Policymakers at the state and federal levels have expressed concern over the emerging "skills gap"--the mismatch between the job skills employers are looking for and the skills that applicants in the labor market possess. The skills gap is most acute for middle-skilled jobs; that is, jobs that require training beyond high school but less…

In July 2014, President Obama signed into law the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), a major restructuring and modernization of U.S. workforce development programs originally created through the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), which had been awaiting reauthorization for more than a decade. This brief provides an overview of…

This bibliography summarizes recent research on the structure and effectiveness of workforce development programs. While the term "workforce development" can mean many things, this document focuses on programs to help low-skill, low-wage and displaced workers increase their employment and earnings, as well as labor market trends that…

A study investigated how 22 Service Delivery Areas (SDAs) were implementing the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). In 19 SDAs the same organization was the grant recipient and administrative entity. A number of arrangements existed between the Private Industry Councils (PICs) and the SDAs. The most common pattern was for the PIC to play an…

This report concentrates on the overall state organization of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and on the implementation of Title IIA and III in the states as well as related implementation issues. The study is introduced in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 discusses the overall state organization of JTPA, addressing both formal and informal…

This volume reports findings of a field network study of how the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) was implemented in 20 states and 40 Service Delivery Areas (SDAs). Chapter 1 is an introduction. Chapter 2 describes the changing organizational and programmatic dimensions of state-level JTPA activities. Variations in the roles played by the…

This report provides highlights of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) in Virginia. An overview details the focus of the report--programs and activities under Title II--and describes program organization and planning. Section II provides an overall picture of JTPA in Virginia. Topics include its funding history, client characteristics,…

This report covers a number of aspects of the implementation of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). Chapter 1 is an introduction. Chapter 2 discusses state-level organization and decision making, involving such questions as relations among the parties, designations of the Service Delivery Areas (SDAs), the state role in Title III, and Title…

This book-length report, prepared for the Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities of the House Committee on Education and Labor, describes the first comprehensive state-wide assessment of training programs--specifically the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)--in Illinois. The introduction assesses the JTPA in Illinois, a State with high…

This two-year study is a field network evaluation of the operation of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Program in 20 randomly selected states and 40 Service Delivery Areas within those states. Methodology is also discussed. (Author/LMO)

This annual report covers the period July 1985 through June 1986, Program Year 1985. Part I presents findings and recommendations from Commission work on the impact of new technologies on jobs, the problems of displaced workers, and workers' increasing need for basic skills. Part II describes the major activities of the Commission in three major…

In Program Year 1994, Colorado divided its Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) funds among adult and youth job training programs, summer youth programs, dislocated worker programs, and the Governor's Special Initiatives. JTPA staffing levels decreased at the same rate as the declining budget. The programs became especially efficient at using…

This booklet considers the problems of urban unemployment and presents 21 case studies of urban areas dealing with the problem. The first chapter defines urban unemployment and classifies barriers to employment, trends in unemployment, and types of unemployed persons. Chapter 2 describes some general principles necessary to successfully combat the…

National concern about U.S. competitiveness in the world market has focused attention on the need to improve the work force. The two major 1992 presidential candidates have included training programs as important planks in their campaigns. President Bush has issued two proposals. Initially, he has charged in the Job Training 2000 proposal that the…

A study assessed the formulas used to distribute funds to the states under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) 1998. It identified mismatches that might exist between the formulas and WIA's program goals and populations served and identified where the formulas are most vulnerable to wide fluctuations in funding levels from year to year. Issues…