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

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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: 

  • A new Generative AI Credential for workforce administrators, launching in December and developed in partnership with Microsoft, to help local leaders implement AI tools safely and effectively. And soon, a credential for the jobseeker.  
  • 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. 

Advancing Economic Mobility: How Workforce Boards Are Using Data to Better Support Parents

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Since 2016, The National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) and Innovate+Educate have partnered on the Family Centered Employment (FCE) initiative, recognizing that supporting parents is a powerful lever for community economic growth. This strategic partnership has revealed that when workforce systems identify and address parents’ unique needs—particularly through childcare access and coordinated support services—they have the potential to unlock greater workforce participation and career advancement opportunities that benefit entire families.  

In the fall of 2024, thanks to support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, NAWB collaborated with Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) to explore how workforce boards collect and use parent data in practice. Our national survey brought to light a critical insight: while many workforce boards recognize the importance of parent-centered approaches, gaps remain between intention and implementation. These findings not only highlight current challenges but also present compelling opportunities to transform how the workforce system serves parents—potentially impacting thousands of families nationwide. 

Key Findings 

  • 86% of survey respondents collect data on parental status, mostly for WIOA eligibility, yet 60% don’t clearly define “parent.” 
  • Over 70% use parental data to inform or update local WIOA plans. 
  • 88% partner with parent-serving organizations, but only 59% formally reflect those partnerships in their plans. 
  • Most WDBs want to collect more data, especially around childcare needs and benefit eligibility, to improve services. 

Why It Matters

Knowing that a jobseeker is a parent helps WDBs tailor services—from scheduling to supportive programs. But without consistent definitions, better data systems, and formal sharing agreements, WDBs face barriers to fully leverage this information. 

Looking Ahead 

While the survey provides a foundation for understanding the current parental data collected in the workforce system, it only scratches the surface. Further exploration with a diverse sample of WDB respondents from varying geographic locations, size, and staff roles could inform program design and systemic solutions. Topics may include:  

  • How WDBs define “parent” and collect related data 
  • Challenges and solutions in data collection 
  • Opportunities to streamline efforts through partnerships and shared tools 
  • Identifying promising practices to focus on for future data collection 

By improving how parental data is collected and used, WDBs can strengthen pathways to economic mobility—not just for individuals, but for entire families. NAWB will continue to share data and best practices to support family-centered employment strategies as the field evolves.  

Learn more about the survey and read the full report. 

A New Year’s Message from Brad Turner-Little

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To start 2025, I’ve been looking at the various predictions being made for the coming year. I’ve found bold predictions about space travel, logical ones about demographics, and ones that have made me chuckle. While they come from different people with different points of view, one through-line that shows up in (almost) all of them is the continuance of the dramatic rate of change, largely driven by the accelerating influence AI will have on all our lives.

That has led me to reflect on the message we heard during The Forum 2024 from Eric Termuende, best-selling author and leader in workforce trends, who talked about the importance of building trust not just within teams, but also within communities during times such as these.

One of the ways that trust is built is by listening hard and acting upon what you’ve heard. That’s what NAWB is committing to this new year – listening hard and creating opportunities to engage, advocate, share, and work together to build the capacity and capability of our members to meet this critical moment in communities across the nation.

Over the past year, we’ve learned our members want more ways to learn from each other, tell the workforce system’s story more effectively and find ways to lean into the opportunities new technologies offer for both operations and services.

As a result, we’ve developed a variety of offerings for our members to take advantage of early in 2025 that respond to these desires. Here are the top five!

1. Winter Webinar Series: One of the best ways we have to share what’s making a real impact in communities is for local boards to showcase what’s working for them and how they do it. Our Winter Webinar Series continues our commitment to create ways for you to learn from those making a difference on the ground in communities. The session on Wednesday, Jan. 22 will focus on promising practices leveraging SNAP E&T funds to drive impact.

2. Engaging new (and returning) Members of Congress: The 119th Congress starts its work this month and now is the time to get to know them and for them to get to know you. Our first Public Policy PowerUp of the year, on Friday, Jan. 24, will focus on strategies to effectively tell your story to lawmakers. You can also use the Hosting a Congressional Site Visit Guide we jointly published last summer with the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals as a step-by-step map for having policymakers visit your services.

3. Microsoft Copilot Pilot: We’ve heard from boards across the country about the need for their teams to understand how emerging technologies can improve their workflows. In response, we’ve secured the opportunity for local boards to have their teams trained at no cost in using Microsoft Copilot in 2025. Learn more about how to take advantage of this benefit.

4. The Forum 2025: The single largest annual gathering of the workforce ecosystem, The Forum (March 29 – April 1) continues to offer one of the best venues to learn from peers, build networks, and get reenergized for the work ahead. This year’s theme is Together.Forward.Change., and we’ve got a full lineup of dynamic sessions, expert speakers, and innovative programming designed to inspire and empower workforce leaders.

5. Workforce Advocacy Day: New in 2025, Workforce Advocacy Day (April 1-2) will be our opportunity to collectively tell our story and demonstrate the nation’s public workforce system’s impact in communities directly to Congress.

In addition to these five things, our weekly NAWBNews emails feature more opportunities to engage with other boards and NAWB.

