The Workforce Investment Act (WIA), signed into law in August 1998, overhauls the federal job training system that has been in place for more than 15 years. WIA replaces the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) with block grants to states for the provision of employment services to job seekers. Expanded state and local control over the design, implementation, and evaluation of the new workforce investment system is a core component of the Act, and state and local Workforce Investment Boards will be responsible for tailoring the system to local needs.

To assist policy-makers in establishing performance criteria, the Chicago Jobs Council and the Chicago Workforce Development Partnership conducted a survey of Chicago job training and placement providers to collect information on the client groups, performance outcomes, and costs of employment assistance programs. The survey was conducted to gather information about past performance to inform the design of new WIA performance standards and to help guide future data collection efforts. The survey provides information on some of the factors that lead to success in job placement, both in terms of placement rates and average wages at the time of placement. This issue brief presents the results and key findings of the survey.