The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2016 supersedes the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, the Wagner-Peyser Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. WIOA also authorizes the Job Corps, YouthBuild, Indian and Native Americans, and Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker programs.

WIOA programs helps people access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and match employers with skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy. The bipartisan passage of WIOA marked the first reform of the public workforce system in more than 15 years, reaffirming the role of the American Job Center (AJC) system and enhancing several key employment, education, and training programs. 

In recent years over 20 million people annually turn to these programs to obtain good jobs and a pathway to better jobs. WIOA also advances services to job seekers and employers through coordination with the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services to ensure state and local agencies and stakeholders are actively engaged in the full implementation of WIOA.

Highlights of WIOA:

• Aligns federal investments to support job seekers, workers and employers.
• Strengthens the governing bodies that establish state, regional, and local Workforce Investment priorities.
• Helps employers find workers with the necessary skills.
• Aligns goals and increases accountability and information for job seekers and the public.
• Fosters regional collaboration to meet the needs of regional economies.
• Targets workforce services to better serve job seekers.
• Improves services to individuals with disabilities.