Workforce Development, Higher Education & Economic Policy

Governors are working to expand economic opportunity and advance the nation’s global competitiveness by developing the skilled workforce and economic environment required for individuals, businesses and communities to thrive.

As the chief executive officers of their states, Governors set strategic priorities to align workforce and economic development activities to build a shared vision of societal and economic well-being. The NGA Workforce Development & Economic Policy program supports Governors and their appointees in developing and executing on these priorities.

Featured Initiatives

NGA Workforce Development Technical Assistance Program

NGA provides advisors and other Governor-appointed state workforce system leaders with technical assistance on a broad range of workforce development policy issues through policy memoranda; in-state site visits and presentations, and facilitated connections with subject matter experts. The team also holds biannual convenings and monthly briefings and issues a weekly newsletter.

Workforce Strategic Planning Collaborative

The NGA Center’s joint project with the U.S. Department of Labor supports Governors and their advisors as they develop and implement their federally required four-year strategic plans for workforce development. Technical assistance offerings include an emphasis on implementation of federal investments that passed during the 117^th Congress, namely the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act.

NGA Economic Policy Advisors and Economic Policy Technical Assistance

NGA provides Governor-appointed state economic development leaders and advisors with highly responsive and customized best practice research, strategic planning facilitation, timely information from federal partners and subject matter experts, and other support on a broad range of economic policy priorities. This includes an upcoming virtual event series as well as a bi-weekly newsletter.

Meet The Team

Sophia Yager, Policy Director, Workforce Development & Economic Policy
Malena Dailey, Senior Policy Analyst
Kyra Gardner, Policy Coordinator

Focus Areas

Apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship
Sector-focused workforce and economic development strategies
Workforce development financing, governance, and innovation
Outdoor recreation & economic development
Service-to-career pathways and public sector employment
IIJA, CHIPS and IRA implementation Future of work, digital transformation and digital skills
Disability inclusive workforce policy

Services Available

Strategic planning facilitation and best practice guidance on workforce and economic development topics or initiatives
Strategic guidance, feedback and meeting facilitation services for Governor-appointed state workforce development boards
Convenings for workforce and economic development advisors and state leaders on emerging issues
Regular newsletters for state workforce and economic development leaders
Customized research briefs and best practice presentations upon request

Workforce Development Library

Advancing Apprenticeship: Opportunities For States And Business To Create And Expand Registered Apprenticeship Programs

This publication highlights the significance of Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) as one of several strategies and opportunities that employers and states can implement and offer to individuals as a viable ...

EV Workforce Collaborative

City and State leaders were presented with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform their communities thanks to historic federal investments in infrastructure, including those in the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure ...

Disability Employment Awareness Month 2023

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which this year celebrates 50 years of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. There are many benefits to disability employment, both for individuals and ...

Early Wins: A Tailored Tool For A Big Problem

Policymakers and technologists who are working to build learning and employment records talk about the ways they could transform how people navigate education and work—supercharging competency-based education, skills-based hiring, and ...

State Workforce Leaders Explore Opportunities for Strategic Leadership at NGA Summer Workforce Symposium in Fargo

Last month, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) convened two affiliate networks for its biannual Workforce Symposium in Fargo, North Dakota– the National Association of State ...

NGA Center Launches Policy Academy to Advance Youth Apprenticeship

In partnership with New America, the NGA Center will deliver technical assistance to the six states that were competitively selected to participate in the Policy Academy as they develop and ...

Learning and Employment Records – States And The Infrastructure Of Opportunity

Governors and other state leaders are concerned about the current labor shortage, occurring during a time when many skilled workers are underemployed or even unemployed. Skills-based approaches to hiring and ...

Strategies to Address Engineering Workforce Challenges

Public and private sector practitioners highlight best practices to meet generational infrastructure moment. (Download) Passage of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in late 2021 was a ...

Regional Workshops Explore Healthcare Workforce Solutions

During the past three months, NGA's Healthcare Delivery and Postsecondary Education teams convened teams from 20 states and territories in a series of regional workshops as part of the Next ...

Economic Policy Library

NGA 2022 Winter Meeting

The National Governors Association's 114th annual Winter Meeting was January 28-31, 2022 in Washington, D.C. Governors met to discuss best practices and bipartisan collaboration on leading policy issues including infrastructure, ...

State of the States 2022

Governors of states, territories and commonwealths are outlining their priorities for 2022 in state of the state or commonwealth addresses, as well as inaugural addresses for new and re-elected Governors ...

Entrepreneurship Initiatives For Recovery and Growth

This webinar series highlights state initiatives that promote entrepreneurship as a strategy for expanding access to economic opportunity and supporting stronger economic recovery and growth. Specifically, this four-part series will ...

Jobs and the Economy in the U.S. in the Wake of COVID-19: Key Issues Facing Governors

COVID-19 will have long-tail effects that continue to change the U.S. economy and present challenges to states. Governors are learning and working together to address these issues, as well as ...

National Governors Association Announces Second Phase of Workforce Innovation Network

New Grant Funding Available to Help States Advance Digital Skill Development The National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices announced today the second phase of grant funding and technical ...

Briefing on American Rescue Act funds for Travel, Tourism and Recreation

The National Governors Associations’ Outdoor Recreation Learning Network hosted a briefing for its members on the American Rescue Act funds for Travel, Tourism and Recreation. The briefing featured speakers from ...

Letter on Canadian – U.S. Border Restrictions

At this point in the nation’s work to get the economy back on track, it is imperative that the federal government work more closely and transparently with us and our ...

State Equitable Recovery Coalition

Beginning in March of 2020, Governors took action to address once-in-a-lifetime economic circumstances by providing assistance to displaced small businesses and workers, while putting in place longer-term supports to help ...

National Governors Association Launches State Equitable Recovery Coalition to Help States Advance Inclusive Economic Growth

The National Governors Association (NGA) today launched the State Equitable Recovery Coalition to partner with other national organizations and build on existing efforts to drive equitable economic recovery and growth ...