Results for America and America Forward Urge Congress to Pass the Better Jobs Through Evidence and Innovation Act

This legislation would authorize a Workforce Development Innovation Fund to scale proven programs and build the next generation of workforce solutions.

Media Contact: Adam Peck, email: [email protected] or text/call: (914) 874-7887

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Results for America and America Forward celebrated the introduction of the Better Jobs Through Evidence and Innovation Act. Introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), the bill would establish a Workforce Development Innovation Fund (WDIF) at the U.S. Department of Labor to find, fund and implement workforce development programs with a proven track record of success — while continuing to build the evidence base for the next generation of solutions.

Despite a decade of growing evidence on what job training approaches actually deliver sustained earnings gains and career advancement  since the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act’s (WIOA) 2014 enactment, current law lacks a consistent framework for prioritizing those evidence-based programs or incentivizing innovation at the state and local level. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that in 2023, 30% of individuals were still unemployed six months after receiving WIOA-funded services. The Better Jobs Through Evidence and Innovation Act would address this challenge by directing federal workforce dollars toward the programs and strategies proven to work and incentivizing the development of innovative evidence-driven approaches.

“I hear from veterans and single parents in Colorado who want to provide for themselves and their families but do not have the skills to earn a living wage,” said Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO). “They want to build sustainable careers that pay living wages, we have the programs to train them, and Colorado’s economy needs the skills and talent they can provide. The last piece of the puzzle is to invest in the workforce training programs that are proven to create economic mobility for workers of every background.”

“As we address a changing economy and the widespread adoption of AI, we must ensure pathways to good jobs are available,” said Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE). “I’m proud to co-lead the Better Jobs Through Evidence and Innovation Act to meet the moment by both investing in what works when it comes to workforce training, and supporting the development of promising new strategies to prepare our future workforce.”

“Too many Americans are completing workforce programs only to find themselves without a job or a path to higher earnings, and that’s simply not good enough,” said David Medina, co-founder and COO of Results for America. “The Better Jobs through Evidence and Innovation Act would address this challenge by finding, funding and implementing workforce programs with proven track records of success, while continuing to build the evidence base for the next generation of solutions. We applaud Sens. Bennet and Blunt Rochester for their leadership in ensuring that workforce investments deliver real, measurable and lasting results for jobseekers and their families.”

“America Forward applauds Senators Michael Bennet and Lisa Blunt Rochester for championing the Better Jobs through Evidence and Innovation Act, which would invest in evidence-based workforce development programs delivering real, long-term economic mobility for workers and employers in a rapidly-changing economy,” said Deborah Smolover, executive director of America Forward. “As the pace of change in our labor market accelerates, this legislation ensures that the high-impact organizations driving economic mobility, many of which are members of the America Forward Coalition, have the support they need to grow and meet the evolving needs of workers and communities nationwide.”

The WDIF would provide three tiers of grant funding to support the development and scaling of evidence-based employment and job training programs that generate demonstrated, long-term economic improvements for jobseekers and employers. At least half of total funding would be directed toward interventions with a high level of evidence, ensuring that taxpayer dollars flow to strategies with proven results. Funding would also be used to test and evaluate innovative strategies to identify what works and grow the evidence base over time. 

This approach has a proven track record. A similar federal program for K-12 education, The Education Innovation and Research (EIR) program, helped scale evidence-based models, which have improved education outcomes for underserved youth. 

“There are training programs across the country with a proven record of moving people into quality careers — and they could achieve so much more with additional investment. Senator Bennet’s Better Jobs through Evidence and Innovation Act would channel federal support to the models that work,” said Plinio Ayala, CEO of Per Scholas. “For organizations like Per Scholas, that means reaching more learners, connecting employers with the skilled talent they need, and opening durable, demand-driven pathways to economic mobility.”

“Senator Bennet’s Better Jobs Through Evidence and Innovation Act represents exactly the approach our workforce development system urgently needs,” said Roger Low, CEO & founder of the Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative. “By creating a tiered evidence fund, the legislation directs limited federal upskilling and reskilling dollars toward the two priorities that matter most: building strong evidence of effectiveness across promising training and credentialing pathways, and scaling the approaches that work.”

The Better Jobs Through Evidence and Evaluation Act is supported by the following organizations:

About Results for America:

Results for America helps government leaders find, fund and implement solutions that work to accelerate upward economic mobility and improve lives. We work with federal, state and local government decision-makers to increase their use of evidence and data in budget, policy and program decisions.

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