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Workforce Investment Act
WIA is an abbreviation for the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, a federal employment and
training law that replaced the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). Implemented on July 1,
2000, WIA is designed to streamline employment and training programs, help job seekers find
work, and help employers locate qualified workers.
The Workforce Investment Act emphasizes broad, local authority in determining workforce
development priorities. At the local level, the County Commissioners, the Workforce Policy
Board, area employers, and a variety of human services support agencies collaborate to provide
employment and training opportunities for adults and youth. This collaboration is known as a
One-Stop Delivery System for services.
The Wood County Employment Resource Center is the One-Stop location to access WIA services in
Wood County, Ohio. The Wood County Employment Resource Center provides a full range of services
including employment, training, and educational services for job seekers, and comprehensive
employer services including resources for placing job orders and obtaining referrals, labor
market data, information about training resources, and other business services.
The Wood County Employment Resource Center provides the following services for each designated user group:
Adults (18 years of age or older)
Adult services are presented on three distinct levels, Core, Intensive, and Training services.
- Core Services are available to the universal customer and include initial assessment, job search and placement assistance, and career counseling.
- Intensive Services are available to eligible individuals who have used one or more Core Services. They include in-depth assessment, counseling and career planning, and pre-vocational services for unemployed individuals or employed individuals who need additional assistance to reach self-sufficiency.
- Training Services are available to eligible individuals who have met the requirements for Intensive Services and have not been able to obtain or keep employment. Individual Training Accounts are established to help finance training based upon the individual’s choice of available training programs.
Dislocated Workers
The Dislocated Worker program is specially designed to assist workers displaced by disaster, mass layoffs, or business closures.
- Core Services such as assessment, job search asistance, and career counseling are provided to return individuals to work as quickly as possible.
- Intensive Services can be provided, when necessary, to guide dislocated workers through a career change. These services include an in-depth vocational assessment, counseling and career planning. Many times people choose to train or retrain for a new career.
- Training Services assist dislocated workers to obtain the skills necessary to start a new career or upgrade skills to be valuable to employers. Training is provided through Individual Training Accounts established to help fund this training or re-training.
Youth (age 14 through 21)
The WIA youth program prepares at risk youth for postsecondary educational opportunities, or employment. The youth services link academic and ocupational learning and include the following:
- Tutoring
- Study skills training
- Instruction leading to completion of secondary school program (including drop out prevention)
- Alternative school services
- Mentoring by appropriate adults
- Paid and unpaid work experience (such as internships and job shadowing)
- Occupational skills training
- Leadership development
- Supportive services necessary to fulfill educational and employment objectives
- Counseling and followup services
Employers
The Wood County Employment Resource Center offers a wide variety of services to assist local companies with their recruitment, training, and outplacement needs. Employer based services include the following:
- Labor market information available in many formats
- Assistance with down-sizing and business closures
- Recruitment asistance to find qualified workers
- On-The-Job Training reimbursement to help with new employee training costs
- Customized Training to upgrade skills of current employees
- Workforce needs assessments
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