Modernizing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 to help workers and employers meet the changing demands of a global market: hearing before the Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, United States Senate, one Hundred Eleventh Congress, first session ... July 19, 2009.

A competitive national economy depends, in part, on a workforce development system that provides individuals with labor market skills and gives employers access to qualified workers. In the past, the nation s job training system was fragmented, containing overlapping programs that did not serve job seekers or employers well. 1 To address these problems, the Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) in 1998, seeking to create a system connecting employment, education, and training services to better match workers to labor market needs. WIA s requirements represented a significant change from prior workforce development efforts, including, among other things.