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MEMBERSHIP  |  WIA IN DEPTH

Participation on the Workforce Investment Board -- The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) act states that local membership on the Workforce Investment Board shall include owners or representatives of businesses that reflect employment opportunities in the area; representatives of educational agencies such as school boards, adult schools, colleges, etc; representatives of local labor organizations; representatives of community-based organizations including veterans' groups and those serving people with disabilities; representatives of economic development agencies and representatives of the One-Stop partners. Those appointed should have optimum policymaking authority within their respective organizations.

Wish to become a member, download a membership application.

Overview of the Workforce Investment Board (WIB):
The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) act states that local membership on the WIB shall include owners or representatives of businesses that reflect employment opportunities in the area; representatives of educational agencies such as school boards, adult schools, colleges, etc; representatives of local labor organizations; representatives of community-based organizations including veterans' groups and those serving people with disabilities; representatives of economic development agencies and representatives of the One-Stop partners. Those appointed should have optimum policymaking authority within their respective organizations.

Overview of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA):
The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) was signed by President Clinton on August 7, 1998 to reform the nation's job training system. WIA establishes the One-Stop Career Center concept, operating under state and local Workforce Investment Boards.

• Streamlining services through the One-Stop delivery system;
• Empowering individuals through the use of Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) for eligible participants who have exhausted other sources of aid, and providing greater levels of information, guidance and support services from a single location;
• Universal access to core employment-related services such as job vacancies, career options, financial aid for education, employment trends, how to conduct a job search, write a resume, interview for a job, etc.;
• Increased accountability through the establishment of core indicators of performance that local and state managers of the workforce system must meet in order to retain funding levels;
• Strong role for local workforce investment boards: representatives of designated service agencies and the private sector establish business-led boards that develop strategic planning, establish local policy and provide oversight of the local system;
• State and local flexibility to create a system that responds to local and regional labor market needs with significant authority reserved for the Governor;
• Improved youth programs linked more closely to local labor market needs and community youth programs and services with emphasis on academic and occupational learning.

WIA IN DEPTH  |  MEMBERSHIP

The federal Workforce Investment Act of 1988 (WIA) provides the framework for a national workforce preparation and employment system. WIA authorizes and funds a number of employment and training programs in California. Workforce Investment activities authorized by WIA are provided at the local level to individuals in need of those services including job seekers, dislocated workers, youth, incumbent workers, new entrants to the workforce, veterans, persons with disabilities, and employers. The WIA's primary purpose is to provided workforce investment activities that increase the employment, retention, and earnings of participants, and increase occupational skill attainment by participants.

These programs help prepare Californians to participate in the State's workforce, increase their employment and earnings potential, improve their educational and occupational skills, and reduce their dependency on welfare, which will improve the quality of the workforce, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of California's economy.

California's WIA services are provided through the One-Stop delivery system. One-Stop centers provide a full range of services including employment, training, and education services for job seekers, and comprehensive employer services including resources for placing job orders and obtaining referrals, labor market data, information/referral on training resources, and business assistance.

The WIA authorizes adult, dislocated worker, and youth employment and training programs. The following provides a brief description of each program:

Adults age 18 or older and Dislocated Workers program is designed to offer core services, intensive services, and training services to individuals who are 18 years of age or older.

Youth ages 14 to 21 program prepares youth for postsecondary educational opportunities or employment. Programs will link academic and occupational learning. Programs include tutoring, study skills training, and instruction leading to completion of secondary school (including dropout prevention), alternative school services, mentoring by appropriate adults, paid and unpaid work experience (such internships and job shadowing), occupational skills training, leadership development, and appropriate supportive services. Youth participants will also receive guidance and counseling and follow-up services.

Core Services (initial assessment, job search and placement assistance, and career counseling) are available to all adults.

Intensive Services (in-depth assessment, counseling, and career planning, and prevocational services) are available for unemployed individuals needing additional training services to reach self-sufficiency.

Training Services are also available for those who meet intensive services eligibility but were unable to obtain employment through those services. The WIA services will be provided through local One-Stop centers. The dislocated worker program assists workers displaced by disasters, mass layoffs, or plant closures to regain economic security. Core services are provided to return individuals to work as quickly as possible.