"On July 22, 2014, President Barack Obama signed into law the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) (Pub. L. 113-128). Representing the "first major reform to federal job training programs in more than 15 years," Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez characterized WIOA as a "fundamental transformation" in workforce development policy (Committee on Education and the Workforce, 2015). Among the themes in WIOA is the Act's clear focus on "the most vulnerable workers," including "individuals with barriers to employment" (128 STAT. 1428-29). Under the new law, state and local workforce development agencies have a unique opportunity to ensure workforce development policies and programs are strategically aligned to best serve the needs of jobseekers, including individuals with barriers to employment. However, little research has been done to understand the various perceptions held by stakeholders in the workforce development system regarding the barriers to employment facing today's jobseekers. This dissertation uses rich qualitative information collected from seven focus groups and in-depth, follow-up interviews with 31 jobseekers in the West Michigan Works! Workforce Development Area (WDA) and ten semi-structured interviews with key informants representing federal, state, and local administrators, staff, and other stakeholders to describe and explain the various perceptions of barriers to employment and the education, training, and support services needed to be successful in the labor market. I find that most jobseekers and iii key informants believe that the labor market has improved in recent years, but that the overwhelming majority identify continuing, structural problems that disproportionately affect individuals with barriers to employment. Investigating further, I find that perceptions are similar across and between participant groups, but find strong differences regarding discrimination and education and training as barriers and the types of education and training and support services needed to be successful in the labor market. My findings and recommendations intend to support successful implementation of WIOA in the West Michigan Works! WDA and elsewhere."--Pages ii-iii.
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