JobLink History

Under the Federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998, federal job training programs were reformed, creating a new, comprehensive workforce investment system. This system is intended to be customer-focused to help Americans access the tools they need to manage their careers through information and high quality services and to help U.S. companies find skilled workers. A key principle of this new, reformed system is to streamline services through better integration at the street level by creating One-Stop delivery systems. Programs and providers co-locate, coordinate and integrate activities and information, so that the system as a whole is coherent and accessible for individuals and businesses alike. Workforce Investment Boards were created as private-sector led, local governance bodies to provide policy guidance and oversight for publicly funded workforce development activities and for One-Stops.

North Carolina is developing this system of One-Stops (JobLink Career Centers) so people can make informed choices about their careers, and employers can make informed choices about their workforce needs. The success of the JobLink System is dependent on the development of true partnerships and honest collaboration at all levels and among all stakeholders. The underlying notion of the JobLink System is the coordination of programs, services and governance structures so that the customer has access to a seamless system of workforce investment services.

Under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, the Capital Area Workforce Development Board serves as the Workforce Investment Board for the area’s over 750,000 citizens and over 24,500 business locations in Johnston and Wake Counties. JobLink Centers, which are granted a charter by the Capital Area Workforce Development Board, have demonstrated a level of readiness to deliver high quality services to customers.