August 4, 2026
This report highlights policies and practices that align and strengthen federal workforce programs – improving outcomes and enhancing service delivery, spotlighting efforts in three leading states: Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio.
While the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) establishes a national framework for the workforce development system, states have broad discretion in how they implement programs, coordinate across agencies, and deliver services on the ground.
This brief highlights the policy, funding, and service delivery strategies that three leading states—Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio—have implemented to build more agile and effective workforce systems.
As Congress continues efforts to reauthorize WIOA, these examples underscore that states remain the primary drivers of innovation. The playbook for strengthening workforce systems at scale is already emerging in states.
This policy brief features:
New DOL guidance expands WIOA waivers, creating more flexibility for states to modernize workforce systems. JFF highlights five strategies for using waivers to better meet today’s economic needs.
In this brief, Jobs for the Future (JFF) presents our policy recommendations for overhauling the U.S. workforce development and postsecondary education systems—and putting millions more people on pathways to quality jobs.
JFF’s No Dead Ends policy agenda is built on evidence of what works on the ground and that pushes the envelope to bolder innovation. These policy ideas provide concrete steps that policymakers can take today toward a reimagined system that knows no dead ends to economic advancement.