By Tiffany Williams –
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education announced 10 states have been selected as semifinalists in the Connecting Talent to Opportunity Challenge, a national initiative aimed at strengthening connections between education, workforce training and employment opportunities.
The Department said Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia were selected to advance as semifinalists in the competition.
According to the Department, the Connecting Talent to Opportunity Challenge is designed to accelerate the development of statewide Talent Marketplaces intended to help learners, workers and employers better connect skills, credentials and employment opportunities.
“The CTO Challenge is accelerating the development of Talent Marketplaces that better connect workers with education, training, and employment opportunities,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education Dr. Casey Sacks. “These semifinalists are modernizing how talent connects with opportunity. Their work will help make skills more visible, credentials more transparent, and career pathways more accessible for learners, workers, and employers.”
The initiative is intended to strengthen links between workforce development systems, educational institutions and economic development efforts.
Federal officials said participating states will enter a six-month incubation period during which they will receive technical assistance, expert guidance and other resources to further develop and refine their plans.
“The Connecting Talent to Opportunity Challenge represents a bold leap forward in breaking down education and employment silos,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor Dr. Henry Mack. “America’s Talent Strategy hinges on making skills visible, verifiable, and portable—so every American can access opportunity, not just credentials. This isn’t just about funding innovation, it is about delivering on the President’s vision for a dynamic, skills-first workforce that powers the Golden Age of America.”
According to the Department, Talent Marketplace systems are intended to help workers translate educational achievements and work experience into machine-readable competency statements that can be recognized by employers.
The challenge encourages states to develop or expand systems that include credential registries and make use of learning and employment records.
Federal officials said the goal is to create pathways that connect workers more directly with skills-based employment opportunities while improving transparency around credentials and workforce qualifications.
The Department said finalists selected following the incubation period will move forward with implementing and scaling Talent Marketplace systems.
Officials said those efforts could contribute to the development of a broader national model connecting skills, credentials and employment opportunities.
According to the Department, the challenge is also intended to reduce barriers to employment while improving alignment among workforce, education and economic development systems.
Massachusetts was among the states selected to advance as a semifinalist and will participate in the next phase of the challenge alongside the other nine states.
The six-month incubation period is expected to focus on operational planning, technical development and implementation strategies as participating states continue building their Talent Marketplace initiatives.