Even in good economic times, many adults in the United States have trouble finding jobs that pay enough to support their families. One policy response has been to help these workers build more skills, with promising findings from some sector-based programs that train individuals to work in specific high-demand industries. The Pay for Success Clean…

This paper presents a rationale for using professional and continuing education (PaCE) units at post-secondary institutions throughout California to design and implement talent-pipelines, research and development collaborations, and other knowledge ecosystems where emerging and returning professionals can acquire the knowledge, skills, and…

While financial aid programs exist to support enrollment in specific career fields in many states, Education Commission of the States examined only those programs that appeared in state statute and used explicit language that signaled an intent to support workforce development in high-demand fields via postsecondary credential attainment.…

A career pathway system is made up of multiple programs that span educational institutions, workforce entities and support service partners. These systems are oriented around a shared understanding of the needs of industries. Career pathway systems are one of many policy models states use to help connect education and workforce in the K-12,…

This guide is a result of the 2018-2019 National Governors Association (NGA) Chair's initiative, "Good Jobs for All Americans," led by Montana Governor Steve Bullock. This initiative aimed to understand the changing world of work and the factors that affect an individual's ability to connect to a good job and for businesses to access the…

This dissertation examines the impact of state educational programs on the economics of education and labor, focusing on the New York State (NYS) STEM Incentive Program and China's tuition-free policy for vocational secondary education (VSE). The first two Chapters analyze the effects of the NYS STEM Incentive Program, an initiative implemented in…

Through partnerships with four other state agencies, the LifeTech Institute was designed to provide life skills and technical workforce skills to male parolees. The purpose was to alleviate prison overcrowding, reduce recidivism rates, and prepare a trained workforce to supplement the demanding workforce needs of the state's construction industry.…

West Virginia Code §18B-1D-8 statutorily mandates the West Virginia Higher Education Report Card. This annual accountability report provides year-end higher education statistics for both of the state's higher education systems, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (Commission) and West Virginia Council for Community and Technical…

In early 2000, Florida's workforce wasn't keeping pace with demand. The state decided that a then-novel credential, a bachelor's degree from a community college, was the solution. The plan is working. The new bachelor's degrees initially focused on education, health care, and information technology. Even as the job market has shrunk, demand has…

This article describes one assessment that provides a college- and career-ready individual for employers. In Illinois, workNet is the state's primary online workforce development Web site and resource for Workforce Investment Act services. With help from NOCTI, workNet offers assessments that identify the skills and interests of participants,…

West Virginia Code §18B-1D-8 statutorily mandates the West Virginia Higher Education Report Card (Report Card). This annual accountability report provides year-end higher education statistics for both of the state's higher education systems, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (Commission) and West Virginia Council for Community…

Nearly every high-priority item in national, federal, state, and local discussions about education--and policy proposals across the political spectrum--requires high-quality longitudinal data to inform its design, implementation, and evaluation. This factsheet shares Data Quality Campaign's (DQC's) analysis of what "Data for Action 2011:…

The U.S. economy is undergoing a transition that may rival the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution. The general directions are clear: an ever smaller share of the nation's work force is employed in the manufacturing sector; service sector industries are the source of most new jobs; and some "high tech" industries have had explosive…

Describes the Fund for Appalachian Industrial Retraining (FAIR) program, which has trained over 14,000 multiskilled workers in Appalachian manufacturing in the last four years. FAIR works with firms in 18 Appalachian Ohio counties, arranging onsite and offsite programs and providing matching funds for customized training. (SAS)

Maryland redesigned its CTE (career and technical education) program a dozen years ago to prepare students for the 21st Century's global economy and its rapidly changing workforce needs. With 350 business and industry representatives, the state created a program whose emphasis is problem-solving and critical thinking, rather than narrow,…