SkillSPAN was born out of a vision for a united, state-led approach to meet the diverse workforce needs of our country. Today, this vision has become a reality as SkillSPAN leaders continue to drive efforts to create a more diverse talent pipeline and expand and sustain access to education and training for quality, in-demand jobs. 

Below, we celebrate selected achievements and milestones SkillSPAN has reached over the past five years across several key areas: coalition-building, digital equity, college access, training opportunities, and supportive services. 

Building and Strengthening Coalitions 

One of SkillSPAN’s most remarkable achievements is building coalitions that unify and amplify voices and ensure that workforce policies address local and regional needs. 

• California: Since 2019, the Skills for California Network has grown from 218 to 1,069 members. Members receive regular updates on state policies, budget developments, events, and advocacy opportunities aligned with the group’s policy goals. 

• Tennessee: Tennessee Skills Coalition launched a co-leadership model, integrating both Business Leaders United and SkillSPAN. This model brings together a wide range of stakeholders to meet Tennessee’s regional needs, with voices from community organizations, training providers, government agencies, and businesses. 

• North Carolina: North Carolina’s Digital Inclusion & Employment Equity Working Group has built strong agency relationships and guided the allocation of federal funds, despite limited state legislative progress. Their key accomplishment includes bringing diverse stakeholders together to form a Digital Inclusion Working Group, and their work has now expanded its focus to infrastructure and climate workforce policy. 

Closing the Digital Skill Divide: Advancing Skills and Equity in the Digital Age 

As digital skills and literacy become increasingly essential, SkillSPAN has made noteworthy progress in promoting digital equity. SkillSPAN coalitions across several states have championed policies and initiatives to increase access to digital resources and skills training: 

• Michigan: Michigan SkillSPAN partnered with the state’s High-Speed Internet Office to shape the implementation of the BEAD Program, aiming for high-speed internet access statewide. 

• Texas: Texas WORKS prioritized advancing digital literacy efforts which resulted in the legislature committing $3.75 million to digital inclusion and workforce initiatives. Additionally, Texas WORKS engaged with the Broadband Development Office, contributing to the inclusion of digital equity indicators in the state’s broadband plan. 

• Washington: Washington SkillSPAN made strides in the digital equity space by mapping the entities who are engaged in digital equity work, connecting people to resources, and using data to drive strategies, all with the aim of building an inclusive, resilient digital ecosystem.  

• Alabama: Alabama SkillSPAN coalition successfully advocated for Senate Bill 215, a landmark piece of legislation that addresses the critical need for broadband expansion across the state. This bill led to the creation of the Alabama Digital Expansion Authority (ADEA), tasked with overseeing the deployment of high-speed internet services to underserved areas. The coalition’s support of this bill was rooted in the understanding that reliable internet access is essential for accessing workforce training, education, and digital job opportunities. 

Making College Work: Higher Education Access and Support 

SkillSPAN has strategically advocated for improvements in college affordability and access, working to ensure that students and workers can overcome obstacles and pursue the education and training they need to thrive: 

• Georgia: Thanks to the advocacy of Georgia SkillSPAN, Georgia lawmakers voted to establish the Georgia College Completion Grant program in 2022, to address the needs of students with low incomes; a step in a long-term strategy to establish a needs-based financial aid program in the state.  

• Michigan: Michigan SkillSPAN advocates successfully advocated for a limited time expansion of the Michigan Reconnect program to cover those aged 21-24. The expansion was coupled with an expansion of wraparound supports to help with the costs of childcare and transportation.  

• Oregon: The Oregon Pathways to Opportunity Coalition continued to center the voices and needs of students which led to the passage of the landmark Benefits Navigator Bill. The bill funds a full-time Benefits Navigator position at every community college and public university to assist students in maximizing public benefits and resources such as SNAP food benefits, STEP (SNAP E&T program), housing assistance, and other basic need supports. 

• Maryland: Maryland SkillSPAN successfully advocated for the passage of the Maryland New Start Act of 2022, which allocates $500,000 annually to support training programs that assist returning citizens in gaining valuable skills and starting businesses. The funding enables training providers to offer specialized courses focused on business plan development, work readiness, and entrepreneurial management. In addition to skills training, the Act provides returning citizens with access to loans of up to $50,000 for launching their own businesses, empowering them to rebuild their lives and contribute economically. 

Advancing Training and Jobs for Opportunity Youth 

Expanding access to skills training and creating employment pathways is at the core of SkillSPAN’s mission. The network has introduced policies that address training needs and support workforce opportunities: 

• Connecticut: Connecticut SkillSPAN engaged community providers who support opportunity youth, bringing them into conversations for collective advocacy and policy development. 

• Louisiana: Louisiana Opportunity Youth Skills Coalition successfully advocated for the passage of Senate Resolution 47, which was passed unopposed in the Senate Labor Committee and on the Senate Floor. It created a task force charged with studying opportunity youth within the state to determine the best way to maximize resources offered by state agencies and community service organizations. The task force includes state agency leadership, community-based organizations and, most importantly, actual youth or former youth with lived experience. 

Unlocking Potential: The Critical Role of Supportive Services 

Access to supportive services plays a critical role in workforce stability and economic mobility. SkillSPAN has achieved notable wins in this area: 

• Colorado: Colorado SkillSPAN advocated for the passage of HB 1270, which allocated $3 million in state funding to the Department of Human Services to enhance SNAP employment and training (called Employment First in Colorado), creating innovative opportunities for recipients. The legislation achieved strong bipartisan support, and allowed greater flexibility in deploying these funds, which was emphasized through CCLP’s close work and collaboration with SNAP office staff. 

• Illinois: Following research with over 50 Illinois job training providers which found that funding limitations were a major obstacle to supporting clients, Illinois SkillSPAN collaborated with the Illinois Department of Human Services to create a Barrier Reduction Fund Pilot Program with $2 million from Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The fund seeks to address the barriers faced by job seekers, such as financial strain, childcare, mental health, and transportation challenges. 

• Indiana: Indiana Skills2Compete Coalition supported successful childcare legislation expanding eligibility including eligibility for childcare workers at 85 percent of state median income, establishing a childcare worker compensation study, and creating new licensure for employer micro-sites. 

• New York: New York SkillSPAN worked to include language in the state budget that established a six-month income disregard for individuals participating in state or federally subsidized employment programs. Participants of qualified work activities can now retain full public benefits for six months as a strategy to mitigate a benefits cliff. 

• Ohio: Ohio SkillSPAN released a report, “When Working Isn’t Enough,” revealing that many Ohioans working full-time still require benefit assistance to cover basic needs. This report has drawn attention to the need for stronger wage policies and access to support services. 

• Iowa: Iowa Skills2Compete Coalition successfully advocated for the expansion of Iowa’s SNAP Employment & Training (SNAP E&T) program to nonprofit training providers—a key win for skills-based training in the state. Their advocacy for supportive services like childcare has also improved access for Iowans, and they remain committed to addressing Iowa’s childcare crisis by supporting industry professionalization to ensure quality, affordable care for all. 

Looking to the Future 

SkillSPAN’s progress is a testament to the power of collaboration and advocacy. As we look ahead, National Skills Coalition is committed to breaking down barriers to education and training, advocating for equitable policies and inclusive pathways. Together, we are building a future where every worker has access to the skills, support, and opportunities they need to thrive.  

The post Celebrating Five Years of SkillSPAN: A National Movement for Skills and Equity appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

Jane Kunze, Alisha Small, and Rachel Wilkerson, members of NSC’s Student Advisory Council, spoke alongside NSC’s Director of Worker and Student Voices, Michael Richardson, at two events earlier this month. Through a panel at the National Council for Workforce Education (NCWE) conference and a virtual conversation with NSC’s Expanding College and Career Possibilities (ECCP) network, they shared their experiences with the Student Advisory Council, insights from their engagement in developing an upcoming policy brief, and what they hope to see from policymakers because of their advocacy.

Why and how is NSC putting students at the center of policy research and advocacy?

Policy research serves to better understand the effectiveness of current public policies and programs, inform the design of new programs and policies or modify existing ones, and identify promising programs and policies that can be replicated and scaled. When policy research is conducted without the input of those directly impacted, it risks missing the mark, replicating harm, or failing to address the real-world challenges faced by learners.

