THE WORKFORCE INNOVATION 

AND OPPORTUNITY ACT 

What Corrections and Reentry Agencies Need to Know

What is the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act? 

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)—which was signed into law in 2014 and implemented 

by states in July 2016—is the nation’s primary source of federal funding for workforce development. Its main 

goal is to provide job seekers with the assistance needed to obtain employment and to meet employers’ needs for 

qualified workers. WIOA prioritizes employment services for veterans; recipients of public assistance; economically 

disadvantaged youth and adults, including people who are homeless; people with criminal records; and people 

who have limited basic skills and work experience, in addition to funding services for other populations. The U.S. 

Department of Labor (DOL) requires states to report on the number of people receiving WIOA-funded services 

according to the barrier to employment they face, such as homelessness or a criminal record.

WIOA replaces the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 and aims to better connect the workforce system 

with the education system and create effective responses to economic and labor markets challenges at the local, 

state, and national level.1

How WIOA Funding Works

Each state receives WIOA funding based on a formula that considers the size of the state’s labor force, its 

unemployment rate, and the size of its economically disadvantaged youth and adult populations. 

These funds are administered under four titles:

• Title I—Workforce Development Activities, administered by DOL

• Title II—Adult Education and Literacy, administered by the U.S. Department of Education (DoED)

• Title III—Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933, administered by DOL

• Title IV—Rehabilitation Act of 1973, administered by DoED

A governor-appointed workforce development board (WDB) then oversees how each state’s WIOA funds are 

applied. In March 2016, governors of all 50 states submitted WIOA plans to DOL’s Employment and Training 

Administration (DOLETA) describing their goals and strategies for the use of WIOA funds and how they might 

pursue opportunities to coordinate services with other state and federal programs.2

MAY 2017

1. For more information about WIOA, visit doleta.gov/wioa/Overview.cfm.

2. All state plans can be found at www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/rsa/wioa/state-plans/index.html.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: What Corrections and Reentry Agencies Need to Know 2

This fact sheet provides corrections and reentry agencies with an overview of how WIOA funds can support 

employment and education services for people in the justice system and those who are returning to communities.

One-Stop Centers

Most WIOA services are provided through a national network of one-stop career centers (also known as American 

Job Centers). DOLETA requires state WDBs to report on the number of people served through one-stop centers, 

disaggregated by the type of priority group they belong to and by a set of common performance metrics, such as 

employment and earnings.

One-stop centers are located in each LWDA and offer a range of services through partnerships with employment 

service providers, public assistance programs, community colleges, and other education and training providers. The 

services provided at each one-stop center may vary, but all one-stop centers offer a core set of resources and services, 

such as information on job openings; assistance with job searches, resume writing, and interviewing; access to onthe-job training and other work experiences; and funds for job training. One-stop centers may also partner with 

community-based reentry programs and workforce service providers that offer reentry services. 

Each state is divided into local workforce development areas—geographic jurisdictions that are overseen by a 

local WDB. These local WDBs are required to submit to their governor local WIOA plans that are aligned with 

the state plan. Each local workforce development area is responsible for delivering services.

REENTRY SPECIALISTS IN NEW JERSEY PROVIDE TARGETED ASSISTANCE 

Several states, including New Jersey,6 use WIOA funds to hire reentry specialists who are trained to address the 

employment needs of people returning to the community after incarceration. The reentry specialists work out 

of one-stop centers and, in addition to serving other types of clients, are points of contact for people who are 

referred to the one-stop center by corrections and reentry staff, as well as for job seekers with criminal records 

who visit the center without a referral.

UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG PEOPLE WITH CRIMINAL RECORDS 

Approximately one in three adults in the U.S. has a criminal record,3 and men with criminal records account for 

about 34 percent of all nonworking men ages 25 to 54.4 Nationally, there is a total estimated loss to the economy 

of $78 to $87 billion every year as a result of people with criminal records being unemployed or underemployed.5

Policymakers across the political spectrum recognize the scope and importance of this issue, and employment 

has been identified as a key reentry issue that must be addressed to reduce recidivism and improve public safety.

3. See www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5870

4. Binyamin Appelbaum, “Out of Trouble, but Criminal Records Keep Men Out of Work,” The New York Times, February 28, 2015.

5. Bucknor, Cherri and Alan Barber, “The Price We Pay: Economic Costs of Barriers to Employment for Former Prisoners and People Convicted of Felonies,” 

Center for Economic and Policy Research, June 2016.

