Strengthening Apprenticeships: Reflections from a Congressional Hearing

Posted on by Grace Moster

By Dr. Jennifer Wilson

I recently attended a House Education and Workforce Subcommittee hearing focused on apprenticeships. This was of particular interest to me as a former Vice President of Workforce Development at a community college and a Board member of the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB).

The hearing centered in part on President Trump’s agenda to have 1 million apprentices by 2030, including ways to meet that critical goal. It was encouraging to see bipartisan support for a proven training and employment model that can help build a stronger, more qualified and resilient workforce.

Throughout the hearing, witnesses emphasized the growing importance of nondegree pathways. Apprenticeships stand out because they combine paid, on-the-job experience with structured learning in a way that benefits both employers and workers. At the same time, the conversation did not devote a lot of focus to the ongoing challenges facing the broader workforce system, including how it can help to support these pathways to family sustaining employment.

A Fragmented System

One of the most persistent challenges is how disconnected the workforce system can feel. There is often limited clarity around how employers, education providers, and workforce organizations should work together, what role each plays, what resources are needed to support effective implementation, and too little agreement on a needed common language to describe this work and related outcomes.

These challenges were also evident in discussions about apprenticeships. While multiple approaches are designed to support talent development, many employers choose to create their own programs rather than pursue formal registration. Using this Earn-While-You-Learn model for many cases reflects a reduction of time and administrative demands associated with the registration and tracking process.

In Iowa, I have worked extensively on designing short-term, credential-based career pathways using an apprenticeship model without red tape.  I have observed the practical challenges of these registration requirements firsthand. Many small and mid-sized businesses do not have the internal systems or staff needed to manage reporting expectations. Employers are often interested in investing in their workforce, but participation must be balanced with day-to-day operational demands.  Additionally, there is not a scalable business model where there is dedicated funding for intermediary organizations who help align pathways, systems, or oversee required reporting.

Simplifying the registration process would be a good first step. The National Association of Workforce Boards, where I am proud to serve on the Board, has a toolkit to help address the complexities of registered apprenticeships.

Gaps in the Conversation

Several important areas could benefit from further attention from lawmakers:

  1. The role of workforce boards: Workforce boards operate at the intersection of employers, education providers, and community organizations. This positioning allows them to play a more central role in advancing apprenticeship efforts. They can help employers (small, mid-sized, and large) navigate available options, connect training providers with industry needs, support data coordination, and strengthen collaboration across partners. Expanding support for this much needed intermediary role may require clearer guidance, improved alignment across systems, flexibility to support different apprenticeship models, and, most importantly, predictable funding streams to help scale these efforts.
  2. Data and return on investment: There was limited discussion about how apprenticeship programs are evaluated relative to other workforce initiatives or how return on investment is consistently defined and measured. While apprenticeships differ from other programs in significant ways, alignment of consistent metrics for apprenticeships would be helpful, particularly within existing frameworks such as WIOA. Without common definitions and measurable benchmarks, programs can operate independently, with funding, reporting, and program goals that may not be in alignment.
  3. Rethinking higher education: It was also suggested that higher education needs to be redesigned to better meet workforce needs, and I couldn’t agree more. This is an important conversation to have. Workforce Pell, which allows short-term workforce training, is one way to address the issue, and Apprenticeships for America has produced an implementation guide to support these efforts. Another approach would see more alignment from the outset between education providers, accrediting bodies, employers, workforce boards, and policymakers. Apprenticeships can be a valuable component when supported by a coordinated system, particularly when apprenticeships and postsecondary education are more tightly connected with one another.

Call to Action

  • Workforce boards are inextricably involved in facilitating and supporting apprenticeships across the country, but lawmakers do not seem aware of this work. My fellow workforce board leaders can use NAWB’s customizable template letter to share both how they are contributing to accomplishing the goal of increasing the number of apprenticeships and how the processes can be improved going forward.
  • Policymakers can help by working toward greater alignment between education and workforce systems so that policies reinforce, rather than complicate, apprenticeship models.
  • Education providers can design programs that integrate more seamlessly with work-based learning.
  • Employers remain central to this effort, and their experience is critical in shaping how systems evolve. Their local workforce boards can support them in exploring new apprenticeships.

There is broad agreement that apprenticeships offer an effective pathway to connect individuals to meaningful careers while helping employers meet workforce needs. Fully realizing that potential will depend on clearer coordination, defined roles, and practical support for employers.

