These are not partisan ideas. Republican and Democratic governors have put them into practice. In 2023, Texas passed legislation that tied 95% of state community college funding to measurable outcomes—credentials earned, transfers completed, and placements in high-demand fields. After one year, Texas community colleges getting results received an additional $43 million in funding. In Colorado, the Opportunity Now program, launched three years ago, has awarded $89.5 million in grants to employer-education partnerships and already placed more than 8,000 workers in good-paying jobs.
I will admit bias here. As governor of Indiana, I launched a program that used industry input to identify high-demand sectors, and then helped workers train for jobs in those fields. Since its launch in 2017, the program has helped more than 33,000 Hoosiers through tuition-free Workforce Ready Grants.
That foundation is now being reinforced by something remarkable. In late 2025, the Lilly Endowment committed up to $500 million to its Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education Initiative—the largest private philanthropic investment in AI-readiness in American higher education. Thirty-five Indiana institutions have already received planning grants to assess employer needs, rewire curricula, and build AI-native programs.