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The U.S. Departments of Labor and Education announced the agencies’ aim to “strengthen alignment” between their sectors, pointing to the submission of 21 states’ combined Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act plans. This is compared to nine state plans submitted in 2024, according to a May 13 press release.
Signed into law in July 2014, WIOA requires states to align their workforce development programs with the needs of local job seekers and employers. The act aims to connect talent to opportunities and organizations to funding.
Streamlined state plans
The agencies said the increase in state plans was at least in part due to their recommendation that states include career and technical education programs, funded by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, in their combined WIOA State Plans.
