NGA and C-BEN Partner to Strengthen Public Talent Infrastructure
States and territories across the country are accelerating their transition to skills-based approaches to workforce development, education, and hiring. To support this shift, the National Governors Association (NGA) is partnering with the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) on a new national effort to help states build the trusted public infrastructure needed to make talent visible, opportunity equitable, and education more responsive to real-world labor market needs.
On February 25, 2026, C-BEN launched Powering Trust in Skills, a new national initiative supported by the Walmart Foundation, and released the Governing Talent Marketplaces: A Guide for State Leaders, developed in partnership with NGA. Together, this initiative and guide provide governors’ offices and state agencies with practical tools to move from skills-based vision to durable, scalable implementation.
Aligning with Growing Federal and State Momentum
This work comes at a pivotal moment. The U.S. Department of Education recently launched the Connecting Talent to Opportunity Challenge, signaling growing federal momentum behind skills-based approaches and the rapid development of statewide talent marketplaces. States are increasingly being called upon to lead—across agencies and systems—in designing talent ecosystems that work for learners, workers, and employers alike.
Through NGA’s Center for Best Practices and Skills in the States initiative, NGA is supporting governors and state leaders as they navigate this transition. The partnership with C-BEN builds on NGA’s long-standing role as a convener of states, translating emerging policy ideas into actionable, state-centered solutions.
Powering Trust in Skills: Building the Foundations for Skills-Based Systems
The Powering Trust in Skills initiative will support 35 states, territories, and tribal governments in auditing and aligning cross-agency skills practices using a vetted governance framework for public skills systems. The initiative focuses on ensuring that skills-based systems are trustworthy, interoperable, and grounded in the public good.
Key elements of the initiative include:
- Supporting states in aligning skills practices across education, workforce, and human capital systems
- Producing practical knowledge products—such as case studies, policy briefs, and exemplars—that highlight effective governance models
- Convening skills-first practitioners and technology leaders to establish shared guidance for the responsible, human-centered use of skills data and AI
- Advancing planning for a Talent Marketplace for the Public Good, ensuring emerging technologies expand access, protect workers, and support economic mobility
A Practical Guide for State Leaders
Released alongside the initiative, the Governing Talent Marketplaces: A Guide for State Leaders—developed jointly by C-BEN and NGA—offers governors’ offices and state agencies concrete guidance on how to design and govern skills-based talent marketplaces.
The guide helps state leaders:
- Align agencies around shared skills definitions and standards
- Establish governance structures that promote trust, transparency, and interoperability
- Reduce fragmentation across education, workforce, and hiring systems
- Ensure skills-based innovation delivers measurable outcomes for the public
Building on Proven State-Level Impact
The Powering Trust in Skills initiative builds on C-BEN’s track record of supporting state and regional transformation. Early work in Alabama and Arkansas has demonstrated how skills assessment and validation can modernize career pathways and strengthen talent marketplaces. In Tennessee and Washington, C-BEN has supported apprenticeship models that allow educators to earn credentials while teaching—creating new pathways for advancement, higher pay, and leadership opportunities.
Through this partnership, NGA will continue to elevate state innovations, share peer learning across jurisdictions, and connect governors to the tools and technical assistance needed to scale what works.
Looking Ahead
Together, Powering Trust in Skills and the Governing Talent Marketplaces Guide reflect a shared commitment by NGA and C-BEN to the public sector build the next generation of talent marketplaces—systems that are skills-based, interoperable, and designed to serve the public good.
As states and territories move from experimentation to implementation, NGA’s Center for Best Practices will continue to work alongside governors, state leaders, and partners like C-BEN to ensure skills-based approaches translate into real outcomes for learners, workers, and employers nationwide.
Click here to learn more about Powering Trust in Skills and click here to download Governing Talent Marketplaces: A Guide for State Leaders.
