and Governor Bush certified the Board on September 11, 1996.

Board members must be nominated locally by the organization that they will represent on the Board. A local committee of 5 county judges reviews nominations and makes appointments. The Texas Workforce Commission certifies and approves local appointments.

The Board is comprised of 30 volunteer members, the majority from local businesses. Other groups represented include education, organized labor, child care, veterans, public assistance, rehabilitation agencies, community-based organizations, and economic development.

Who’s Who

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is the state agency responsible for administering state and federal workforce funding, including tax and unemployment insurance systems. The TWC still maintains local tax offices and administers unemployment insurance benefits through telecenters and online services.

Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas Board is not a state agency; however, we contract with the Texas Workforce Commission to provide services on their behalf. The Board is responsible for oversight, strategic planning, and management of workforce services for the region, but is prohibited by law from directly providing services. The Board is supported by a full-time paid staff.

Using a competitive process, the Board selects independent entities (either public or private) to operate the workforce system. Similar to a franchise, the selected entities use the local brand - Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas - and follow the Board’s guidelines for serving customers.