WIA Fact of the Day, Employment & Training Administration (ETA)

February 16, 2005

Question:

The Workforce Investment Act created a system of One-Stop Career Centers that serves both employers and job seekers in local communities. It is the local flexibility built into the law that permits and encourages services tailored to local labor market needs. Does the Workforce Investment Act really need to be altered?

Answer:

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) was the basis for many important reforms of the workforce investment system, and it has granted states and localities with a great deal of flexibility. The Administration's proposals are not intended to impede that flexibility or erode any current efforts; in fact, the goal of reform is to offer more flexibility and less prescription from Washington, D.C.

We know, for example, from the waiver requests received during the past three years that statutory and regulatory barriers still exist in the current law. These barriers make it difficult for states and localities to create truly agile and demand-driven workforce systems.

We believe that states and local areas have benefited from the initial flexibility provided under the Workforce Investment Act, but more can be done to meet the employer skill demands of the 21st Century. The President's Job Training Reform Proposal and WIA Plus component will make service delivery more coordinated, efficient and less bureaucratic, while providing an enhanced ability to respond to the needs of businesses and workers. Proposed reforms will improve, not derail, successful local programs.

For more information on the President's Job Training Reform Proposal, please visit www.doleta.gov. If you have specific questions regarding the Proposal, please e-mail them to WIAreform.questions@dol.gov.