Members of the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development met Wednesday to discuss updating the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to include digital literacy training, AI implementations, and improved data management.
The bill, A Stronger Workforce for America Act, aims to improve programs in WIOA by increasing funding for apprenticeships, strengthening workforce education programs, and improving management of funds. The bill enjoyed bipartisan support in the House last year but failed to pass the Senate.
A panel of witnesses before the lawmakers highlighted digital literacy training, AI assistance, and improvements to data management as ways to improve WIOA through the passage of the new bill.
Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., expressed his optimism and his concerns about the impact of AI on the workforce. He said WIOA could be improved to address the looming impact of AI in the workplace and help build more infrastructure to support AI development.
Molly Dodge, senior vice president of Ivy Technical Community College, told lawmakers that educational institutions need to invest in digital literacy and AI training to prepare workers to collaborate alongside automated services.
“Our economies are changing fast, and employers must help us, as the education and training providers, understand what skills and competencies they’re looking for in automation and AI,” Dodge said.
Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga., said she is concerned about the need for increased digital literacy in the workforce and said WIOA needs to address this shortfall as technology rapidly advances.
“As our world grows and changes, as rapidly as it is, it is never too late for people to learn,” McBath said. “We must do more to support Americans who are making an active effort to better themselves,” she added.
Robert Sainz, chair of the board of directors at the National Youth Employment Coalition, told lawmakers the need for knowledge of digital systems has increased dramatically in the last several years. He said leaders in the modern workforce must be equipped with digital skills to succeed.
“We need to be able to have our young people and all of our workers to have the digital literacy,” Sainz added. “The connection to adult education, community colleges, and the workforce is a part of the ecosystem. They’re not separate entities.”
Members of the subcommittee and witnesses on the panel also highlighted the need to increase tracking employment outcomes through WIOA. They said data management needs to improve to track the program’s effectiveness.
Stephen Moret, president of the Strada Education Foundation, said tracking occupational outcomes including hourly pay rates and work locations from WIOA participants is crucial to overcoming data management issues.
“The foundational promise of our education and workforce systems is to knock down walls and open doors to opportunity, but these systems have struggled to keep up with the rapid evolution of work and learning,” Moret said.
Witnesses highlighted the expansion of the workforce data quality initiative (WDQI) grants to aid states in improving databases, which is included in the Stronger Workforce for America Act.
“For states that want to create more robust outcomes data, including the enhanced wage record opportunities, these grants can help give them the scarce resources they need to do that,” Moret said.
The hearing enjoyed bipartisan agreement over the updates to the law and looks to implement more flexible funding to address technological changes.
“A Stronger Workforce for America Act makes critical updates to WIOA that will improve the skills development of workers provided under the law, strengthen connections between employers and the workforce system, and put more Americans on the pathway to a successful career,” said Burgess Owens, R-Utah., chair of the subcommittee.
