A Second Chance for the Fourth Chance: A Critique of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and a Challenge to State and Local Workforce Investment Boards. Policy Issues Monograph.

The effectiveness of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 was critiqued. WIA was praised for providing an avenue for communication among state and local agencies during development of workforce development plans, potentially allowing individuals to choose from a wider array of services and service providers, spreading the concept of one-stop career centers nationwide, and potentially providing for sharper and more meaningful focus on local outcomes. The following shortcomings of WIA were identified: (1) its "work first" commitment makes training a last resort; (2) it lacks a coherent mission; (3) it fails to provide additional monies for improved labor market information systems; and (4) its youth component limits services to the economically disadvantaged. Fifteen specific recommendations for addressing these weaknesses were presented, including the following: (1) allow training operators to serve all dislocated and disadvantaged workers otherwise unable to qualify for and obtain jobs providing family-sustaining earnings; (2) encourage states to launch their own independent workforce development crusades, utilizing federal programs as resources consistent with state objectives; and (3) make federal poverty guidelines consistent with current standards of living, national mores, and variations in the cost of living across states and local areas. (Nineteen tables and 18 references are included.) (MN)