April 2009 Newsletter
Getting the Most Out of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Funds
Recently, President Obama challenged “every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training.” To support this challenge, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) designated billions of dollars for education and training. A significant portion of the funding has been allocated to the Workforce Investment Act and will be used to train adult workers, dislocated (unemployed) workers, and youth program participants.
• WIA Adult………………………………..$500 Million
• WIA Dislocated Worker………………….$1.25 Billion
• WIA Youth (including summer jobs)…….$1.2 Billion
The great news is that your ed2go instructor facilitated courses and career training programs can be approved for WIA in most areas! Our courses and programs cover everything from basic skills to occupational training, and can be completed in as little as six weeks to six months. This short time frame means that participants can move into the workforce quickly.
The goal of the Workforce Investment Act is for participants to gain the critical knowledge and skills that will lead them to long-term employment in an in-demand occupation. Many of these in-demand occupations do not require a four-year degree. In fact, according to a recent report from the Workforce Alliance, “There is a growing need for people to fill ‘middle skill’ jobs — ones that require more than a high-school diploma but less than a four-year degree.”
Over 100 partners already have ed2go course and programs that are WIA approved in their area. ed2go can help you take advantage of this opportunity and increase your government revenue. We will help you identify in-demand courses and programs, complete applications, and track student performance. Our goal is to help make the WIA process easy for you!
If you are interested in more information on WIA, please contact Jennifer Lamkin, Manager of Government Sales, at jennifer.lamkin@cengage.com.
