Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce


Book Description

Skilled technical occupationsâ€"defined as occupations that require a high level of knowledge in a technical domain but do not require a bachelor's degree for entryâ€"are a key component of the U.S. economy. In response to globalization and advances in science and technology, American firms are demanding workers with greater proficiency in literacy and numeracy, as well as strong interpersonal, technical, and problem-solving skills. However, employer surveys and industry and government reports have raised concerns that the nation may not have an adequate supply of skilled technical workers to achieve its competitiveness and economic growth objectives. In response to the broader need for policy information and advice, Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce examines the coverage, effectiveness, flexibility, and coordination of the policies and various programs that prepare Americans for skilled technical jobs. This report provides action-oriented recommendations for improving the American system of technical education, training, and certification.




Transforming the U.S. Workforce Development System


Book Description

This book brings together leading scholars and practitioners working in the job skills field to examine what research tells us about the current state of the U.S. skills system in comparative perspective and the changes that are required for the future.




Examining America's Workforce Challenges


Book Description




Linking Training to Performance


Book Description

This book is written for workforce developers in community colleges and branch campus settings. College administrators, public officials, and employers may also find it helpful because it will give them a frame of reference for directing--or judging the quality of--community college workforce developers, the functions they oversee, the results they obtain, and the services they offer. This book can also serve as a text for the many students who are preparing themselves for careers in the challenging world of workforce development in community colleges. The book is intended to cover key issues in workforce development. The fifteen chapters are: (1) "The Role of Workforce Development Organizations" (Laurance J. Warford); (2) "Strategic Business Planning for Workforce Development" (Frederick D. Loomis); (4) "Integrating Workforce Development and Institutional Requirements" (James Jacobs); (5) "Competencies for Workforce Developers" (William J. Rothwell and Patrick E. Gerity); (6) "Building Community Partnerships for Workforce Development" (Mary Gershwin); (7) "Marketing Workforce Development Organizations" (Paul Pierpoint); (8) "The 5-S Consultative Approach to Sales" (Wesley E. Donahue and John E. Park); (9) "Finance and Budgeting for Workforce Development Organizations" (Leslie Roe); (10) "Establishing and Maintaining Effective Relations with Workforce Development Faculty, Staff, and Administrators" (Dennis Bona); (11) "Assessing Needs for Training and Nontraining Projects" (Elaine A. Gaertner and Cheryl A. Marshall); (12) "Integrating Complex Training and Nontraining Projects" (Ethan S. Sanders); (13) Evaluating Workforce Development Efforts (William J. Rothwell); (14) "Outsourcing Training" (Karen A. Flannery); and (15) "Lessons Learned and Emerging Issues" (Patrick E. Gerity). Appended are: (1) Developing a High-Performing Organization: Self-Assessment Instrument for Workforce Development Professionals in Higher Education; (2) Competency Model for Community College Workforce Developers; (3) Competency Assessment Instrument for Community College Workforce Developers; (4) Templates for Conducting 5-S Consultative Sales; (5) Coaching Checksheet for Community College Workforce Developers; (6) Templates for Community College Workforce Developers; and (7) State-by-State Electronic Resources for Workforce Development Strategic Plans and Customized Job Training Grants. The book also contains a foreword by George R. Boggs and James McKenney; preface; information about the contributors, and an index.




The Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce


Book Description

Early childhood care and education (ECCE) settings offer an opportunity to provide children with a solid beginning in all areas of their development. The quality and efficacy of these settings depend largely on the individuals within the ECCE workforce. Policy makers need a complete picture of ECCE teachers and caregivers in order to tackle the persistent challenges facing this workforce. The IOM and the National Research Council hosted a workshop to describe the ECCE workforce and outline its parameters. Speakers explored issues in defining and describing the workforce, the marketplace of ECCE, the effects of the workforce on children, the contextual factors that shape the workforce, and opportunities for strengthening ECCE as a profession.




Workforce Development Politics


Book Description

A look at local efforts to improve job training.




Not Just Getting By


Book Description

Not Just Getting By chronicles groundbreaking thinking and research on new and innovative workforce development initiatives to create flexible and collaborative programs and policies. Author Mary Gatta builds on extensive interviews and focus groups with 128 women enrolled in a U.S. Department of Labor pilot program in New Jersey focusing on how they attain education through online courses while working, raising their children, and dealing with the many demands on their lives. The book addresses three main areas: It engages current policy debates demonstrating how online learning and other forms of flexible learning opportunities will reorganize the way federal and state governments deliver skills training, especially working poor single mothers, within the context of Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and other legislated workforce development programs in the 21st century. It explores the development of the program and qualitatively details the experiences of the women as they spend a year receiving online learning courses. It explores how to rethink workforce development so that online learning for low wage workers and other innovative programs can be successful. As both a piece of scholarship and a case study in successful policy development, this text will be a useful supplement for courses in the sociology of labor, women's studies, or adult education. It will also serve policymakers and others who are looking for a model of training and skills delivery that actually works.




Workforce Education


Book Description

A roadmap for how we can rebuild America's working class by transforming workforce education and training. The American dream promised that if you worked hard, you could move up, with well-paying working-class jobs providing a gateway to an ever-growing middle class. Today, however, we have increasing inequality, not economic convergence. Technological advances are putting quality jobs out of reach for workers who lack the proper skills and training. In Workforce Education, William Bonvillian and Sanjay Sarma offer a roadmap for rebuilding America's working class. They argue that we need to train more workers more quickly, and they describe innovative methods of workforce education that are being developed across the country.




Workforce Development


Book Description

This book captures the essence of current workforce development perspectives and draws on extensive global research to uncover a range of issues confronting organisations. Taking primarily an Australian outlook after the global financial crisis and tracing the progress of a national industry sector, each chapter delves into a major area of interest for leaders. Overall, the authors make the case that workforce development is an amalgam of activities influenced by context, politics and economic development. As the world becomes increasingly connected and mobile, workforce development is proving to be a major activity for organisations because it impacts their longer-term survival and growth. To stay ahead, successful organisations focus on attracting, building, engaging and retaining talented people. However, in a financially turbulent era where strategy changes quickly, workforce development must not only plan and build the capabilities of people at work, but also contribute to making employment more socially sustainable for a better world. This book provides a thought-provoking collection of scholarly work for business leaders, human resource practitioners and academics working in adult education, business, psychology and social science disciplines. At the same time, it adopts an accessible style for students and others who want to know more about the development of people at work.