Financial Aid

FINANCIAL AID THROUGH WIA: WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 provides the framework for a unique national workforce preparation and employment system designed to meet both the needs of the nation's businesses and the needs of job seekers and those who want to further their careers. Title I of the legislation is based on the following elements:

• Training and employment programs must be designed and managed at the local level where the needs of businesses and individuals are best understood.

• Customers must be able to conveniently access the employment, education, training, and information services they need at a single location in their neighborhoods.

• Customers should have choices in deciding the training program that best fits their needs and the organizations that will provide that service. They should have control over their own career development.

• Customers have a right to information about how well training providers succeed in preparing people for jobs. Training providers will provide information on their success rates.

• Businesses will provide information, leadership, and play an active role in ensuring that the system prepares people for current and future jobs. (...)

A Customer-Focused System

The most important aspect of the Act is its focus on meeting the needs of businesses for skilled workers and the training, education, and employment needs of individuals. Key components of the Act will enable customers to easily access the information and services they need through the "One-Stop" system; empower adults to obtain the training they find most appropriate through Individual Training Accounts, and ensure that all State and local programs meet customer expectations.

MORE INFO + CONTACT :: NEW MEXICO RESIDENTS

:: NON-NEW MEXICO RESIDENTS 

"One-Stop" Approach

The new system will be based on the "One-Stop" concept where information about and access to a wide array of job training, education, and employment services is available for customers at a single neighborhood location. Customers will be able to easily:

• Receive a preliminary assessment of their skill levels, aptitudes, abilities, and support service needs.

• Obtain information on a full array of employment-related services, including information about local education and training service providers.

• Receive help filing claims for unemployment insurance and evaluating eligibility for job training and education programs or student financial aid.

• Obtain job search and placement assistance, and receive career counseling.

• Have access to up-to-date labor market information which identifies job vacancies, skills necessary for in-demand jobs, and provides information about local, regional and national employment trends.

Through the "One-Stop," employers will have a single point of contact to provide information about current and future skills needed by their workers and to list job openings. They will benefit from a single system for finding job-ready skilled workers who meet their needs.

To date, over 95 percent of the States are building these Centers, and over 800 Centers are operating across the country. Each local area will establish a "One-Stop" delivery system through which core services are provided and through which access is provided to other employment and training services funded under the Act and other Federal programs. There will be at least one Center in each local area, which may be supplemented by networks of affiliated sites. The operators of "One-Stop" Centers are to be selected by the local workforce investment boards through a competitive process or designation of a consortia that includes at least three of the Federal programs providing services at the "One-Stop."

Empowerment Through Training Accounts

Provisions of the Act promote individual responsibility and personal decision-making through the use of "Individual Training Accounts" which allow adult customers to "purchase" the training they determine best for them. This market-driven system will enable customers to get the skills and credentials they need to succeed in their local labor markets.

Good customer choice requires quality information. The "One-Stop" system will provide customers with a list of eligible training providers and information about how well those providers perform. Payment for services will be arranged through the Individual Training Accounts. Only in exceptional cases may training be provided through a contract for services between the "One-Stop" Center and organizations providing the training. (...)

Source: http://www.doleta.gov/USWORKFORCE/WIA/Runningtext2.htm

NEW MEXICO RESIDENTS

To apply for WIA funding, please contact your local NM Department of Workforce Solutionsoffice. For a complete list of locations, go to http://www.dws.state.nm.us/dws-offices.html. Northern New Mexico residents can find more information at http://www.nalwdb.nm.org/onestop.php.

NON-NEW MEXICO RESIDENTS

For information on financial aid, please select a One-Stop Career Center from http://www.geographicsolutions.com/clients.asp