The President has signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

(July 22, 2014)

In his January 28, 2014 State of the Union address, President Obama “asked Vice President Biden to lead an across-the-board reform of America’s training programs to make sure they have one mission: train Americans with the skills employers need, and match them to good jobs that need to be filled right now. That means more on-the-job training, and more apprenticeships that set a young worker on an upward trajectory for life. It means connecting companies to community colleges that can help design training to fill their specific needs.” Two days later, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, he signed a Presidential Memorandum on Job-Driven Training for Workers to develop within 180 days an action plan to make America’s workforce and training system “more job-driven, integrated and effective.” The Presidential Memorandum called for this action plan to include “concrete steps to make federal workforce and training programs and policies more focused on imparting relevant skills with job-market value, more easily accessed by employers and job seekers, and more accountable for producing positive employment and earning outcomes for the people they serve.” For more, read the Ready to Work: Job-Driven Training and American Opportunity (1.54 M) report, which was released on July 22, 2014.

(July 22, 2014)

The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services proposes a priority to establish a Job-Driven Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center to provide training and technical assistance to improve the capacity of State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies and their partners to equip individuals with disabilities with the skills and competencies necessary to help them obtain high-quality competitive employment.

(July 22, 2014)

RSA invites applications for a new award to establish and operate a National Technical Assistance Center on Improving Transition to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students with Disabilities.

(July 10, 2014)

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) requests public comment on the actions that the Department should take to amend the definition of “reservation” under the regulations governing the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS) program in one of two ways.

(June 23, 2014)

The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) oversees grant programs that help individuals with physical or mental disabilities to obtain employment and live more independently through the provision of such supports as counseling, medical and psychological services, job training and other individualized services.

RSA's major Title I formula grant program provides funds to state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies to provide employment-related services for individuals with disabilities, giving priority to individuals who are significantly disabled.