In July 2014, President Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) the first update to the nation’s core workforce training programs in 16 years. The new law recognizes the need for new strategies and reauthorizes the nation’s employment, training, adult education, and vocational rehabilitation programs created under WIA in 1998. Read a summary of the key provisions of WIOA from CLASP and a side-by-side comparison of WIA and WIOA from the National Skills Coalition for more information.

As the U.S. federal government is embroiled in budget making chaos, its easy to fall back into the familiar "there is no money" refrain. Funding might be difficult to secure, but there are two groups of funders looking for communities working together to improve outcomes for "opportunity youth". Other organizations are helping individuals think creatively about revenue and funding sources. Check the following resources for more ideas...

     National Youth Employment Coalition
     Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund
     National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth
     A Bridge to Reconnection: A Review of Federal Funding
     Youth Transition Funders Group