National Skills-Focused Nonprofit Launches Powering Trust in Skills Initiative and Releases Guide to Support States' Talent Infrastructure

The Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) receives funding from Walmart Foundation to advance state talent marketplaces, and releases guidebook in partnership with National Governors Association for state leaders to help build public skills infrastructure

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), the international leader in re-centering learning around what people know and can do, today announced the launch of Powering Trust in Skills—a new national initiative backed by Walmart designed to help states, territories, and tribal governments build the public skills infrastructure needed to make talent visible, opportunity equitable, and education more responsive to real-world labor market needs. Today, C-BEN also released its new "Governing Talent Market Places: A Guide for State Leaders" developed in partnership with the National Governors Association (NGA), to help governors' offices and state agencies establish skills-based talent ecosystems.

The new initiative and guidebook come as the U.S. Department of Education launches its Connecting Talent to Opportunity Challenge for states, signaling growing federal momentum behind skills-based approaches and the accelerated development of state-wide talent marketplaces. C-BEN stands ready to continue supporting state and local leaders in their efforts to create durable, trustworthy systems rooted in skills as the currency.

"As states take on a greater leadership role in the transition to a skills-based economy, trusted public infrastructure is essential to reduce barriers and connect talent effectively to jobs and learning," said Amber Garrison Duncan, executive vice president of C-BEN. "Powering Trust in Skills and our new guide with NGA reflect a core belief that states can lead the transition to a world in which learning and employment systems are based on what people actually know and can do. We're excited to continue to work with governors, state leaders, and partners like Walmart, to make more talent visible and education more responsive to the needs of our economy."

Through the Powering Trust in Skills initiative, C-BEN will support 35 states, territories, and tribal governments in auditing and aligning cross-agency skills practices using a vetted governance framework for public skills systems. The initiative will also partner with state leadership organizations to produce practical knowledge products—including case studies, policy briefs, and exemplars—that highlight effective governance models and lessons learned across the field. C-BEN will convene skills-first practitioners and technology leaders to establish shared guidance for the responsible, human-centered use of skills data and AI, while advancing planning for a Talent Marketplace for the Public Good—ensuring that emerging skills-based technologies are governed in ways that stay rooted in skills, build trust, expand access, and support economic mobility.

Together, Powering Trust in Skills and the "Governing Talent Market Places: A Guide for State Leaders" are designed to help state governments move from vision to implementation of the next generation of state talent marketplaces. By providing the necessary technical assistance to build interoperable technology infrastructures and creating the trusted policy, data, and governance foundations required, states can leverage skills-based innovation to deliver real outcomes for learners, workers, and employers.

"Governors are leading the transition to a skills-based economy, which is rooted in the need for state systems designed for trust, transparency, and real results," said Tim Blute, director of the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. "This guide contains practical, state-centered tools to help governors and their staff align agencies, set clear standards, and put the right systems in place—so talent marketplaces reduce fragmentation, protect the public good, and deliver proven impact."

The Powering Trust in Skills initiative and guidebook with NGA build on C-BEN's instrumental work to drive transformation in states and regions. Its early work in Alabama and Arkansas to build talent marketplaces showcase the power of skills assessment and validation in modernizing career pathways and connecting state residents to opportunity. In Tennessee and Washington, C-BEN has helped expand apprenticeships that enable educators to earn credentials while teaching—helping them advance in their careers with higher pay and leadership opportunities.

To access the full Governing Talent Marketplaces Guide for States, visit c-ben.org. For additional information on how to work with C-BEN, email [email protected].

About the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN)
The Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) is revolutionizing how we design, experience, and measure learning throughout a lifetime. We believe learning should be measured by what you can do — the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that lay the foundation for your success — and for more than 10 years we have been guiding our expansive network of education leaders, employers, policymakers, and changemakers towards quality competency-based models and practices. C-BEN is a U.S.-based non-profit organization.

SOURCE C-BEN