Employer-Directed Skills Act

This bill would set up “employer-directed skills accounts” to help people get hired through paid, job-based training. A local workforce board would approve an employer’s training plan, then use the account to reimburse the employer for on‑the‑job training or employer‑run skills programs after the employer provides proof of wages or costs . Career services would also include sharing information about employers offering these options and helping set up the needed agreements.

If an employer selects a person who is not already their employee, the usual intake interview at the job center would not be required, as long as program conditions are met. For employer‑sponsored skills programs, the employer must promise to hire the person after successful completion and report performance results to the local board . Local boards would weigh factors like the job seeker’s needs, whether the employer is a small business, how well the training fits local job needs, and whether it leads to a recognized credential. In some cases, these accounts could be used instead of the usual individual training accounts to pay for training picked by an employer.

• Who is affected: job seekers chosen by employers for training; employers (with priority help for small businesses); local workforce boards that approve and pay for training .
• What changes: creates employer‑directed accounts to reimburse training; adds hiring commitments and performance reporting; lets selected trainees skip a standard intake step; adds career‑service help to find and set up these programs; allows these accounts to replace individual training accounts in some cases .
• When: the provided text does not list a specific start date.