A workforce development board (WDB) is a regional body — made up of local business leaders, education representatives, labor organizations, and community partners, appointed by local elected officials — responsible for planning and overseeing how federal workforce funds are spent in a given area under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Every U.S. region is covered by a local WDB, and for community colleges and CTE programs, that board is one of the most consequential — and most overlooked — funding and referral partners available. This guide explains what a workforce development board actually does, how it’s governed, and how a CTE program can build a working relationship with theirs.

Note: Most Searches for “Workforce Development Board” Are Looking for a Specific Local Board

If you searched this exact phrase looking for your region’s board directly — Texas, California, Los Angeles, or another specific area — the fastest path is the CareerOneStop Workforce Development Board Finder, the official Department of Labor tool for locating the WDB that serves your county or region. What follows here is a program-leader’s guide to what these boards do and how to work with them, not a directory.

How Workforce Development Boards Are Funded and Governed

Workforce development boards exist because of WIOA, the federal law that replaced the Workforce Investment Act in 2014. WIOA requires every state to divide itself into local workforce areas, each overseen by its own board. Board membership is majority private-sector — local business owners and executives — alongside representatives from education (including community colleges), labor, economic development, and community-based organizations. This structure is intentional: the boards exist to keep federal workforce dollars aligned with what local employers are actually hiring for, rather than what a state agency assumes they need.

Each board oversees a network of American Job Centers (sometimes called One-Stop Career Centers) that deliver job search assistance, training referrals, and — critically for CTE programs — funding for eligible training through WIOA Individual Training Accounts.

What Workforce Development Boards Do for CTE and Community College Programs

• Maintain the Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL). To receive WIOA-funded student referrals, a CTE program generally must be approved and listed on its state’s ETPL — a process administered in coordination with the local workforce board. A program that isn’t on the ETPL is invisible to WIOA-funded students and case managers, regardless of how strong the program itself is.
• Fund training through Individual Training Accounts (ITAs). Eligible adults and dislocated workers can have their tuition and required materials covered through the board’s job center, provided the program is ETPL-approved.
• Refer job seekers directly. American Job Center staff actively match unemployed and underemployed residents to approved training programs — a warm referral channel most CTE programs never actively cultivate.
• Convene labor market data. Boards publish regional labor market information that can validate — or challenge — the demand assumptions behind a new or existing CTE program.
• Coordinate with Perkins V funding. WIOA and Perkins V are designed to work together at the state level; understanding one without the other leaves funding on the table. See our guide to Perkins V eligible expenses for the CTE-specific funding side.

How to Build a Working Relationship With Your Local Workforce Development Board

1. Find your board through the CareerOneStop finder or your state’s Department of Labor / workforce agency site.
2. Confirm your ETPL status. If your program isn’t listed, ask the board directly what the state’s application and performance-reporting requirements are — they vary significantly by state.
3. Meet your board’s business services team, not just the training referral staff — they hold the employer relationships that can turn into work-based learning placements for your students.
4. Ask for labor market data specific to your program’s occupation cluster before your next program review or expansion decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who funds workforce development boards?

Workforce development boards are primarily funded through WIOA federal formula grants, distributed by state workforce agencies, supplemented in many regions by state and local funds.

What does WIOA pay for?

WIOA can fund job search assistance, career counseling, and — through Individual Training Accounts — tuition and required materials for eligible adults, dislocated workers, and youth enrolling in an ETPL-approved training program, which frequently includes community college CTE programs.

Is a workforce development board the same as a state Perkins V administrator?

No. Workforce development boards operate under WIOA and are regional, business-led bodies. Perkins V is administered at the state level, typically through a state department of education or higher education agency. The two systems are designed to coordinate, but they are governed and funded separately — a CTE program often needs a relationship with both.

Turning a WDB Relationship Into Enrollment

Getting listed on your state’s Eligible Training Provider List and building a real relationship with your local workforce development board opens a referral channel most competing programs never fully use — but it only works if your program is also visible and credible to the students, case managers, and counselors doing the searching.

Scalenroll builds organic acquisition systems specifically for community colleges and CTE programs. Our clients have generated more than 50,000 enrollment leads and $50M+ in enrollment revenue through organic channels alone. Request your Program Enrollment Assessment to see where your program stands.