The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) empowers North Carolina to train its workforce and guides how the NCWorks initiative connects job seekers to employers.
WIOA Unified State Plan
North Carolina develops a WIOA Unified State Plan every four years, as required, to outline the state's strategy for implementing the Act. The plan is developed by state workforce partners (N.C. Department of Commerce, North Carolina Community College System, N.C. Department of Public Instruction, and N.C. Department of Health and Human Services) in accordance with federal plan requirements from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Background
Improving Services, Building Partnerships
The WIOA, which Congress passed and the President signed into law in 2014, brings together federal investments in skill development, including adult, dislocated worker, and youth programs (Title 1); adult education and literacy (Title 2); the services available under the Wagner-Peyser Act (Title 3); and vocational rehabilitation (Title 4). The act requires states to adopt several changes to their workforce systems, including the following:
- Place a greater emphasis on local and regional collaboration among workforce, education, and industry partners
- Improve services offered to employers, including work-based training programs
- Increase both the amount of funding devoted to helping out-of-school youth and the maximum age at which youth can receive services
- Reinforce connections with registered apprenticeship programs
- Promote strong Workforce Development Boards
- Call for the use of career pathways to ensure job seekers are receiving credentials for in-demand jobs
- Ensure that accountability measures are data driven
WIOA and NCWorks
NCWorks is North Carolina's workforce development system and represents a partnership between the state's workforce and education agencies. Established in 2014, the initiative called for many of the reforms included in the WIOA, including the following:
- The departments of commerce, public instruction, health and human services, and the community college system are building stronger state and local partnerships between themselves and with local employers.
- NCWorks Career Centers have cross-trained staff to be more responsive to the needs of job seekers and businesses.
- The NCWorks Commission approved the criteria for NCWorks Career Pathways, setting the standard for approved pathways in the state.
- Local NCWorks partners met with 1,000 employers to learn how the workforce system can better meet their needs.
As part of the implementation of WIOA, the state’s NCWorks partners will build on their progress in establishing strong partnerships with industry and agencies at the local and state levels.
If you are seeking assistance with career services and support for education/training under WIOA, please contact your local NCWorks Career Center through NCWorks.gov.