Case Study: Using Public Resources to Enhance Learning

Since the early 1960s, the U.S. federal government has been involved in worker training programs. Although many of these programs were successful in training workers, many policymakers felt that employers were not engaged enough in these programs and many of them were duplicative and not easily accessible to citizens. In 1998, after several demonstration states had successfully engaged employers, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) passed Congress. Designed to coordinate training programs across several U.S. government agencies, it also established state and local workforce boards and the One-Stop Career Center system.