The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is designed to strengthen and improve our nation’s public workforce system and help get Americans, including youth and those with significant barriers to employment, into high-quality jobs and careers and help employers hire and retain skilled workers. WIOA is designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy. (Source: U.S. Department of Labor, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/wioa).
As reported by the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB), the House Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year 2025 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education spending bill on July 10th that reduces federal funding available for WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker Employment and Training and eliminates funding for WIOA Youth Job Training. Click here to learn more.
The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) has also been tracking these developments and provides a side-by-side view of the proposed bill’s funding by program in comparison with the 2024 fiscal year budget. NAWDP encourages workforce partners to “reach out to your U.S. Representatives and Senators to advocate for workforce development as you see fit.”