The Department of Labor’s new AI workforce development initiative, launched under the White House’s America’s AI Action Plan, signals a significant shift in national workforce priorities. Artificial intelligence is already reshaping jobs across industries. This program is not simply another policy announcement; it is a call to integrate AI literacy and training into the fabric of workforce development. For professionals in the field, it means rethinking programs, funding strategies, and employer partnerships with AI at the center.
The Opportunity for Workforce Agencies
Workforce agencies are positioned to take the lead in implementing this initiative on the ground. Their role will be to design and deliver training programs that make AI literacy accessible to a wide range of workers. Agencies are encouraged to use WIOA funding streams to build AI pathways, ensuring local career centers and training services reflect this new priority. Agencies will also need to rely on data from the future AI Workforce Research Hub and existing DOL labor market resources to track how AI adoption is creating demand.
The Responsibility of Workforce Boards
Boards are tasked with setting the strategic direction. They will need to integrate AI into local and regional workforce plans and hold the system accountable for results. For guidance, workforce boards can review TEGL 03-25, which outlines how states and local boards can apply AI initiatives within WIOA. To support planning, they can also draw from summaries like NACo’s explainer, which breaks down the program for policymakers.
Implications for Training Providers and Educators
Community colleges, apprenticeship programs, and training providers will need to adjust quickly. To align with federal priorities, they should look to DOL’s Employment and Training Administration resources for program models and explore partnerships through ETA’s grants portal. By working with workforce boards and employers, providers can create stackable credentials and short-term certifications that make AI learning practical and relevant.
Engaging Employers as Full Partners
Employers are central to success. Workforce boards and agencies should use tools like sector partnership guides to engage industry leaders and validate skill needs. Employers can also be connected to apprenticeship opportunities through the DOL Apprenticeship Office. These resources provide frameworks for employers to co-invest and co-design programs that meet real AI-driven skill demands.
Keeping Equity at the Center
The initiative emphasizes equity, ensuring all populations benefit from AI literacy. Professionals can use the DOL’s Advancing Equity resources to design inclusive programs. This means building supportive services into AI training, from childcare to transportation assistance, to reduce barriers for underrepresented groups. Equity will also be a measure of success in how workforce systems adopt AI training.
What Workforce Professionals Should Do Now
The federal guidance provides a framework, but action must start locally. Professionals should begin by reviewing TEGL 03-25 and the DOL news release to understand how AI connects to WIOA. From there, workforce boards and agencies can start conversations with employers using NACo’s briefing materials, engage educators with the White House AI Action Plan, and track equity outcomes using DOL ETA program data. Finally, professionals should monitor ETA’s grant opportunities for upcoming AI-related funding announcements.
Looking Ahead
The establishment of an AI Workforce Research Hub will give boards and agencies new labor market insights, but it will be up to local leaders to turn those insights into real opportunities for workers. Waiting on perfect clarity risks falling behind. The workforce system has always been at its best when it responds quickly, tests bold ideas, and scales what works.
This is not simply about preparing for new technology—it is about shaping the future of work itself. Workforce professionals have the chance to lead the nation in ensuring that AI expands opportunity instead of shrinking it, that equity is built into every program, and that workers in every community are equipped to thrive. The question is not whether AI will transform the labor market—it already is. The question is whether we, as workforce professionals, will step forward now to make sure every worker has a place in the AI-enabled economy.