Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, DOL NEWS—DOL, Education Department detail progress in integrating federal education, workforce systems, (Dec 8, 2025)
By Patricia K. Ruiz, J.D.
The departments’ workforce development partnership was announced in July 2025.
The Department of Education and the Department of Labor have provided an update on the government’s integration of federal education and workforce systems. The actions follow the departments’ May 2025 signing of an Economy Act Interagency Agreement (IAA), which permits federal agencies to procure goods and services from other federal agencies.
Interagency agreement. Under the IAA, DOL is performing certain administrative services for the education department’s career and technical education programs (CTE) and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title II programs, while also administering its own larger suite of workforce programs. Under the agreement, the Department of Education maintains all statutory responsibilities for its programs, including policymaking, program determinations, and oversight responsibilities.
Integration progress. In July 2025, the education department and DOL announced the implementation of a workforce development partnership to integrate federal education and workforce systems, and in September, the departments launched an integrated WIOA state plan portal at DOL to streamline the programs and allow easier coordination in the administration of core WIOA programs, including adult education and literacy programs. Moving forward, the departments will focus their efforts on integrating the Perkins state plan portal into the WIOA state plan portal, so that states with combined WIOA state plans may submit information through a single portal.
The departments are also synchronizing the timeline for submitting the 2026 WIOA State Plan modifications and will provide joint feedback on submissions. In November, DOL issued guidance to governors and workforce boards related to available WIOA waiver and flexibility options, including recommendations for further integrating Perkins’ career and CTE into the public workforce system.
“The Department of Labor is committed to working closely with the Department of Education to reduce federal bureaucracy and better integrate our education and workforce development systems,” said Employment and Training Administration Acting Assistant Secretary Lori Frazier Bearden. “We’re off to a strong start, already delivering targeted resources so states can develop clear pathways from education to good-paying jobs. Our success proves that streamlining resources and empowering states lead to better results for both taxpayers and job seekers.”
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