2026-2030 Economic Development Strategic Plan

Goal 3: Workforce Development & Talent Attraction Strategic Action

Priority Year

Cost

3.2 Strengthen collaboration between educational institutions and employers to align curricula and job training with job market needs.

Workforce Development: Utilize consortiums established to serve as technical resources to ensure continued alignment between education, workforce development and industry. Workforce Development: Communicate and refer opportunities outlined in the Workforce Development Integration portion of the EDSP to the appropriate education and workforce development organizations.

a

Med 2

$

b

Med 2

$

3.3 Develop programs to attract and retain skilled professionals, including student loan assistance and relocation incentives.

Incentives: Develop model programs for employers that create Employer Student Loan Repayment Assistance programs, tuition reimbursement, or student loan buydown opportunities for key industry sectors and in demand workers. Incentives: Develop and launch the "Riverside County Plus One" program, a workforce and talent retention strategy designed to support the partners of newly relocated professionals, especially in sectors like healthcare, education, tech, and government, by helping them find meaningful employment and community connections. Incentives: Continue to expand on needs assessments for increasing childcare options for workers, with an emphasis on facilities closer to job centers. Marketing: Establish a Countywide Career Pathways Report Card & Summit to annually assess and showcase progress in expanding access to career pathways through digital learning, certifications, and workforce training— while fostering collaboration among education, industry, and community partners. Marketing: Implement "Train Local, Hire Local" marketing campaign that would increase employer awareness and participation in local job training and certification programs by demonstrating value, building trust, and offering easy access to talent pipelines.

a

Med 2

$

b

High 1

$

c

Med 2

$

3.4 Increase accessibility of career pathways by expanding digital education, technical certification, and skill-building initiatives

a

Med 2

$

b

Low 3

$

$ = less than $50,000 (or no cost)| $$ = $50,000 to $100,000 | $$$ = more than $100,000

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