The United States has never had a consistent, unified work force development system. Instead, because of citizens' preference for decentralized government, most efforts at work force development have been sporadic and localized. From the 1960s until the early 1990s, Congress enacted between 125 and 175 narrowly-focused categorical employment…

Vocational education plays a significant role in the nation's economic development in terms of its capacity to make individuals more employable. It can respond to specific regional needs by producing the skilled workers for a rapidly growing industry. If, however, the industries of a region do not utilize the skills of the existing labor force, it…

The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) was founded in 1986 with the intent of widening the debate on U.S. economic policies by presenting analyses that provide an alternative point of view from those of various conservative research institutions. The two papers presented in this document were originally prepared for a seminar designed to identify…