Dr. Jennifer Wilson sits as a Board of Director for the National Association of Workforce Boards, has been a nationally recognized advocate of education and workforce development, and currently is CEO of her own consulting firm, Tripple C Solutions, LLC, where she assists associations, workforce boards, higher education institutions, and employers in REAL systemic change by connecting credentials to careers.   

 

Why the “A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026” Falls Short—and Why Your Voice Matters Now

Posted on by Grace Moster
The House Education and Workforce Committee is preparing to take up the A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026 (ASWA 2026) as soon as next week. As drafted, this bill represents a significant step backward for the nation’s workforce development system at a time when workers, job seekers, and employers urgently need more support, not less.
At NAWB, we believe deeply in the power of locally driven workforce solutions. Workforce boards across the country are helping people adapt to rapid technological change, navigate economic disruption, and are helping local employers find skilled workers. But ASWA 2026, in its current form, undermines that mission in several critical ways.
ASWA 2026 Fails to Invest in the Workforce System
Federal funding for workforce development has steadily declined for two decades. Congress has never funded the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) at its authorized levels.
Yet instead of reversing this trend, ASWA would:
• Freeze funding levels for Adult and Youth programs for six years
• Cut Dislocated Worker funding by nearly 5%
This comes at a time when AI, automation, and advanced technologies—which Congress and the administration are supporting and investing in—are reshaping the labor market. Workers and employers need more support to stay competitive. This bill does not meet that moment.
A Rigid 50% Training Requirement Doesn’t Reflect Local Needs
Local workforce boards understand their communities. They know which industries are growing, which skills are in demand, and what barriers job seekers face.
ASWA 2026 would implement a one‑size‑fits‑all 50% training expenditure requirement for Adult and Dislocated Worker programs. While the bill allows a 10% set‑aside for supportive services or individualized career services, this new mandate is arbitrary and disconnected from real‑world needs.
This requirement would:
• Force boards to meet a metric rather than serve people holistically
• Limit funding for essential services like business engagement, labor market analysis, and sector partnerships
• Ignore barriers—such as childcare, transportation, or housing—that often determine whether someone can complete training at all
If training is needed, shouldn’t we prioritize the successful completion of that training? This often requires these wraparound services, including case management, to ensure the appropriate supports are in place.
Expanded Governor’s Reserve That Reduces Local Capacity
ASWA 2026 would allow governors to set aside an additional 10% of state allocations (on top of the existing 15%) for a new Critical Industry Skills Fund.
While supporting critical industries is important, this approach would further divert vital WIOA funding away from serving workers and employers. The U.S. Department of Labor has already distributed grants for this purpose. Duplicating that effort at the expense of local funding is misguided.
Single State Redesignation Authority Undermines Local Leadership
Under ASWA 2026, states with fewer than 5.1 million people (or fewer than six local workforce boards) could redesignate as Single State Areas. At least 26 states would qualify.
This would be a dramatic departure from WIOA’s design, which centers local business and civic leadership in workforce decision‑making. Consolidating authority at the state level risks weakening the responsiveness and innovation that local boards bring to their communities.
A Block Grant Pilot Threatens the Local Workforce Model
The bill would also expand the Make America Skilled Again (MASA) block grant concept from the Administration’s FY2027 budget request.
The pilot would:
• Allow up to 10 states to collapse multiple workforce funding streams into a single block grant
• Remove previous guardrails related to labor market participation and population
This shift would jeopardize the success of the locally driven workforce system and concentrate funding authority at the state level, moving away from the community‑based approach that has proven effective.
So, where do we go from here?
NAWB has been deeply engaged with lawmakers, committee staff, and partners across the workforce ecosystem to ensure that any reauthorization of WIOA strengthens—not weakens—the system that millions of workers and businesses rely on.
We have:
• Provided detailed feedback on ASWA provisions
• Shared data and stories from local boards nationwide
• Coordinated with national partners to amplify concerns
• Engaged directly with committee members and staff
• Advocated for increased funding and flexibility to meet local needs
We will continue this work, but your voice is essential.
Take Action: Contact House Education and Workforce Committee Members Today
The committee may take up ASWA 2026 as soon as next week. Now is the time to make sure lawmakers understand how this bill would affect your community.
Contact your lawmakers on the House Education and Workforce Committee [link to https://edworkforce.house.gov/committee/fullcommittee.htm] and share your concerns about ASWA 2026.
[Link to Committee Contact Page]
Tell them:
• Local workforce boards need flexibility—not rigid mandates
• Funding must reflect the scale of economic trends, new work requirements, and technological change
• Workforce development works best when decisions are made close to the community
• ASWA 2026, as drafted, does not meet the needs of workers, job seekers, or businesses
Your outreach can make a real difference in shaping the future of workforce development.
Contact us at NAWB (link to nawb@nawb.org) for assistance. We are here to help.