NSC has evolved and grown its student engagement efforts and subsequently aimed to create a space for student voice to be at the center of these research efforts. This year, NSC has done this throughout the development of an upcoming policy brief that will focus on holistic supports needs and policies for students, particularly those pursuing non-degree credentials or pathways. This research draws upon focus groups and interviews with members of the student advisory council and several other students pursuing non-degree programs and pathways, integrating quotes to center the voices and recommendations of those who are closest to and understand the system best.

This research process supports one of the key objectives of the Student Advisory Council’s work: developing policy recommendations to understand the experiences of learners pursuing career-focused credentials, hear what they want from their colleges and policymakers, and identify promising models for expanding their access to holistic supports for systems change.

Highlights from engaging students: What have we learned so far?

• The Student Advisory Council has empowered students to amplify their voices and recognize their own power as advocates for themselves and others. Students shared that participating in SAC has helped them realize they weren’t alone in their struggles and that, by raising their voices, they could influence policies to address these challenges. Advisory council members learned the mechanisms through which they can make change and that there are people willing to listen and respond. Alisha Small explained, “I learned the importance of my own voice and to be smack dab in the middle of policymaking.” Rachel Wilkerson shared, “I didn’t know that I could be an advocate – and that I already had been.” This realization of shared experience and collective advocacy has been a key takeaway for many participants who engaged in the development of NSC’s upcoming policy brief and through participation in the advisory council overall.

• Doing this work successfully requires intention, investment, trust, and flexibility. Meaningfully engaging students in policymaking isn’t just a matter of asking for input but requires careful planning and respect. This includes building resources and capacity to do the work and pay students for their contributions, staying flexible with participants’ time and capacity to engage -recognizing the realities of life that take priority, and building a community of trust and care that authentically values their stories and experiences. NSC’s approach has emphasized transparency, feedback, and consent throughout the research process. In developing the upcoming policy brief, this meant ensuring students understood the purpose and process of the research, transparently sharing expectations, creating feedback loops that allow their input to shape the final product, and ensuring consent and control for how their stories are shared at all stages of the process.

• To make college work for students, policymakers must recognize the whole student experience and address the root challenges that students face. For too long, education policies have focused narrowly on academic needs, neglecting the broader challenges students face. Student Advisory Council members have shared how central this point is time and time again, elevating their lived experiences and the ways that holistic supports policies from childcare to transportation to food security to mentorship can and have impacted their academic journey. These insights are the center of NSC’s upcoming policy brief, which particularly identifies additional barriers in accessing support services for students in non-degree programs and pathways and highlights students want to see from policymakers to remedy Alisha Small articulated the importance of including student voices and experiences in this research because it allows us to authentically ask, “How can we create a system that can consistently give support for students?”

These efforts are only the beginning

NSC’s work to center student voice in policy research and advocacy is ongoing and evolving. Engaging students in the process allows for the possibility to craft solutions that are informed by real-life challenges and experiences and lead to action by building buy-in and momentum for policy change through a greater connection to and understanding of students’ lives. The upcoming research brief will offer policy recommendations rooted in the lived experiences of students, providing actionable insights for policymakers who want to make a real difference in the lives of learners. By continuing to engage students in this work, NSC is learning, adapting, and evolving—ensuring that the voices of those most impacted by policy decisions remain at the heart of the process.

For more Making College Work updates and information on our Expanding College and Career Possibilities (ECCP) initiative and related efforts, follow our Making College Work Campaign to receive the newsletter and updates.

The post Centering Student Voice in Policymaking: Insights from Integrating Student Voice in Policy Research & Advocacy appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

So, what does it take to push forward a policy agenda that champions both care work and family-friendly policies – one that acknowledges caregivers’ skills, recognizes the high value of their work, and contributes to building an inclusive economy through improved job quality and racial equity?  Let’s take a closer look:

The care workforce

The care workforce has been critical to families for generations. Direct care workers—home care workers and nursing assistants—ensure that older adults and people with disabilities receive necessary daily support, whether they live in their homes, a residential care setting (like assisted living), or a nursing home. Likewise, parents nationwide rely on childcare workers to provide the care they need in order to remain employed, as well as early learning for their children to promote healthy child development. Care workers—direct care and childcare workers—are the front line of support for millions of people and their families.

Despite their enormous value to our country and economy, these workers struggle with various challenges, from inadequate compensation and benefits, limited training and career advancement opportunities, unsupportive work environments, and a general lack of respect and recognition by policymakers and industry leaders for their critical roles. All these challenges are rooted in a long history of underfunding our care systems and depreciating the labor of women, people of color, and immigrants, who make up most of these workers. As a result, too many care workers struggle financially and often leave these fields for higher-paying ones, further shrinking the care support workers and families across the country deserve. Family caregivers and parents experience firsthand the lack of support that comes from undervaluing care work.

More work is needed to transform opportunities for care workers to access quality and affordable skills training, career pathways, and credentials that lead to high-quality care jobs—in addition to improving compensation and job quality. Ensuring our postsecondary and workforce systems are responding to the needs of U.S. families and workers requires a revisioning of the care economy and workforce. This new vision should involve strong state and federal investments in education and training to fill high-demand care jobs, while also working to transform the care industry into one that truly values its workers and reflects their importance to U.S. society.

Family-friendly policies

Work-family supports, like affordable childcare, direct care, paid family leave, sick leave, and access to public benefits, help working people—especially women and caregivers—achieve economic mobility and equity. They do this, in part, by making it possible for caregivers to pursue education and skills training, earn credentials, and enter good jobs. In the absence of policies that provide access to these supports, families—especially mothers and mothers of color—pay the price.

For example, mothers are less likely to participate in the labor force than women without children, given that they bear a disproportionate share of caregiving responsibilities within families. The high cost of childcare exacerbates this trend—the more expensive care is, the less likely women can afford to work when they have young children.

However, when policies explicitly provide families with adequate support for balancing work and family, they can empower women’s abilities to achieve their education and career goals. For example, parents living in states that chose to invest significant funding in childcare to mitigate the effects of the end of the ARPA Childcare Stabilization Funds were less likely to report lacking the childcare they needed, and mothers in those states were less likely to report forgoing work because of childcare needs. In addition, states with paid family leave policies see a twenty percent increase in mothers’ labor force participation in the year they gave birth as well as increases in the following years.

These supports also matter for parents who are interested in pursuing college and skills training to advance their careers. Roughly three million college students are parents of children under eighteen. (This estimate of undergraduate student parents is based on data from the 2019-2020 National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey, compared with total undergraduate enrollment from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.)

According to National Skills Coalition’s analysis, most parents in college are women, and many are single mothers. Over a third of Black women and more than two in five Indigenous women in college are mothers. Access to affordable childcare, as well as other support and resources that enable people to balance family, work, and school, could make a difference in their ability to enroll and complete education programs and earn credentials, advance racial equity in educational attainment, and bring a significant return on investment to states and the federal government.

Exploring a way forward

Given the urgent policy need to support care workers and families, how can we make meaningful progress in improving their circumstances? Here are a few directions.

Heightened attention to care workers. Society is increasingly recognizing the crucial role of direct care and childcare workers, especially as the demand for their services has surged in recent years, particularly among older adults. This growing awareness, driven by advocacy and narrative change organizations, creates an opportunity to push for stronger care work policies.

A unique role for workforce development and postsecondary leaders. Given the critical role that labor and education departments play in shaping workers’ training, advancement, and credentialing needs, it will be essential to move the needle on their support for care workers. Direct care and childcare should also be good jobs, an important North Star in workforce development and workers’ rights principles. In addition, the postsecondary system, including community colleges and other higher education institutions, plays a significant role in educating early childhood professionals, alongside the workforce system, and should be a key part of the conversation about building up the care workforce.

A unified voice on skills, care work, and family-friendly policies. The care workforce is integral to ensuring people have the support they need to care for their families, pursue education and skills training, and participate in the labor force. When care workers themselves are underpaid and lack benefits, work-family supports, and opportunities for professional development and advancement, they are more likely to leave the profession. This trend means that other families that need care cannot get it because there are not enough workers in the field to fill open jobs.

A stronger narrative on linking care work to broader workforce needs. Research shows that the public needs to learn more about care work, including the skill level required and the extent to which these jobs should receive professional-level treatment. Our experience shows that care work policies related to skills training, credentials, family supports, and other workforce policies also need attention, particularly in how they impact the entire U.S. workforce.

