Purpose[edit]
The Workforce Investment Act is a federal act that "provides workforce investment activities, through statewide and local workforce investment systems, that increase the employment, retention, and earnings of participants, and increase occupational skill attainment by participants, and, as a result, improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the Nation."[1] The law was enacted to replace the Job Training Partnership Act and certain other Federal (outlined below in History) and job training laws with new workforce investment systems (or workforce development). The law was enacted during Bill Clinton's second term and attempts to induce business to participate in the local delivery of Workforce Development Services through Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) which were to be chaired by private sector members of the local community. A majority of Board members were also required to represent business interests.[2]
History[edit]
Job Training and Partnership Act of 1982[edit]
The federal Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) of 1982 was the predecessor of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. This law used federal funding to implement programs that prepared youth and unskilled adults for entry into the workforce and provided employment-related services for disadvantaged individuals. For each succeeding fiscal year, programs such as adult and youth programs, federally administered programs, summer youth employment training programs and training assistance for dislocated workers were carried out.
Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973[edit]
The Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973 consolidated all existing federal job-training programs. This act offered work to low-income individuals, long-term unemployed individuals, and out-of-high school individuals. Training and full-time jobs in the public service were provided for unemployed, underemployed, and disadvantaged individuals. In order to decentralize control of federally controlled job training programs, the Act provided funds to state and local governments through federal grants.
Rehabilitation Act of 1973[edit]
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 authorized: (a) the formula grant programs of vocational rehabilitation, supporting employment, independent living, and client assistance; (b) a variety of training and service-discretionary grants administered by the Rehabilitation Administration; and (c) research activities that were administered by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Also, this Act prohibited discrimination on the basis of disability and expanded special Federal responsibilities and training programs within the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
Manpower Development Training Act of 1962[edit]
The Manpower Development Training Act of 1962 originated when President John F. Kennedy told legislators that "Large scale unemployment during a recession is bad enough, but large scale unemployment during a period of prosperity would be intolerable." This act dealt with this situation by promoting a professional training plan and providing major Federal Funding to the Department of Health, Education and Welfare in order to improve the technical training of the unemployed and underemployed labor in the postwar period. The professional training plan provided federal funding to retain workers displaced because of technological change and for classroom and on-the-job-training targeted to low-income individuals and welfare recipients.
Wagner Peyser Act of 1933[edit]
The Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933 established a nationwide employment system of public employment offices. These offices were known as the employment service and were created for cooperation of the States in the promotion of system to aid employment.
Subsequent actions[edit]
The law was slightly amended by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Amendments of 1998 and the Higher Education Amendments of 1998.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (H.R. 803; 113th Congress) was enacted on July 22, 2014.[5] It seeks to consolidate job training programs under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) and will streamline the process of receiving services from three levels (core, intensive, and training) into a single process, allowing clients to receive needed services earlier in the process. In addition, it will push those providing WIA services to collaborate more with the Vocational Rehabilitation programs in order to provide more services for people with disabilities into a single funding stream.[6] It also amended the Wagner-Peyser Act, reauthorized adult-education programs, and reauthorized programs under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.[6] The various job programs are authorized for six years with a requirement that they record and report on how many people get new jobs through their participation in the programs.[7] The new regulations are currently in draft form and will not be finalized till January 2016.[8]