The promise of the state-federal partnership on workforce development and training

A skilled and productive workforce is critical for the economic vitality of the United States. However, our nation currently faces several key labor market challenges: business leaders throughout our nation warn of a skills crisis due to the lack of qualified workers to fill the high-skilled jobs of tomorrow; many Americans have been excluded from recent economic gains, with wage growth that is still slow and unevenly distributed; and parents, youth and families are increasingly anxious about a future where the next generation of workers may not have the same opportunities to prosper as...  [+] Show more

A skilled and productive workforce is critical for the economic vitality of the United States. However, our nation currently faces several key labor market challenges: business leaders throughout our nation warn of a skills crisis due to the lack of qualified workers to fill the high-skilled jobs of tomorrow; many Americans have been excluded from recent economic gains, with wage growth that is still slow and unevenly distributed; and parents, youth and families are increasingly anxious about a future where the next generation of workers may not have the same opportunities to prosper as the one before. A major part of the solution to these challenges lies in effective and efficient state workforce development systems - diverse public-private partnerships between businesses, government, and education and training providers designed to ensure that individuals have the skills needed by businesses.

Excerpt from publication.