Transforming care work into a high-quality industry that values its workers as professionals and pays them accordingly is intimately connected to promoting thriving local, state, and national economies. Now is the time to take a bold step forward and support working families everywhere

The post Why Care Workers and Families Need Better Policies Now appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

While many states are increasingly recognizing the value of holistic supports in higher education, there are still gaps in access, especially for students in non-degree programs not eligible for federal or state financial aid. Yet ensuring these students have the supports and financial resources they need has tremendous equity implications. Community college certificate students, for example, are more likely to be working adults and first-time college students, as well as Black, Latinx, and parenting, compared with their associate degree-seeking peers.1 They are also likely to experience financial insecurity: half live with incomes that are at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line. Building more equitable pathways requires policymakers to continue to invest in the expansion of evidence-based holistic supports that are explicitly designed to meet the needs of students of color and students who are adults, working, parenting, immigrants, and justice impacted. 

With this context in mind, National Skills Coalition hosted a Policy Action Lab in Chicago focused on expanding holistic supports for students pursuing quality non-degree pathways. Part of NSC’s Expanding College and Career Possibilities Initiative, the event brought together more than sixty postsecondary, workforce, human services, and advocacy leaders from twenty states to examine state progress, innovations, and promising strategies tied to providing holistic supports to students pursuing quality, career-oriented non-degree programs and pathways at community and technical colleges. 

What’s happening in states?  

States and colleges are working to enhance access to holistic supports to better serve students and promote equity in postsecondary education. While some of these policy and program strategies may be inaccessible to learners pursuing non-degree programs, others smartly leverage available federal and state funding to support people in a range of education and training pathways.  

At the event, Carrie Welton, Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy: Anti-Poverty and Basic Needs at The Institute of College Access and Success (TICAS), provided an overview of opportunities for leveraging state and federal investments for holistic supports, including a range of ways in which states are connecting public benefits programs to postsecondary education. For example: 

• Washington Basic Food Employment & Training (BFET) leverages Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment & Training (SNAP E&T) to support education and training and holistic support access for SNAP recipients. 

• Kentucky Ready to Work, a partnership between the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and the KY Cabinet for Health & Family Services, leverages TANF dollars to provide supports for parents that include employment skills training, daycare and transportation assistance, and mentoring support.  

Other states are investing in skill attainment and career advancement opportunities for learners that integrate holistic supports throughout their educational journeys. Leaders from Connecticut, Illinois, and Rhode Island shared their efforts to support students pursuing non-degree education and training: 

• Jennifer Foster, Deputy Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Board, discussed the Illinois Workforce Equity Initiative, which funds the provision of accelerated programs in high demand, high wage industries across eighteen community colleges, with a focus on serving Black students in at-risk communities. Grants can be used to provide wraparound services to reduce student barriers, including rental and transportation assistance, emergency aid, food, and child care. So far, nearly three quarters of students served have been African American and 69% of completers have found employment.   

• Omar Reyes, Director of Adult Programs and Student Success at the Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner, shared insights about Rhode Island Reconnect, a wraparound services program for learners pursuing degrees or workforce credentials of value in the state. The program connects participants with educational navigators who provide guidance for their educational and career journeys and help students identify nontuition financial barriers to finishing their degree or certificate. In the first year, the program saw completion increase by 13% among participants.  

• Kristina Testa-Buzzee, Grant Performance Manager at the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy, discussed her office’s work to bring together diverse stakeholders including private and public higher education, employers, K-12 representatives, community-based organizations and more to build Career ConneCT, which provides training for high-demand careers, alongside a career coach and access to holistic supports. The program has a goal of achieving an 85% employment rate for completers of short-term training and it is currently being evaluated to better understand the outcomes and implications of the program.  

Panelists shared how they are collaborating with stakeholders across the state, leveraging flexible funding sources to reduce barriers, integrating student voice into policy and program development, engaging employers, and centering equity in their work.  

Key themes and considerations  

Throughout the day, attendees met within and across states to reflect on progress, identify challenges, and exchange ideas. Several common themes arose: 

• Centering student voice. Students should be centered in the design and delivery of policies and programs intended to support their educational and career journeys. Many states are integrating student voice directly into their policy and advocacy work. For example, in Rhode Island, students testified at the statehouse to advocate for additional funding to expand credential programs and services and Connecticut has included parents on their state’s 2Gen Advisory Council. 

• Importance of flexible and responsive funding. Flexible funding, especially ARPA dollars, have been critical in allowing states to adapt to the evolving needs of students and workforce programs and provide new and innovative supports. Flexible funding enables programs to tailor support to students’ individual needs, rather limiting support options that may or may not help students overcome roadblocks. At the same time, many states emphasize the challenges around finding sustainable funding to continue these programs when current sources run out.  

• Leveraging partnerships for impact. Partnerships with diverse stakeholders, including higher education, community-based organizations, employers, and government agencies can better align efforts and resources in support of students. States and institutions should prioritize building and sustaining strong partnerships to expand the reach and impact of their support services, ensuring students have access to the full range resources they need.  

• Bridging siloes between workforce, higher education, and human services. Better coordination and collaboration within and across higher education, workforce, and human services systems can improve support access for students and their families, yet siloes and competition can hamper efforts to partner effectively. Leveraging respective strengths to maximize capacity and focusing on shared goals will more effectively advance credential attainment, employment, and family economic mobility. 

While states are dealing with many similar challenges in providing adequate support to students, there is also ample opportunity for learning, innovation, and action taking. As investments in quality non-degree programs continue, increased emphasis on embedding holistic supports will help ensure that these programs lead to equitable education and employment outcomes so students and workers can thrive.  

For more Making College Work updates and information on our Expanding College and Career Possibilities (ECCP) initiative and related efforts, follow our Making College Work Campaign to receive the newsletter and updates. For questions or to learn more, reach out to Lindsey Reichlin Cruse at lindseyrc@nationalskillscoalition.org. 

The post Policy Action Lab: Expanding Holistic Supports for Students on Quality Non-Degree Pathways appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is the primary law governing our nation’s workforce system, Congress has never fully funded this crucial law, nor has it invested in the workforce strategies necessary to advance workers’ careers, support small businesses’ talent needs, or promote racial equity and pathways to quality jobs. Most workforce programs do not provide direct funding for childcare for their participants, despite it being a major unmet need. Additionally, many workforce and adult education programs lack the resources to offer these services.     

Increasing investments in support services is crucial for workers balancing parenthood, multiple jobs, and other responsibilities while pursuing career goals. A supportive workforce system must address not only training but also essential needs like food, childcare, and holistic coaching and navigation services. This strategy is vital for racial equity, benefiting Latino/a, Black, and other people of color who could benefit from access to quality job training and advancement opportunities. 

Our recent public opinion poll shows that 82% of voters support increased funding for support services like career navigation, childcare, housing, and transportation assistance to help people finish skills training programs. 

Expand Skills Training Through ITAs, Benefits Access, Career Navigation, and Childcare for Equitable Job Pathways  

WIOA lacks sufficient funding for essential supportive services like childcare and transportation, which are crucial for workers to access skills training. Although WIOA funding could support these services, chronic underfunding means that less than 15 percent of 2021 participants received them. 

In  New Ideas for WIOA– NSC calls for the need to expand access to high-quality skills training and supportive services by making any worker with income under a certain level eligible for a Skills Training Grant that covers the cost of tuition and supportive services.  Grants would provide e workers up to $10,000 in in public funding to pursue occupational skills training programs (including registered apprenticeship programs) to pay for tuition and services such as childcare, equipment, physicals, exam costs, etc. to aid in the completion of these high-quality training programs.  

