Gateway to Careers Act of 2026

Key Points

• This bill creates a competitive grant program run by the Department of Labor that sends money to state workforce agencies, which then award subgrants to local partnerships made up of employers, schools, and workforce development organizations. These partnerships design career pathway programs aimed at in-demand industries.
• Grant money can pay for much more than classroom training. Students can get help with childcare, transportation, mental health and substance use treatment, health insurance enrollment, food assistance, housing, and emergency cash grants to keep them from dropping out when life gets hard.
• Community colleges and Tribal colleges get top priority for funding. The bill specifically favors partnerships that include public schools where the most common degree awarded is an associate's degree, including two-year Tribal Colleges or Universities.
• Programs must combine education and job training together, with multiple on-ramps and off-ramps so that working adults, high school students through dual enrollment, and people with disabilities can all participate. The bill calls for universal design for learning principles to support students with disabilities.
• States receiving grants must file annual reports tracking outcomes like job placement rates, median earnings before and after the program, credential completion, and measurable skill gains, all broken down by age, race, gender, and income. The Secretary reports to Congress every two years.
• The bill authorizes funding starting in fiscal year 2027 but does not set a specific dollar amount, instead authorizing "such sums as may be necessary." Grants and subgrants last up to four years, with the option to reapply after a cycle ends.