NEWSBYROSANNA STEPHENS

The current economic crisis impacts all of us, but those who were already living on the margins of economic opportunity are getting hit much harder. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), through its nearly $4 billion investment in the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) grants and its overall potential to create up to 4 million jobs, is an important step in getting people back to work. While heartened at the level of funding and the speed with which these critical dollars will be funneled to each state, I find myself asking just who, exactly, will be the primary beneficiaries of these significant investments. As this news swirls among workforce development providers, questions should be raised about the types of jobs created and whether we have the skilled workforce required for these jobs.