The House and Senate committees overseeing the U.S. Department of Labor are preparing for a possible reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in the midst of unprecedented challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Depending upon the course Congress chooses, reauthorization will be a boost for workers or another letdown from DC lawmakers as people look to the nation’s publicly-funded workforce system for assistance with skills training, job placement, and supportive services.
WIOA allocates resources to states to fund reemployment and training services. Just as important, WIOA also institutes mandates for states to coordinate a variety of employment, education, and social services programs through “American Job Centers.” The system has been criticized for decades, across administrations of both parties, for failing to deliver on the promise of better skills and higher wages. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued multiple reports about the WIOA system, citing its redundancy, duplication, and ineffectiveness in delivering workforce services.
Read Full Article »