What Is WIA Certification?

 

The Workforce Investment Act is a Federal grant program that does not require repayment.  WIA certification means that you must be registered with your local WIA office, which includes interviewing, assessment, job profiling, etc. 

 

The Call Center Training Program is offered at NO COST to WIA Certified residents of Lancaster County and the surrounding area.  To find out if you are WIA Certified, simply visit the Lancaster County OneStop Office on White Street.  The OneStop staff will assist you with obtaining WIA Certification and will assist you with getting into the Call Center Training Program if you are eligible.  You cannot receive the Call Center Training Program classes at no cost unless you become WIA Certified.

 

What Is The Workforce Investment Act?

The purpose of the Workforce Investment Act is to provide workforce development services, through statewide and local workforce investment systems, that increase the employment, retention, and earnings of participants, and increase occupational skill attainment by participants, and, as a result, improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the State of State of South Carolina and the Nation.

 

Funds for the WIA Title I program flow from the United States Department of Labor through the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation/Division of Workforce Development. The Division of Workforce Development, using a formula based on the population mix in each locality, allocates the WIA funds to Workforce Investment Areas (WIAs) throughout the State.

 

Workforce Investment Areas/Local Workforce Investment Boards

A Workforce Investment Area (WIA) is a region with 200,000 or more residents and a common labor pool.  Lancaster County is part of the Catawba Workforce Investment Act region that includes York and Chester counties. 

 

For each WIA there is a Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB). By law, each LWIB is chaired by a business person and comprised of a majority of private sector representatives; business owners; chief executives; managers and policy makers. Other LWIB members are drawn from public job service, education, social services, rehabilitation, and economic development agencies as well as from organized labor, and community based organizations.