Building Santa Barbara County’s Workforce Ecosystem: A Two-Year Journey Toward Alignment, Access, and Shared Action
More than two years ago, at the Santa Barbara County Workforce Development Board’s strategic retreat, our Board members identified a critical need: a more connected, transparent, and collaborative workforce ecosystem. Leaders across sectors shared the same challenges—students, jobseekers, and employers were navigating a system that was highly dedicated but fragmented. Everyone was working hard, but not always together.
That retreat sparked the beginning of a multi-year effort to build a more cohesive and coordinated approach to workforce development across Santa Barbara County. Since then, partners from education, economic development, business, and community organizations have come together to design a shared vision for how we prepare residents for meaningful careers and support local employers’ evolving talent needs.
On December 2, 2025, this work reached a new milestone with the workSBC Convening, co-hosted by the Santa Barbara County Workforce Development Board and the Santa Barbara County Education Office, in collaboration with the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber.
This gathering brought together employers, educators, workforce leaders, and community-based organizations from across the region for a full day of reflection, strategic planning, and collaboration. It marked the transition from two years of visioning to the next phase: building the structure needed to sustain real countywide alignment.
From the convening, partners solidified four shared goals that will guide this work moving forward:
Create a structure to support sustained cross-sector collaboration
Improve alignment between education and industry
Enhance clarity of K–14 career pathways
Expand awareness of student and jobseeker support services
In the coming months, our team will translate these goals into a countywide framework—one that strengthens coordination, increases visibility of opportunities, and prepares the foundation for the digital platform that will serve as the hub of workSBC. Strategic planning and community input will continue through summer 2026 as we refine priorities and validate the needs of students, families, educators, jobseekers, and employers.
Beginning in Fall 2026, we will move into the development phase: building the digital platform that will unify resources, streamline navigation, and support the core purpose of workSBC—helping the Santa Barbara County community prepare for work, find work, and find workers.
This initiative has always been—and continues to be—a shared effort. If you are part of Santa Barbara County’s workforce, education, or economic development ecosystem, we invite you to get involved. Your insights, experience, and partnership are essential to shaping a system that serves our entire community.
Learn more or join the effort at: workSBC.sbcwdb.org