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DEO highlights apprenticeship gains and asks to retain compliance staff for prevailing‑wage monitoring
Summary
Interim DEO director said the Apprenticeship Advantage program exceeded service goals (about 1,800 served) and urged retaining staff for prevailing‑wage monitoring and contract compliance; DEO prioritized a prevailing‑wage manager and data capacity.
The Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity (DEO) presented FY27 current‑service priorities and urged the court to preserve positions that support contract compliance and prevailing‑wage monitoring.
Interim DEO director Jae Woo told commissioners the Apprenticeship Advantage program served more than 1,800 apprentices in the past year, exceeding the program target, and that DEO processed and distributed roughly $8.8M in foreign‑trade‑zone pilot agreements for local entities. DEO said the FY27 current service budget prioritizes continued implementation of apprenticeship and a county worksite safety program and highlighted the need to strengthen contract‑to‑compliance and data systems (including B2Gnow cleanup and potential modules for certification validation).
On offsets, DEO said the prevailing‑wage manager and program‑planning data analyst positions were the most disruptive to lose and recommended retaining them to comply with the auditor’s recommendations around prevailing‑wage monitoring and investigation capacity. The interim director proposed improving interlocal agreements and MOUs and building better staffing‑estimation methods before negotiating renewals.
Next steps: DEO will provide timelines and cost estimates for proposed system improvements and a staffing plan to implement prevailing‑wage monitoring and outreach.
