I 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6968 
To direct the Secretary of Labor to carry out a competitive grant program 
to support community colleges and area career and technical education 
centers in developing immersive technology education and training serv-
ices programs for workforce development, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 7, 2026 
Mr. MANNION (for himself and Mr. EVANS of Colorado) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Work-
force 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Labor to carry out a competitive 
grant program to support community colleges and area 
career and technical education centers in developing 
immersive technology education and training services 
programs for workforce development, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Immersive Technology 
for the American Workforce Act of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY EDU-
CATION AND TRAINING SERVICES PROGRAMS 
(SUCH AS CAREER PATHWAYS). 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this section, from the amounts appro-
priated to carry out this section, the Secretary of Labor 
shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible enti-
ties to carry out immersive technology education and 
training services programs through activities described in 
subsection (b). 
(b) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity receiving a 
grant under this section shall use such grant for the cre-
ation or alignment, and implementation, of a career path-
way that provides, through immersive technology, a se-
quence of education and training services that provides the 
necessary skills for employment leading to economic self- 
sufficiency, and that includes integrated education and 
training services that use immersive technology, including 
a program that— 
(1) is designed to increase the provision of 
training services for students (including individuals 
who are members of the Armed Forces or are vet-
erans) in order to facilitate the entry of such stu-
dents into in-demand industry sectors or occupa-
tions; 
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(2) is accessible to individuals with barriers to 
employment, which shall be in accordance with the 
requirements under title II of the Americans With 
Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12131 et seq.) 
and in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2) of 
section 188(a) of the Workforce Innovation and Op-
portunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3248(a)); or 
(3) enables the training of instructors in the 
use of immersive technology for immersive tech-
nology education and training services programs. 
(c) DURATION OF GRANTS.—A grant awarded to an 
eligible entity under this section shall be awarded for a 
period of not more than 5 years. An eligible entity award-
ed a grant under this section may not receive a subsequent 
grant for the same purpose. 
(d) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity seeking a grant 
under this section shall submit to the Secretary an appli-
cation at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require, including, in the 
case of a program that leads to a recognized postsecondary 
credential, a description of the quality of the program 
leading to the credential. 
(e) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall give priority to any eligible entity 
that— 
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(1) is working with, or in carrying out a pro-
gram to be funded with such a grant plans to work 
with, an employer that has demonstrated an interest 
in, or commitment to, the hiring of individuals who 
have obtained the necessary skills for employment as 
a result of the program; 
(2) includes a covered community college or an 
area career and technical education school; or 
(3) submits an application under subsection (d) 
that demonstrates 1 of the following (with additional 
priority given to an eligible entity that demonstrates 
more than 1 of the following): 
(A) Alignment with— 
(i) the State plan under section 102 
or 103 of the Workforce Innovation and 
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3112, 3113) 
of the State in which the eligible entity will 
be carrying out a program to be funded 
with such a grant; 
(ii) the local plan under section 108 of 
the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
Act (29 U.S.C. 3123) of the local area in 
which the eligible entity will be carrying 
out such a program; or 
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(iii) the State plan under section 122 
of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Tech-
nical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 
2342) of the State in which the eligible en-
tity will be carrying out such a program. 
(B) Using quantitative data and evidence, 
the extent to which the program to be funded 
by such a grant will meet the needs of employ-
ers. 
(C) How such a program will target a spe-
cific in-demand industry sector or occupation. 
(D) How such a program will retrain work-
ers from an industry sector that is experiencing 
decreasing employment at the national or State 
level. 
(E) How such a program will target and 
service individuals with barriers to employment. 
(F) How such a program will serve a rural 
community. 
(f) REPORTS.— 
(1) REPORT TO THE SECRETARY.—Each eligi-
ble entity receiving a grant under this section shall 
submit to the Secretary a report, not later than the 
date that is 2 years after the beginning of the initial 
grant period for such grant, and annually thereafter 
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(so the report is last submitted during the year fol-
lowing the final grant period for the grant) that in-
cludes a description of each program funded under 
the grant, including the levels of performance 
achieved for each indicator of performance under 
section 116(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Workforce Innovation 
and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3141(b)(2)(A)(i)), 
disaggregated, with respect to the participants of 
such program, as described in section 116(d)(2)(B). 
(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 
years after the first grant is awarded under this sec-
tion and biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress a report that includes a sum-
mary of the information submitted under paragraph 
(1) for the most recent 2-year period. 
(g) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall reserve not 
less than 1 percent and not more than 5 percent of any 
amounts made available for each fiscal year to conduct 
a rigorous, independent evaluation of, and provide tech-
nical assistance for, the programs carried out under this 
section. 
(h) BEST PRACTICES.—The Secretary, in coordina-
tion with each eligible entity that receives funds under a 
grant awarded under this section, not later than 30 days 
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after the third year of the grant period, as described in 
subsection (c), shall— 
(1) establish a description of best practices for 
using immersive technology for immersive technology 
education and training services programs; and 
(2) publish such description of best practices on 
a publicly available website of the Department of 
Labor. 
(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) 
COVERED
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE.—The 
term ‘‘covered community college’’ means— 
(A) a public institution of higher education 
(as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))), at 
which— 
(i) the highest degree awarded is an 
associate degree; or 
(ii) an associate degree is the most 
frequently awarded degree; 
(B) a branch campus of a 4-year public in-
stitution of higher education (as defined in sec-
tion 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1001)), if, at such branch campus— 
(i) the highest degree awarded is an 
associate degree; or 
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(ii) an associate degree is the most 
frequently awarded degree; 
(C) a 2-year Tribal College or University 
(as defined in section 316(b)(3) of the Higher 
Education 
Act 
of 
1965 
(20 
U.S.C. 
1059c(b)(3))); or 
(D) a degree-granting Tribal College or 
University (as defined in section 316(b)(3) of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1059c(b)(3))) at which— 
(i) the highest degree awarded is an 
associate degree; or 
(ii) an associate degree is the most 
frequently awarded degree. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means an industry or sector partnership, which 
shall include representatives of 1 or more of the fol-
lowing: 
(A) An institution of higher education. 
(B) A covered community college. 
(C) An area career and technical education 
school. 
(D) A postsecondary vocational institution 
(as defined in section 102(c) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(c))). 
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(4) IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION AND 
TRAINING
SERVICES
PROGRAM.—The 
term 
‘‘immersive technology education and training serv-
ices program’’— 
(A) means a program of education and 
training services provided, in part or in whole, 
through immersive technology; and 
(B) includes a career pathway described in 
subsection (b) that is so provided. 
(5) RURAL.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘rural com-
munity’’ means a jurisdiction or population not 
located within an urban area. 
(B) URBAN AREA.—In this paragraph, the 
term ‘‘urban area’’, means a gathered jurisdic-
tion that— 
(i) contains 50,000 or more people; or 
(ii) is comprised of clusters consisting 
of at least 2,500 gathered jurisdictions but 
contains fewer than 50,000 people. 
(6) 
TRAINING
SERVICES.—Notwithstanding 
paragraph (7), the term ‘‘training services’’ means 
training services as described in section 3 of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 
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U.S.C. 3102), provided through classroom instruc-
tion. 
(7) WIOA TERMS.—Except as otherwise pro-
vided in this section, any term used in this section 
that is defined in section 3 of that Act shall have the 
meaning given that term in that section 3. 
(j) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2026 through 
2035. 
Æ 
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