Funding for Skills Training Isn’t Enough- Investments in Holistic Supports Are Essential  

A growing body of evidence sheds light on the extent of basic needs insecurity among college students—especially parents, students of color, and others that don’t fit the traditional mold—and the importance of supporting students holistically to effectively promote equitable enrollment, persistence, and completion of postsecondary education and training. This evidence undergirds evidence of how life circumstances—such as having children, being the first in one’s family to go to college, or facing significant financial strain—and the ability to meet basic needs—such as food and housing security—fundamentally affect people’s ability to pursue and complete programs and earn credentials 

 Over the years NSC has convened multiple stakeholders to understand the programmatic, systemic, and administrative complexities of moving the economic needle for individuals and families, particularly those of color who have historically been excluded from mobility investments and advancement opportunities. What we’ve learned is that tuition simply isn’t enough. The costs of child/adult care, transportation, and food require attention and must be addressed to enable workers to fully commit to and successfully complete a high-quality skills training program. This includes access to public benefits such as food and nutrition assistance, Medicaid, cash assistance, and coaching and navigation services. 

Childcare is also especially important, particularly for parents with young children who are Black, have low incomes, and/or are single mothers. But in many cases, parents must choose between attending college or job training and caring for their families, given the high cost of child care, limited access to childcare assistance and services that meet their needs, and complexities of both the workforce development and child care systems. States have learned that “free college tuition only gets you so far” and are working to develop cross agency and community-based partnerships to offer a comprehensive approach for students.  

Ninety-one percent (91%) of voters support policies that create closer partnerships between training providers and businesses to train people for available jobs.  

Policymakers need to support people holistically to ensure they can access and complete training and education programs, including short-term noncredit workforce programs, and that they show up career-ready on day one with job retention services. Comprehensive supports include simple things like gas cards and bus passes, but extend to  family-friendly policies, career and academic coaching, direct opportunities for paid work experiences, networking within their industries to build relationships and social capital, and/or direct access to medical and dental services. In our State Financial Aid for Non-Degree Credential Report, we call for the need to integrate holistic supports into the design of financial aid programs that support non-degree credentials.   States like Virginia, Iowa, and Washington have made progress in this area by recognizing that providing holistic support alongside financial resources is crucial to achieving access and equity goals. 

Centering the Voices of Students and Workers is a Priority for Inclusive and Equitable Policy Solutions  

Stories are data points with soul. Incorporating student and worker voices in policy design and implementation ensures that policies are responsive to the actual challenges faced by students. This inclusion advances greater buy-in, as people are more likely to support policies they helped shape. Additionally, it enhances the effectiveness of programs by drawing on the lived experiences and insights of diverse stakeholders, leading to more equitable and sustainable outcomes. Identifying ways to incorporate qualitative data and student voice is an important component when designing inclusive programs for workers. It helps us understand the role training providers, institutions, community partners, practitioner, and industry partners while being attentive to real-time student needs. NSC advocates for incorporating experiences directly on state and local workforce development boards, elevating recommendations into local and state workforce strategic plans, and creating leadership platforms like our Making College Work Student Advisory Council.  

Insights from our Student Advisory Council  

• “One of the things that I noticed was the lack of equitable access that workforce development students [have]…or noncredit versus credit students. So, I would like to see that. What if they do have childcare services? Or if they did have resources as far as childcare is concerned, or even paying for childcare, that noncredit students have that same access to those resources.”​ – Alisha Small​ Montgomery College, Maryland 

• “I feel like it [should] be mandatory for ​every politician to participate in a poverty simulation, because trying to navigate…​federal systems—food stamps, housing—Navigating the housing system, I’ve never been more frustrated in my entire life… ​I still haven’t received it…They comb through every aspect of your life. There is zero privacy…​There’s got to be a better way to do it.”- ​ Lynne Hamblin​ Rogue Community College, Oregon​ 

• “…becoming a single mother myself…with no family support…I was like, ‘Oh, I get it now. This is what we need in order to survive’… ​I had to stop pursuing my dream of becoming a nurse to work because I had a baby to take care of, and there were so many other additional resources that I needed that I didn’t have access to…” – Anonymous SAC member 

Key Considerations for Policymakers When Investing in High-Quality Skills Training Programs 

NSC’s network, has emphasized the need for a range of improvements to how our workforce development, postsecondary, and social welfare systems support people in skills training 

• Expand access to quality skills training programs and holistic supports by adjusting individual training account (ITA) spending limits to support the entire cost of quality training, including the expansion of supportive services limits to ensure workers and learners are supported holistically. 

• Integrate and align federal and state resources across systems to increase holistic support access, including for workers and learners in noncredit and other non-degree credential programs, working across higher education, labor, workforce, human services, and community-based organizations and incorporating holistic supports in training program design. 

• Expand resources to provide career coaching and navigation services that help workers and learners make informed education and career choices, disrupt patterns of educational and occupational tracking, and connect students to resources that support their ability to achieve economic mobility.  

• Expand access to affordable childcare and childcare assistance for people pursuing job training and/or college credentials by leveraging federal programs such as TANF and SNAP E&T, and federal transportation grants, as well as ensuring people in all types of postsecondary pathways are eligible to receive for state childcare subsidy programs. 

• Center the voices and lived experiences of those directly impacted by engaging them in policy development, program design and implementation while offering leadership opportunities such as local and workforce board member nominations and seats. 

The post The Case for Investing in Holistic Support Services and Skills Training appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

NSC has long worked to improve policies shaping immigrants’ access to workforce services, especially with regard to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). This work has continued as part of the recent campaign.

Overall, immigrants comprise 1 in 6 US workers, and while most have legal work authorization, those that are undocumented face substantial barriers in pursuing education and workforce development opportunities. The new policy announced by the Biden administration will provide significant new opportunities to a subset of undocumented immigrants – those who are spouses of US citizens.

Please see below for an informative Q-and-A on the new policy announcement and what it means for educators and workforce advocates.

What does the announcement mean?

The Biden administration’s June 18 announcement means that certain undocumented immigrants who are married to US citizens will be able to apply for permanent resident (“green card”) status without having to leave the United States.

The announcement applies only to a subset of undocumented immigrant spouses of US citizens – those who have been long-term residents of the United States and who meet other strict criteria.

Previously, such individuals often had to leave the US and wait abroad for as long as 3 to 10 years before they could reenter. This discouraged many eligible individuals from applying at all.

(Note: The White House announcement also briefly mentioned plans to make the pathway to an employer-sponsored work visa more accessible to certain immigrants who have graduated from a US college, including Dreamers. NSC will share more information on this policy as it becomes available.)

How will the process work?

• Later in 2024, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will release a form that eligible immigrants must complete in order to apply. The form will be issued by a DHS agency known as US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
• In order to be eligible, noncitizens must – as of June 17, 2024 – have resided in the United States for 10 or more years and be legally married to a U.S. citizen, and must satisfy all applicable legal requirements. These requirements will be spelled out in the instructions and/or other policy guidance issued by DHS.
• DHS will assess individual applications on a case-by-case basis. Those who are approved will then have a three-year window during which they can apply for permanent residency. During that time, they will be able to have a temporary work permit.

Note: It is possible that this program will face legal challenges from immigration opponents. If that happens, this timeline may be delayed.

Does this change the number of people arriving in the U.S.?

No. The announcement only pertains to people who have already been living in the U.S. for at least 10 years.  In fact, federal officials estimate that on average, the people who are eligible for this process have lived here 23 years.

Does this change the number of people who will be eligible for federally funded education and workforce services?

Eventually, yes. Over time, as eligible immigrants begin to obtain green-card status, they will become eligible for certain federally funded programs that they were not able to access when they were undocumented.

For example, green card holders are eligible to participate in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title I-funded training and employment services.

Individuals with green cards are also eligible non-citizens for the purposes of federal student financial aid, such as Pell Grants.

How many individuals could this new policy affect?

The White House estimates that those eligible for this new policy include approximately 500,000 undocumented spouses of US citizens, plus an additional 50,000 noncitizen children under the age of 21 whose parent is married to a US citizen.

However, because applications will need to be reviewed individually and approved on a case-by-case basis, it will take substantial time for applications to filter through the system. Thus, the rate at which new green card holders will be approved will be over a period of months and years.  In addition, based on past experience with similar immigration programs, it is very unlikely that all eligible individuals will apply for the status.

What should education and workforce development programs tell learners and jobseekers now about this new immigration policy?

There are three main messages that program providers and advocates should be conveying:

1. Wait! The federal government has NOT yet released the application forms that immigrants will need to fill out for this program. Stay tuned to USCIS.gov for more information.

2. Protect yourself from scams. No one can get you the forms “early” or can get you to the front of the line. If someone promises you this, it is a scam. And no one should ever charge you money to obtain blank forms. Blank forms are always free from USCIS.gov. Learn more about how to avoid immigration scams.

