Some Chicago area residents are having trouble getting job training due to a strict interpretation of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. The WIA was designed to give job seekers the choice of getting help finding work or job training, but a "work first" philosophy and strict performance measures that tie funding to whether people are placed in jobs have made training hard to come by for some job-seekers. As a result, Chicago has trained fewer than 30 percent of people registered in the adult WIA program.
See "Job training fails to reach many in need", T. Shawn Taylor, Chicago Tribune, April 12, 2004