LERs Gain Bipartisan Traction in Congress: Key Takeaways from the Talent Marketplace Hearing

Posted on by Grace Moster

Learning & Employment Records (LERs) arrived this week at the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development for a formal hearing entitled Building a Talent Marketplace: How LERs Empower Workers and Expand Opportunity. The hearing demonstrated significant bipartisan interest and potential support for LER adoption.

A distinguished panel addressed the committee emphasizing the importance of skills data measurement and collection. Alex Kaplan, American Association of College Registrars and Admission Officers, concisely stated the current situation, “I can’t overemphasize the importance of arriving at a set of standards and protocols that allow for the interoperability to occur—this will reduce the cost for everybody, and it will accelerate the adoption of them [LERs].” Providing a specific example, Scott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University, spoke of WGU’s prototype that evolved into the Indiana Achievement Wallet, “Now available to nearly 2.5 million students, alumni, and employees, our LER platform is designed to be student-centric, skills-rich, and provide pathfinding and career exploration from day one!”

For 43 million Americans with some college, Greg DiDonato, EBSCO Information Services, shared the potential impact “…with effective LERs, these individuals can demonstrate the skills they already have, even without completing a degree. Workers in declining industries can identify transferable skills that may allow them to enter a growing sector.”

Scott Cheney, Credential Engine, summed up his view on LinkedIn following the hearing, “This is a very bi-partisan issue, and I’m excited to see whatever legislation will be introduced as a result.” Scott thanked Chairman Owens for holding the hearing and being a visionary champion on this issue. He specifically acknowledged Chairman Owens for championing the issue, as well as the participation of full committee Chairman Walberg and Ranking Member Scott.

Where are Workforce Boards in this conversation? NAWB has been on this journey for several years, sharing resources with our members. We appreciate the contributions of our funder, community of practice, skills advisory group, and contractors. We hope this momentum will enhance coordination and progress. Most importantly, we urge workforce boards to embrace LERs and actively join this critical national dialogue!

Full written testimonies can be found on the committee website.  https://edworkforce.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=412861

Building Capacity, Expanding Opportunity: The Workforce System’s Next Step in the Age of AI 

Posted on by Grace Moster

by Andrew Bercich, SummitWorX Solutions and Erica Greeley, National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) 

A Moment of Transformation 

The pace of technological change has never been faster, and few innovations have reshaped our world as quickly as generative artificial intelligence (AI). From automating complex data analysis to producing text, images, and code, generative AI is transforming how people learn, communicate, and create. 

For the workforce development system, this transformation presents both profound challenges and once-in-a-generation opportunities. As a system, we look to balance concerns about labor arbitrage and privacy, with the advantages of having the knowledge of the best professionals in every field at our fingertips.  

As workforce boards navigate declining funding, increasing demand for services, greater policy uncertainty and a labor market undergoing structural change, generative AI offers not just new tools but a new way of thinking about how we serve communities, employers, and jobseekers. 

Disruption and the Entry Level Challenge 

The impacts of AI are already being felt across the labor market, particularly in entry-level and routine roles that once served as critical gateways for young workers. 

A 2025 study from the Brookings Institution found that 85% of the U.S. workforce could see at least 10% of their tasks affected by generative AI, and 30% of workers could have 50% or more of their tasks affected.  

While these shifts raise understandable concern about job loss, they also point to a larger evolution in how work is done. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Business Trends and Outlooks Survey (BTOS) shows that 12% of businesses expect that generative AI will impact employment numbers, but interestingly, slightly more of those businesses expect employment to increase more than decrease. New opportunities are emerging in AI quality assurance, data annotation, prompt design, model training, and digital content management all of which depend on human judgment and creativity. But any change in employment, either increased reductions in staff or changing skills requirements, puts additional pressure on our system. 

Entry-level work has long been the foundation for skill development, social capital, and career mobility. A recent study by Stanford University found that employment declined ~13% for workers aged 22 – 25 in “AI-exposed” occupations. If those entry points decrease and training providers must find new ways to prepare individuals for the roles that AI will augment, not replace.  Boards will need to find new ways of engaging with these less experienced workers that need early-career opportunities to develop not just technical skills, but the core employability skills needed to be an effective worker in any organization or environment. 

