The Student Success Center Network (SSCN) is dedicated to advancing racial justice and economic mobility by dramatically and equitably increasing the number of students earning postsecondary credentials with labor market value. Managed by Jobs for the Future, the SSCN has worked since 2012 to develop, implement, and scale student success…

This chapter urges researchers to use a "spatial lens" to identify mismatches between educational offerings and the local labor market for middle-skill careers. Students who are unlikely to relocate for a job will benefit from occupational credentials aligned with geographically local and available careers. The proposed spatial research…

The California Community Colleges, through the Economic and Workforce Development Program (EWD), is an incubator of educational and workforce development that collaborates with industry to develop and deliver cutting-edge career and technical education (CTE) skills training. Guiding the work taking place at the regional and state levels is the…

The California Community Colleges, through the Economic and Workforce Development Program (EWD), is an incubator of educational and workforce innovation that results in a growing economy for California. The system collaborates with industry to develop and deliver cutting-edge career and technical education (CTE) skills training so Californians can…

Far too often, today's college students find themselves wandering through their academic experiences, choosing from a dizzying array of majors, courses, and out-of-classroom learning experiences. And while this smorgasbord of options is often portrayed as beneficial to the student experience, more than a decade of research suggests that too many…

Even as the economy appears to have turned a corner, high unemployment persists. Strangely, as millions nationwide struggle to find work, there are millions of jobs that remain unfilled. High unemployment rates may therefore have less to do than commonly assumed with an economy that is not healthy enough to produce jobs or employers who are…

These appendices accompany the full report that summarizes the implementation and evaluation of the Accelerating Connections to Employment (ACE) program. The ACE program model is designed to improve employment and employment-related outcomes for low-skilled workers through formal partnerships between Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) and…

Given today's always-on information economy, few professional tracks are as consistently overlooked as agriculture. Decades of mechanization, industrialization, and consolidation have reduced the number of people employed in farming from 16 percent of the total U.S. workforce in 1945 to less than 2 percent in 2000. Those that do opt to pursue…

Fewer than 40 percent of Americans have a college degree. As the economy grows ever more dependent on a highly skilled workforce, this statistic speaks volumes about the future prosperity of the nation and its least-advantaged members. It also raises a critical question: What is being done to improve the educational attainment of the workforce?…

At this moment, roughly 12 million Americans are unable to find work, with more than 40 percent of that number unemployed for six months or more. At the same time, current estimates put the number of job vacancies in this country at 3 million per month. The most popular explanation for this apparent paradox, the one put forth by former President…

Community colleges are under pressure these days to produce graduates who can land jobs. But identifying which occupations and skills are in demand is often easier said than done. LaGuardia, a City University of New York campus in Long Island City, is one of 10 community colleges across six states experimenting with software that collects…

Washington's community and technical colleges are a collective, powerful, unmatched resource for advancing prosperity through education. These 34 colleges not only connect with employers in the regions where they operate, but also with each other through common programs--like advanced manufacturing and allied health--that align with Washington's…

As health care providers, patients, and employers adjust to the changes related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which promises to extend medical coverage to thirty million previously uninsured Americans, community colleges are gearing up to keep pace with rising economic and societal demands for medical and allied health…

The demand for improved workplace skills in the U.S. is rapidly rising, and U.S. industries, employees, and educational systems are struggling to respond. This paper describes the Skills Advantage program, an effort led by employers and facilitated by Kirkwood Community College to address regional employment needs. This work-ready certificate…

The gap that separates so many workers from the prospect of good-paying, stable jobs demands urgent action by states--even as the unrelenting fast pace of economic change makes a sound response all the more difficult and as the "rules of the game" continue to evolve. This is especially true in the Science, Technology, Engineering and…