Workforce Proposals
Creating greater economic mobility through work requires close partnerships
and shared investments between the public and private sectors. These
partnerships and investments can and should build business and economic
competitiveness and also create career pathways and economic stability and
growth for people from all segments of our communities.
Over the last few decades, changes in the structure
of the labor market, wage polarization and growing
inequality, the decline of unions and disinvestment
in public education and skills training have created
skills gaps and deficits that keep people out of solid
jobs and prevent employers from growing strong
businesses. However, evidence-based practices in
workforce development and training have proven
effective in closing skills gaps, strengthening local
economies and moving individuals from poverty
to middle-class lives. These core principles and
practices include:
- Demand driven: Close planning by education and training providers with employers for demand driven skills training that meet hiring needs, adapts to rapid changes in technology, and reflects the unique attributes of local and regional economies.
- Lifelong learning for the 21st century economy: skill building for quality entry-level jobs and continued opportunities for skills development to enable advancement along career pathways and lattices. This includes innovative employer investments in skills as well as supports for workers to obtain credentials and degrees.
- Work-based learning: apprenticeships, internships and work experience for youth and adults to develop and practice skills in real-life settings and gain exposure to a wide array of jobs and careers.
- Cushioning for periods of unemployment and time out of the labor market: income supports that reflect the realities of the labor market, including gig and contract employment and access to quality skills training that responds to scheduling and family demands.
- Targeted strategies for people with barriers to employment: specialized work skills development and placement for those with histories of incarceration, disability, displacement and poverty, as well as limited skills, including English language skills.
- Adequate public and private investment in education
and training:
increased federal, state, local and
private investment in skills training to respond to
increasing labor market demand for new skills.
To build on these core principles and practices,
we developed a set of recommendations that
help people:
Conclusion
We must ensure that America’s education and
workforce training systems meet the demands of
our students, employees of all ages and employers.
A great deal is at stake: individual opportunity and
economic mobility; a productive workforce and
robust economy; and a country that can compete in
the global economy. Accomplishing these goals will
require leadership from all levels of government, and
from business, philanthropy, and educators working
much more closely together.
Convergence Center for Policy Resolution is a national non-profit based in Washington, DC that convenes individuals and organizations with divergent views to build trust, identify solutions, and form alliances for action on issues of critical public concern. Reports and recommendations issued under our auspices reflect the views of the individuals and organizations who put the ideas forward. Convergence itself remains neutral and does not endorse or take positions on recommendations of its stakeholders.
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