The History and Purpose of the
Little Rock Workforce Investment Board

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which replaced the federal Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) legislation on July 1, 1999, was formed under seven key principles. The purpose of WIA is to develop employment and training programs designed to prepare low-income adults and youth facing serious barriers to employment for entry or re-entry into the labor force. It also provides retraining and reemployment assistance to eligible dislocated workers. Its purpose is to 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 Nation.

The Little Rock Workforce Investment Board (LRWIB) a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, was established to coordinate and improve employment, training and education systems within Little Rock under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. The LRWIB mission is to ensure maximum delivery of employment and training services through ongoing strategic planning and program performance evaluation. The LRWIB complies with all WIA requirements, including OMB Circular A-122, Cost principles for Non-Profit Organizations, 29 CFR Part 95, Uniform Administrative Requirements Non-Profit Organizations, as well as all other federal and state regulations and requirements concerning the management of federal and state funds. The LRWIB finance manager and the finance committee are responsible for oversight and monitoring of all funds received. The board members of the Little Rock Workforce Investment Board are composed of a majority of Business representatives from the City of Little Rock. The Little Rock Workforce Investment Board receives Workforce Investment Act Federal funding dollars totaling an average of $1,000,000.00 annually, through the Arkansas State Workforce Investment Board.

Are you interested in serving on the Little Rock Workforce Investment Board and helping to shape the City of Little Rock's workforce?

In addition to WIA Activities and in partnership with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) we are working to address the state's critical shortage of nursing care with an innovative $3,000,000.00 intensive training program to find and train new nurses. Read a summary about the Arkansas Nursing Reinvestment Program.

The Little Rock Workforce Investment Board (WIB) recently received a $1.6 million grant from the US Department of Labor to offer dislocated worker services to 400 former Southwest Airlines (SWA) employees, who lost their jobs when the reservation center closed recently. Read the City of Little Rock news release of the National Emergency Grant (NEG) for Southwest Airlines

The LRWIB Work Incentive Project Grant of $200,000.00 was received and is to assure the integration of people with disabilities into the workforce investment system, including Wagner-Peyser and WIA services. These objectives will be accomplished by (1) providing an extensive array of assistive technology devices in the workforce centers, (2) providing staff whose primary mission is to coordinate services and opportunities for people with disabilities, (3) training other workforce center staff to serve people with disabilities, and (4) providing these services in The Arkansas Workforce Center at Little Rock which offers immediate access to Wagner-Peyser and WIA Title I services.

IT IS THE POLICY of the Little Rock Workforce Investment Board and its partnering agencies to maintain and promote equal employment and educational opportunities without regard to race, color, gender, age, religion, disability, national origin or other non-merit factors.

Equal Opportunity is the Law Statement and Complaint Procedures

"The Little Rock Workforce Investment Board is committed to building a comprehensive regional workforce development system that is extremely positive and responsive to the needs of its' customers, job seekers, employers and incumbent workers and is highly accessible, sensitive, flexible and accountable."