This week, we’re covering:
Workforce and Labor Trends, By the Numbers
ED and DOL Invest in Strengthening Institutions Program to Support Workforce Readiness
Commerce Department Announces $25 Million For AI Upskilling Initiative
Nearly Half of CEOs Planning Upskilling, Reskilling Initiatives for AI
Partnerships, Investments, and Company Innovation
What We’re Reading (And Listening To)
Workforce and Labor Trends, By the Numbers
A new study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York suggests that businesses are reluctant to hire new college grads into remote work because it is harder to train and mentor them. According to the Fed, remote work may be responsible for approximately two-thirds of the rise in the unemployment rate for young college graduates between 2017-19 and 2022-24. [Fortune, subscription model]
81% of employees at medium and large organizations said that their company is committed to inclusive workplace culture, fairness in policies and practices, and diverse representation, despite many publicly distancing themselves from DEI in 2025. [HR Brew]
ED and DOL Invest in Strengthening Institutions Program to Support Workforce Readiness
The U.S. Departments of Education and Labor announced a one-time joint investment into the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Strengthening Institutions Program competition. The new competition will support workforce readiness, advance the responsible use of artificial intelligence, and help institutions develop high-quality, short-term programs ahead of the implementation of the new Workforce Pell Grant program. Funding will be drawn from discretionary dollars that previously supported grants to Minority-Serving Institutions.
Commerce Department Announces $25 Million For AI Upskilling Initiative
The Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) has launched a $25 million competition to support industry-driven partnerships to upskill workers in AI technologies. The AI Upskill Accelerator Pilot Program is open to higher ed institutions, state/local governments and economic development agencies, and nonprofits (in partnership with local government). EDA anticipates making 5-8 grants of $1 million to $8 million, and applications are due July 10.
Nearly Half of CEOS Planning Upskilling, Reskilling Initiatives for AI
A new EY-Parthenon survey of 1,200 CEOs of large companies across 21 countries shows that 80% have accelerated AI investment this year compared with 2025 despite growing uncertainty about the value generation of AI. When it comes to the main hurdles of generating value with AI, 20% of CEOs attributed their constraints to limited AI skills among the workforce. As a result, leaders are rethinking the roles of employees and new hires, with nearly half (42%) of leaders thinking about reskilling and upskilling initiatives. [Fast Company]
Partnerships, Investments, and Company Innovation
BlackRock’s Future Builders Initiative announced the launch of a $25 million national Request for Proposals (RFP) to expand skilled trades careers. Administered by Jobs for the Future, the RFP will award two-year grants of $500,000 to $1 million to nonprofits connecting workers to careers in fields like electrical work, HVAC, plumbing, and ironworking, with the goal of reaching 50,000 workers over five years.
HCA Healthcare announced a deal to acquire The College of Health Care Professions (CHCP), subject to regulatory approvals. HCA says the acquisition will help strengthen its workforce pipeline amid ongoing healthcare labor shortages by expanding access to education, training, and career pathways for future clinicians, and CHCP will continue to provide services to all health care providers in the markets they serve. The deal reflects a deep structural integration of education and employment to prepare talent and meet future healthcare demands. [Fierce Healthcare]
What We’re Reading (And Listening To)
Conference Board: We’ve just hit a peak at job satisfaction. AI threatens to completely ruin that for the unlucky 50% [Fortune, subscription model]
Companies Are Using AI for Efficiency. They Should Use It to Grow. [Harvard Business Review]
Staff are given AI tools, but not the time to use them [The HR Director]
Organisations are restructuring at the fastest rate in four years [The HR Director]
Inside The 88% Failure Rate Of Corporate Transformation [Forbes, subscription model]
This edition of “New Skills, Talent and Development” was drafted by Annie Han and Ben Clatterbuck and edited by Julia Pasette-Seamon and Erica Price Burns.