Can U.S. Job Training Enter the 21st Century?
Congress’ New Workforce Act Promises ‘Innovation and Opportunity.’ But the Real Change in Job Training and Placement Is Happening in the Private Sector.
This summer, Congress enacted the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which governs the $3 billion or so spent each year by the federal government on job training. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez announced that the Act would bring U.S. job training into the 21st century.
I started in the public workforce system in 1979 with a community job training agency and have seen the system improve over the years. Today’s system is more focused on linking training to jobs, in involving employers, in making data on job placement rates more …