To close, I want to add to the list of predictions for 2025. It’s one that’s not far-fetched; it’s based on what I know to be true – your commitment to your communities. In 2025, hundreds of thousands of people will find their way into the world of work because of you; tens of thousands of businesses will find the talent they need to grow because of you. And because of you, more families will be more economically secure than they were in 2024.

We at NAWB are excited for this year and all it will hold as we work to support, serve, and represent you and the critical work you do every day.

Happy New Year – let’s make 2025 amazing!

– btl

NAWB Issues Statement on WIOA Reauthorization

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NAWB President and CEO, Brad Turner-Little, made the following statement in response to the Congressional committee leadership’s bipartisan, bicameral agreement to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

The new bill, which we provided an initial summary of, is currently being considered on a fast-track procedure in the Senate.

“Since WIOA’s reauthorization in 2014, workforce development boards (WDBs) have sought to meet the evolving needs of employers, jobseekers, and the local communities that they serve. It is laudable that lawmakers have reached consensus on legislation to make significant updates to the nation’s public workforce development system, including improvements that recognize the vital role that WDBs play in strengthening local economies.

Since the initial release of a new bicameral and bipartisan WIOA reauthorization agreement last week, A Stronger Workforce for America Act (ASWA), the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) has spent time analyzing this proposal and engaging with our members to understand how the bill would affect ongoing operations, service delivery, and the ability of WDBs to serve jobseekers and employers alike throughout the nation. Through these discussions, it has become clear that there are aspects of this legislation that conform with NAWB’s vision for the future of the public workforce system, while there are other significant components of this agreement that will be challenging to implement at best and could undermine WBDs’ ability to meet their mission.

ASWA would renew the law for five more years, sending a powerful signal that the public workforce system authorized by this legislation is critical to wider efforts in preparing and sustaining the skilled workforce needed for America’s wider success. NAWB is pleased to note that many of the organization’s recommendations have been incorporated into this legislation. These include clarifying local WDBs’ authority over local budgets; increased flexibilities to serve incumbent workers; improvements to cost-sharing requirements for one-stop centers, including flexibilities for the sharing and pooling of these resources; increased professional development opportunities for local staff; allowing for marketing and outreach efforts on behalf of the system; allowing WDBs to serve as one-stop operators when meeting certain conditions; a new emphasis on skills-based hiring; and dramatic improvements to data collection and subsequent reporting to make the public workforce system more transparent and responsive to the needs of workers and employers.

While NAWB appreciates these and other aspects of the agreement, the legislation unfortunately continues to advance provisions that our organization does not support, including a new systemwide mandate for training and an overly prescriptive work experience requirement for youth funding which we believe runs counter to local autonomy and flexibility. While we appreciate the agreement’s recognition of the important role supportive services play in the success of worker skills development, we continue to call on Congress to ensure that any new requirements reflect the realities facing the populations WIOA is structured to prioritize.

NAWB’s members have made clear that increased state-level set-asides will mean fewer resources will be available to local WDBs to implement these and other aspects of this legislation with fidelity. In conjunction with the proposed local workforce area redesignation provisions, NAWB’s members have also made clear that there is a strong potential that aspects of the public workforce system will need to close, staff laid off, and business services significantly curtailed under these new operating constraints.

Taken together, we remain deeply concerned that these aspects of the agreement will make it more difficult for the public workforce development system to serve jobseekers and employers alike moving forward.

We are grateful to have heard from so many of our members who provided thoughtful and meaningful perspectives as part of NAWB’s analysis of this legislation. They are the true experts, working every day with local community partners, elected officials, businesses, and jobseekers. We recognize the extremely challenging environment that workforce boards will be in whether this bill is enacted during the final days of the 118th Congress or if current law remains in place for the time being.

In either scenario, NAWB remains committed to working closely with the incoming administration and new Congress to ensure that the public workforce development system is responsive to the needs of workers, learners, and businesses, and can fulfill the significant workforce development needs of our nation now and in the future.

This will certainly be among our top priorities during Workforce Advocacy Day, scheduled for April 1-2, 2025 in Washington, DC. NAWB members need to share their expertise with members of Congress to ensure that the workforce system has the necessary resources to serve their local communities.”

Learn more about NAWB’s work on WIOA.

Thankful for YOU, Our Nation’s Workforce Leaders

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It’s now been over a year since I joined NAWB and over the past months I have been blessed to meet so many leaders within the public workforce system. Leaders like Billy in Flagstaff, Tamara in Austin, Jim in Tallahassee, Sean in Newport News, Amanda in Hudson, and many, many more. I’ve continued to be impressed with how committed they are – committed to the work, yes, but more significantly, committed to their communities.

They see the struggles small businesses have in finding talent to compete in a global market; they see families striving to break the cycle of generational poverty. They sit at the epicenter of work/workplace evolution and economies transforming – a place of great pressure and disruption.

What’s so inspiring is that these leaders – along with their local workforce boards and their teams – don’t just sit in that place. They are moved to action. They lean in, listen hard, adapt and innovate. 

I’ve been privileged to hear their stories and have been able to share some of them more broadly with you via our podcast, Workforce Central. If you haven’t tuned in before, I invite you to take some time to do so. You will be surprised by the innovation and inspired by the commitment of workforce board leaders from across the country.

So, on this Thanksgiving, I am grateful for all the leaders across our nation’s public workforce system, their willingness to lean in, adapt and learn, and drive towards greater impact for their communities. We at NAWB are honored to serve, support and represent you. 

-Brad