Individuals in the United States can pursue a variety of different types of postsecondary education credentials. This Perspective describes four common types: degrees, certificates, industry certifications and licenses, and apprenticeships. Bachelor's degrees are the most commonly awarded postsecondary credential in the United States…

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently projected record-breaking growth in 2021, but it is premature to celebrate this rosy macroeconomic picture. In the same document, the CBO also made an alarming prediction: The U.S. labor market will not fully recover until 2024. Recent U.S. jobs reports reveal the depth of the pandemic-created…

The Worker Retraining (WRT) program is a key strategy in meeting the economic and workforce needs of Washington's workers and employers. Funded through the state legislature, the aim of WRT is to ensure dislocated and other unemployed workers have access to education and training that will help them reattach to the labor market in jobs and careers…

A number of costs are associated with the implementation of trade agreements not the least of which is the cost to the American workforce. The information age ushered in an era of globalization unlike anything the world economy had experienced before. As countries raced forward to dominate emerging markets and grow market share, millions of…

The purpose of this report is to help advance the recommendations of the National Commission on Adult Literacy, for the Adult Education and Economic Growth Act under development by Congressmen Patrick Kennedy and Reuben Hinojosa. Current law is compared to National Commission amendments in such areas as: Adult and Dislocated Worker Employment and…

An evaluation of Hong Kong's Employee Retraining Board programs used interviews, case studies of training agencies, surveys of trainers and graduates, and employer focus groups. Recommendations were made regarding measurement of the size and characteristics of the displaced worker population, targeting of services, and alignment of incentives with…

In the midst of the economic recession of the early 1980's, two major facilities in Galesburg, Illinois, were closed down: a large private company and a state mental health facility which employed 15% of the local residents. The economic and social impact of these closures created a crisis for the town, its inhabitants, and service workers. In…

Discusses the problems related to the retraining of laid-off workers: the scarcity of jobs, the belief that retraining does not help, failure of government retraining programs, and lack of employer participation in retraining programs. Suggests that one solution is continuous retraining of workers on the job--before they are laid off. (JOW)

The way in which the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) is or is not serving the agricultural community is the focus of these proceedings. This record contains presentations and/or written testimony given by senators and representatives, by the directors of JTPA service delivery areas, by a representative from the Job Service in Iowa, by several…

In August 1983, when the second largest employer in Washington County, Maryland, closed its plant, the local unemployment rate was 13%. The following month, Hagerstown Junior College (HJC) received $50,000 in state funds to initiate a dislocated worker (DLW) program. The program included orientation by a counselor, diagnostic testing, and…

The General Accounting Office reviewed the Department of Labor's (DOL) implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement Transitional Adjustment Assistance (NAFTA-TAA) program to see whether the DOL had corrected the shortcomings of the original Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. (An earlier study had shown that the TAA program had…

Evolving federal, state, and local government programs are helping displaced farmers and their families make a transition to nonfarm jobs. To make a successful transition, farm families need personal support, which could include counseling, moral support, help in assessing their financial condition, and legal and technical information to help them…

A study examined and evaluated both public and private efforts to assist dislocated farmers, with particular emphasis on employment and training programs. The study found that about 46,000 farmers are currently leaving farming each year, and the rate probably will continue for the next several years. Since the majority of the farmers who leave…

A study investigated how 22 Service Delivery Areas (SDAs) were implementing the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). In 19 SDAs the same organization was the grant recipient and administrative entity. A number of arrangements existed between the Private Industry Councils (PICs) and the SDAs. The most common pattern was for the PIC to play an…

This document records the oral and written testimony given by witnesses at a series of three Congressional hearings conducted in 1993 to review federal retraining programs for dislocated workers. Witnesses included representatives of federal and state agencies, and Private Industry Councils. Witnesses testified about their programs and what has…