The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration today announced new guidance aimed at empowering state and local workforce development boards to innovate and optimize service delivery of these workforce systems.
In support of President Trump’s Executive Order “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future,” the department emphasizes the potential for strategic utilization of the Secretary’s waiver authority to increase flexibility within the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs. State and local workforce boards are urged to review their policies and request waivers of statutory requirements that impede their ability to align with the Trump Administration’s strategic pillars for workforce investment.
“Since President Trump returned to office, the Department of Labor has moved quickly to strengthen and modernize America’s workforce system,” said Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer. “This guidance delivers on the President’s vision to Make America Skilled Again by giving states the flexibility they need to build a future-ready workforce. By expanding opportunities for innovation, we’re helping hardworking Americans gain skills for in-demand, mortgage-paying jobs and secure a brighter future for their families.”
“As AI transforms the economy, it’s more important than ever that our workforce development system has the agility to respond to a rapidly changing labor market,” said Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. “The Department of Labor is taking decisive action that builds on our America’s Talent Strategy report and provides state and local agencies with the flexibility to drive innovative approaches to support American workers.”
In alignment with “America’s Talent Strategy: Building the Workforce for the Golden Age,” this guidance promotes specific waivers to enhance state governance of the workforce system and integrate workforce development, career and technical education, and human services programming to ensure comprehensive support for job seekers. This alignment promotes efficiency and maximizes the impact of workforce investments.
By allowing flexibility in existing funding, scaling industry-driven strategies, and investing in new technologies and AI-powered capabilities, workforce programs can better support American workers and businesses as the economy evolves. The strategies outlined throughout this guidance demonstrate vast opportunities to transform existing workforce investments and reaffirm the department’s commitment to fostering an innovative, responsive, and effective workforce development system.
Read Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 05-25, which applies to the WIOA Youth and Adult and Dislocated Worker programs.