Skills and training

Overview

Human capital development—or people’s ability to acquire skills and knowledge through education and training—advances workers’ economic opportunity and strengthens employers and the economy. Yet the complex landscape of skills and training is fragmented across institutions of higher education, public and private providers, and other credentialing programs. More importantly, human capital development alone does not lead to greater economic mobility, as many workers continue to face barriers to reaching their full potential in the labor market.

Working Knowledge

Skills and training June 09, 2023

Changemaker Q&A

Shifting Narratives and Policies to Support Black Workers’ Advancement: A Q&A with Bill Spriggs

Shifting focus away from skills gaps and worker shortages requires business, policy, and academic leaders to consider different solutions a shift away from individual failings to systemic inequities.

Elizabeth Vivirito

June 09, 2023

Skills and training May 10, 2023

Article

Strategies for Success: Investing in Child Care and Employer-Led Workforce Development

The US needs greater investment in workforce development that aligns with what local employers needs, notes Cheryl Oldham, who leads workforce and education programs at the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

Elizabeth Vivirito

May 10, 2023

Skills and training May 24, 2023

Article

Can Community Colleges Rebuild the Middle Class?

WorkRise Leadership Board Member Eduardo Padrón makes the case that community college should be free to all and that lifelong learning is here to stay.

Elizabeth Vivirito

May 24, 2023

Skills and training August 10, 2023

Changemaker Q&A

Corporate Pledges, Racial Equity, and the Future of Workers: A Q&A with Dane Linn

It was an unlikely moment for a surge in corporate leadership. In late spring 2020, the death toll across the United States was nearing 100,000 because of the…

Elizabeth Vivirito

August 10, 2023

Research

Skills and training Executive Summary April 03, 2023

Navigating Public Job Training

Right now, more than 75,000 Eligible Training Provider (ETP) job programs are eligible for funding under America’s primary federal workforce development law, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). How well do these public investments prepare workers for high-quality jobs? In this analysis, authors combine training provider and program data from the US Department of Labor with performance records and occupational data to study the types of providers receiving WIOA funding and the kinds of jobs for which they offer training. The report also reviews websites for all 50 states to understand how easily potential job trainees can access information on these programs.

David Deming, Alexis Gable, Rachel Lipson, Arkādijs Zvaigzne

Grantee Research

April 03, 2023

Social determinants of work March 15, 2022

Expanding Child Care Subsidies to Parents in Education and Training

A fact sheet summarizes findings from a new WorkRise report that models a hypothetical policy scenario where more parents in education and training were eligible for and received public child care subsidies.

Gina Adams, Linda Giannarelli, Nathan Sick, Kelly Dwyer

Grantee Research

March 15, 2022

Social determinants of work Report March 15, 2022

Implications of Providing Child Care Assistance to Parents In Education and Training

New WorkRise research uses microsimulation to model a hypothetical policy scenario where more parents in education and training were eligible for and received public child care subsidies.

Gina Adams, Linda Giannarelli, Nathan Sick, Kelly Dwyer

Grantee Research

March 15, 2022