Illinois and Connecticut: Defending Investments in Quality Workforce Programs
Inside State Advocates’ Fight to Keep Our Workforce Strong:
This is the second post in our series highlighting how state workforce advocates across NSC’s SkillSPAN network are responding to the unprecedented policy environment and the strategies they’re using to drive progress. While our first post examined how advocates in Georgia and California are protecting access to SNAP and Medicaid this installment focuses on another critical challenge: defending investments in workforce and adult education programs that help people qualify for good jobs—and, increasingly, help them maintain access to basic needs.
For more than two decades, NSC has partnered with state workforce advocates to expand access to quality workforce and education programs that prepare people for good jobs. But the passage of HR1 increased the stakes for such advocacy by mandating stricter work reporting requirements for SNAP and Medicaid. As a result, strategies to protect workforce investments became essential strategies to protect access to healthcare and food assistance. It’s in these moments that multi-stakeholder coalitions, like SkillSPAN, are the most powerful vehicles for advancing advocacy. This year, NSC saw advocates build organizing power by bringing together cross-sector stakeholders to advance state investments and policies that support workers and families holistically.
For years, the Chicago Jobs Council (CJC) and members of the Skills for Good Jobs Agenda have championed Illinois’ Job Training and Economic Development (JTED) program, which equips community-based organizations with grants to develop training programs in partnership with local businesses that serve low-income job seekers and low-wage incumbent workers. Because the program’s ARPA funding is set to expire at the end of 2026, the coalition made securing a permanent state funding source for JTED its top legislative priority.
Early conversations with state leaders suggested the governor’s proposed budget would fund the program. However, CJC recognized that statutory funding through legislation would create greater long-term stability than a one-time budget allocation. To that end, the coalition worked with lawmakers to introduce HB5273 which would fund JTED using the state’s general revenue funds. As the coalition pursued both legislative and budget pathways to sustain program funding, it led a data-driven advocacy campaign showcasing JTED’s impact, with participants experiencing a 33% increase in employment and a 40% increase in earnings after program completion. In addition, advocates highlighted the grant’s prioritization of low-income and underrepresented people disproportionally impacted by poverty, as well as its investment supportive services to help participants overcome barriers to training. Together, this evidence reinforced that JTED is a proven state investment that expands economic opportunity and strengthens Illinois’ workforce.
These points strengthened the case for state lawmakers to protect access to meaningful opportunities while workers and families face ongoing federal threats. The bill’s chief sponsor invoked this responsibility when directly asking the governor to support dedicated state funding for the program.
Ultimately, JTED was named in the final state budget, but the $21 million associated with the program reflected funding that had already been distributed, rather than a new appropriation for grants. Though the budget didn’t provide the new funding advocates sought, the campaign built support for continued investment in JTED as CJC and their partners work toward a permanent funding source.
This year’s advocacy was one step in a longer campaign to establish a permanent state funding stream. NSC’s state partners recognize and act with an understanding that advocacy is a long game that requires multi-year campaigns to achieve meaningful impact. Continued cuts to federal investments only further reinforce the case for sustained state investments in programs with measurable results. NSC will continue supporting CJC and its partners with research, technical assistance, and peer learning as they pursue permanent funding for JTED.
The Campaign for Working Connecticut entered the 2026 session focused on protecting state investments in adult education. In part, this reflected emerging threats to federal funding that supports the programs, as well as years of reduced state funding that was already straining providers. In addition, the demographics of learners served by adult education also elevated the need for strong advocacy: more than 50% of participants are English Language Learners from over 45 countries. Without secure investments, the state would continue to limit its ability to fully leverage the talent these people bring to Connecticut’s workforce
To strengthen their case, the coalition paired data with personal stories. Advocates shared research demonstrating the reach and impact of adult education through public education campaigns, policymaker meetings, and testimony to the state legislature. They also equipped supporters with factsheets and sign on letters that expanded engagement beyond traditional workforce stakeholders.
In addition to these tactics, the coalition positioned adult learners as the drivers of their campaign, empowering former and current participants of the program to share firsthand accounts of how adult education had created new pathways to employment and economic mobility. Finally, the group invited state agency leaders and legislators to visit existing adult education programs across the state to see first-hand state investments at use.
Together, these efforts kept adult education at the forefront of legislative conversations and helped secure continued state funding despite mounting fiscal pressures and ongoing federal reductions. This achievement underscores the importance of combining data and lived experiences in advocates’ efforts to protect and secure workforce investments in coming years.
