Today’s tight labor market, coupled with historic federal investments through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), make the 2024 Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) state planning cycle a unique opportunity for Governors to set the strategic direction for their state’s public workforce system. Yet the IIJA, CHIPS and IRA do not contain dedicated funding or mandated role for the workforce system, presenting a challenge for Governors and state policymakers to leverage WIOA strategic planning, funding, and infrastructure to prepare the necessary workforce for these new economic opportunities.
To help states capitalize on this opportunity, the United States Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and the National Governors Association, Center for Best Practice (NGA Center) have partnered to create the Workforce Strategic Planning Collaborative (WSPC). The WSPC will engage Governors’ policy advisors, state workforce development boards, and other state workforce development agencies and policymakers to use their 2024 WIOA State Plan to reshape workforce development service delivery by taking…
