The U.S. labor force is dominated by 45 to 60 year olds — a fact that is leading many people to fret over the stress that will hit the labor market when the baby boom generation retires en masse. That’s not a big concern in Utah, though, where the labor force is dominated by 25
Could Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs be a new front in the culture war? They could if 77 pages of proposed nondiscrimination rules related to the act are implemented. That’s because the rules, recently published in the Federal Register, take significant steps to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals who
Faith-based organizations will play a key role in the implementation of workforce innovation and opportunity plans being rolled out across the country this season. There’s good reason for that: Churches of every shape and size have long been a part of the educational and vocational fabric of this nation — and have long played leading
For a quick moment, think back to where you developed your work ethic. If you’re being inundated right now with memories of making pizzas in a hot kitchen, cleaning bathrooms in a local motel, or washing cars on long summer days, you’re certainly not alone. Most employed Americans had their first work experiences as teenagers
More and more states are releasing drafts of their Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act plans for public comment. But when it comes to implementing a law that many Americans haven’t heard about, does the public even know what it’s looking for? Probably not yet. That’s why the Center for Law and Social Policy has released
When Congress passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, it called on the Department of Labor to establish a common “brand” for the one-stop career centers that must exist in every area of the country, helping connect workers and job seekers to the businesses that need them. But while it makes sense to seek better
Acting U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King has made his priorities crystal clear. As Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act programs launch and grow over coming years, King has told implementers that equity is of paramount importance. Speaking last month to the WOIA “One Team, One Vision, One Conversation" national convening, King told more than
If you haven’t yet made it through Robert McCartney’s scathing analysis of Washington D.C.’s record on helping its unemployed residents get jobs, don’t fret. The piece, which was first published on Dec. 12 and is still making its rounds among educrats far and wide, takes some time to digest. But for those in the business
Imagine the entire city of Dallas was enrolled in college in 2011 — and isn’t anymore. That’s been the effect of a 1.3 million student drop in higher education enrollment since the nation hit an attendance record in the fall of 2011. Very little has changed, however, for more traditional segments of the college-attending population
While many other states had just gotten started identifying their priorities, Mississippi became the first state in the nation to submit its Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Plan. The Magnolia State completed its comprehensive proposal to close the middle-skill job gap and increase workforce participation, and mailed it to the U.S. Department of Labor nearly