3. When it’s time to apply, make sure you are eligible. Consult a qualified nonprofit immigration legal services provider or attorney. Don’t apply for this program if you are not eligible. Filing false paperwork will jeopardize your ability to stay in the United States and/or gain immigration status in the future.

The post What does the Biden administration’s recent immigration announcement mean for skills advocates? appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

• For the first blog, which describes how the proposed bill lacks critical investments, click here. 

• For the second blog, which describes how overly strict accountability measures could hurt businesses and local areas, click here. 

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee recently released a draft for reauthorizing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Though the bill is an improvement on the House’s bill, A Stronger Workforce for America Act (ASWA) the bill needs several improvements before it can get our coalition’s full support. 

After conducting in-depth listening sessions with a wide range of partners in 2022, NSC prioritized a set of policy recommendations designed to transform WIOA from an underfunded system to one that is resourced to deliver high-quality skills training, support working people, help small businesses, and advance racial equity. 

In those discussions, stakeholders agreed that Congress should Strengthen the delivery of equity-advancing WIOA career services through funding career navigation services, training frontline workers who deliver them, and piloting service delivery partnerships with culturally responsive, equity-focused service providers. 

Career coaching and navigation are key to supporting working people in achieving their career goals and promoting racial equity in the workforce. The Senate draft takes steps in the right direction by increasing the allocation that can be used on professional development for frontline and providing a more detailed description of professional development activities. 

NSC also warned that consolidated workforce areas could risk inequitable services 

Both ASWA and the Senate draft introduced a notable change that would allow states to potentially redesignate and consolidate these local areas into a single area. The Senate adds parameters that limit this redesignation to states with populations of 5 million or fewer, or those with fewer than 5 local areas. Additionally, the draft includes a pilot program for up to four states with populations below 5 million people to receive state allocations as a consolidated sum, effectively creating a single local area state if it was not one previously. While this approach could work for some states, centralizing workforce system decisions at the state level risks inequitable spending that may harm rural areas and areas with the greatest number of individuals with barriers to employment. This approach risks reducing government spending on our already-fraught workforce development system, restricting program eligibility, and making it more difficult to measure outcomes. 

This model could also harm small and mid-sized businesses, who are more likely to engage the workforce system at the local level. For instance, as contracting responsibilities would be centralized, the state may favor larger companies that drive more revenue over smaller ones that contribute to local economies.  

While centralization offers certain efficiencies, there is a need for a balanced approach. NSC recommends revising the population threshold from 5 million to 1 million, citing concerns that similar shifts in other programs such as TANF and Medicare have led to less localized and less fair services, contrary to the goals of workforce development. 

RELATED: 

• For a refresher on WIOA – click here. 

• For NSC’s full analysis on ASWA – click here. 

• For a side by side comparing WIOA with ASWA – click here. 

• Blog: It’s time for Congress to invest in a more equitable, resilient workforce system 

Other Notable Changes 

• Youth Apprenticeship Readiness Grant Program: The Senate bill creates a new section of WIOA that aims to increase youth earnings and employment by supporting competitive grants to develop or expand pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships for youth. Grant priority would be given to areas with significant workforce shortages in certain industries, entities with a demonstrated track record of expanding high quality employment opportunities and career pathways for individuals with barriers to employment, and entities serving a population located in rural or urban community with area median income of 150% of poverty line. 

• State Plan Timelines: While ASWA kept the timeline for state plans while making the mid-plan optional, the Senate bill instead extends the state plan to five years and moves the mid-plan to the third year.  

• Strengthening Community College Training Grants: ASWA codified the grant program, but the Senate draft does not.  

• Paid Work Experiences for Youth: The Senate bill increases the amount of funding allocated to local areas for youth activities that is required to be used for paid and unpaid work experiences to 30%. Of that funding, 1/3 must be used for apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships for youth 

• Studies and Reports: The Senate bill adds 5 new studies on Individual training accounts for dislocated workers, Effectiveness and Use of Emerging Technology in the Workforce Development System, the Use and Effectiveness of Statewide Rapid Response Activities, the Provision and Effects of Supportive Services, and Alignment Between Education and Workforce Development Systems that were not included in ASWA and removes the study on Statewide Critical Industry Skills Funds as that program is not included in the upper chamber’s draft text. 

What’s Next 

NSC submitted our full analysis of the WIOA reauthorization bill to the Senate HELP committee for their consideration. The discussion draft will likely go for bipartisan negotiations between the House and Senate chambers. However, there is a tight timeline given the Senate is only in session for a few more weeks until November, during a time when election dynamics will heavily influence what is brought to the Congressional floor. 

In the meantime, if you have the authority to sign on your organization – please can add your organization’s name to this letter calling for more workforce funding, as well as this letter calling on passing short term Pell legislation. 

The post Career Services Left out of Senate Workforce Bill appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

For the first blog, which describes how the proposed bill lacks critical investments, click here. 

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee recently released a draft for reauthorizing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Though the bill is an improvement on the House’s bill, A Stronger Workforce for America Act (ASWA) the bill needs several improvements before it can get our coalition’s full support. 

RELATED 

• For a refresher on WIOA – click here. 
• For NSC’s full analysis on ASWA – click here. 
• WIOA ASWA Comparison chart – click here.

After conducting in-depth listening sessions with a wide range of partners in 2022, NSC prioritized a set of policy recommendations designed to transform WIOA from an underfunded system to one that is resourced to deliver high-quality skills training, support working people, help small businesses, and advance racial equity. 

One of the critical recommendations was that Congress should provide accountability for our workforce system to contribute to an inclusive economy by: 

• Expanding outcome measures, disaggregate data, and invest in evaluation and data systems to promote high-quality skills training, racial equity, and quality jobs; and  

• Requiring WIOA state and local plans and boards to incorporate racial equity goals that include workers’ voices.  

Like ASWA, the Senate bill proposes a two-tiered Eligible Training and Provider List (ETPL). The ETPL is a list of training providers and their programs approved by a state’s workforce development agency as meeting certain criteria for quality and performance. Unlike the House bill, however, the Senate bill does not offer a conditional eligibility on-ramp for providers. Instead, it creates the standard eligibility list and the Workforce Innovation Leader (WIL) list. Community colleges, labor organizations, and registered apprenticeship programs gain automatic eligibility for the standard list. This approach is promising, but it may overlook specialized local training providers that cater uniquely to community needs.  

New requirements for the standard list could pose challenges for many programs to qualify. For instance, one concerning metric mandates that graduates’ median earnings exceed those of local high school graduates by 20% or more, a criterion difficult to meet due to data collection limitations and potential impacts on providers serving marginalized groups such as individuals with disabilities or the formerly incarcerated. The Workforce Innovation Leader List sets eligibility requirements up to 20% higher than the Standard Eligibility list, with few incentives to achieve these marks.  

While maintaining training provider quality is crucial, overly strict measures risk excluding or burdening local partners and limiting participant choice. Additionally, the creation of the WIL as a second tier may be unnecessary if numerous local providers struggle to qualify for the standard eligibility criteria.  

NSC has also recommended that WIOA reauthorization Expand outcome measures, disaggregate data, and invest in evaluation and data systems to promote high-quality skills training, racial equity, and quality jobs  

The Senate bill echoes ASWA’s data transparency and innovation provisions, such as  

• Adding workforce data quality initiatives to Dislocated Worker National Reserve allowable uses; 

• Requiring states to reserve 5% of Adult and Dislocated Worker funds to award grants to create longitudinal data systems; and  

• Directing Governors to establish a credential navigation feature that allows participants and the public to search a list of potential post-secondary credentials.  

Read the full list in our side-by-side comparison chart.  

Overall, these new data collections for the ETPL should be replaced with non-burdensome requirements, based in measuring racial equity of workforce programs.  

Finally, NSC has recommended that WIOA Require state and local plans and boards to incorporate racial equity goals that include workers’ voices.  In the Senate’s WIOA reauthorization bill, there are slight improvements in local board makeup compared to ASWA, which lacked mandatory changes to board composition or state/local plans. The Senate version introduces “standing committees” to advise on issues like youth employment, workers with disabilities, and reentry populations, each requiring representation from individuals with lived experience. However, these committees are advisory only and not mandatory, supplementing existing advisory structures on many workforce boards. A more impactful and equitable approach would be to mandate compensation for workers with specific lived experiences on local boards.  

