As Congress inches closer to reauthorizing the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA)–with the Senate releasing their draft of the bill last month–National Skills Coalition (NSC) launched today the WIOA Advisory Council. This new council aims to ensure that the primary law that establishes our nation’s public workforce system is shaped by local leaders and experts from across the country.
The council will be composed by more than 20 members from 13 different states and two tribal nations, representing state and local WIOA programs, workforce development boards, community-based organizations, business chambers, and other local business organizations. By hearing and learning from a diverse range of perspectives, we can ensure NSC and our network advocate for solutions that modernize the public workforce system for all workers, not just a select few.
As part of our “Creating an Equitable and Resilient Workforce” campaign, this council will work with our team to understand how existing public workforce structures and systems serve practitioners, administrators, and workers. Our previous work has pointed out that administrative barriers—among other obstacles—can make these systems difficult to navigate and less responsive to workers’ needs. This council will provide current perspectives on these systems and offer concrete recommendations for how to improve them.
Additionally, the council will explore how legislative reform could enhance access to high-quality skill training programs that lead to good jobs for all workers—particularly for Black and brown workers. In the public workforce system, our team has found that Black and brown workers face fewer career choices, limited opportunities for upward mobility, and are often directed towards lower-wage occupations. With the right solutions, we can create an equitable workforce system that works for all.
Participants in the WIOA Advisory Council will:
“We’re thrilled to join the WIOA Advisory Council as it represents a crucial opportunity to inform the future of our workforce system,” said council participant Jenny Taylor, Vice President of Career Services and Chief Mission Officer at Goodwill of North Georgia. “This council brings together a diverse group of voices from across the country, and as the largest Goodwill in the nation for putting people to work, we’re eager to contribute our perspective to ensure that the WIOA reauthorization truly meets the needs of every worker. By working together, we can build a more equitable public workforce system.”
“Joining the WIOA Advisory Council is a timely opportunity to directly influence the future of workforce policy,” said council participant Kenneth Smith, President at Grace-Mar, a non-profit based in Charlotte, NC. “We’re excited to collaborate with diverse stakeholders to propose solutions that are innovative, inclusive, and impactful. Together, we can drive meaningful change and address the evolving needs of our workforce.”
NSC and our network have long advocated for a modernized WIOA that supports an inclusive economy. Last year, we released our “New Ideas for the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act” publication, offering a set of proposals for changing WIOA based on feedback from over 160 stakeholders representing approximately 140 organizations from forty states as well as several tribal nations. Most recently, NSC and our network partners worked to influence the legislation to better reflect workforce stakeholders’ needs, through Summit advocacy and providing testimony at a recent Senate hearing.
Voters also agree they want leaders to take initiative on skills training for workers. Our most recent polling shows that 8 out of 10 voters support increasing government funding for skills training in America. Additionally, over two thirds of voters are looking to support leaders and candidates who will invest in skills training. Across the political spectrum, there is recognition that investing in skills training programs will empower workers of all backgrounds and help our economy thrive.
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