By Nancy O?Brien
Assist. Executive Director for Government Relations

In addition to the upcoming reauthorization of the Perkins Act, another area of interest and importance to ACTE is the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which is also scheduled for reauthorization next year. The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 represents an evolution in job training legislation from its predecessors: The Manpower Development and Training Act (MDTA) of 1962; The Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) of 1973; and The Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) of 1982. The evolution is a movement away from a training program for youth and adults who are the most in need, using community-based organizations as deliverers of service and training, to WIA being a business-led state and local delivery system focused on placing individuals, not just the most in need, in employment as a first priority while offering individual training accounts (ITAs) to those who can most easily benefit. For the first time in this evolution, WIA represents an attempt at providing integrated access to a wide range of education and employment services to all one-stop centers.

Structure of the Workforce Investment Act

The structure of WIA reflects this evolution to integrate services from other Acts by including separate Acts, their programs and funding streams as titles within its template. However, in its deliberations, the Congress decided to keep Perkins as a separate piece of legislation but to link the postsecondary portion of Perkins with WIA through one-stop centers. Title I authorizes the new Workforce Investment System including funding for adult and youth training. Title II creates the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, which replaces the Adult Education Act of 1992 and the National Literacy Act of 1991. Title III contains amendments to the Wagner-Peyser Act, which provides funds to the U.S. Employment Service. Title IV contains the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 modifying the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which provides vocational rehabilitation services and employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Title V contains general provisions relating to the Act.

Responsibilities under WIA Title I:

1. One-Stop Delivery System

Each local workforce area must establish a one-stop delivery system, including at least one physical center, through which core employment-related services are provided and through which access is provided to other employment and training services funded under this title and other federal programs.

2. Local Workforce Investment Areas

The governor of each state designates local workforce investment administrative areas, taking into consideration labor market areas.

3. Local Workforce Investment Boards, Youth Councils and Local Plans

The local Workforce Investment Board is appointed by the local elected official and must have a majority of business representatives and include representatives of a variety of other groups, including education providers. The board is responsible for developing the local plan, designating local one-stop operators, designating eligible providers of training services, negotiating local performance measures, and assisting in developing a statewide employment statistics system.

4. Eligible Training Providers

The bill establishes requirements that a provider of a training program must meet in order to be eligible to receive adult or dislocated worker funds under this title. Postsecondary education institutions and apprenticeship programs are some of the most common training providers.

This is just a brief summary on an additional issue that the ACTE Public Policy Department will be following and providing guidance on. We encourage you to visit the ACTE website to find out more information on WIA and other items of interest and to receive our legislative updates.