Workforce Solutions - Gulf Coast Workforce Board is the local board of directors for Workforce Solutions, which serves 13 counties in the Houston-Galveston region. In addition to being the largest of 28 local boards in the State of Texas, Workforce Solutions - Gulf Coast Workforce Board plans and oversees the delivery of employment services, education, and training. Its local system is one of the largest in the nation.

The board itself is business-led, with a majority of its members representing the private sector. Other board members come from labor and community-based organizations, education, economic development organizations and state agencies. The board sets policy and annually directs expenditures that underwrite services for more than 125,000 businesses and 5.7 million residents in the region.

In 2009, Workforce Solutions served almost 29% of the 125,000 businesses in the region and more than 444,125 individuals in its career offices. Of the 334,311 employer job openings available in the WorkInTexas.com job matching system for the region, 136,898 positions were filled – about 41%. The total number of persons Workforce Solutions helped get a job or get a better job was 296,000.

In its outplacement services for companies downsizing or restructuring, Workforce Solutions assisted 11,775 displaced employees from 96 companies.

The total amount of financial aid provided by Workforce Solutions for job training, education, child care and other work related needs totaled $122,895,637. This assistance helped more than 3,710 customers go to school, 3,503 of which were enrolled in post-secondary education classes to earn certificates or degrees. In addition, funds enabled a total of 5,354 youth, age 14 – 24, to work in a summer job, and 30,965 children to participate daily in early education/child care activities.