NAWB Joins NLC, USCM, NACO, USWA in Laying Out WIOA Reauthorization Recommendations

April 24, 2025– Last night, President Trump signed a slew of Executive Orders (EOs) pertaining to a number of topics, including workforce development. Among these EOs was one titled Preparing Americans for High-paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future.

This EO is focused on the Trump Administration’s wider efforts to reinvigorate domestic manufacturing in the United States. As acknowledged by the EO, a robust and skilled workforce is an essential component of these wider efforts being undertaken by the Administration.

Key aspects of this EO include:

• The Development of a Comprehensive Workforce Strategy report: The EO directs the Secretaries of Labor, Commerce, and Education to review all federal workforce development programs within 90 days. They must identify opportunities to integrate and realign resources to address critical workforce needs, propose administrative reforms, and recommend the restructuring or elimination of ineffective programs. The strategy also emphasizes investing in upskilling incumbent workers and exploring alternative credentials to the traditional four-year college degree.

• Expands Registered Apprenticeships: Over the next 120 days, the EO directs these same Departments to develop a plan to increase the number of active apprentices in America to one million. This plan will examine how to expand apprenticeship opportunities into new and emerging economic sectors and opportunities to leverage existing federal investments in postsecondary student aid and Career and Technical Education (CTE).

• Transparency and Accountability: The EO calls on the Departments of Labor, Commerce, and Education to improve data transparency on workforce performance outcomes and related credentials.

Read the Secretary of Labor’s response.

NAWB is continuing to analyze this and other EOs for potential impacts for the wider workforce development community and will continue to share updates as they are available.

We welcome members’ perspectives on this new development in the coming weeks ahead as federal agencies begin to develop plans to implement this latest executive action.

The National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) today announced the recipients of the 2025 NAWB Awards: Excellence in Community College Partnership, the Laurie Moran Partnership Award, WIOA Trailblazer, W.O. Lawton, and the Workforce Advocacy and Policy Award. The winners for the NAWB Awards were chosen by a subcommittee of NAWB’s board of directors.

Maricopa County Workforce Development Board is the recipient of the in Community College Partnership Award for its ongoing work with Maricopa County Corporate College (MCOR). Together, they have provided jobseekers with personalized career pathways, skills assessments, and direct connections to local employers in high-demand industries across one of the nation’s most populous and geographically expansive counties.

CareerSource Broward is the recipient of the Laurie Moran Partnership Award for its impactful partnership with the Greater Fort Lauderdale and Greater Hollywood Chambers of Commerce, which provide businesses with work-based training grants, workforce solutions, and large-scale events that support upskilling, job placement, and business growth in Broward County. Together, they have created multiple large-scale events and employer forums that have connected thousands of job seekers with local businesses.

Workforce Development Council of Seattle King County is the recipient of the WIOA Trailblazer Award for its innovative, community-driven strategic planning process, which includes “Recover Better: A Regional Plan for Equitable Economic Recovery” and the creation of a subrecipient funding model that expanded partnerships with community organizations, provided digital access, and supported workforce solutions for underserved populations, including immigrants, refugees, and individuals facing systemic barriers.

Angel Sanchez, Jr., CEO of Phenix Technology, is the recipient of the W.O. Lawton Award for creating inclusive workforce opportunities for neurodiverse individuals through the Opportunity for All program, which provides job training, skill development, and personal growth opportunities, helping individuals with developmental disabilities build sustainable careers.

Tina Roper is the recipient of the Workforce Advocacy and Policy Award for her active advocacy, especially with members of the Louisiana Congressional delegation, during the most recent effort to reauthorize WIOA. Tina was tenacious in highlighting the need to preserve local workforce boards’ autonomy and flexibility to serve both jobseekers and businesses, and the need for increased funding for the public workforce system.

“The recipients of this year’s NAWB Awards and Congressional Workforce Champion Awards embody the dedication and innovation that drive workforce success. Their efforts are transforming lives, strengthening communities, and shaping the future of work. We are deeply grateful for their commitment to empowering jobseekers and businesses alike,” said Brad Turner-Little, President and CEO of NAWB. “Thank you for your leadership and for championing a stronger, more inclusive workforce.”

Tomorrow, we will hold a ceremony at the Capitol Visitors Center for the Congressional Workforce Champion Awards which honor members of Congress who craft, champion, and support our nation’s workforce development system. These award winners were chosen by NAWB’s Policy Committee.

Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) for her commitment to crafting policies that directly benefit workers and businesses, like the Skilled Workforce for America Act.

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) for his support of the Floridian workforce development system and his steadfast belief that workforce development is economic development.

Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) for his constant creation and support of workforce development bills while simultaneously in communication with local workforce development boards and Michigan Works!

Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) for playing a key role in securing major workforce-related funding for Eastern Kentucky, including support of a $40 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) for Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) to implement the Eastern Kentucky Runway Project.

About the National Association of Workforce Boards and the NAWB Awards

The National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) represents and advocates for the nation’s more than 580 workforce development boards, which coordinate with business and economic development stakeholders to administer regional workforce programs which meet the needs of jobseekers, businesses, and communities. For more information on NAWB’s latest work and new initiatives, visit www.nawb.org.

Presented annually at The Forum, NAWB Awards recognize the most innovative and impactful work being done by workforce development boards and their partners. The Awards honor efforts which provide models for the nation’s workforce system: programs and partnerships which have transcended the expected and achieved the extraordinary for workers, businesses, and communities.

March 10, 2025 — Today, the U.S. Senate voted 67-32 to confirm President Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a former mayor of Happy Valley, OR and former Republican member of the House of Representatives, is expected to be sworn in tomorrow (Tuesday, March 11) and begin her service at DOL immediately afterward.

“The National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) congratulates Secretary Chavez-DeRemer and looks forward to working with her to support the public workforce system in their vital work to serve businesses and jobseekers alike,” said NAWB President and CEO, Brad Turner-Little. “Together, we will work to ensure that local workforce boards have both the resources and the flexibility to meet the unique needs of their communities.”

In Congress, Chavez-DeRemer was a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee and voted for the A Stronger Workforce for America (ASWA)—the House WIOA reauthorization proposal. She was also a member of the House Agriculture Committee, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Republican Main Street Partnership, Problem Solvers Caucus, Climate Solutions Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

At her confirmation hearing last month, Chavez-DeRemer noted that she supports Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) and would support reauthorization of the Workforce Opportunity and Innovation Act. When faced with questions about how the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been operating inside of DOL, she indicated that she would examine these efforts further once confirmed. While Chavez-DeRemer faced some skepticism from Committee Republicans due to her support for the PRO Act—legislation that would make it easier for unions to form and workers to organize—she largely addressed concerns raised during the hearing.

Chavez-DeRemer was formally nominated by President Trump on January 20, 2025, and was approved by the Senate Health Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on February 27, 2025, by a vote of 14-9. She will become the nation’s 30th Secretary of Labor.

March 7, 2025 — Workforce boards in communities all across this country strive every day to connect work opportunities and jobseekers. They help businesses – tens of thousands of small and medium sized companies that are our economy’s backbone – fill their talent needs, to the tune of over 1 million jobs filled every year.

The House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development hearing held on Wednesday, March 5, Strengthening WIOA: Improving Outcomes for America’s Workforce, addressed such things as the economic costs of not connecting young people to education and/or work, the important role community colleges play in preparing workers for today’s economy, and the critical need for better data to support workforce development efforts. While these are all good aspects of the discussion to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the hearing did not explore all that workforce boards do to meet the needs of business and those trying to enter the labor market.

Several committee members noted the impact their local workforce boards have on their district’s economy; Ranking Member Alma Adams (D-NC) noted specifically that last year NAWB member CharlotteWorks generated over $224 million in economic impact while serving more than 40,000 people. That’s quite a return on public investment – but what would happen if CharlotteWorks is mandated to spend 50% of its resources to provide a one-size-fits-all type of training, regardless of an individual jobseeker’s needs?

That’s exactly what will happen if the previous Congress’s WIOA reauthorization proposal is introduced in its original form. The bill, A Stronger Workforce for America (ASWA), mandates local workforce boards spend 50% of their Adult and Dislocated Worker funds on training.

While there was an allowance in the final, nearly enacted version of ASWA to permit including supportive services including childcare or transportation supports, and career services including case management or career coaching to comprise part of that mandated threshold, the provision restricts a local workforce board’s ability to determine the best overall use of these funds.

ASWA proposes using a hammer when what’s needed is a multi-tool. Local boards need to be able to use any number of tools to bring talent and opportunity together – not just one mandated ‘go to’.

Instead of CharlotteWorks being able to respond to local worker and business needs in the ways determined by their customers, they will be forced to either authorize training when it’s not really needed or deny services to jobseekers because they don’t need training.

