[Excerpt] The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA; P.L. 105-220) is the primary federal program that supports workforce development. WIA includes five titles:
• Title I—Workforce Investment Systems—provides job training and related services to unemployed or underemployed individuals;
• Title II—Adult Education and Literacy—provides education services to assist adults in improving their literacy and completing secondary education;
• Title III—Workforce Investment-Related Activities—amends the Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933 to integrate the U.S. Employment Service (ES) into the One-Stop system established by WIA;
• Title IV—Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998—amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which provides vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities, to integrate vocational rehabilitation into the One-Stop system; and
• Title V—General Provisions—specifies components of State Unified Plans and provisions for state incentive grants.
Workforce development programs provide a combination of education and training services to prepare individuals for work and to help them improve their prospects in the labor market. In the broadest sense, workforce development includes secondary and postsecondary education, on-the- job and employer-provided training, and the publicly funded system of job training and employment services. Most workforce development occurs in the workplace during the course of doing business. The federal government provides workforce development activities through WIA’s programs and other programs designed to increase the employment and earnings of workers. Workforce development may include activities such as job search assistance, career counseling, occupational skill training, classroom training, or on-the-job training
