Education Department Split Among Labor and Other Agencies as Workforce Training Expands

The U.S. Department of Education is transferring functions of the Office of Elementary and Postsecondary Education to the Department of Labor. The department also plans to move the Office of Special Education to the Department of Health and Human Services  

There have been interagency agreements for the departments of Labor, Interior, and Health and Human Services to take over some of the Education Department’s federal grant responsibilities.

The Labor Department is overseeing the Education Department’s single largest grant program, the Title I program.

Title I accounts for $18.4 billion that goes to about 95% of school districts to support students from low-income families.

The Department of Labor will also manage program operations such as TRIO, Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, Howard University, and Master Degree programs at HBCUs.  

The goal of the restructuring is to reduce federal bureaucracy and return more authority to the states.

Supporters argue states can respond faster to their own educational needs without Washington setting nationwide rules.

Parent Reaction

Alayah Watson, the mother of 2-year-old Amora Blockmon, said she is concerned about what the changes could mean as her daughter approaches preschool age.

“As a parent, my initial reaction to K–12 programs being seen as labor instead of education was shocking and concerning,” Watson said. “I’m more focused on whether school will teach and help children develop, or if it will focus on training kids to have job-like skills.

“I want her to be able to go to school, explore her creative imagination and enjoy learning,” she said, “instead of immediately being told, ‘You need these skills to be placed in the workplace.”

Dismantling the Department of Education

The Trump administration has pushed to dismantle the Department of Education with executive orders since President Trump took office.

In March, Trump signed an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education and its role in overseeing key federal education programs.

Fully dismantling the department would require congressional approval, but that has not stopped the administration from advancing its initiative.

The department laid off more than 1,300 employees earlier this year, part of Trump’s executive order to overhaul the agency.

The Department of Education has been a longtime GOP target. President Reagan proposed dismantling the department, when the department was barely two years old.   

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, signed in 1965, provides federal funding to local schools, especially those serving high percentages of low-income students.

Critics such as the National Parents Union say this move could weaken past efforts to strengthen public education in America. The shift may push schools to prepare students as future workers rather than support academic and developmental learning.

The Department of Labor is responsible for administering federal labor laws to ensure safe working conditions, fair pay and job-related protections.

The Department of Education focuses on child development, academic achievement and civil rights in education.

Shifting parts of the Education Department to the Labor Department could be harmful for children and future generations.

The two departments have completely different missions. The Department of Labor does not specialize in student achievement but focuses on career training and workforce development.

The shift could have benefits as well. Students may graduate with skills better suited for the workforce if they do not pursue a college education.

The agreement between agencies could help address the nation’s annual shortage of about 700,000 skilled workers, according to the Department of Labor.

The Future of Children and the Workforce

Glory Atkins, a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, said she worries that shifting education programs to other agencies could make school less enjoyable for young children.

“Just reflecting back on my own childhood, some of the things that I learned, especially in preschool and early elementary school, had nothing to do with the workforce but everything to do with me developing as a person, learning new skills and developing a personality,” Atkins said.

“I believe that these programs going to the Department of Labor and focusing on workforce skills in children at such a young age could definitely change things and even be detrimental,” she said. “I feel like it could take the fun out of learning and make it more structural.”

A growing concern is how artificial intelligence may reshape the job market.

About 300 million jobs could be automated or partially automated globally by AI, according to Goldman Sachs.

According to CNBC, college graduates and young people seeking full-time work are struggling to find employment. As of September 2025, 11% of new entrants into the workforce were unemployed.

Training students for jobs in a labor market already strained by automation and limited opportunities could pose additional challenges.

Integrating workforce training into the education system may help fill America’s shortage of skilled workers, but it could also affect children’s cognitive development in ways that stunt their growth.