February 18, 2026
“Community Colleges Need to Master the Art of Storytelling” was my piece published last week in WorkShift and contains some outstanding examples of our members’ workforce agility and national value.
Three new federal funding opportunities are now available for competition: The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released the official announcement of funding for Performance Based Registered Apprenticeships. Apprenticeships for America has a number of resources on the structure of apprenticeships that may help colleges assess their potential for apprenticeship growth. DOL has opened applications for round six of Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant funding, with a focus on equipping schools to scale programs that would be eligible for Workforce Pell. Finally, the American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Incentive Fund is also open. Managed by the Arkansas Department of Commerce through a cooperative agreement with DOL, the purpose is to grow and modernize the U.S. manufacturing workforce through expanded access to high-quality registered apprenticeship programs.
Last week’s National Legislative Summit (NLS) was an energetic, engaging week of activity that included visits to Capitol Hill, prominent speakers at the Community College Congressional Forum, and dozens of sessions on promoting AACC and ACCT’s shared legislative agenda. I was delighted to learn how many members of our own United States Congress attended community colleges. Bipartisan support for our institutions is high and a deep commitment to our mission was palpable across high-ranking Congressional speakers. U.S. Department of Education (ED) Under Secretary Nicholas Kent delivered remarks about the administration’s higher education priorities and their tight connection to workforce development.
Immediately following the NLS’s wrap up, Dr. Cecelia Rouse, president of the Brookings Institution, joined me for a powerful fireside chat at AACC’s first ever “Seeding America’s Workforce Talent Pipeline.” A Harvard-trained economist who specializes in higher education, Dr. Rouse stressed the importance of “having everyone at the table” to strengthen our nation’s workforce—educators, employers, and workforce boards, among others. Four panel discussions then addressed the strengths and gaps in our nation’s talent pipelines across four fields–advanced manufacturing, bioscience/ biotech, cybersecurity/IT, and healthcare. ED’s Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education Nick Moore closed the gathering, assuring audiences that agency processes and infrastructure will be in place to begin approving Workforce Pell programs on July 1, 2026.
I am preparing to speak on Friday to the Association of California Community College Administrators, a group that supports the 116 community colleges in their state. Highly skilled administrators are powerful assets in strengthening colleges to meet change with resilience and agility, and I’m excited to engage them. In another recent presentation on Resilient by Design, made to Reynolds Community College, I was drawn to a powerful workforce development partnership. I want to share the Reynolds’ Community College Workforce Alliance, a collaboration with Brightpoint Community College, connecting local businesses looking for talented employees from our sector. These types of partnerships—providing training, consulting, and custom instruction to local employers—are examples of the creativity our members demonstrate every day. There are plenty more, as I captured in my WDI message about partners working as an ecosystem.