The Oahu Workforce Development Board (OWDB) is one of four local workforce development boards in Hawaii established by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014.

We are administratively attached to the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services and are federally mandated to oversee WIOA Title I programs at the American Job Center Hawaii (AJCH) located at the Dole Cannery Complex.

WIOA explicitly recognizes the need for coordination of economic development and workforce programs. Part of WIOA’s purpose is to “support the alignment of workforce investment, education, and economic development systems” and “improve the quality and labor market relevance of workforce investment, education, and economic development efforts.”

WIOA provides opportunities for business representatives to work together with government and education to solve some of the problems of workforce preparation in America today, and in doing so, affords business leaders a variety of opportunities to ensure that workforce development is aligned with their specific needs.​  One example of this is business guiding the creation of career pathway systems.

WIOA empowers its local boards nationwide with a number of key functions. One of these functions is oversight of American Job Centers to ensure the centers are effectively serving the business community as well as individuals of all ability levels

Stevens Amendment: The OWDB website for the WIOA Title I Programs are 100 percent funded by the U.S. Department of Labor through awards totaling $281,577.00.