The challenge—and opportunity—is to ensure that equitable access, inclusion, and skill relevance remain at the center of this change. 

For workforce boards themselves, generative AI offers an unexpected silver lining, a lifeline amid tightening budgets, growing demand for services, and an evolving labor market that increasingly values skills-based hiring. The productivity impact is measurable. PwC’s 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer found that industries most exposed to AI experienced a fourfold increase in productivity growth, jumping from roughly 7% to 27% as adoption accelerated. Likewise, Goldman Sachs estimates that AI could increase global GDP by 7% while transforming or augmenting about 300 million jobs worldwide. 

Generative AI As a Strategic Lifeline 

AI tools can streamline administrative work by speeding up reporting and documentation. They can support data-driven decision-making by modeling the impact of a proposed board policy change, and they can enhance communication with both employers and job seekers by allowing more personalization and contextualization in messaging.  

Boards that are further on their AI journey are using it to assist with program design, grant writing and supporting One-Stop compliance and monitoring. Generative AI can draft outreach materials, summarize case notes, aid in interview preparation, and even help tailor resumes or job recommendations for participants. Nearly every aspect of a workforce operation has the capability to receive a productivity boost from AI if we have the right mindset to adopt and implement the technology in the right way. 

“AI is not a tool, but a whole new way of working. It’s one of the most important things that leaders need to think about in this AI transformation… a mind shift.” – Matthew Duncan, Head of Thought Leadership on the Future of Work,  Microsoft 

For boards facing tough tradeoffs, generative AI represents a way to do more with less, without compromising mission or impact and potentially delivering deeper impact when used effectively and responsibly. By leveraging AI strategically and ethically, workforce boards can shift capacity from routine tasks to higher-value human services: coaching, relationship-building, and program innovation. 

Building Capacity: A New Commitment from NAWB 

Recognizing this critical juncture, NAWB is taking bold steps to help the system not just adapt to AI but lead in its responsible use. 

In the coming months, NAWB will launch a suite of initiatives designed to build AI capacity across the national workforce system, including: 

  • AI-focused programming at The Forum, NAWB’s annual gathering of workforce professionals, featuring case studies, demonstrations, and conversations on the future of technology-enabled workforce delivery. 
  • Hands-on learning and technical assistance opportunities throughout 2026, including virtual events, regional workshops, and peer learning networks focused on real-world applications of AI in workforce operations. 
  • Advocating for policy that keeps workers, businesses, and funding at the forefront of lawmakers’ minds. As policies impact the direction of the labor market, NAWB will continue to sound the call that our communities and labor markets need funding to adapt to changing conditions. 

These initiatives will help workforce leaders understand what AI can do and how to do it right. Together with SummitWorX Solutions, NAWB is committed to ensuring that this evolution strengthens local boards’ capacity, rather than widening existing resource divides. 

A Call to Action for Workforce Leaders 

This is a defining moment for the public workforce system. Generative AI will not wait for us to catch up, and the cost of inaction is high. 

Workforce boards are uniquely positioned to translate innovation into inclusion. By combining their deep community connections with the transformative potential of generative AI, they can redesign service delivery, improve equity, and equip America’s workers for an economy where human and digital collaboration define success. 

As we began this post, the pace of change has never been faster, and the truth is, it will never be this slow again. By embracing this moment with purpose, strategy, and ethical commitment, workforce boards can ensure that AI becomes not a threat, but a tool for renewal, resilience, growth, and expanded opportunity. 

About the Authors 

SummitWorX Solutions partners with workforce boards, educational institutions, and public agencies to design forward-looking strategies for talent, technology, and community impact. SummitWorX Solutions’ Founder and CEO, Andrew Bercich, is the former Head of Talent Acquisition for Amazon’s Alexa and Artificial General Intelligence (Gen AI) organizations and is Past–Chair of NAWB. 

The National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) represents and advocates for more than 550 workforce development boards nationwide.  Under the leadership of Acting CEO, Erica Greeley, who previously served as Vice President of Economic Mobility at Feeding America, and earlier held nonprofit leadership roles supporting networks, systems-change and economic opportunity, NAWB is deepening its focus on innovation, collaboration, and the responsible use of technology to strengthen the nation’s workforce ecosystem.