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U.S. Department of Labor Announces $98 Million in YouthBuild Funding for Pre-Apprenticeship Programs

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The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that $98 million in new funding is now available to support YouthBuild programs focused on education, pre-apprenticeship training, and employment services for young people. The funding is intended to help communities deliver pre-apprenticeship programs in high-demand industries such as construction, advanced manufacturing, information technology, and healthcare. These programs

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Helping job seekers prepare for interviews: what’s changed, and how we can coach differently

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If you work closely with job seekers, you’ve probably noticed something: interviews feel different now. Shorter. Faster. Sometimes more awkward. Often more opaque. And yet, much of the advice job seekers still receive hasn’t really changed—“be confident,” “sell yourself,” “practice common questions.” None of that is wrong, exactly. It’s just no longer enough. Today’s hiring

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TEGL 05-25: What Workforce Professionals Should Know (Simple, Clear, and Practical)

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The U.S. Department of Labor’s TEGL 05-25 is essentially a nudge—one that tells the workforce system: you already have room to innovate, and now is the time to use it. Instead of adding new rules, it highlights the flexibility built into WIOA and encourages everyone—states, boards, and front-line teams—to modernize how we help workers and

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Grow With Communities: A Place Where Workforce Professionals Don’t Have to Go It Alone

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Have you ever finished a webinar, closed the window, and thought, “That was good… but I’m still on my own to figure out what to do with it”? That feeling is more common than most people admit. Workforce professionals are juggling a lot at once—helping jobseekers, answering to employers, responding to policy changes, trying to

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Frontline Workforce Professionals: It’s Time to Move Beyond Superficial AI Use

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Across workplaces, AI has quietly shifted from “future trend” to everyday tool. Recent surveys show that more than half of workers have already used AI on the job, and most say it helps them work faster and improve the quality of what they produce. For many frontline workforce professionals, though, AI is still something we

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The Latest Jobs Report: What It Means for Workforce Professionals on the Front Lines

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The newest jobs report finally arrived — late, thanks to the long federal shutdown — and it paints a picture that’s a bit mixed. On the upside, employers added around 119,000 new jobs in September, more than double what many economists expected. That suggests hiring hasn’t stopped, even as the economy slows. But here’s the

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The Quiet Freeze: Why Hiring Has Slowed — Even Though the Economy Isn’t in Trouble

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If you’ve been watching the labor market closely, you’ve probably noticed something unusual. Job postings are down. Hiring decisions are taking longer. But layoffs are minimal, unemployment remains low, and the broader economy isn’t flashing recession signs. This slowdown-without-a-downturn is what many analysts are calling a Quiet Freeze. And it’s one of the most important

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Navigating SNAP Work Requirements: What Workforce Professionals Need to Know

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The expansion of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements is reshaping how millions of people interact with the workforce system. For many jobseekers, maintaining food assistance now hinges on meeting an 80-hour per month threshold through employment, volunteer service, or job training. This shift means workforce development professionals are no longer just helping people

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Beyond the Usual Suspects: The Partnerships That Will Shape Workforce Development’s Future

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Workforce development has built impressive systems over the years — strong employer partnerships, aligned training programs, braided funding, case management, and wraparound supports. The field continues to innovate, modernize, and refine how it prepares people for meaningful work. Yet many communities are still seeing familiar challenges: Participants who want to succeed but face disruptions they

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