Texas Workforce Innovations: Lone Star Workforce of the Future Fund

National Texas Day Texas’ workforce ecosystem continues to evolve with strategic innovations that serve job seekers, employers, and communities. According to the 2025 State of the Workforce – Texas report, the state is implementing forward-thinking solutions to align talent with opportunity: 👉 Lone Star Workforce of the Future Fund supports training programs that prepare Texans for entry- to mid-level jobs, helping fill in-demand and emerging roles across the state through grants to colleges and nonprofits. 👉 ApprenticeshipTexas helps power one of the nation’s largest apprenticeship networks—supporting over 1,000 programs and 36,000 apprentices in industries ranging from skilled trades to healthcare and childcare. 👉 Virtual Assistant is available 24/7 to help Texans with disabilities and students access vocational rehabilitation services, using AI technology to support employment and post-secondary success. These innovations reflect Texas’ commitment to an inclusive, skilled workforce and a competitive economy. https://lnkd.in/gJJPip8M #NASWA

200,000 miles. One mission: build a stronger early childhood education workforce. From South Carolina to California—and up through Washington, Idaho, and Illinois—this journey has been equal parts breathtaking landscapes and boots-on-the-ground work with the people who keep childcare running: educators, directors, apprentices, and community partners. Every mile represents a conversation, a classroom, a training room, and a commitment to making high-quality credentials and career pathways more accessible for working adults. This video is a cross-country highlight reel of the places, people, and purpose behind the travel. If you’re an employer, workforce partner, funder, or ECE leader who wants to expand credentialing, apprenticeship, and wraparound support in your region—let’s connect. #EarlyChildhoodEducation #ECE #ChildcareWorkforce #Apprenticeship #WorkforceDevelopment #CareerPathways #CDA #NonprofitLeadership #EducationLeadership #SouthCarolina #California #Washington #Idaho #Illinois

National Wisconsin Day Wisconsin continues to innovate in workforce development with forward-thinking programs featured in the 2025 State of the Workforce – Wisconsin profile: 👉 Workforce Solutions Initiative Wisconsin invested $158M to boost workforce programs, helping thousands across all 72 counties.  👉 Registered & Youth Apprenticeship Wisconsin leads with earn-while-you-learn programs, hitting record numbers of apprentices in 2024–25.  👉 Strengthening the Childcare Workforce Training, apprenticeships, and grants help expand quality childcare, removing barriers to work. These workforce innovations reflect Wisconsin’s commitment to inclusive talent development, employer support, and long-term economic growth. https://lnkd.in/d4emg4RF #NASWA | Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

National Iowa Day Iowa is driving workforce innovation with strategic initiatives that align talent with opportunity and support economic growth. The 2025 State of the Workforce – Iowa's report highlights three key advancements: 👉 Iowa cut and simplified unemployment taxes, reducing employer costs and saving businesses nearly $1 billion over five years. 👉 Iowans are getting back to work faster—cutting unemployment time to a record-low nine weeks and saving nearly $360 million.  👉 Iowa earned State Apprenticeship Agency status, expanding innovation and access to registered apprenticeships statewide. These innovations reflect Iowa’s commitment to data-driven workforce planning, skills-based hiring, and targeted employment strategies. 📌 https://lnkd.in/gZinSDRj #NASWA | Iowa Workforce Development

