Many employers help foot the bill for their workers to attend college, partially offsetting the cost of tuition for employees who want to pursue their degrees.

The rapid pace at which job requirements are evolving, though, is enough to make any student’s eyes glaze over (Bueller? Bueller?). Skills gaps are widening as colleges and universities struggle to keep their courses of study relevant amid rapid advancements in technologies like AI.

To better respond to evolving workforce needs, the internet company Spectrum recently started offering online courses through Guild, a workforce education platform. While Spectrum still offers a traditional tuition reimbursement benefit, employees can now pursue degree and certificate programs online, without taking on additional debt.

For more on how Spectrum’s online employee tuition benefit works, keep reading here.—CV

On April 23, President Trump issued a new executive order that targets Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in a move that experts warn could weaken discrimination protections for workers.

The order took aim at disparate-impact liability rules at government agencies and any organization that receives federal funding and appears to be the administration’s latest effort to counter diversity, equity, and inclusion policies across the government, as well as private employers.

It directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to stop enforcing all laws and regulations that include disparate-impact liability, such as those under Title VII.

Disparate-impact liability is meant to prevent policies and procedures that disproportionately affect a particular group, even if those policies do not intentionally discriminate or appear neutral at first glance. For example, an employer holding a mandatory meeting every Sunday morning, while on its face may not appear discriminatory, would impact Christian employees who are more likely to attend church on Sundays.

Keep reading for more on the potential impact, and limitations, of Trump’s EO.—KP

The Department of Labor began moves to shut down the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) last week, which could limit the government’s ability to monitor contractors for potential violations of anti-discrimination laws.

The OFCCP, a little-known government office that was created in 1965 to proactively monitor federal government contractors for any signs of discrimination, accounts for millions of workers (or 0.6% of the population) and is the latest office to be impacted by changes at the DOL. Catherine Eschbach, the new head of the OFCCP, a lawyer who previously represented SpaceX, put the majority of workers at the office on leave, including all employees in the office’s enforcement division, Bloomberg Law reported.

While the OFCCP was originally tasked with unearthing systemic discrimination across the board, the agency’s new mission is reportedly changing. Instead, it will focus on enforcing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating against disabled people in the workplace, and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act, which requires contractors to take “affirmative action” steps to hire Vietnam veterans, according to Bloomberg Law.

For more on how this could impact the DOL’s ability to identify discrimination at federal contractors, keep reading here.—KP