{"id":10628,"date":"2026-09-30T14:52:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T14:52:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radio406.org\/?p=10628"},"modified":"2026-09-26T14:52:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T14:52:31","slug":"north-dakota-consolidates-workforce-programs-under-new-commissioner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radio406.org\/?p=10628","title":{"rendered":"North Dakota Consolidates Workforce Programs Under New Commissioner"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>BISMARCK, N.D. \u2014 North Dakota is consolidating workforce-related programs under a single leadership structure as Gov. Kelly Armstrong prepares to ask lawmakers to formally create a new Department of Workforce Development next year.<\/p>\n<p>Katie Ralston Howe, who has been serving as deputy commissioner and director of the Department of Commerce\u2019s Workforce Development Division, was named the state\u2019s first workforce commissioner, effective immediately.<\/p>\n<p>The restructuring brings together programs currently spread across several agencies, including Commerce\u2019s Workforce Development Division, Job Service North Dakota, Adult Education, Vocational Rehabilitation and the Office of Refugee Resettlement.<\/p>\n<p>The combined structure will encompass about 300 employees. State officials said there are no immediate plans to add or eliminate positions as part of the reorganization.<\/p>\n<p>Armstrong said the current workforce system has become too fragmented, making it harder for workers and businesses to navigate programs and for state agencies to coordinate services.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy aligning programs and appointing a cabinet-level workforce commissioner to coordinate their efforts, we can better meet the needs of the state\u2019s workers and businesses while also achieving long-term cost savings and operational efficiencies,\u201d Armstrong said.<\/p>\n<p>Ralston Howe said the goal is to create a single entry point for workforce services and better coordinate employers, schools and government programs around labor shortages, training and talent development.<\/p>\n<p>The state recently launched NDWIN.gov as a centralized website intended to help residents and businesses find workforce-related programs and services.<\/p>\n<p>The new structure will also include the State Apprenticeship Office, with state officials seeking to expand registered apprenticeship programs across additional industries.<\/p>\n<p>Armstrong plans to ask the Legislature to formally establish the Department of Workforce Development when lawmakers convene for the 2027 regular session.<\/p>\n<p>If approved, the new department would take effect July 1, 2027. Until then, employees will continue reporting through their existing agencies while the state develops the final organizational structure.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>By: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/montananewsroom.com\/\"><strong>Montana Newsroom Wire<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BISMARCK, N.D. \u2014 North Dakota is consolidating workforce-related programs under a single leadership structure as Gov. Kelly Armstrong prepares to ask lawmakers to formally create a new Department of Workforce Development next year. Katie Ralston Howe, who has been serving as deputy commissioner and director of the Department of Commerce\u2019s ...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10192,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[577],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regional"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radio406.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radio406.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radio406.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radio406.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radio406.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10628"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radio406.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10628\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10629,"href":"https:\/\/radio406.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10628\/revisions\/10629"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radio406.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radio406.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radio406.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radio406.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}