{"slug": "ai-expands-access-to-workforce-services", "title": "AI expands access to workforce services", "summary": "The U.S. Department of Labor announced a national contracting opportunity to expand AI skills training within Registered Apprenticeship programs, supporting updated curricula, AI-related occupations, and talent pipelines in advanced manufacturing, telecommunications, and data centers. The department also encouraged state and local agencies earlier this year to use Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funding to help workers of all ages build foundational AI skills. In March 2026, the National Association of Workforce Boards and Microsoft Elevate announced a partnership offering free, LinkedIn Learning-based AI training to local workforce systems.", "body_md": "Artificial intelligence is reshaping workforce service delivery, enabling public employment systems to become more proactive, personalized, and responsive. Workforce agencies are using [AI](https://www.fastcompany.com/section/artificial-intelligence) to match individuals with job openings, identify transferable skills, recommend career pathways, assess service needs, generate résumés, support interview practice, and provide tailored job-search guidance. AI-powered assistants can also answer common questions, support registration and applications, and extend services beyond traditional business hours.\n\nAs AI becomes more integrated into workforce services and the broader labor market, preparing workers to use these technologies is becoming equally important. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor encouraged state and local agencies to use Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funding to help workers of all ages build foundational [AI skills](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/tegl-03-25). This guidance underscores the public workforce system’s growing role in preparing workers to succeed in an increasingly AI-driven economy.\n\nNew funding opportunities are supporting the broader adoption of artificial intelligence across workforce development programs, helping organizations modernize services and expand access to education, training, and career pathways. These investments can provide financial support, technical assistance, and resources to develop AI-powered tools that improve how individuals connect with emerging opportunities.\n\nBuilding on this momentum, the U.S. Department of Labor has also announced a national contracting opportunity to expand [AI skills](https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20260401) training within Registered Apprenticeship programs. The initiative will support updated curricula, AI-related occupations, and stronger talent pipelines in critical industries such as advanced manufacturing, telecommunications, and data centers, helping workers gain the AI literacy and technical skills needed for the jobs of the future.\n\nWhen implemented responsibly, AI can strengthen the workforce ecosystem by helping job seekers connect to employment, training, and supportive services, improving employer candidate matching and communication, and reducing administrative burdens for workforce professionals. AI can also analyze labor market data to identify skill needs, growing occupations, and effective service strategies, helping agencies deliver more targeted and responsive support.\n\nAI could also help workforce systems become more proactive and personalized. Rather than waiting for individuals to request help, employment platforms could recognize changing circumstances, emerging skill gaps, or potential employment risks and recommend relevant services before someone becomes disconnected from the workforce.\n\nAI could also generate continuously updated career pathways based on a person’s experience, interests, location, barriers, local labor demand, and available training. These tools could show users not only which jobs they qualify for today, but also which skills, credentials, or experiences could help them advance into higher-paying occupations.\n\nThe U.S. Department of Labor has made workforce adaptability and [AI literacy](https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20260213) central to its approach to the future of work. Its efforts include analyzing AI’s labor-market effects, incorporating AI competencies into workforce programs, and helping state and local systems respond as employer requirements evolve.\n\nThe National Association of Workforce Boards is translating that federal framework into practical resources for local workforce systems. In March 2026, NAWB and Microsoft Elevate announced a [partnership](https://www.nawb.org/national-association-of-workforce-boards-and-microsoft-elevate-partner-to-build-ai-skills-across-the-american-workforce/) offering free, LinkedIn Learning-based AI courses for job seekers, career coaches, and workforce agency administrators. Built around real-world workforce scenarios, the courses align with the Department of Labor’s AI Literacy Framework and focus on practical, role-specific skills.\n\nThis partnership demonstrates how national guidance can be converted into accessible training for the people who interact with the workforce system every day. It also highlights the need to build AI capacity at multiple levels to help individuals use AI in their careers, equip frontline staff to apply it in service delivery, and prepare workforce leaders to govern the technology responsibly.\n\nAI could strengthen coordination across workforce development, unemployment insurance, education, human services, and economic development programs. More integrated systems could help agencies understand participants’ needs, reduce duplicate processes, and connect individuals with employment, training, benefits, and supportive services through a more unified experience.\n\nAdvanced forecasting tools could also help workforce leaders anticipate layoffs, occupational shortages, emerging industries, and regional training needs. This would allow agencies to respond more quickly to economic changes.\n\nUltimately, the greatest value will come from combining intelligent technology with the expertise and empathy of workforce professionals. AI should support human judgment, particularly when decisions affect program eligibility, service prioritization, or employment opportunities.\n\nOne example of this is our work with [WorkSource Georgia](https://www.worksourcegaportal.com/vosnet/default.aspx) where we helped them develop a system that provides labor exchange, career services, case management, and program reporting for job seekers, employers, and workforce professionals. With the help of AI:\n\nAI can provide immediate value when it is thoughtfully integrated into a secure, well-governed workforce platform. Its approach offers a model for agencies seeking to modernize service delivery, expand access to opportunity, and prepare workers and businesses for changing labor-market demands.\n\nThe future of AI-enabled workforce services should be measured by how effectively technology helps people find opportunities, employers access talent, and workforce professionals deliver timely and meaningful support. With strong governance and continued human oversight, AI can help create a more accessible, agile, and effective public workforce system.\n\n*Paul Toomey is the president and CEO of Geographic Solutions.*", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-expands-access-to-workforce-services", "canonical_source": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91608435/ai-expands-access-to-workforce-services", "published_at": "2026-09-17 12:00:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-17 12:26:37.047063+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "artificial-intelligence", "ai-products"], "entities": ["U.S. Department of Labor", "National Association of Workforce Boards", "Microsoft Elevate", "LinkedIn Learning", "Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act", "Registered Apprenticeship"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-expands-access-to-workforce-services", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-expands-access-to-workforce-services.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-expands-access-to-workforce-services.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-expands-access-to-workforce-services.jsonld"}}