The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA; P.L. 105-220 ) is the primary federal program that supports workforce development. WIA includes five titles: Title I—Workforce Investment Systems—provides job training and related services to unemployed or underemployed individuals; Title II—Adult Education and Literacy—provides education services to assist adults in improving their literacy and completing secondary education; Title III—Workforce Investment-Related Activities—amends the Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933 to integrate the U.S. Employment Service (ES) into the One-Stop system established by WIA; Title IV—Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998—amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which provides vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities, to integrate vocational rehabilitation into the One-Stop system; and Title V—General Provisions—specifies components of State Unified Plans and provisions for state incentive grants. Workforce development programs provide a combination of education and training services to prepare individuals for work and to help them improve their prospects in the labor market. In the broadest sense, workforce development includes secondary and postsecondary education, on-the-job and employer-provided training, and the publicly funded system of job training and employment services. Most workforce development occurs in the workplace during the course of doing business. The federal government provides workforce development activities through WIA's programs and other programs designed to increase the employment and earnings of workers. Workforce development may include activities such as job search assistance, career counseling, occupational skill training, classroom training, or on-the-job training. The focus of this report is on Title I of WIA, which authorizes programs to provide job search, education, and training activities for individuals seeking to gain or improve their employment prospects and which establishes the One-Stop delivery system. The programs and services in Title I are covered in detail in this report, while the programs and services in Titles II, III, and IV are discussed briefly. Title II of WIA provides funding for adult education and literacy activities. Title III of WIA amends the Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933, which establishes the Employment Service (ES), to make the ES an integral part of the One-Stop system created by WIA. Because the ES is a critical part of the One-Stop system, it is discussed briefly in this report even though it is authorized by separate legislation (Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933). Title IV of WIA authorizes funding for vocational rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities. Following a brief history of federal workforce development programs, there is a discussion of the provisions and characteristics of WIA Title I programs and services. Next, there is a description of the One-Stop delivery system and Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs). This section includes an overview of the Employment Service, whose authorizing legislation (Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933) was amended by Title III of WIA. Following that, the report covers the services provided by the state formula grant programs and the national programs authorized under Title I of WIA. The section on Title I concludes with a discussion of funding and performance accountability. The report then provides a description of the services, funding, and performance accountability provisions of WIA Titles II and IV. Appendix A provides a glossary of selected key terms in WIA. Appendix B provides an appropriations history for programs authorized under Titles I, II, and IV of WIA and under the Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933. Reauthorization legislation was considered in the 108 th and 109 th Congresses. In both the 108 th and 109 th Congresses, the House and the Senate passed different versions of legislation that would have reauthorized WIA. However, in neither instance did the two chambers reconcile the differences between the bills they had passed. In the 113 th Congress, WIA was reauthorized by Congress and signed into law on July 22, 2014, after passing the Senate on June 25, 2014, by a vote of 95-3 and the House on July 9, 2014, by a vote of 415-6 (the new law is the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; P.L. 113-128 ). P.L. 113-128 authorizes appropriations for WIOA programs from FY2015 through FY2020. Title I of WIA provides job training and related services to unemployed and underemployed individuals. Title I programs are administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), primarily through its Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA). Although WIA authorized the appropriations of funds for WIA programs through September 30, 2003, WIA programs have continued to be funded through annual appropriations. In FY2014, programs and activities authorized under Title I of WIA were funded at $4.8 billion, including $2.6 billion for state formula grants for youth, adult, and dislocated worker training and employment activities. The first major federal funding for training programs in the postwar period started with the enactment of the Manpower Development Training Act (MDTA) in 1962, although federal "employment policy," broadly defined, had its origin in New Deal era programs such as Unemployment Insurance (UI) and public works employment. Starting with MDTA, there have been four main federal workforce development programs. Enacted in 1962, the MDTA (P.L. 87-415) provided federal funding to retrain workers displaced because of technological change. Later in MDTA's existence, the majority of funding went to classroom and on-the-job training (OJT) that was targeted to low-income individuals and welfare recipients. Funding from the MDTA was allocated by formula to local communities based on factors of population and poverty. Grants under MDTA were administered through regional DOL offices and went directly to local service providers. The Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA; P.L. 93-203 ), enacted in 1973, made substantial changes to federal workforce development programs. CETA transferred more decision-making authority away from the federal government and toward local governments. Specifically, CETA provided funding to about 470 "prime sponsors" (sub-state political entities such as city or county governments, consortia of governments, etc.) to administer and monitor job training activities. Services under CETA—which included on-the-job training, classroom training, and public service employment (PSE)—were targeted to low-income populations, welfare recipients, and disadvantaged youth. At its peak in 1978, the PSE component of CETA supported about 755,000 jobs and accounted for nearly 60% of the CETA budget. CETA was amended in 1978 in part to create private industry councils (PIC) to expand the role of the private sector in developing, implementing, and evaluating CETA programs. The composition of PICs included representatives of business, labor, education, and other groups. In 1982, changes to federal workforce development policy were made by enactment of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA, P.L. 97-300 ). Major changes implemented under JTPA, which provided classroom and on-the-job training to low-income and dislocated workers, include service delivery at the level of 640 "service delivery areas," federal funding allocation first to state governors and then to PICs in each of the service delivery areas (unlike CETA, which provided allocations directly to prime sponsors), prohibition of the public service employment component, and a new emphasis on targeted job training and reemployment. With a new emphasis on training (rather than public employment), JTPA required that at least 70% of funding for service delivery areas be used for training. Although this percentage was dropped to 50% in the 1992 amendments to JTPA, the emphasis on training remained. Title I authorizes several state and national programs to provide employment and training services and establishes the One-Stop system as a means of delivering and coordinating workforce development activities. Highlights of WIA Title I programs include the following: Administration by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), primarily through its Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA). Three employment and training programs —Youth Activities, Adult Activities, and Dislocated Worker Activities—funded by federal-to-state formula grants that are based on measures of states' unemployment and poverty. Six national programs , including Job Corps, the Native American Program, the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Program, the Veterans' Workforce Investment Program, Youth Opportunity Grants, and YouthBuild. Demonstration and pilot projects that currently include programs such as the Reintegration of Ex-Offenders program, the Career Pathways Innovation Fund, and the Green Jobs Innovation Fund program. A system of "One-Stop" centers through which state and local WIA training and employment activities are provided and in which certain partner programs must be co-located. Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) responsible for policy and oversight of state and local workforce investment activities. Local discretion in the design of services for WIA participants. Universal access to employment and training services for WIA participants. An accountability system based on core indicators with state-adjusted levels of performance resulting from negotiations between each state and the Secretary of Labor. Operation on a July 1-June 30 program year . This report provides details of WIA Title I state formula program structure, services, allocation formulas, and performance accountability. In addition, it provides a program overview for national grant programs. It is worth noting at this point, however, the elements of WIA that characterize it as a workforce development system. WIA is designed to be a demand driven workforce development system. This system is supposed to provide employment and training services that are responsive to the demands of local area employers.