Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: Can it help Americans get jobs?

Bipartisan group of lawmakers sign into law a new program to train more workers for available positions

July 30, 2014 9:00AM ET

by Inside Story Team @AJInsideStoryAM

With 9.5 million people unemployed across the United States, in an era when congressional action can appear more sluggish than the economy, lawmakers moved last week to close the skills gap that leaves many employers saying they can't find trained workers.

They approved the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, an update to the Clinton-era Workforce Investment Act. The new bill was signed by President Barack Obama last week.

“Our work can make a real difference in the life of real Americans," said Obama when he signed the bill into law.

"That's why we're here. We'll have more job satisfaction. The American people, our customers, they will feel better about what we produce."

The revised program outlines a path toward more accessible and industry-specific training centers, additional adult education opportunities, more budget flexibility for local programs and standardized performance measurements.

It all aims to develop middle-class job opportunities in sectors such as manufacturing. Some 600,000 positions remain unfilled in that industry because employers say they can’t find people with the right set of skills.

The new legislation also cuts 15 programs in an effort to eliminate waste — the kind of efficiency many Republicans welcome.

On July 9, the bill passed the usually divided House of Representatives 415–6 with the support of Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline.

Quite frankly, our nation’s job training system is broken. We have too many ineffective systems, too much bureaucracy and very little accountability … We have an opportunity to advance reforms that will help all Americans compete and succeed in today’s workforce.

Rep. John Kline

R-Minn.

Obama welcomed the bipartisan effort by teasing, "Let's do this more often. It's so much fun. Let's pass more bills that help create more good jobs that strengthen the middle class."

Still, not everyone agrees that a skills gap is holding workers back. Some say the fault may lie with an economy that continues to sputter after the Great Recession by not creating enough good jobs in the first place or leaving employers reluctant to hire.

Could the new law help get unemployed Americans back to work?

Are employers looking for workers with skills that aren't widely available?

Did the educations and work lives of people who are currently unemployed prepare them for jobs no one wants to pay them to do?

We consulted a panel of experts for the Inside Story.