President Obama Signs Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Into Law
|
|
Friday, July 25, 2014 |
|
On July 22, 2014, President Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) into law. WIOA is designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy. Congress passed the Act by a wide bipartisan majority; it is the first legislative reform in 15 years of the public workforce system.
Every year the key programs that form the pillars of WIOA help over twenty million job seekers and workers to connect to good jobs and acquire the skills and credentials needed to obtain them. The enactment of WIOA provides opportunity for reforms to ensure the American Job Center system is job-driven—responding to the needs of employers and preparing workers for jobs that are available now and in the future. It will improve accountability and transparency within the system. It will elevate work-based learning strategies like Registered Apprenticeship and sector strategies that address the needs of multiple employers within an industry. It will foster coordinated planning within economic regions. And it addresses the needs of veterans and of other populations facing unique economic challenges, including out-of-school youth, people with disabilities and the long-term unemployed.
WIOA supersedes the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, the Wagner-Peyser Act, and the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998. In general, the Act takes effect on July 1, 2015, the first full program year after enactment, unless otherwise noted. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) will issue further guidance on the timeframes for implementation of these changes and proposed regulations reflecting the changes in WIOA soon after enactment.
Login to read more.
|
|
|
|