Governing the Public Workforce System: The Structure and Priorities of Local Workforce Investment…

“The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) and its replacement, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), require that…(LWIBs) oversee the imple­mentation of America’s public workforce system in local communities” (p.1).

“This brief describes the structure and priorities of LWIBs in the 28 Local Workforce Investment Areas (local areas) randomly selected to participate in the WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs Gold Standard Evaluation. It first describes the LWIBs’ size and membership composition and how paid staff supported the LWIBs. It then outlines the study LWIBs’ strategic workforce development priorities. Finally, the brief summarizes how the structure and priorities of these LWIBs may change with the passage of WIOA. The brief draws on in-person interviews with LWIB staff conducted in 2012 and 2013 and telephone interviews with LWIB staff in 2014, before the passage of WIOA” (p.2). “This issue brief is one in a series of briefs that presents findings from the WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs Gold Standard Evaluation, which is being conducted for the U.S. Department of Labor…, Employment and Training Administration….The study examines the implementation, effectiveness, and benefits and costs of the Adult and Dislocated Worker programs using an experimental design” (p.6).

(Abstractor: Author and Website Staff)

Full publication title: Governing the Public Workforce System: The Structure and Priorities of Local Workforce Investment Boards

This brief reviews LWIB size, membership, staffing, priorities, and expected shifts under WIOA. The primary findings are as follows: Board Size •“Boards had, on average, 33 members” and “only a small minority of the study LWIBs reported that the large size of the board was challenging” (p.1). •“[T]he desire for representation from each political jurisdiction within local areas sometimes led to larger boards” (p.3). •“[A]ll the LWIBs in the study created committees that conducted a significant amount of board work outside of the full board meetings” (p.3). •“[O]ne-quarter of study LWIBs also had ad hoc committees, work groups, task forces, or other temporary groups to advance specific events” (p.3). Membership •“Senior executives and midlevel managers with hiring authority” (p.3). o“[Staff] noted that such professionals could influence city councils, state legislatures, and congressional representatives, and they could help workforce leaders secure private sector and philanthropic resources to help expand programming” (p.3). •“Representatives from businesses in growth and demand sectors” (p.4). •“Professionals with skills, knowledge, and experience” (p.4). Staffing •“All LWIBs in the study were supported by [paid] staff who were knowledgeable about the workforce programs and systems and the laws and regulations that shape them” (p.4). Strategic Priorities “The study LWIBs had many similar strategic priorities, including: •Improving and expanding business services” (p.4). •“Improving and expanding job-seeker services” through developing career pathways, focusing on specific target populations, and increasing access points (p.5). •“Executing regional initiatives” (p.5). •“Increasing the capacity of the LWIB” (p.5). Capacities of LWIBs Under WIOA •“[WIOA] retains WIA’s requirement that more than half of LWIB members be from the private sector but eliminates the requirement that boards include a representative from every American Job Center” (p.5). •“WIOA explicitly authorizes boards to use standing committees” (p.5). •“WIOA expands the boards’ functions to include employer engagement, development of career pathways, and promoting proven and promising practices” (p.5). •“[WIOA] encourages greater leveraging of resources, more effective use of technology to facilitate connections between service providers, and reaching and providing services to customers in remote areas and those with barriers to employment” (p.5). (Abstractor: Author and Website Staff)

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2015
• Author(s): Wolff, Kristin.
• Organizational Author(s): Social Policy Research Associates, Mathematica Policy Research
• Funding Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Wesley Peterson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies