The Skills First Coalition, led by IBM and other education providers, sent a letter to Senate HELP Committee leaders Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) last week to provide recommendations on how lawmakers should reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

Business leaders and Congress are also still eyeing legislation allowing Pell Grants for short-term education programs by the end of the year, said Rya Conrad Bradshaw, corporate markets vice president at the education technology company Cengage.

“Close collaboration between businesses, educators, and lawmakers to advance the aforementioned polices will further enhance efforts to meet the needs of workers and employers while future-proofing the U.S. economy,” the coalition wrote in a letter Wednesday to the House and Senate education committees.

“We commend the House Committee on Education and the Workforce for favorably reporting [A Stronger Workforce for America Act] on December 12, 2023, and urge you to vote YES on the House floor. America’s learners, workers, and employers deserve a workforce system that keeps pace with technological advancements demanded in the workplace and is accountable, flexible, and innovative in its delivery of high-quality learning.” — The Skills First Coalition

“Close collaboration between businesses, educators, and lawmakers to advance the aforementioned polices will further enhance efforts to meet the needs of workers and employers while future-proofing the U.S. economy,” the coalition wrote in a letter Wednesday to the House and Senate education committees.

Business leaders and Congress are also still eyeing legislation allowing Pell Grants for short-term education programs by the end of the year, said Rya Conrad Bradshaw, corporate markets vice president at the education technology company Cengage.