2025 ceser interstate connection network icon

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) awarded $10.16 million to The Center For Employment Security Education & Research Inc. (doing business as Naswa Services) on September 1, 2025, under the Unemployment Insurance (CFDA 17.225) federal grant program. This cooperative agreement, with a performance period extending through December 31, 2026, funds the continued operation and enhancement of the Interstate Connection Network (ICON), a critical interstate data exchange system that facilitates wage data sharing and information exchange among state workforce agencies. The award supports technical infrastructure, system maintenance, and operational support necessary to enable states to effectively administer unemployment insurance programs and coordinate benefits across state lines.

As the education and research arm of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA), Naswa Services delivers comprehensive technical assistance, training, and support services to state workforce agencies and the ETA to improve the efficiency and integrity of interstate unemployment insurance operations. The funding enables the organization to maintain and evolve ICON's technological capabilities, provide ongoing technical support to state participants, and support the federal-state partnership model that underpins the Unemployment Insurance program. This award represents part of the ETA's broader investment in interstate data systems designed to enhance program integrity, reduce improper payments, and streamline unemployment benefits administration across the nation's workforce development system.