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.

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 117th 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

  • Portia Pratt, Policy Director, Higher Education
  • 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

The Key Role of Community Colleges in Scaling Apprenticeship Programs Statewide

The Key Role of Community Colleges in Scaling Apprenticeship Programs Statewide

This webinar highlights outcomes of the ECCA initiative and the key role that community colleges play, in partnership with Governors, to scale apprenticeship programs statewide. Community colleges are essential partners ...
Leveraging Registered Apprenticeship to Build a Thriving and Inclusive Economy

Leveraging Registered Apprenticeship to Build a Thriving and Inclusive Economy

Ensuring that every resident can get into well-paying, stable careers through accessible, affordable education and training is a top priority for the nation’s Governors, as is creating an economic climate ...
Governors Discuss Computer Science Education with Secretary Gina Raimondo and Fortune 500 CEOs

Governors Discuss Computer Science Education with Secretary Gina Raimondo and Fortune 500 CEOs

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo moderated a conversation on increasing broadband access, expanding student digital literacy, and preparing the future workforce with CEOs Corie Barry of Best Buy, Beth Ford ...
A Look at America’s Return to Work

A Look at America’s Return to Work

A look at the Community Renewal Task Force discussion on getting people back to work, reducing disparities in the workforce, and leveraging federal investments to maximize opportunities to upskill workers ...
Governors’ Leadership Remains Key to Advancing Apprenticeship in America

Governors’ Leadership Remains Key to Advancing Apprenticeship in America

Targeted investment and state leadership have driven the expansion of registered apprenticeship into new sectors in addition to scaling the model in sectors where it was more traditionally used. By ...
Governors Convene in Person for 114th National Governors Association Winter Meeting

Governors Convene in Person for 114th National Governors Association Winter Meeting

NGA Chairman Gov. Hutchinson Unveils Compact to Expand K-12 Computer Science Education During the four-day meeting, Governors held policy discussions on topics including infrastructure investments, strategies to continue to facilitate ...
NGA 2022 Winter Meeting

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, ...
Lessons Learned in Workforce Innovation: How Ten Governors are Redesigning Workforce Systems for Better Employment Outcomes

Lessons Learned in Workforce Innovation: How Ten Governors are Redesigning Workforce Systems for Better Employment Outcomes

Throughout 2021, NGA Workforce Innovation Network grantees carried out unique initiatives to identify and close gaps in jobseeker service delivery in alignment with its Governor’s workforce and economic recovery goals ...
State of the States 2022

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 ...

Economic Policy Library

Bidders Call/Webinar: NGA-Pew Policy Academy on Business Regulations

Bidders Call/Webinar: NGA-Pew Policy Academy on Business Regulations

NGA Solutions: The Center for Best Practices, in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts, hosted a Bidders Call/Webinar on the Request for Proposals (RFP) for states interested in applying to ...

Entrepreneurship in States: Fostering a Startup-Friendly Economy

Summary The National Governors Association (NGA) released a comprehensive report, Entrepreneurship in States: Fostering a Startup-Friendly Economy. States are increasingly devoting more attention to an important, yet sometimes overlooked, tool ...

State Summit on Opportunity Zones

June 19-20, 2019 | Annapolis, MD NGA Solutions: The Center for Best Practices hosted NGA’s first-ever State Summit on Opportunity Zones. This was a collaborative effort between NGA Solutions, NGA ...
Rural Prosperity Through the Arts & Creative Sector

Rural Prosperity Through the Arts & Creative Sector

A partnership between The NGA Center for Best Practices, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) introduced an extensive body of ...

NGA Offers Strategies for Creative Sector to Revitalize Rural Communities

WASHINGTON — Struggling rural communities have found new life through smart public policies that boost the creative sector, the National Governors Association said in a report and action guide that ...

The Growing Importance of the Arts to Rural America

Published in Governing. We're all too familiar with the stories of rural areas that didn't rebound from the last recession, where families are struggling to make ends meet and prospects ...
Governors Build Global Ties, Stability in Challenging Times

Governors Build Global Ties, Stability in Challenging Times

Originally run on RealClearPolitics.com. By Scott D. Pattison Over the past several years, the leaders of America’s 55 states, territories, and commonwealths have taken more prominent roles on the world ...
NGA Urges Passage of Farm Bill

NGA Urges Passage of Farm Bill

The National Governors Association issued the following statement after the Senate’s passage of the bipartisan, bicameral 2018 Farm Bill conference report: The nation’s governors applaud the progress conferees and Agriculture ...

Letter to Congress regarding urgency of passing Farm Bill

Letter from the National Governors Association, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and National Conference of State Legislatures to congressional leadership regarding the urgency of passing a new Farm Bill ...
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