Digital Skills for Today’s Workforce Act
- Bill Number
- S. 3328
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Labor and Employment
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-12-03: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Last Updated
- 2026-01-05T16:54:43Z
AI-Generated Summary
Digital Skills for Today's Workforce Act S. 3328
Purpose
This bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to create a grant program that builds digital skills for workers and job seekers. Its goals are to improve access to good jobs in in-demand industries, address digital skill gaps, and support education and workforce systems that can adapt to changing technology.
Key Provisions
- Grant Structure:
- Formula-based grants to states, allocated by population, working-age residents, and residents with low digital skills.
- States use funds for subgrants to eligible entities (such as nonprofits, community organizations, or industry partnerships) to deliver digital workplace skills training, with priority for individuals facing employment barriers.
- Separate competitive grants to eligible entities for developing curricula, training instructors, and creating accelerated learning programs.
- Definitions: Introduces terms such as "digital and information literacy skills" (ability to find, evaluate, and use information via technology), "digitally resilient" (ability to adapt to new technologies), and "digital workplace skills" (foundational and specialized job-related tech skills).
- Uses of Funds: Support training, apprenticeships, work-based learning, professional development for instructors, and alignment with state digital equity plans. Funds may also cover supportive services.
- Accountability: Requires performance reports from subgrantees and states, including data on participants with barriers to employment, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and other factors. The Department of Labor must make reports public.
- Funding: Authorizes such sums as necessary for fiscal year 2026 and the following four years. Up to 5% may be reserved for administration and technical assistance; 2–4% for program evaluation.
- Additional Changes: Adds digital and information literacy skills training as an allowable WIOA training service.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
The bill adds a new Section 172 to WIOA establishing the Digital Skills at Work Grant Program. It also updates WIOA's list of training services to explicitly include digital skills training and makes conforming amendments to related statutes. These changes expand WIOA's focus from general workforce development to targeted digital skill-building.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: The Department of Labor, in consultation with the Departments of Education and Commerce, would administer the program, distribute grants, and oversee reporting. States would implement subgrant programs and align activities with existing digital equity plans.
- Citizens: Workers and job seekers, particularly those with limited education, low earnings, or English proficiency, could gain access to training that improves employability. The program aims to reduce skill gaps that affect job retention and advancement.
- Employers: Businesses in in-demand sectors may benefit from a more digitally skilled workforce, potentially reducing turnover costs.
- International Relations: No direct effects are specified.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- State governments and workforce agencies.
- Eligible entities, including education providers, adult education programs, and industry or sector partnerships.
- Workers and job seekers, especially those with barriers to employment and populations historically underrepresented in certain industries.
- Employers, particularly small and medium-sized businesses.
- Federal agencies involved in workforce, education, and commerce policy.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
The legislation operates within existing federal authority over workforce development programs and does not introduce new regulatory mandates on private entities. It emphasizes data privacy protections for participants and alignment with prior laws on digital equity. No significant constitutional issues are raised in the text.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Recent Actions
- 2025-12-03: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 2025-12-03: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Digital Skills for Today’s Workforce Act — issued 2025-12-03 — PDF (21 pages)