How Governors Are Advancing Workforce Innovation, Broadband Access and Digital Equity

Governors are taking steps to advance workforce innovation, broadband access and digital skills in America’s workforce. In June 2022, Governors’ broadband advisors and workforce development leaders met in New Orleans for an in-person summit and workshop on using Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Action Plans and Digital Equity Plans under the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) to advance broadband access and digital skills in America’s workforce.​ In March of 2021, ten Governors were selected to join the inaugural cohort of the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices Workforce Innovation Network (NGA WIN) state grantees. NGA WIN was designed as a first-of-its-kind public-private collaborative in which a number of national organizations, corporate partners, practitioners and other thought leaders came together to support the nation’s Governors as they took steps to advance their most urgent workforce development priorities. You can find case studies of state objectives, activities and outcomes achieved in this brief. With support and guidance from NGA WIN Advisors, a second cohort began work in November 2021 on initiatives to advance digital skill development for equitable economic participation in alignment with state workforce and economic development goals. To assist states in closing digital skill gaps and preparing for digital equity planning, in April, NGA and its partners at the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, National Skills Coalition, and World Education, co-published Using Data to Advance Digital Skills: A State Playbook.