6. For contact information for New Jersey one-stop reentry specialists, visit careerconnections.nj.gov/careerconnections/plan/foryou/exoffenders/ex _

offender _ services.shtml
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: What Corrections and Reentry Agencies Need to Know 3

Correctional Education

WIOA grants to states include funding for correctional education under Title II, which is administered by 

DoED. Each state can determine the specific correctional educational programs to be delivered—within 

federal guidelines—such as basic skills, GED courses, vocational training, and special education. States must 

also decide whether these funds will flow directly to corrections agencies or if grants will be awarded to 

community colleges or other training providers to offer educational programming in correctional facilities.7 

Special Initiatives

Under WIOA, states can set aside up to 15 percent of their Title I allocation for special initiatives and 

innovative practices. These funds can provide opportunities to build on successful models or develop new 

models to prepare people with criminal records for successful employment. Additionally, these funds can be 

combined with other sources of funding to scale up or replicate successful models.

SPECIAL INITIATIVE SUPPORTS INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES FOR BRIDGING 

WORKFORCE GAPS IN CALIFORNIA 

California’s WDB established the Workforce Accelerator Fund (WAF) in 2014 to develop innovative strategies 

to improve labor market and skills outcomes for WIOA priority groups, including people with criminal records. 

Using WIOA funds, WAF grants support projects that aim to accelerate skill development, employment, and 

re-employment for populations facing barriers to employment. In 2016, WAF grants were awarded to 17 

different projects across the state and totaled $2.7 million. 

WASHINGTON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGES PARTNER WITH CORRECTIONS 

Community and technical colleges in Washington State developed the Integrated Basic Education and Skills 

Training Program (I-BEST), which uses a team-teaching approach in which students learn from two teachers: 

one who provides job training and one who teaches basic math, reading, and English. The model allows 

students to learn basic skills while also receiving vocational training in the area of their choice. Washington 

correctional facilities use I-BEST to teach automotive technology and carpentry, among other vocational skills. 

While the model was developed before WIOA was enacted and therefore does not utilize WIOA funds, it is 

considered a promising practice by DOL and is being replicated in other states. 

7. For more information about correctional education, visit www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/correctional-education.html.

8. See prisonpolicy.org/scans/The _ Consequences _ of _ Dropping _ Out _ of _ High _ School.pdf.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: What Corrections and Reentry Agencies Need to Know 4

The National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC) was established in 2008 by the Second Chance Act (Public Law 110-199) and 

is administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). The NRRC provides education, training, and technical assistance to 

state and local governments, tribal organizations, territories, community-based service providers, nonprofit organizations, and 

correctional institutions working to improve reentry. To learn more about the NRRC, visit csgjusticecenter.org/nrrc.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2016-MU-BX-K011 awarded by BJA. BJA is a component of the Department 

of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, 

the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. 

Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position 

or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

BALTIMORE YOUTH EARN EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT CREDENTIALS 

More than 40 states utilize WIOA to fund YouthBuild, a community-based alternative education program that 

helps at-risk youth obtain GEDs and industry-recognized employment credentials. Each year approximately 

10,000 low-income youth, including those leaving juvenile correctional facilities, enroll in about 260 YouthBuild 

programs in communities across the U.S. 

Baltimore’s Civic Works YouthBuild program provides construction training for 30 participants between the ages 

of 17 and 24 every year. Participants also receive educational assistance and those who complete the program 

receive job placement services.10

Youth Programs

Research shows that youth who drop out of school between the ages of 16 and 24 are 63 times more 

likely to be incarcerated than college graduates. To target the needs of this population, WIOA requires 

that a minimum of 75 percent of a state’s designated youth funding be spent on services for out-of-school 

youth (ages 16 to 24). Additionally, local workforce development areas must spend at least 20 percent of 

their non-administrative youth funds on assisting youth to gain work experience through summer jobs or 

transitional job programs. The remaining 80 percent of these funds can be spent on a range of programs 

and services, including education and training, mentoring, supportive services, and other activities that 

help youth transition to post-secondary education.9 These services are provided through partnerships with 

community-based reentry and workforce service providers.

9. For more information about the WIOA youth program, visit doleta.gov/wioa/Docs/WIOA _ YouthProgram _ FactSheet.pdf.

10. For more information on YouthBuild, visit www.youthbuild.org.