The federal government invests billions of dollars in the nation’s workforce development system every year. One of the most important programs funded by the government is the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). This program provides training and employment services to unemployed, underemployed and disadvantaged Americans through a national network of career centers.

When the WIA was enacted, it struck people as a completely new and innovative way to deliver job training services. The one-stop career centers, operated by local workforce boards, provide workers and employers with job placement assistance, training, credentialing, unemployment benefits and career guidance. Since its establishment in 1998, the WIA has provided upwards of nine million Americans per year with employment assistance and millions of employers with skilled workers. The skills workers learn while in the system are designed to prepare them for the workforce and quickly find a job.

For more information on the WIA and why Congress should reauthorize the Act, please visit Cities Speak.