The basics of WIOA
Congress passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to direct states to deliver:
- Employment services.
- Workforce development.
- Basic education for adults.
- Vocational rehabilitation for people with disabilities.
WIOA details how states should:
- Help job seekers get jobs, education, training and support to succeed in the labor market.
- Match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy.
Services target individuals who generally need the most help finding work. Military veterans receive priority referral to jobs and training, as well as special employment services. The system also focuses on serving:
- Dislocated workers.
- Migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
- Welfare recipients.
- Justice-involved people.
- Teens.
- Older workers.
- People with disabilities.
WIOA directs states to establish a one-stop system for job seekers and employers. Here in Washington, we call our system WorkSource. WorkSource centers statewide deliver WIOA services. Local Workforce Development Boards oversee the local systems. They partner with:
- State agencies.
- Community and technical colleges.
- School districts.
- Businesses.
- Labor.
- Nonprofits.
Washington's working WIOA plan is "Talent and Prosperity for All.' Read the plan on the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board's website.
WIOA's 4 parts and our role
Title I
Covers workforce development services. We manage Washington's WIOA Title I-B programs focused on youths, adults and dislocated workers. We distribute funds to Local Workforce Development Boards to serve these populations. Services include:
- Skill assessments.
- Career and job readiness.
- Job search.
- Job referrals and referrals to other services.
- Career and other counseling.
- Education about labor market information.
- Help during layoffs.
- Many types of training.
- Business services for employers.
- Other supportive services.
Each local board and its community partners decide how it will provide services. The boards measure participants' success. They report their data to the Workforce Training & Education Coordinating Board and the U.S. Department of Labor.
If you are interested in Title I-B programs, visit a WorkSource center. All services are free. Use the WorkSource locator to find WorkSource center locations statewide.
Title II
Covers adult education and literacy. In Washington, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges manages Title II.
Title III
Covers employment services plus connecting job seekers and employers under the Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933. The Act created a nationwide system of employment offices. WorkSource is Washington's part of the system. We manage Washington's Title III programs, which are delivered through WorkSource.
Similar to Title I, Title III services include helping customers with workshops for job readiness skills and finding work. These workshops are held in person in WorkSource centers and also online. You can find a schedule of workshops listed by county on the Workshops and hiring events page of WorkSourceWA.com.
If you are interested in Title III programs, visit a WorkSource center. All services are free. Use the WorkSource locator to find WorkSource center locations statewide.
Title IV
Covers vocational rehabilitation. Services help people with disabilities to prepare for and find work.
In Washington, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation within the Department of Social & Health Services and the Department of Services for the Blind manage Title IV.