The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) forms the backbone of the nation’s workforce training system, supporting state and local workforce boards and programs that connect workers to skills training and employment. Despite its central role, WIOA has never been fully funded, limiting its ability to meet the needs of businesses, workers, and students.
Businesses rely on a steady pipeline of skilled, diverse workers to grow and compete, yet chronic underinvestment has prevented the workforce system from delivering on that promise. Because Black, brown, and Indigenous workers are disproportionately served by WIOA programs, underfunding also reinforces inequities in the labor market.
Strengthening WIOA through adequate investment and modernization is essential to building an inclusive workforce system—one that provides equitable access to industry-aligned training and helps businesses thrive while supporting workers’ economic mobility.