For more WIOA analysis – read the other two blogs in this series 

• Senate Workforce Bill Lacks Critical Workforce Investments  

• Senate’s WIOA reauth bill won’t deliver the career services that workers need 

The post Overly Strict Accountability Measures in WIOA Reauthorization Could Hurt Local Areas & Small Business appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

For the second blog, which explains the proposed bill’s strict accountability measures, click here.

For the third blog, which explains the outcomes of career services being left out of the proposed bill, click here.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee recently released a draft for reauthorizing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Though it improves upon the House’s version from last year, further adjustments are needed to meet the needs of workers and businesses.  

 WIOA governs workforce programs for adults, dislocated workers, youth, adult education, Wagner-Peyser, employment services, and vocational rehabilitation. You can read a refresher on WIOA here.  

 Last year, the House introduced the A Stronger Workforce for America Act (ASWA), a significant step in reauthorizing WIOA. In our analysis, NSC noted the bill’s improvements and shortcomings. Despite broad bipartisan support, and the bill’s passage in April, ASWA does not fully align with our network’s priorities for an inclusive economy.  

 As negotiations moved to the Senate. NSC and our network partners worked to influence the legislation to better reflect workforce stakeholders’ needs, through Summit advocacy and giving testimony at the recent Senate hearing.  

 Congress has made considerable progress towards reauthorizing WIOA with passage of a bipartisan WIOA reauthorization bill in the House and a bipartisan discussion draft in the Senate. Given increasing polarization in both Chambers, in part due to the upcoming elections, progress of this magnitude is impressive. It indicates that both liberal and conservative members of Congress grasp the importance in advancing workforce policy this Congress.  

 NSC looks forward to engaging with both Chambers as the negotiations continue to improve upon the legislation released by the leadership of the House Education and Workforce Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.  

 NSC’s is using our 2023 WIOA reauthorization recommendations as a lens to analyze the bill. Those policy recommendations prioritized criteria from in-depth listening sessions with a wide range of partners. These policies aim to transform WIOA from an underfunded system to one that is adequately resourced to deliver high-quality skills training, support working people, help small businesses, and advance racial equity. 

 Here’s what we are looking for in the bill:  

WIOA should invest in programs to provide equitable high-quality skills training, economic supports, and pathways to quality jobs  

 Advocates want WIOA to: 

• Guarantee high-quality skills training for qualifying workers through new Skills Training Grants; 

• Create a new 21st Century Sector Partnerships Grant Program to develop a national network of high performing industry/sector partnerships and implement career pathways that advance workforce equity and job quality; and  

• Provide Digital Skills at Work grants and expand Integrated Education and Training (IET) programs that build digital, literacy, numeracy, and English language skills in the context of occupational education or training. 

The Senate bill punts on the question of investments, instead authorizing the amounts deemed necessary by appropriators. It allows governors to set aside a greater portion of their state allocation than current law, without requiring the use of industry or sector partnerships. And while it contains digital skills definition updates, there is still more work to be done to get workers and businesses the skills they need.  

Robust investments in WIOA and other workforce programs are urgently needed. Current funds are insufficient to meet workforce training needs or support effective strategies like industry sector partnerships, career supports, and supportive services.  

Recent polling shows 82% of voters support increasing government funding for skills training in America, but Congress has not provided the necessary investment. Since 2015, WIOA funding has not kept pace with inflation and population growth. Were it adjusted for inflation, WIOA would be funded at $4.41 billion. Yet, the 2024 level falls $400 million short. This shortfall, compounded by over 20 years of underfunding, leaves the system unable to meet demand.   

ASWA sets proposed WIOA workforce program funding levels slightly above 2020 levels, effectively a cut when considering inflation. The Senate bill sets authorizations at “such sums as necessary” through FY2029, serving as a placeholder for future negotiations rather than a strong legislative proposal. Neither approach demonstrates a strong commitment to federal workforce programs from the respective chambers.  

One major difference between the two bills is that the Senate bill removes the requirement for 50% of local funds to be spent on training. Without additional resources, this proposal would spread existing funding too thinly. Yet, even without this proposal, both bills lack sufficient funding to meet demand, shuffling funding at the expense of other programs.  

This is particularly concerning as it’s coupled with House appropriations negotiations that propose to further erode investments in skills programs. The House Appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health, and Human Services sets funding $3 billion below FY24 levels, including cuts like:  

• Eliminating WIOA Youth funding (nearly $950 million).  

• Reducing Apprenticeship Grant funding by $135 million.  

• Removing Senior Community Service Employment Program funding – a $405 million reduction.  

• Cutting Reentry Employment Opportunities funding by nearly 50%, a $55 million reduction.  

This lack of investment makes it crucial to pass short-term Pell legislation alongside WIOA reauthorization, enabling workers to use Pell Grants for short-term, high-quality training programs. With WIOA funds insufficient to meet training demand, and strong bipartisan support in the Senate, short-term Pell legislation should be included with WIOA reauthorization.  

 WIOA should guarantee high-quality skills training for qualifying workers through new Skills Training Grants  

NSC recommends creating Skills Training Grant Accounts providing up to $10,000 based on income eligibility to cover training tuition, fees, and supportive services like equipment, supplies, exam costs, childcare, and transportation.   

ASWA would provide for Individual Training Accounts (ITA) offering at least $5,000 for dislocated workers using H1B funds, but the program is limited and would take funds from existing workforce activities. Diverting money from locals to create new programs doesn’t help the system overall. 

The Senate bill expands on House ITAs by creating supplemental ITAs for a broader range of people, including adults, dislocated workers, and youth. However, it limits spending to $5,000 for training costs alone, and excludes career services, transportation, childcare, and other supportive services which are crucial to worker success. Like the House bill, it also uses H1B funds, with $65M set aside for a new Youth Apprenticeship Readiness Grant Program, but funds are still being diverted from existing activities instead of creating new funding sources.  

WIOA should Create a new 21st Century Sector Partnerships Grant Program to develop a national network of high performing industry/sector partnerships and implement career pathways that advance workforce equity and job quality  

Like ASWA, the Senate bill lacks dedicated funding for industry or sector partnerships. Instead, it proposes funding them by increasing the state reserve share. The discussion draft also includes provisions that create a parallel governor reserve focused on individual employers, rather than industry partnerships. The critical industry skills reserve from ASWA, which focused on incumbent workers in in-demand industries, is not in the Senate version. 

Overall, both the House and Senate bills fall short on supporting the critical role these partnerships play in supporting workers and businesses.   

WIOA should provide Digital Skills at Work grants and expand Integrated Education and Training (IET) programs that build digital, literacy, numeracy, and English language skills in the context of occupational education or training   

The Senate bill updates references to digital skills much like ASWA. These updates are an important first step. 

The Senate can do more by including and passing Digital Skills for Today’s Workforce. NSC has recommended that WIOA reauthorization fund and reflect our nation’s new digital reality through new Digital Skills at Work grants that would support upskilling and reskilling opportunities for workers to gain key digital skills; a proposal that has bipartisan and bicameral support in Congress. NSC also recommended that WIOA support Integrated Education and Training (IET) models that teach literacy, numeracy, digital skills, and English language skills in the context of training for a specific occupation.  

ASWA and the Senate version updates key WIOA definitions that ensure digital skills are better integrated throughout the legislation.  

The post Senate Workforce Bill Lacks Critical Workforce Investments  appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

Meanwhile, workforce and education advocates want to be certain that policymakers incorporate established best practices in workforce development as part of their digital skills policies.

And stakeholders across both public and private sectors are looking for clear, succinct data to illustrate the challenges and opportunities facing US workers and businesses when it comes to technology.

National Skills Coalition has put together this blog post as an accessible resource for advocates and policymakers who want to understand the data resources they can draw on to design good policies and make the case for the importance of investing in digital skills.

A quick refresher: The current landscape for digital skills funding

As of last month, all 50 states have submitted their Digital Equity Capacity Grant proposals to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This summer, roughly $800 million in federal DE funds will begin flowing to the states, who will then regrant it to local partners.

