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
November 14, 2023
Research Summary
The Key to Positive Employment Outcomes for Adults with Developmental Disabilities
Research shows that vocational education programs improve employment outcomes for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This study looks at the relationship between the number of job-specific training sessions completed and eventual community employment.
November 14, 2023
Skills and training
September 26, 2023
Article
The Impact of Student Debt on the Low-Wage Workforce
Student loan debt has a negative impact on labor market outcomes and economic mobility, with disparate economic impacts for low-wealth households. Burdens fall more heavily on Black and Latinx borrowers and those who did not complete their degree.
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.
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.
Research
Skills and training
Report
Last updated on August 27, 2024
Supporting Youth Economic Mobility through Employment-Focused Strategies
WorkRise’s new landscape research report on youth economic mobility reviews the evidence of programs and practices that help young workers succeed and advance in the labor market.
WorkRise Research
Skills and training
Executive Summary
November 15, 2023
The Workforce Almanac: A System-Level View of US Workforce Training Providers
The Workforce Almanac, a first-of-its-kind effort to understand workforce training at a systemwide level is a an open-source directory of nearly 17,000 workforce training providers across the United States. This database offers the most comprehensive view to date of US workforce training providers and includes information such as provider names, locations, and types.
Grantee 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.
Grantee Research
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.
Grantee Research
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.
Grantee Research