History of Workforce Development

The NAA was signed into law in 1937, establishing the Registered Apprenticeship Program as it is today. The NAA allowed the U.S. Department of Labor to issue regulations protecting the health, safety, and general welfare of apprentices and prevented racial, ethnic, religious, age and gender discrimination in apprenticeship programs. In Kentucky, registered apprenticeship program creation and enrollment is a service provided by the Department of Workforce Development, Office of Employer and Apprenticeship Services (Registered Apprenticeships - Kentucky Works). 

In 1973 the rehabilitation act was passed, opening doors for many qualified individuals with disabilities. The Act was the first major federal disability rights law and prohibits discrimination based on disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, in programs receiving federal financial assistance, in federal employment and in the employment practices of federal contractors. In Kentucky, vocational rehabilitation services is offered by the Department of Workforce Development, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (Vocational Rehabilitation Services - Kentucky Career Center). 

In 1982, the Job Training Partnership Act was enacted, establishing four federal assistance programs that prepare youth and unskilled adults for entry into the labor force, as well as provide job training to those facing serious barriers to employment. 

In 1998, the Workforce Investment Act was established with the intention of removing known barriers to those seeking employment with a focus on work discrimination and the allocation of workforce-related government funding. It created the One-Stop system to consolidate programs and make it easier for individuals to access employment services and other resources from one location. 

In 2014, The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), a landmark legislation designed to strengthen and improve the nation’s public workforce system and help get Americans, including youth and those with significant barriers to employment, into high-quality jobs and careers and help employers hire and retain skilled workers, was signed into law, replacing the Workforce Investment Act. Congress passed the Act with a wide bipartisan majority, and it was the first legislative form of the public workforce system since 1998. 

Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, the Employment Service offices are collocated with the approximately 2,300 American Job Centers nationwide.

The American Job Center network, part of the One-Stop system, provides universal access to an integrated array of labor exchange services so that workers, job seekers, and employers can find the services they need. The Wagner-Peyser Employment Service focuses on providing a variety of services including job search assistance, help getting a job referral, and placement assistance for job seekers. Additionally, re-employment services are available for unemployment insurance claimants, as well as recruitment services to employers with job openings. Services are delivered in one of three modes including self-service, facilitated self-help services and staff assisted service delivery approaches. In Kentucky, American Job Centers are known as the Kentucky Career Centers (Welcome - Kentucky Career Center). 

Under WIOA, Kentucky’s governor established the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board, previously known as the Kentucky Workforce Investment Board under WIA, The KWIB serves as an advisory board to the Governor on workforce training and development issues, working within WIOA guidelines to create a statewide vision for workforce development and adopt a plan to move Kentucky forward through workforce training and development. 

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