Adult Education WORKS Act

This bill would update federal adult education and job training so more adults can build skills, earn credentials, and find good jobs. It lets public libraries serve as local hubs for career services and classes, including mobile library sites, to reach people in places far from workforce centers or with limited transit. It also creates college and career navigators in libraries and community groups to guide people to the right classes and jobs, with $135 million a year set aside for these navigator programs from 2026 through 2030 .

The bill adds digital and information literacy to the skills people can learn through these programs. It increases adult education funding for states, from $810 million in 2026 up to $1.35 billion in 2030. It also simplifies how programs track results with a shared reporting system and updated measures that count progress while people are still in classes, and it lets states pilot better ways to measure results with national studies to see what works . States must post online where their matching funds come from and how they are distributed. The bill supports stronger teaching by promoting teacher credentials, full‑time staffing models, and ongoing training, and it updates family literacy and English language/civics programs .

• Who is affected: adult learners and job seekers; libraries and community groups; adult education providers and teachers; state and local workforce boards .
• What changes: libraries can offer career services and classes; new navigators in libraries/community groups; digital and information literacy added; more funding for adult education; easier, clearer reporting and pilots to test better measures; public transparency on matching funds; stronger support for teacher credentials and full‑time roles .
• When: navigator funding runs 2026–2030; adult education funding increases are set for 2026–2030 .