ALA, Depts. of Ed. and Labor to Host Webinar on Workforce Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C.—On October 27, 2014, the American Library Association (ALA) will host "$2.2 Billion Reasons to Pay Attention to WIOA," an interactive webinar that will explore ways that public and community college libraries can receive funding for employment skills training and job search assistance from the recently-passed Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. The no-cost webinar, which includes speakers from the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor, takes place Oct 27, 2014, from 2:00–3:00 p.m. EDT.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act allows public and community college libraries to be considered additional One-Stop partners and authorizes adult education and literacy activities provided by public and community college libraries as an allowable statewide employment and training activity. Additionally, the law defines digital literacy skills as a workforce preparation activity.

Speakers include:

• Moderator: Sari Feldman, president-elect, American Library Association and executive director, Cuyahoga County Public Library
• Susan Hildreth, director, Institute of Museum and Library Services
• Heidi Silver-Pacuilla, team leader, Applied Innovation and Improvement, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education
• Kimberly Vitelli, chief of Division of National Programs, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

Register now as space is limited. The webinar will be archived and emailed to subscribers of the District Dispatch, ALA’s policy blog.

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 57,000 members in academic, public, school, government, and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.