America Forward moved to action and was involved in supporting and ensuring the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which made many significant changes to our federal workforce and job training programs.

Specifically, America Forward and the America Forward Coalition secured key provisions in WIOA, including authorizing Pay for Performance contracting; prioritizing and supporting career pathways; supporting the development of alternative, evidence-based programs that encourage youth to re-enter and complete secondary school, enroll in post-secondary education and advanced training and progress through a career pathway; promoting better coordination by aligning workforce development programs with economic development and education initiatives; utilizing prior learning assessments; prioritizing work-based learning experiences, such as internships, for youth; permitting funding of transitional jobs programs; and, continuing support for the U.S. Department of Labor’s YouthBuild program.

One of the more innovative changes in WIOA, the new Pay for Performance provisions, for the first time, authorized the use of this contracting approach that had the potential to improve outcomes through a focus on evidence-based interventions, to reward outcomes-based service providers, and to save taxpayer dollars. To realize the potential, however, the workforce system needed support in understanding the concept, interpreting the authority, and executing on Pay for Performance Contracts.

Read the full article on WIOA pay for performance at America Forward