On July 22, 2014, President Barack Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) into law. This is the first legislative reform of the public workforce system in more than 15 years.
WIOA replaces the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and retains and amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, the Wagner-Peyser Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
You could read this 5 page PDF provided by the U.S. Department of Labor explaining The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to understand this new law and why it’s important. Or, you can read our summary.
What Is the WIOA?
WIOA will bring together the core federal programs outlined below to ensure that job seekers acquire skills and credentials that meet employers’ needs. Overall, the Act will strengthen the workforce while promoting communication between federal work programs.
Essentially, WIOA will help tens of millions of job seekers and workers to connect to good jobs and become the unifying force behind all these great current government programs.
Core programs of Federal investment:
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Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth formula programs
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Adult Education and Literacy program
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Wagner-Peyser Employment Service program
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all programs under the title I of the Rehabilitation Act
Other programs:
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Job Corps
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YouthBuild
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Indian and Native American programs
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Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker programs
What We Can Look Forward to With WIOA
The WIOA will require each state to align their Workforce Development Program and in unifying these programs creating accountability and transparency.
Because WIOA promotes communication between the different programs it will foster regional collaboration.
Furthermore, the Act will encourage and promote current government programs such as Job Corps, American Job Center System, Registered Apprenticeship, and others.
Youth and adults with disabilities will also notice improvements in the federal programs that help them with workforce training and transitioning to the workforce.
When We’ll Start to Notice Changes
The Act will begin to take effect on July 1, 2015
Are You Ready for WIOA?
This Act will increase access of services to those who will benefit from it.
Educators, instructors, and administrators of the public sector need to be prepared to improve and promote different training programs and administer different skill assessment tests. Do not wait until July 1, 2015 to make changes. Start planning now so you have a course of action.
Frequently asked questions about the Act can be found here. We also suggest reading Secretary of Labor Tom Perez’s blog post about the Act becoming law.
Please Contact Us about how we can help you get ready for WIOA
