Department of Labor releases new “Talent Strategy”: Opportunities for afterschool programs

As the school year begins, a recently released document from the Administration deserves some attention. Titled “America’s Talent Strategy: Building the Workforce for the Golden Age,” it describes the Trump Administration’s strategy to “Make America Skilled Again” (MASA). This document does not explicitly reference afterschool or out-of-school-time (OST) programs but much is being asked of schools in this strategy and there are many opportunities for afterschool programs and providers to be crucial partners if schools are to achieve this mission.

The beginning of an era of new technological innovations has the potential to vastly reshape our lives; we know we need to upskill adults as well as prepare young people to thrive in this new era. The report lays out an approach that begins in middle school and extends through adulthood to support all Americans to be prepared for jobs and opportunities in newly emerging fields and industries. There are five strategic pillars in the talent strategy: Industry-Driven Strategies, Worker Mobility, Integrated Systems, Accountability, and Flexibility & Innovation.

What are the big takeaways for how K-12 education can support these goals?

• Earlier career awareness and exploration
• More alignment with industry needs
• Increased integration of work-based learning
• Increase partnerships between schools and employers
• Modernize and align Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs with labor market demands
• Ramp up AI education so students are prepared for an AI driven economy

Let’s dig in a bit to see what this all really means!

To begin, there is an explicit and very strong push for education and training to be completely aligned with industry needs. This is reflected in an explicit statement that “the federal workforce system under the Trump Administration will be guided by the foremost goal of directing American talent into the private sector.” Hence federal investments in education and workforce training are expected to focus on what companies require for critical, hard-to-fill-demand occupations with high wages. These are named specifically as “manufacturing and adjacent industries, such as semiconductors, aerospace, shipbuilding, biopharmaceuticals, data centers, energy production, and other industries that serve as the foundation for American economic and national security.”

Early Career Awareness & Exploration

To achieve this goal, there is a recognition that career awareness and exploration must begin early. The report strongly emphasizes introducing career exploration in middle school and connecting what students are learning in class with real-world opportunities. This could mean job shadowing at a local business, attending a career fair, or visiting an industry site to see innovation in action. Afterschool programs are already doing this, so our field is well positioned to be a crucial partner.

Alignment of Education with Industry Needs

While there has been a lot of rhetoric around eliminating the Department of Education (ED), ED does play an important role in the strategy! But there is an expectation of increased alignment and partnerships with the Department of Labor and the Department of Commerce. This will play out in a number of ways as the strategy treats schools as serving two “customers”: students and the employers who will hire them. Employers will no longer be considered only as future recruiters, but are expected to be partners who shape the learning experience. Schools and afterschool program partners will need to now pay increased attention to:

• Curricula developed in partnership with employers to ensure skills taught match local, state, and national labor market needs.
• An expansion of dual-enrollment programs between high schools and community colleges that lead directly to apprenticeships or jobs upon graduation.
• Coordinating structured internships, externships, pre-apprenticeships, and other work-based experiences to build skills and create direct pathways to in-demand careers.
• Fostering industry or sector partnerships to connect school programs with local workforce priorities.
• More coordination of CTE, youth-serving career pathways, pre-apprenticeships, and registered apprenticeships with business demand.
  • Align CTE programs with labor market demand using initiatives like the Perkins V and Perkins Innovation and Modernization Grant Program.
  • Integrate apprenticeships and skills-based education into CTE to keep programs relevant to industry.

Preparing Students for the AI-Driven Economy

It’s no secret that artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the workforce and this report doesn’t shy away from that reality. Rather, coming on the heels of the White House’s AI Action Plan,  released in July, it calls for AI literacy and skill development to be built into K-12 programs as well as offering professional development for educators so students are ready for emerging technology-driven careers.

The Bottom Line

The Talent Strategy focuses our education and workforce training to be more strongly aligned with industry needs. It recognizes that building a workforce for the “golden age” will require an all-hands-on-deck approach and increased collaboration and coordination between schools, employers, and policymakers. 

While afterschool and OST STEM programs are not mentioned explicitly in the strategy, there is a clear and vital role that these programs can and must play. The Afterschool STEM Hub will be advocating vigorously for the role of afterschool STEM programs as essential partners if we are to succeed in achieving the goals of this strategy. Our best advocacy is rooted in the realities of what you are already doing or needs you may have! Please contact us if you are running programs that can be used to highlight where afterschool programs are already playing a role or if you need specific support to be able to play a stronger role.