Thirty Years of Changing Federal, State, and Local Relationships in Employment and Training Programs

There have been three major training programs in the United States in the past thirty years: the Manpower Development and Training Act (MDTA)from 1962 to 1973, the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA)from 1973 to 1982, and the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)from 1982 to the present. MDTA was a categorical program, with service providers funded directly by the federal government. CETA was a hybrid block grant program that gave local units of government substantial autonomy in administering the basic training component, but CETA also includedcategoricalprograms for specific target groups and for public service employment. Over time, CETA was increasingly regulated. JTPA is regulated more by the states and the private sector, and in 1992 amendments targeted the program more sharply and restricted activities that could be undertaken. Federalism in employment and training programs has followed a course similar to other areas, with cooperative federalism ending in 1978 being replaced by coercive federalism. In recent years, stales have started a number of innovative programs.