US – Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) – FAQ

The following Frequently Asked Questions are drafted in the context of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs that are administered by the Department of Labor (DOL).

GENERAL QUESTIONS

Q. What programs are authorized by WIOA?

WOIA authorizes key employment and training programs and the American Job Center (referred to as One-Stop Center in the law) service delivery system to help workers acquire the tools and skills they need to be successful and to connect employers to the skilled workers they need. WIOA aligns the “core” programs to provide coordinated, comprehensive services. The core programs are: (1) Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth formula programs administered by DOL; (2) the Adult Education and Literacy programs administered by the Department of Education (ED); (3) Wagner-Peyser Employment Service program administered by DOL; and (4) and the programs under title I of the Rehabilitation Act that provide services to individuals with disabilities administered by the ED. Other programs administered by DOL that are authorized under title I of WIOA include: Job Corps, YouthBuild, Indian and Native American programs, Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker programs, and evaluation and multistate projects.

Q. What are key features of the WIOA?

WIOA makes a number of improvements to the public workforce system and its delivery of services to jobseekers, workers, and employers. Among the key features of WIOA are:

• Ensuring that federal core program employment and training services are coordinated and complementary by requiring a single, 4-year Strategic State Plan for achieving the workforce goals of the State;
• Ensuring that federal investments in employment and training programs are evidence- based, data-driven, and accountable to participants and taxpayers by establishing a common performance accountability system for the core programs and requiring other authorized programs to report on the common performance indicators;
• Streamlining and strengthening the strategic roles of State and local workforce boards by reducing board size and adding functions that include strategies for meeting the needs of jobseekers and employers;
• Enhancing services provided to job seekers and employers through the American Job Center system by requiring the co-location of Wagner-Peyser Employment Services; adding the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families as a required partner; providing for State-established certification to facilitate high-quality American Job Centers; requiring partners to dedicate funding for infrastructure and other shared costs; and promoting the development of integrated intake, case management and reporting systems;

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Frequently Asked Questions, July 22, 2014

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