In addition to requiring the mandatory partners to provide their core services at the one-stop, WIA changed the way partners served job seekers. WIA listed what types of members should participate on the workforce investment boards, but did not prescribe a minimum or maximum number of members. The mandatory partners are generally making efforts to participate in accordance with the requirements of WIA. Training Options May Become Limited as Training Providers Drop Out of the System

WIA job seekers may have fewer training options to choose from because training providers are reducing the number of course offerings they make available under WIA. State and Local Implementers’ Ideas for Enhancing Private-Sector Participation

As a result of their experiences, state and local implementers have developed a number of ideas for actions that they believe could enhance the role of the private-sector on workforce investment boards (as shown in table 6). Recommendations to Executive Agencies

To facilitate the implementation of WIA, as well as to help state and local implementers move closer to the vision of a fully integrated system, we recommend that the Secretary of Labor, along with the Secretaries of Education, HHS, and HUD, jointly explore the specific programmatic and financial concerns identified by state and local implementers that affect their ability to fully integrate their services at the one-stops, and identify specific ways in which these concerns can be overcome.
What GAO Found

A competitive national economy depends on providing individuals with marketable skills and employers with access to qualified workers. In the past, the nation's job training system was fragmented and did not serve job seekers or employers well. The Workforce Investment Act in 1998 created a system that links employment, education, and training services to better match workers and labor market trends. The act represented a significant change from earlier workforce development efforts. Many of the act's provisions took effect in July 2000, and state and local organizations are at different stages of implementing them. Although the act's mandatory partners are making efforts to participate in the one-stops, programmatic or financial concerns are affecting the partners' level of participation as well as their ability to fully integrate their services at the one-stop. As implementation of the act progresses, training options for job seekers may be diminishing rather than improving, as trained providers reduce the number of courses offered to job seekers. Private-sector representatives may be discouraged from participating on workforce investment boards as a result of how states and localities are operating their boards and associated entities.