The test for today's economy is to create a workforce development system that capitalizes on current opportunities across states, regions, and local communities. The economic environment is positive, with tight, dynamic, and global labor markets. The business need for job-ready, entry-level workers; high-skilled workers; and workers who can continue to learn fuels a commitment to workforce development. One approach is business-led, regional workforce development coalitions. Changing patterns for finding work and advancing in careers have created incentives for new approaches to improving local labor markets in which job seekers have identifiable routes for employment access and advancement, and employers can find qualified workers effectively and efficiently. Workforce development is emerging as the central strategy for creating new opportunities for companies and individuals and a key factor in regional economic development activity. Business-led workforce coalitions are surfacing as viable mechanisms for developing effective regional workforce development systems. They are as diverse as the issues on which they focus: geography, industries, individuals/groups, economic development, labor market dynamics, and education reform. Three broad activity areas are policy and advocacy, planning and research, and technical assistance. Steps to ensure the creation of a successful regional coalition are as follows: join forces, define the problem, design the solution, implement the solution, evaluate effectiveness, and sustain the collaboration. (Contains 14 references) (YLB)