https://lnkd.in/eyWycFAf This is exciting and an innovative application of #apprenticeships that can help transform state government. As Western Governors University's Stacey Ludwig Johnson explains: For too long, we have treated #education and #workforce as sequential. First you learn, then you work. In #stategovernment, that gap is costly. Agencies face growing #talent pressure, while many young people question whether a traditional #college path will lead to meaningful opportunity. I believe we have to redesign the on-ramp to #publicservice. We need pathways that start with real work, align learning to verified #skills and build talent pipelines before vacancies become crises. That is why the launch of the Governors Youth Apprenticeship Program matters. I had the privilege of attending the National Governors Association’s (NGA’s) Winter Meeting when the program was announced by Dr. Brandon Tatum, CEO of the NGA. Through a first-of-its-kind partnership between Careerwise, the National Governors Association and Western Governors University, we are creating a structured, multistate #apprenticeship pathway embedded inside governors’ offices and executive branch agencies. Recent #highschool graduates would step directly into paid roles while earning college credit toward a bachelor’s #degree or certificate. ...WGU was founded by 19 U.S. #governors to solve #workforce challenges through #innovation. This program reflects that mandate. It demonstrates how states can move from reactive hiring to proactive pipeline design. #highered #highereducation

When Learning Leaves the Classroom One of the most impactful learning experiences of my own education was student teaching. It was the moment when theory met practice—when what I had been studying finally came alive in real classrooms, with real students, and real responsibility. That experience shaped not only my confidence, but my career. I see that same transformation happening every day at Carroll Community College. When learning leaves the classroom, students begin to understand not just what to do, but why it matters. Our nursing students develop skill and confidence through clinical placements and high-fidelity simulations. Apprentices and workforce learners gain hands-on experience alongside industry professionals, making them immediately hirable upon completion. Across our credit and Workforce, Business, and Community Education programs, students engage in internships, mentorships, applied research, service learning, and volunteer experiences that connect learning directly to purpose. These experiences matter because they build more than résumés. They build confidence, professional identity, and a sense of belonging in the workplace and the community. Students learn from experts in their fields, navigate real-world challenges, and begin to see themselves as contributors, not just learners. For our region, applied learning strengthens both our workforce and our civic life. Employers gain talent that is prepared and adaptable. Communities benefit from engaged learners who are invested in where they live and work. At Carroll, students don’t just enter to enroll—they enter to experience. And those experiences change everything.

January flew by, and as we continue planning our 2026 goals, it’s important to take a moment to reflect on our 2025 accomplishments. 🤩 The Office Representing Labor is supported by three diligent attorneys who consistently work behind the scenes to advocate for Texas workers. Each week, they review an average of 70 cases to ensure Texas labor’s voice is effectively represented across commission proceedings. Their commitment and expertise played a key role in our successes last year and continue to guide our work moving forward. 👏 🙌 In 2025, we supported initiatives focused on Second Chance opportunities, Foster Youth, Pre Apprenticeships, Registered Apprenticeships and Education and we remain committed to advancing this work in the year ahead. 😀 ⭐ Through the Ch. 133 Apprenticeship program, Texas Workforce Commission supported the training of 846 Pre-Apprentices with $1.5 million investment and 10,283 Registered Apprentices with $7.8 million in Fiscal Year 2025. 🤝 Additionally, in Fiscal Year 2025 our Foster Youth Transition Centers were awarded $2.3 million in funding, to provide critical services and support to 1,689 foster youth. As a result of these efforts, 702 foster youths secured employment, along with 434 youths and young adults who gained meaningful job opportunities. 🙌 #TexasWorkforceCommission #TXLabor

Florida has been announced as the No. 1 state in the nation for workforce and vocational education, achieving this goal five years ahead of the 2030 target set in Executive Order 19-31. Backed by over $12 billion in state investments since 2019, this top ranking is driven by a focus on high-demand, high-wage career pathways, apprenticeship programs, and industry-driven curriculum. https://lnkd.in/gtqHHR_N

Florida is officially ranked #1 in the nation for workforce education, achieving Governor Ron DeSantis’ 2030 Executive Order 19-31 goal five years ahead of schedule through historic investments in Career and Technical Education. With record CTE enrollment, expanded apprenticeships, and more than $12 billion committed to workforce pathways, Florida continues to lead the way in preparing students and adult learners for high-wage, in-demand careers. https://lnkd.in/ec4mvYnQ

Your social or economic background should not represent a risk to you fulfilling your potential. Powerful research from Alison Scowen and Co-op