6.1 A Nation at Risk to a Nation at Work — Bipartisan Policy Center, Commission on the American Workforce (March 11, 2026)
Although issued by a non-government commission, this report explicitly recommends federal action to support skills frameworks and Learning and Employment Records (LERs) so workers earn portable credentials recognized across employers and states. It also recommends Congressional creation of a Talent Advisory Council and Talent Data System. Influential bipartisan reference document for federal LER policy advocacy.
Source: BPC: press release and link to full report
6.3 Building Talent Marketplaces: A Shared Vision for Trust through Governance (C-BEN + NGA, February 2026)
Joint guide from the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) and the National Governors Association, in collaboration with leaders from 20 states, Tribal nations, territories, and regions. Reproduces the federal Talent Marketplace, Learning and Employment Record, Credential Registry, and Skills-Based Job Description Generator definitions verbatim; outlines four governance building blocks (codified cross-agency governance, quality data and technology infrastructure, incentives and policy alignment, public trust and stewardship); and details state exemplars including the Alabama Talent Triad (the nation's first Talent Marketplace), Arkansas LAUNCH, the Navajo Nation Tribal Talent Marketplace, the Kentucky Graduate Profile, Puerto Rico skills-based public-sector hiring, Tennessee competency-based teacher pathways, and Illinois early childhood sector governance. The guide also recommends aligning WIOA, Perkins V, and Workforce Funding Program dollars to talent marketplace adoption, plus interstate reciprocity protocols for portable skills records. EBSCOed's Greg DiDonato is named in the acknowledgments. Funded by the Walmart Foundation.
Source: C-BEN / NGA: Building Talent Marketplaces (PDF, February 2026) · Center for Skills by C-BEN