Federal Training Dollars Are Up for Grabs

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), signed into law in 2014, makes approximately $4 billion available for training during each of the next six years. The money is to be distributed through local workforce investment boards in three funding streams: adult, dislocated workers, and youth.

One of the new components of WIOA requires more engagement with employers to understand:

• skills gaps that exist in regional areas
• what local employers need in terms of skilled workers
• training resources required to move people into meaningful jobs.

The employer mandates present a real opportunity for organizations—and their talent development teams—to create new partnerships that address training needs. Equally important, employer voices are critical in the decision-making process about how those federal training funds are allocated.
This raises the question: Are you partnering with your local public workforce system to take advantage of training funds that may be available to you? If your organization is not currently partnering with the public workforce system, it may be worth exploring.

Read more from CTDO magazine: Essential talent development content for C-suite leaders.