When the Workforce Investment Act was signed by President Clinton in 1998, the idea was to consolidate what had typically been separate state offices—the unemployment office, the job-listings office, the training-services office, sometimes even the welfare office—into One-Stop Career Centers, in order to help more Americans connect with employers' needs. But Congress has ignored the law since it went into effect in 2000, and lawmakers and advocates say it badly needs a face-lift. Its focus on short-term training and rapid reemployment for laid-off workers is outdated, according to the National Skills Coalition, a job-training advocacy group.
