The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) empowers North Carolina to train its workforce and guides how the NCWorks initiative connects job seekers to employers.

WIOA Unified State Plan

North Carolina develops a WIOA Unified State Plan every four years, as required, to outline the state's strategy for implementing the Act. The plan is developed by state workforce partners (N.C. Department of Commerce, North Carolina Community College System, N.C. Department of Public Instruction, and N.C. Department of Health and Human Services) in accordance with federal plan requirements from the U.S. Department of Labor.

WIOA 2024 Unified State Plan 

The NCWorks Commission established a WIOA Steering Council, representing the state agencies who administer the six core programs under WIOA, to oversee the development of the plan. The final version of the state's first plan was submitted by the Governor to the U.S. Department of Labor in March 2016.  WIOA also requires that states review their plans every two years and update State Plan strategies based on changes in the labor market and economic conditions or other factors affecting the implementation of the State Plan.  North Carolina submitted modifications to the federal government in March 2018, which were approved in June 2018. In early 2020, North Carolina submitted a second four-year plan, followed by modifications in 2022. In early 2024, North Carolina submitted the state's third four-year plan, which was approved in late May 2024.

Background

Improving Services, Building Partnerships

The WIOA, which Congress passed and the President signed into law in 2014, brings together federal investments in skill development, including adult, dislocated worker, and youth programs (Title 1); adult education and literacy (Title 2); the services available under the Wagner-Peyser Act (Title 3); and vocational rehabilitation (Title 4). The act requires states to adopt several changes to their workforce systems, including the following:

  • Place a greater emphasis on local and regional collaboration among workforce, education, and industry partners
  • Improve services offered to employers, including work-based training programs
  • Increase both the amount of funding devoted to helping out-of-school youth and the maximum age at which youth can receive services
  • Reinforce connections with registered apprenticeship programs
  • Promote strong Workforce Development Boards
  • Call for the use of career pathways to ensure job seekers are receiving credentials for in-demand jobs
  • Ensure that accountability measures are data driven

WIOA and NCWorks

NCWorks is North Carolina's workforce development system and represents a partnership between the state's workforce and education agencies. Established in 2014, the initiative called for many of the reforms included in the WIOA, including the following:

  • The departments of commerce, public instruction, health and human services, and the community college system are building stronger state and local partnerships between themselves and with local employers.
  • NCWorks Career Centers have cross-trained staff to be more responsive to the needs of job seekers and businesses.
  • The NCWorks Commission approved the criteria for NCWorks Career Pathways, setting the standard for approved pathways in the state.
  • Local NCWorks partners met with 1,000 employers to learn how the workforce system can better meet their needs.

As part of the implementation of WIOA, the state’s NCWorks partners will build on their progress in establishing strong partnerships with industry and agencies at the local and state levels.

If you are seeking assistance with career services and support for education/training under WIOA, please contact your local NCWorks Career Center through NCWorks.gov.