E&W Blog

More than a decade after the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) was enacted, challenges remain that limit the nation’s workforce development system’s ability to meet the needs of workers and employers. This will be more pronounced as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes work.

Today, the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing to examine how we can utilize the nation’s workforce development system to better prepare job seekers for an AI economy.

Subcommittee Chairman Burgess Owens (R-UT) started the hearing by discussing how the shift to AI underscores the need for WIOA to better support employer-sponsored and industry-driven training models that enable workers to quickly acquire in-demand skills.

"When businesses are directly involved in designing training programs, we get better outcomes. Many employer-led or employer-involved models allow Americans to earn while they learn. Those models build practical skills tied to real jobs. And they ensure taxpayer dollars produce measurable results,” he said.

Witnesses said AI can help expand skills-based education. Modernization efforts should prioritize hands-on training and credentials that prepare workers for jobs employers are looking to fill.

“Government, at the federal, state and local level, must work together with industry to provide job pathways for the untapped talent across the U.S., including those without traditional four-year degrees, and support education and skilling programs for American students and workers so that they can thrive in the AI economy of the future. The most effective policy actions will be those that align workforce policy with employer demand, accelerate access to training, and ensure workers can continuously build skills throughout their careers,” explained  Ms. Mary Kate Morley Ryan, Managing Director, Talent & Organization at Transformation Americas, Accenture.

In an exchange with Rep. James Moylan (R-GU), Dr. Scott Ralls, President at Wake Technical Community College,described how workforce development efforts under WIOA must align with national AI priorities and community colleges are key in this equation. “I think we [community colleges] are the backbone of the American Workforce development system,” Dr. Ralls said.

Mr. Tim House, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at Wireless Infrastructure Association, warned that one of the biggest threats to innovation in the age of AI is burdensome regulation. “Each industry’s needs are different, and overly prescriptive, one-size-fits-all rules and regulations would risk these programs’ ability to adapt to market changes,” he explained.

Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) raised the importance of America maintaining AI leadership with Ms. Morley Ryan. “So we can either maintain our leadership, or we can end up with an industry that gets hollowed out as we saw happen with so many of them in our past,” he said.

“Yes, absolutely. Employers will go where the talent is,” she warned. 

Bottom line: Committee Republicans are ensuring the American workforce is prepared to develop, deploy, and work alongside AI technologies, which is essential to maintaining economic competitiveness and national security.