A portion of the $42 billion in federal Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funds are already flowing to support broadband projects, which can include workforce development and education. BEAD subgrantees will primarily be Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Simultaneously, some states are using American Rescue Plan Act funding to support digital skill-building programs: Tennessee has devoted nearly $28 million in ARPA funding for its Digital Skills, Employment, and Workforce Development grants. Others are creatively using federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) discretionary funding: California is dedicating $9 million to support skill-building (including digital skills) for farmworkers.

At the state level, established higher education and workforce programs such as Virginia’s FastForward, Indiana’s Next-Level Jobs, and Ohio’s TechCred are already providing important investments in digital skills. And new upskilling initiatives are rapidly emerging thanks to the workforce demand created by more than a trillion dollars in federal clean energy, semiconductor manufacturing, and other infrastructure investments. Growing demand for workers with cybersecurity and/or AI-related skills will only increase the importance of digital skill-building opportunities.

How can policymakers and advocates use digital skills data?

• To help shape Requests for Proposals and other policy documents
• To make the case for additional funding
• To implement existing policies and inform the development of new policies
• To illuminate digital skills issues as part of media interviews and public presentations

What data can provide a snapshot of people’s current digital skills?

Understanding the baseline that individuals are starting from can help policymakers and advocates alike to accomplish their goals. Among the data resources available to state leaders: NSC’s new 2-page fact sheets on digital skills. These are currently available for 18 states, with more in the works. (Scroll to the bottom of the page to view the fact sheets.)

• Some states collected baseline data on residents’ digital skills as part of their Digital Equity Planning process (called Digital Opportunity Planning in some states). View state plans here.
• All states can tap into federal Internet and Computer Use Survey data collected by NTIA and the Census Bureau. (See NTIA’s overview blog post and Data Explorer.) This data shows what percentage of state residents report engaging in online activities such as searching for a job, taking online classes, selling items online, or working remotely via the internet. While this is not a direct measure of skills, it can be a useful proxy In other words, if people are participating in these online activities, it’s reasonable to assume that they have acquired at least foundational digital skills. Importantly, state leaders can use the Census IPUMS website to break out data by specific sub-group, such as individuals with disabilities.
• States can also refer to national data collected as part of the Survey of Adult Skills, known as the PIAAC. National Skills Coalition used a subset of this data for our report The New Landscape of Digital Literacy (slides, full report, racial equity fact sheet). Unlike other data sources that rely on self-reported surveys, this is an actual test of skills, rigorously administered by researchers. The take-home finding: Fully 31 percent of currently employed US workers ages 16-64 have limited or no foundational digital skills.

How can states measure increases in digital skills?

NSC strongly encourages states to established standardized, measurable indicators to assess the outcomes of digital skills programs. Simply counting the outputs (that is, numbers of classes attended or number of individuals served) will not give states meaningful information about the observable changes – that is, the outcomes – that funding has wrought.

Instead, states should make sure that every programmatic grantee is required to report on a short, clear set of outcome measures. See specific recommended measures in our February 2024 blog post, which also contains more detail on available data sources.

How can states gather data from employers about the demand for digital skills?

Having firsthand data about the demand for digital skills in a state or local area can be a powerful tool in combination with the workforce digital skills data described above. Commonly used mechanisms for data gathering include:

• Via regularly-scheduled employer surveys conducted by chambers of commerce, industry associations, or economic development agencies
• As part of Employer Advisory Councils hosted by Career Technical Education (CTE) programs funded under the Perkins Act
• Via local or state Workforce Development Boards
• Through industry sector partnerships that bring together multiple employers in a single industry to discuss talent development needs
• Via state Labor Market Information (LMI) agencies or economic development entities that subscribe to databases that provide access to reams of Help Wanted ads and related labor market demand data

Putting the pieces together: How this data can be used

• States should draw on the above data sources to inform their forthcoming Requests for Proposals for local re-granting of Digital Equity funds.
• States should make this data available to BEAD subgrantees to ensure that their workforce proposals are informed by the latest information
• State broadband leaders should stay in regular conversation with their peers in workforce and education agencies to ensure that this data is used to inform other state-level investments
• Advocates and policymaker should select representative nuggets of information from the above data sources to use in conversations with journalists, in public presentations, and on social media to help audiences understand the opportunities and challenges at play.

The post Using Digital Skills Data to Design Strong State Policies and Illustrate the Urgency of Taking Action appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

As part of the People Powered Infrastructure campaign, the project’s goal is to increase the number of training and support service programs, with a focus on greater racial and gender workforce diversity. 

With nearly 3 million jobs per year expected to be generated by recent investments in infrastructure, the need for a collaborative effort like this is urgent. Moreover, while 69% of those jobs will be available to workers without a bachelor’s degree, there’s an anticipated labor shortage of 1.1 million workers who, without training and other workforce investments, will lack the skills to fill these jobs. 

“Ensuring equitable access to infrastructure and clean energy jobs is not just a moral imperative; it’s an economic necessity. By acting now, we can empower millions of workers, particularly women and workers of color, to contribute to our nation’s prosperity,” said Annika Cole, Advocacy Manager at Chicago Jobs Council, a proud partner in this project. 

“We are thrilled to join forces with National Skills Coalition and our fellow partners to tackle the urgent need for workers in infrastructure and clean energy sectors. Together, we can pave the way for a more inclusive and resilient workforce,” said Marcela Díaz, Executive Director at New Mexico-based organization Somos Un Pueblo Unido, joining this vital initiative. 

NSC will assist the Infrastructure Equity Policy Project partners through May 2025 as they work to advance state policies that intentionally increase quality career opportunities for women and people of color. NSC will also work with partners to build coalitions between workforce advocates; racial and gender equity organizations; and environmental, labor, and workers’ rights groups—allowing states to create equitable opportunities for all people to train for good jobs in this growing sector. 

During this project, partners will: 

• Develop policy recommendations and advocacy plans 
• Build allyship and coalitions with other influential stakeholders 
• Amplify the voices of working people and small businesses 
• Engage with and learn from other selected partners 

The partners in the Infrastructure Equity Policy Project include: 

• Capital Workforce Partners (Connecticut) 
• Chicago Jobs Council (Illinois)
• Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute (Indiana)
• North Carolina Budget and Tax Center (North Carolina)
• Somos Un Pueblo Unido (New Mexico) 
• New York Association of Training and Employment (New York)
• Ohio Workforce Coalition (Ohio)
• Partner4Work (Pennsylvania)
• United Ways of Texas (Texas)
• Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (Washington)
• Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, Inc. (Wisconsin)

Ultimately, NSC hopes that by working with partners in states to increase the number of training and support programs that prepare workers for infrastructure and clean energy jobs—with a strong focus on increasing racial and gender diversity within these programs—states can cultivate a strong, diverse, and multigenerational workforce that’s capable of driving the development and maintenance of our nation’s new and green infrastructure. 

To make sure you’re keeping up with the latest news on the Infrastructure Equity Policy Project, sign up to the People Powered Infrastructure campaign newsletter. 

The post Infrastructure Equity Policy Project Brings State Partners Together to Produce New Workforce Opportunities appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

In his opening remarks, NSC’s new CEO Robert Espinoza talked about the outlook for skills advocacy. Earlier this year, Congressional leaders introduced the Digital Skills for Today’s Workforce Act, a bill that would narrow the digital skills divide. Partly motivated by our research that shows that 92% of today’s jobs require digital skills the bill seeks to address this critical need. At the same time, a bill to reauthorize WIOA is on the move in Congress, though it requires enhancements such as increased funding and a focus on industry partnerships. The clean energy sector is also abuzz with talk of skills training, thanks to investments from recent legislation.  The expansion of Pell Grants to high-quality, short-term, training programs  is so popular on Capitol Hill that there are multiple pieces of legislation that include similar language. 

New NSC polling, released at the Summit, shows voters overwhelmingly support all these policies ideas, with 82% of voters saying they want to increase government funding for skills training and 90% endorsing access to digital skills training for workers to they can adapt to new technologies. These numbers affirm what we already know: skills training is fiercely bipartisan. 

Rachel Unruh, Chief of External Affairs at National Skills Coalition and author of the “Public Perspectives” report series discussed the research in each plenary, saying, “Concerns over jobs leaving the country and new technology replacing workers highlight the critical importance of expanding skills training programs. We must equip all workers in America with the tools and skills to harness and work alongside new technologies to compete amid our ever-evolving job landscape.”
 

