Approximately 600 local workforce areas exist throughout the country and each has a local Workforce Investment Board (WIB) which administers local WIA activities. The WIB selects One-Stop Center operators, identifies eligible training providers, develops links with employers, creates a local plan and oversees the use of funds for employment and training activities.

• The relatively low compensation and training levels of direct care jobs create concern that they will be bad investment vehicles for scarce public dollars.

• The health care sector tends to be represented on WIBs by large hospital systems that are adept at capturing funds for use in acute-care, not long-term care, occupations.

• Long-term care providers often do not think to approach or become involved in the public workforce investment system. They often assume that their state’s One-Stop system largely deals with TANF recipients (TANF— Temporary Assistance to Needy Families—is the nation’s welfare-to-work program), who are presumed to be unsuitable candidates for direct care work.