‘A Stronger Workforce for America Act’ advances in the House

By Stephanie Buka, Government Affairs Manager, PRINTING United Alliance

As manufacturers across the country continue to face persistent workforce challenges, Congress is again considering how to modernize the nation’s primary federal workforce development law. A Stronger Workforce for America Act, H.R. 8210, would reauthorize and update the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which provides federal support for employment, education, training, and related workforce services. The bill advanced out of the House Committee on Education and Workforce on April 21, 2026, along party lines. 

When WIOA was enacted in 2014, it made important improvements to streamline federal workforce development programs and strengthen accountability through a common set of performance metrics. More than a decade later, however, employers and workers continue to face gaps in the system, particularly when it comes to aligning training programs with in-demand skills and real-world job opportunities.

PRINTING United Alliance supports the reauthorization of WIOA and efforts to strengthen the connection between workforce programs and employer needs. For the printing industry, a modernized workforce system must better support skills-based hiring, apprenticeships, incumbent worker training, and stronger partnerships among employers, education providers, and local workforce boards.

Legislation features

The legislation includes several provisions that align with these goals. It would direct a greater share of adult and dislocated worker funding toward training activities, including Individual Training Accounts, on-the-job learning, and other upskilling opportunities. It would also encourage competency-based assessments that recognize prior learning, allowing workers to receive credit for skills they already have rather than forcing them to start over. For an industry where many skills are developed through hands-on experience, this approach is especially important.

The bill would also create a Critical Industry Skills Fund to support training programs tied to sectors facing workforce shortages. This is a meaningful concept for industries like print, where companies need trained press operators, bindery workers, technicians, sales professionals, graphic communications specialists, and emerging talent prepared to work with automation, data, and advanced manufacturing technologies.

Another major focus of the bill is accountability. By updating performance measures and creating a new “Workforce Innovation Leader” designation for top-performing training providers, the legislation aims to ensure that workforce dollars lead to stronger employment outcomes. Improved labor market data would also help employers, educators, and policymakers better understand where training investments are working and where gaps remain.

Strengthening career, technical education

The bill also includes provisions aimed at strengthening career and technical education, apprenticeships, and community college workforce training. It would encourage better alignment between local workforce boards and CTE programs by allowing educators to serve on workforce boards and emphasizing career pathways connected to local CTE programs. It would also establish a new Youth Apprenticeship Readiness Grant Program to expand both pre-apprenticeships and registered apprenticeships.

In addition, registered apprenticeship providers and Workforce Pell providers would automatically be included on the eligible training provider list. The bill would also allow CTE schools, institutions of higher education, joint labor-management organizations, and public libraries to serve as one-stop workforce operators. Community colleges would benefit from a proposed $65 million Strengthening Community Colleges Workforce Development Grant Program, focused on schools with industry partnerships in in-demand fields.

The National Association of Workforce Boards supports efforts to renew WIOA in a way that preserves local autonomy and gives communities the flexibility needed to serve workers and employers effectively. However, the organization has raised concerns about proposals that impose inflexible federal training mandates or increase state set-asides, arguing that local communities must retain the resources and flexibility to respond to their unique workforce needs.

Generating debate

One element of the bill has generated debate: the proposed transfer of certain adult education programs from the US Department of Education to the US Department of Labor. The proposal is opposed by the House minority and has contributed to the bill losing bipartisan support. Given the narrow House majority and lack of bipartisan agreement, the legislation is unlikely to advance.

For the printing industry, the larger goal is clear: Congress should reauthorize WIOA in a way that helps employers recruit, train, upskill, and retain a skilled workforce. A stronger federal workforce system can help ensure that printing businesses have access to the talent they need to remain competitive, invest in new technologies, and continue supporting essential communications, packaging, labeling, and manufacturing services across the country.

The Alliance government affairs team will continue to monitor the legislation and report on any developments.

This story originally appeared here.

About the author: Stephanie Buka is the Government Affairs Manager for PRINTING United Alliance. In this role, she supports Ford Bowers, CEO, the Government Affairs team, and coordinates efforts with contracted lobbying firm, ACG Advocacy.