Workforce Investment Act: Better Guidance Needed to Address Concerns Over NewRequirements

摘要

A competitive national economy depends, in part, on a workforce developmentsystem that provides individuals with labor market skills and gives employers access to qualified workers. In the past, the nations job training system was fragmented, containing overlapping programs that did not serve job seekers or employers well. To address these problems, the Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) in 1998, seeking to create a system connecting employment, education, and training services to better match workers to labor market needs. For the purposes of this report, we focused on issues related to the three WIA requirements that represent the foundation of this new system. These issues are (1) mandatory partners participation in the one-stops, (2) job seekers ability to receive enhanced choices for training, and (3) private-sector participation on workforce boards.