The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. will host a new center for workforce training programs as part of a program funded by local community colleges, LAEDC executives and community college officials were set to announce Thursday.

The Center for a Competitive Workforce will be housed at the LAEDC’s downtown office. It is being launched in partnership with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Southern California Leadership Council, and the Center of Excellence for Labor Market Research at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.

“As businesses…continue to adopt new technologies and push the boundaries of innovation, skills needs are changing faster than ever,” Jodie Lesh, senior vice president of delivery system design for Kaiser Permanente and the current board chair of the LAEDC, said in a statement. “These changes are pervasive across the entire economy, and it is exciting to see that we are aligning our talent development efforts to address the needs of business and to enhance economic opportunity for our residents.”

Among other things, the new center will analyze the skill sets and talents that different industries require of employees, strengthen ties between local employers and community colleges and increase internship and apprenticeship programs at local employers.

Funding for the program will come from a new $200 million initiative by the California Community College System called “Strong Workforce” that is also set to launch on Thursday. Community colleges in Los Angeles and Orange counties will get roughly one-third of that pool of money, from which the funds to launch the center will be drawn.

Public policy and energy reporter Howard Fine can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @howardafine.