Integral to the new Workforce Investment Act is the Workforce Solution Center which brings together multiple programs and services in a seamless manner to job seekers and business customers. This system is intended to be accessed through a variety of mechanisms including physical/walk-in service access, electronic linkages, resource rooms, Internet, and other methods. The focus of this system is on meeting the needs of the customer through the following four principles:

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), signed on August 7, 1998, and implemented by July 1, 2000 was the first major overhaul of the workforce development system since the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) replaced the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) in October 1985. The intent of WIA is to create a seamless system of service delivery by bringing together a number of training, education, and employment programs to create a new workforce investment system driven by integration of services, customer choice, universal access, increased accountability, strong roles for business, local workforce investment boards, state and local flexibility, and improved youth programs.