Driving Change through Public Policy: Influence and Advocacy  

Advocates gathered from 41 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico for NSC’s largest event of the year. During the three-day Summit, they learned about critical federal skills policy and its ties to racial equity, job quality, and an inclusive economy. They met with their legislators on Capitol Hill and members of the Biden Administration to share their expertise and influence the direction of federal skills policy. Attendees left the event equipped to advocate for investments in inclusive, high-quality skills training alongside our coalition throughout the year. This advocacy aims to ensure that more people have access to a better life and more local businesses experience sustained growth. 

“The NSC Skills Summit plays a crucial role in empowering education- and workforce-minded people with the tools they need to impact critical policy decisions,” said Ja’Bette Lozupone, Director of Student Affairs at Montgomery College.  “You walk away better understanding key policies, your role in advocacy, and how to make a significant impact at the state and federal level.”

The 2024 Skills Summit also marked the debut of NSC’s new Student Advisory Council – a group of workers and learners who will help inform and provide policy solutions as part of our Making College Work Campaign and our larger Voices for Skills network. 

Part of what makes NSC’s policy advocacy so influential on Capitol Hill, and with Republican and Democratic administrations over the last decades, is that our work has long been grounded in our broad networks representing businesses, colleges, community organizations, public officials, and advocates – who we engage as we craft policy proposals and mobilize to advocate for and win concrete changes in skills policy. Now, workers and learners will also be at the forefront of this broad network, reflecting NSC’s commitment to illuminating the real needs and experiences of students pursuing career-focused programs and pathways. 

“This was my first experience with direct advocacy, and it was great to meet professionals in the field from across the country and make those valuable connections” said John Glover, Director of Adult Education at Norwich Regional Adult Education. 

Inspiring Speakers  

We were joined by both U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. Both leaders issued inspirational clarion calls to our network. Secretary Raimondo spoke about the importance of skills training to commerce, about caregiving, and women in the workforce, saying “If we don’t have women in the workforce, we won’t have diversity or a strong economy. And you can’t do that without affordable childcare.”  She also instructed us to “Keep our eyes on AI and digitization – because it’s coming really fast.” Acting Secretary Julie Su drove that same message home saying, “This is our time to make sure no one gets left behind. This is the moment for the work that you all do. This is our time. It’s your time. It’s game time.” 

Susie Feliz, Assistant Secretary, Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce joined us to share Agency Perspectives: Scaling and Sustaining Industry Partnerships. 

“This was my first NSC Skills Summit and I embraced the opportunity to gain perspective on a collaborative workforce development effort for positive system change,” said Goren Dillard, Senior Director of Workforce Development at the Urban League of Greater Cleveland. “The issues discussed were not simple for legislators and policy makers operating at the intersection of labor and education. However, all advocates seemed energized, unified, and fearless about the work that needed to be done. As U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said during her interview ‘this work is easy to talk about and hard to do.”

The opening plenary, Bipartisanship in an Election Year explored the political realities of legislators’ ability to work across the aisle, the places where there is consensus, where policymakers are working together on bipartisan solutions, and what it will take to advance bipartisan solutions in 2024. Katie Spiker, Managing Director of Government Affairs at NSC moderated a panel discussion featured Keith Allred, Executive Director, National Institute for Civil Discourse, Liam deClive-Lowe, Co-Founder & Co-President, American Policy Ventures, and Dr. Girard Melancon, President, Durango Works. 

A plenary on Centering Care: The Ripple Effect of Quality Care Worker Training examined perspectives on the care economy and how public and private leaders can prioritize skills training and job quality within the care workforce to strengthen jobs and create a stronger economy. NSC CEO Robert Espinoza moderated the panel featuring Helen Adeosun, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, CareAcademy; Kevin Coughlin, Policy Initiatives Advisor – Executive, Wisconsin Department of Health Services; Jason Resendez, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving; and Dr. Kezia Scales, Vice President of Research and Evaluation, PHI. 

From Capitol Hill to kitchen tables across the country, people are talking about the role of AI and its impact on the workforce. The AI, Worker Voice, and Industry Transformation plenary investigated perspectives on AI and why workers’ expertise is essential to shaping AI in the workplace. Chike Aguh, Senior Advisor at the Project on Workforce at Harvard University, Allyson Knox, Senior Director of Education and Workforce Policy at Microsoft, and Daniel Bustillo Deputy Executive Director at 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds explored how public policy can support workers’ skill needs and access to quality jobs as AI changes practices across industries in this plenary moderated by NSC’s Chief Strategy Officer, Brooke DeRenzis. 

Finally, Melissa Johnson, NSC’s Managing Director of State Strategies moderated a panel featuring Michael Collins, Vice President for Racial Economic Equity, Jobs for the Future, Blair Corcoran de Castillo, Vice President, Policy, Opportunity@Work; Michael O’Bryan, Founder and CEO, Humanature; and Dane Linn, Senior Vice President, Corporate Initiatives, Immigration, Business Roundtable took to the main stage for a plenary entitled “From Education to Hiring & Advancement: An Equity & Skills-Based Framework” to discuss how companies and government agencies can implement skills-based hiring along with equity advancing policies that support hiring and career advancement for workers of color and other underrepresented groups. 

On the third day of the Summit, while attendees held meetings with their Senators and Representatives, NSC held two briefings for Congressional policy staff. One briefing: Reimagining Workforce – Building Opportunities and Breaking Barriers was held in the House of Representatives and featured Alex Carmardelle, Vice President, Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative, Ian Record, Ph.D., Policy and Research Consultant, Workforce Grantmaking in Native Nations and Communities, and Jina Krause-Vilmar, President & CEO, Upwardly Global.  Another briefing Workforce Partnerships and Pathway – Supporting Quality Education and Training Opportunities through Employer Engagement was held in the Senate and featured Celeste Granger, Senior Vice President of Programs & Initiatives at the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, Angie Barksdale, Chief Operating Officer, West Michigan Works! znd Carol Philips, Executive Director, WV Women Work.   

Click here for a full list of state leads. 

Skills Champions

NSC awarded several of our coalition with awards for their work to advance skills. Luis Sandoval, Executive Director, Building Skills Partnership was named as the 2024 recipient of the  Dr. Alma Salazar Bridge Builder Award. The award is given to a member of NSC’s network who exemplifies Dr. Salazar’s commitment to bringing together uncommon allies in support of inclusive skills policy.   

As the leader of Building Skills Partnerships, a nationally recognized labor-management training partnership, Luis has been instrumental in creating the Skills for California coalition, a member of NSC’s SkillSPAN network. Luis has built bridges across business and worker organizations, creating a multi-stakeholder state network. The coalition has successfully advocated for policies to increase the number and diversity of workers on a path to good jobs and meet the labor needs of local employers, including through the advancement of high-road training partnerships and workforce literacy training programs serving immigrants, refugees, and English Language Learners.  

Dalila Wilson-Scott, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Comcast Corporation & Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation was named the 2024 recipient of the Founder’s Circle Award.  Dalila has overseen direct investments in NSC’s research, communications, and technical assistance to ensure states can leverage billions of dollars in generational federal investments to close the digital skill divide and create equitable economic opportunity. In addition, Dalila has leveraged her own influence and relationships as well as Comcast’s world-class media platforms to bring greater attention to NSC’s foundational research about the digital skill divide and proven solutions. Working with NSC, Comcast joined over 70 companies, including ten Fortune 500s, in putting forward a set of principles that provide a roadmap for public and private leaders to advance digital equity. Dalila’s virtual Fireside Chat with NSC’s CEO garnered over 5 million impressions bringing an unprecedented level of reach and visibility to NSC’s research, its network, and its efforts.  

Click here for a full list of this year’s awardees. 

The 2024 Skills Summit was made possible by our Champion Sponsors: Comcast NBC Universal, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, JP Morgan Chase and Co., Lumina Foundation, and Walmart. 

Some of our favorite photos are below – but check out all photos of the event on our Flickr Page.  And join the conversation on LinkedIn using the hashtag #NSCSummit2024.

And Save the date for next year! May 5 – 7, 2025 at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The post “It’s Game Time” 2024 Skills Summit, Wrapped appeared first on National Skills Coalition.