The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) program was enacted in 2015 to help Americans facing employment barriers due to disabilities or other factors.
Additionally, a WIOA grant enables employers and other institutions to fund employment services such as job centers to better train and hire skilled employees.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act transformed the way employment services had been offered to some populations.
As a program, WIOA establishes resources and training services that assess the readiness of potential employees and place them in suitable positions, if any are available.
Because the program addresses specific populations, some eligibility criteria may restrict some applicants from receiving services.
However, after completing a WIOA application, applicants may get enrolled in various types of training and have access to countless employment resources.
In the following sections, you can find information about the WIOA and whether you may qualify for benefits or not.
Additionally, you can discover the types of programs WIOA authorizes including the WIOA youth program and similar programs for adults and dislocated workers.
The WIOA program is designed to assist job-seekers, workers and employers throughout the U.S. The act replaced previous workforce investment acts and implemented employment, education, training, and support services to help specific populations via programs such as the following:
States manage their own WIOA program with support from the federal government. Each state, along with its Workforce Development Board (WDB), submits four-year plans for educating, preparing and maintaining a skilled workforce while meeting their economic needs.
States may enlist other assistance programs including TANF to aid in the execution of WIOA. The main purposes of WIOA are listed below:
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Health and Human Services all help regulate and implement the program in each state, and the organizations administer other employment-related programs that the WIOA authorizes.
Related Article: History of Unemployment Benefits
Note: WIOA is not an entitlement program. Instead, it is a grant awarded by the federal government to states that helps fund existing employment services and resources to bolster the economy and workforce.
WIOA program benefits millions of workers nationwide and reports important employment training and education results to increase the public data available to workers and employers.
Additionally, program creates more opportunities for all workers. For example, workers with disabilities have more access to resources adhered to their needs in the workforce, and dislocated workers can be connected to long-term employment. The following list of benefits may be available to workers covered under WIOA:
Because WIOA grants are able to be adapted to specific areas, economic growth is promoted. However, the program also benefit other individuals in the following ways:
Employers may benefit from some services provided by WIOA including referrals to local training programs for their employees, screening and assessment services for applicants, access to sample job applications and ads and help in creating internship or apprenticeship programs.
The WIOA application involves meeting eligibility criteria, completing the appropriate form for the service for which you are applying and sustaining your eligibility for WIOA services by participating in required employment events, transition services and training.
WIOA law has been helping about 20 million youth and adult workers each year. The eligibility criteria for WIOA varies for each state and program, but many applicants must be 14 years old or older and be facing significant barriers to employment such as the following to qualify for benefits:
Unemployed workers may need to prove that they have lost their position due to no fault of their own, and the WIOA grant in your state may impose income restrictions to ensure low-income employees are helped.
Typically, you must also be registered to work in the state in which you are applying and schedule a qualifying interview to be considered for WIOA.