States are restructuring education and workforce systems to align postsecondary programming with labor-market needs, using centralized authorities and coordinated funding pathways. Missouri’s Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development—created in 2019 through consolidation—serves as an early model linking credential programs to employer demand. Missouri’s MoExcels initiative invested $54 million in 2025 across public institutions, including $9.1 million supporting advanced manufacturing efforts. The state’s approach emphasizes outcomes, and officials cite increases in credential attainment among working adults and community college enrollment. Colorado is pursuing a similar structure through an executive order and legislation aimed at merging higher education, labor, and workforce systems into a single department, with the intent to scale programs and transfer pathways responsive to employer needs.