As I noted in a blog earlier this week, I am not aware of anyone involved in the workforce system that doesn’t support finding more ways for jobseekers to get the training and skills development they need to access opportunities. But if the end game here is to get more people trained, incentivize local boards to achieve that result as opposed to restricting their ability to fully serve their customers; consider leveraging other funds – public or private – to count toward a training goal; pass the bipartisan legislation that would open access to Pell Grant dollars for short-term training.

1.5 million jobs are filled each year with support from our nation’s public workforce system; that’s a job filled every five seconds of every business day. Yes, WIOA reauthorization should be responsive to the important topics covered in the House Subcommittee hearing. But it also needs to add to the tools a workforce board uses to meet this moment, not limit them.

– btl

March 5, 2025 — The House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing, Strengthening WIOA: Improving Outcomes for America’s Workforce.

Subcommittee Chairman Burgess Owens (R-UT) opened the hearing by noting, “a strong workforce development system is vital to growing our economy and providing economic opportunity for every American.” Owens further noted that reforms to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) are needed to help the public workforce system realize this promise and indicated his strong support for A Stronger Workforce for America Act (ASWA), the WIOA reauthorization proposal the committee and wider House advanced in the last Congress. In particular, Owens highlighted his home state of Utah’s One Door Policy, which integrates workforce development and human services in the state, and how aspects of ASWA have been modeled off of this systems approach.

Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC), the subcommittee Ranking Member, noted the bipartisan support for workforce development, and highlighted CharlotteWorks, one of North Carolina’s workforce boards and a NAWB member, which generated $225 million in economic value and served 42,000 jobseekers last year. She lauded many of the provisions contained in ASWA, especially provisions to help Opportunity Youth, young people ages 16-24 that are not in school and not employed. She noted that the public workforce system has been chronically underfunded, and that it needs more support to be effective.

The hearing featured testimony from several witnesses including Stephen Moret, President and CEO, Strada Education Foundation; Molly Dodge, Senior Vice President of Workforce and Careers, Ivy Tech Community College; Robert Sainz, Board Chair, National Youth Employment Coalition; and Nick Moore, Director of the state of Alabama’s Office of Education and Workforce Transformation.

Throughout the hearing both lawmakers on the subcommittee and witnesses voiced strong support for ASWA and highlighted various aspects of the legislation they particularly support. The committee especially focused on the WIOA Youth programming, and the economic impact of not engaging Opportunity Youth. Sainz noted that Opportunity Youth are not contributing to the tax base, more often rely on public assistance and public health programs, the likelihood of becoming a homeowner is much less likely, and they are more likely to end up involved in the justice system.

The National Youth Employment Coalition noted that there are currently 4.3 million Opportunity Youth. Sainz noted that their opportunities in life become more limited the longer it takes to reach them. He also noted the important role that supportive services – such as transportation, food, and housing – play in serving this population.

Sainz noted that the cost to incarcerate someone is $150,000 per year, while Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) noted that Pittsburgh’s Partner4Work, a NAWB member, serves WIOA youth, and that nearly 70% are employed after leaving the program. She lauded the program as a “school-to-prison pipeline disrupter.”

Sainz also highlighted the vital role of workforce boards. “They’re the ones that are actually saving lives,” he said. “This is not about putting people to work, it is about changing lives.” Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) agreed with this sentiment noting that for participants, these programs “not only changed their life but it changed the lives of their families.”

Witness Moore noted that the public workforce system needs to be modernized and that too many WIOA funds are currently used on administration rather than direct services for participants. Alabama’s workforce system was held up as a model that should be replicated.

Other topics covered at the hearing included the need for improved data quality and related transparency, the potential impact of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) both on the public workforce system and labor markets, improving coordination with education systems, including Career and Technical Education (CTE), and more. WIOA’s central role in disaster relief was also highlighted, with witnesses and lawmakers discussing that 11 counties in North Carolina received support following the storms last year, through WIOA’s Dislocated Workers program. Sainz added that WIOA was instrumental in helping Californians deal with the aftermath of the recent wildfires and they also played a crucial role in supporting port workers during last year’s bridge collapse in Baltimore.

Adult education and literacy efforts were also raised, with members and witnesses discussing the role digital literacy skills have in today’s fast-changing economy.

Committee members also discussed how to improve training program quality and were eager to learn more about the Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL), where it was suggested that states need to review and update each of the ETPL systems for quality and relevance to the local labor market.