With Washington Stepping Back, States Must Step Up
Nearly a year into his presidency, the Trump administration continues to dramatically reshape the federal role in education and workforce policy—dismantling regulations, slashing budgets, and rethinking the purpose of agencies like the Department of Education. While much remains uncertain even now, one thing is becoming clear: states cannot rely on Washington to lead the way. In fact, shifting power to the states is part of the plan.
But with that power comes responsibility. From governors’ offices to state and county workforce agencies, state leaders will need to embrace a more active role in shaping the future of work and learning. They will need to blur lines between K–12, postsecondary, and workforce systems to create more seamless, more affordable career-connected pathways. They will need to expand user-friendly, flexible apprenticeship and other career technical education opportunities. And they will need to explore concrete, bipartisan actions that states can take to transform education and build a stronger, more agile workforce.
More jobs now require credentials and demonstrated technical skills beyond high school, even as Americans are increasingly questioning the value of postsecondary education. Many of these skills are gained through a combination of academic and work settings, yet too few post-secondary institutions and funding models embrace this reality. Meanwhile, technologies like artificial intelligence are reshaping nearly every corner of the labor market, with nearly 80 percent of hiring managers expecting AI to reduce the number of internships and entry-level roles. A growing share of workers need new forms of training that align with ever-changing industry needs.
All the while, federal leadership is receding. In that vacuum, the onus falls squarely on states to lead. If they do not, the nation’s talent pipeline will weaken, economic growth will stall, and Americans will be left behind. The good news is that states are more than capable of rising to the moment. As a former governor, I know firsthand that they are neither powerless nor mere implementers of federal policy.
While attending a conference earlier this month, I was approached by an attendee from Illinois who was excited to tell me that when she worked with Governor Jim Edgar to reform the state’s education system two decades ago, she studied the work I helped lead in Massachusetts. Likewise, when I was a state senator in the 1990s, we modeled our welfare reform efforts on Governor Tommy Thompson’s work in Wisconsin. States are laboratories of innovation and engines of opportunity—and they are eager to learn from one another.
Some states are already showing what’s possible, modernizing training systems and tearing down walls between classrooms and careers. In Colorado, Governor Jared Polis recently announced an effort to make community college free for residents pursuing in-demand credentials that meet the state’s most urgent talent needs. The move is part of the state’s broader effort to create a more unified postsecondary-talent system that treats education and workforce preparation as a single, continuous pipeline.
In South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster proposed roughly $95 million in scholarships for the state’s technical college system and called for a review of how institutions align with the labor market. Meanwhile, New Mexico has partnered with Education at Work, the organization I now lead, to help students explore career interests through internships while still in high school. This summer, the state will expand its high school internship program to more than 2,000 students. Importantly, the program is explicitly designed around growing industries and future workforce shortages, encouraging students to focus on sectors with a higher probability of providing a good first job.
A wide range of states—both blue and red—are also showing renewed and serious interest in expanding apprenticeship programs. Earlier this year, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed the Registered Apprenticeship Investments for a Stronger Economy (RAISE) Act into law, making it easier for new industries and employers to launch registered apprenticeship programs and for Marylanders to access career-connected credentials. Last year, Utah’s legislature passed a bill directing a statewide study and strategy to build infrastructure for youth apprenticeship.
This summer, New Jersey’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development launched a three-year, $5 million initiative to develop college-credit pathways tied to registered apprenticeship programs. Under this program, Thomas Edison State University will work with registered apprenticeship programs across the state to determine how training hours can be translated into college credits.
States are not waiting for Washington. They are building new pathways, modernizing outdated systems, and aligning education with economic needs in real time. They are acting as architects of their own workforce futures. With the federal government set to play a reduced role—for better or worse—the question is not whether states will lead, but how.
