The passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in 1996 has ushered in a new era of welfare reform. A work-first approach emphasizes self-sufficiency designed to move welfare recipients into the workforce as quickly as possible. The first of two issues related to the current context of welfare-to-work…

In an effort to shift the focus of employment programs from unemployment to reemployment, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is funding the development and implementation of a one-stop employment system. The DOL has largely left states free to design their one-stop systems provided programs have these features: (1) universality, (2) customer…

Since the introduction of one-stop employment systems, many states have attempted to merge traditional employment and training services to provide consolidated programs and easier customer access to services. The Workforce Investment Act (WIA), passed in 1998, requires the formation of locally based one-stop service delivery systems to deliver…

The question of what the future of work in the United States will be is examined in this publication using current information on trends and issues related to work, the economy, and the labor force. The compilation intended to give an overview of selected aspects of the topic and provide information about other resources. In the first section,…

The 1998 Workforce Investment Act (WIA) consolidates more than 70 programs and gives states the flexibility to partner with local governments to develop streamlined services providing universal access. Because adult education and postsecondary vocational education are required partners in the one-stop systems being established through Title I of…

In adult education, the term "accelerated learning" (AL) is usually associated with programs designed to meet the needs of adult learners whose many commitments prevent them from participating in traditional programs. Within the field of training and development, however, AL identifies an approach to learning that is multidimensional in…