Case Studies

Workforce consortia we reviewed connected small businesses to a coordinated system of organizations and activities that provided the services and information they needed to address both current and future workforce needs. Current needs included identifying and hiring new employees as well as training existing employees. Consortia activities to address businesses’ needs for new employees included… Continue Reading Workforce Development Consortia Provide Needed Services

For American workers, having a high school or general equivalency diploma (GED)—which once represented a means of entrance to the middle class—is no longer adequate for finding steady employment. In fact, three quarters of low-wage workers have these qualifications but lack the relevant occupational skills and connections to employers needed to launch a career. At… Continue Reading Reconstructing the Local Labor Market: The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership and BIG STEP

Through the economic ups and downs of the last few years, it has become clear that cities and states simply must have competitive workforce development policies to compete in a changing economy. Coherent and sophisticated training programs accomplish two key goals for policymakers: they help attract knowledge-driven companies that ultimately can help move states… Continue Reading Workforce Intermediaries: Powering Regional Economies in the New Century

Through the economic ups and downs of the last few years, it has become clear that cities and states simply must have competitive workforce development policies to compete in a changing economy. Coherent and sophisticated training programs accomplish two key goals for policymakers: they help attract knowledge-driven companies that ultimately can help move states… Continue Reading Meeting the Workforce Needs of the Milwaukee Construction Industry Case Study: The Center of Excellence