Federal workforce official urges Arkansas to submit integrated education‑workforce plans, cites poor national WIOA outcomes

Nick Moore, identified in the transcript as an acting assistant in the Office of Career and Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE), told an Arkansas committee that federal officials are pushing states to combine education and workforce plans and reduce administrative overhead so more funding reaches front‑line training programs.

Moore told lawmakers the Department of Labor and OCTAE have been working together to align the Every Student Succeeds Act, the Carl D. Perkins Act and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to create an integrated P‑20 talent system. He said a Training and Employment Guidance Letter for the 2026 modification will ask states to consider submitting combined Perkins and WIOA plans and that the Department will accept such plans on or before April 30.

Moore framed the effort as a way to give governors and state boards clearer authority to align programs to primary labor‑market information (LMI). "When you submit a plan, whether it's a unified or combined plan, that you get feedback from one set of bureaucrats rather than getting conflicting information from two sets," he said. He urged states to use LMI to identify in‑demand jobs and to clean up eligible training provider lists so they map to actual employer hiring needs.

Moore also outlined operational goals for states: a common intake of six to 12 diagnostic questions that would allow co‑enrollment in SNAP, TANF and Medicaid where appropriate; cross‑training one‑stop staff so customers receive consistent guidance; and modernized data systems and UI wage records to improve economic modeling and employer matching. He said talent marketplaces where individuals match their skills to employer job descriptions would support that work.

Moore cited national performance data to make the urgency clear: "With over a half billion dollars, we trained less than a 100,000 people," he said, adding that many program completers did not end up employed in the jobs for which they were trained and that program costs in some cases exceeded $14,000 per participant. He described this pattern as a "failure" and warned that Congress may consider larger changes if programs do not improve.

Lawmakers pressed Moore on specifics during a question‑and‑answer period. Representative Beck asked how states can balance flexibility with accountability under federal rules; Moore pointed to existing waiver options and the TEGL as tools the Department can use to provide clearer, faster answers to states. Representative Lademan asked about rural "training deserts." Moore recommended co‑locating services with community colleges, virtual delivery and mobile career centers to bring training to remote communities.

Moore recommended transparent budgeting—distinguishing administrative overhead from program spending—and suggested an administrative‑cost rule of thumb (administrative costs generally not exceeding about 20 percent in his state experience, with federal guidance for lower percentages at certain levels). He highlighted under‑utilized federal incentives for employers, including the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and federal bonding programs for hiring people with barriers to employment.

Moore closed by urging state leaders to appoint accountable operational leads who share time horizons with governors and legislatures and to pursue the TEGL‑identified flexibilities as part of the 2026 modification cycle. The committee followed with additional questions and then moved to the next agenda item.

The presentation and discussion were recorded in the committee transcript; Moore answered multiple lawmaker questions but no formal state action or vote occurred during this session.