Gaston Workforce Development Programs operates as a subsidiary of The Gaston County Workforce Development Board (WDB) which is appointed by the Board of Commissioners to serve as the oversight and policy-making body for federally funded employment and training programs and services in Gaston County. Its broader mandate is to oversee the integration of all services and programs to meet the needs of employers and job seekers.

The vision of the Gaston County WDB is to establish and direct a results-oriented workforce development and business services system that:

• Provides job seekers with the education and training needed to achieve self-sufficiency.
• Merges public and private sector resources and expertise to create an integrated workforce development and business services system.
• Creates job opportunities for the unemployed and advancement opportunities for the underemployed through comprehensive business development, retention, and expansion services.

The Gaston County WDB has 25 members, 13 of whom are from the business sector. Its committee structure includes:

• Executive Committee - Forms committees, sets agenda, oversees business of the Board.
  
• Youth Council - Develops youth employment and training policy and recommends funding for youth service programs to the WDB.
  
• STARS Committee- Monitors performance of the training service delivery system by reviewing and approving training providers within the local area.
  
• One Stop Operations Committee (Leadership Team) - Integrates the services and resources of workforce development programs into a comprehensive and seamless One Stop system that is responsive to needs of employers, job seekers and career changers.

As mandated by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, the Chief Elected Official (CEO) is ultimately responsible for the administration of federal job training funds in the Gaston County Local Area, and is authorized to appoint the Workforce Development Board. Generally speaking, the CEO and the WDB share equal authority according to the federal legislation. Gaston Workforce Development Program, under the leadership of the Local Area Director, oversees program performance through the Job Training Performance Standards System and authorizes the fiscal agent to appropriate funding and enter into contracts for job training programs.