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 T. Shawn Taylor, Chicago Tribune, April 12, 2004