(1) make recommendations to the General Assembly as needed to implement the provisions of this chapter;

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(2) regularly meet with industry associations to gain an understanding of their workforce needs and ideas;

(3) facilitate and coordinate the development of the USP;

(4) use data and analysis to create measurable, time-sensitive metrics for the USP in which all workforce pipeline stakeholders including, but not limited to, education and workforce boards, councils, and partner representatives, participate. These measurable, time-sensitive metrics include, but are not limited to:

(a) ten-year labor participation rate target; and

(b) ten-year target for the number of South Carolinians who possess a high-quality credential or postsecondary degree;

(5) create an education and workforce dashboard or other application to enable the public to monitor and track progress of the USP; and

(6) annually review the USP and update as needed.

(B) The USP should include, but is not limited to, the following:

(1) assurance that agency constituents remain served;

(2) compliance with federal and state laws, including, but not limited to, those relating to state plans, to avoid duplication of efforts;

(3) identification of statewide workforce priorities and methods for identifying and addressing long-term workforce needs;

(4) assurance that the components of Chapter 59 of Title 59, the South Carolina Education and Economic Development Act, are implemented with fidelity to provide a better prepared workforce, student success in postsecondary education, and enhanced coordination between K-12, higher education, and employers;

(5) establishment and maintenance of standardized education and workforce terminology and definitions to be used across all agencies and sectors;

(6) development and implementation of an annual statewide workforce and education supply gap analysis which may include, but is not limited to:

(a) evaluation of current and projected future employer demands;

(b) determination of the makeup of the state’s labor force and identifying the industries and occupations that are thriving by constructing a baseline analysis of the state’s demographics and performing an analysis of the trends in the workforce and education infrastructure pipeline, including the supply of graduates in the state and the number of graduates by degree/certificate category;

(c) identifying the supply of skills found in the workforce, and demand for skills employers need from the workforce, and a means for determining how to close gaps that exist between the supply and demand of such skills; and

(d) reviewing growing industry and occupation clusters;

(7) creation and maintenance of an Education and Workforce Portal to provide South Carolinians with information critical to their lifelong educational journey, which may include, but is not limited to:

(a) an "Educational Program Alignment Toolkit" that serves as an infrastructure of resources to enable the K-12, technical college, and higher education systems to individually and collectively ensure their respective educational curriculum, initiatives, and programming match workforce needs;

(b) a "Career Pathways Tool" that uses applicable occupational data, educational programming, workforce needs, salary information, job market analyses, in-demand occupations, and other information to provide students, parents of students, job seekers, educators, and counselors, with useful information about potential career pathways and the various routes to meaningful employment;

(c) real-time labor market information;

(d) comprehensive inventory of all education and training assets in the State; and

(e) global view of workforce-related program data including federal, state, and local education and training options and opportunities;

(8) development and implementation of a study, recommendations, and tools to address barriers to labor participation, including, but not limited to, the following:

(a) affordable access to childcare and transportation;

(b) government assistance programs and requirements available to working families to determine potential opportunities to better incentivize and support employment, and employment-related activities, while easing the "cliff effect" during the transition to economic self-sufficiency;

(c) providing individuals who are receiving assistance from public benefit programs with the supports, skills, and credentials they need to gain and retain employment in occupations for which employers demonstrate persistent demands; and

(d) a "SC Benefits calculator" to help families, case managers, and community providers understand the impact of earnings and assist families planning their exit from the use of these public benefits, with the goal of promoting self-sufficiency and maximizing use of available opportunities;

(9) review of state and federal funding for all workforce development programs of which CCWD is aware, including passthrough funding to nonprofit/local/regional workforce programs to eliminate duplication and ensure funding is going towards meeting the goals of the USP;

(10) development of a reliable and replicable model for measuring returns on public investment in individual education and workforce programs, including a set of common measures used in a performance accountability system;

(11) development and delivery of a consolidated budget report that:

(a) improves transparency in workforce funding to enable smarter policy decisions; and

(b) makes recommendations for using legislative and executive means to improve system alignment, accountability, and efficiency;

(12) development and implementation of a method for conducting an ongoing inventory of existing workforce programs to identify duplications among and within the programs and identify ineffective programs; and

(13) coordinate with the South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs to develop and implement procedures that connect active duty military spouses, family members, veterans, and military retirees to job opportunities and career support.

(C) The executive director of the Department of Employment and Workforce shall serve as Chairman of the CCWD, and, as Chairman of the CCWD, monitor and audit the implementation of this chapter, review accountability and performance measures, and annually report to the Governor and the General Assembly by December first of each fiscal year, on the:

(1) actions taken by the council during the previous fiscal year;

(2) engagement of the council to include attendance, participation, and compliance with the USP, and;

(3) any recommendations for legislation.

The executive director or OSWD may submit additional reports on an ongoing basis as considered necessary.

(D) Agencies represented on the CCWD shall provide staff for the CCWD. These staff members may be provided by means of memorandums of agreement that address the scope of duties of each member agencies’ personnel in providing this staff support.

(E) The Department of Employment and Workforce shall provide office space and equipment for the OSWD.