COVID-19 has left tens of millions of Americans out of work or uncertain about the future of their current jobs, and thousands of firms urgently reassessing their own viability and path forward. Even before the pandemic led to the highest national unemployment rate since the Great Depression, American businesses and workers were anxious about how…

Achieving prosperity for all Americans could not be more urgent. Although the United States remains the most prosperous nation on earth, millions of citizens are losing faith in the American dream of upward mobility, and in American-style capitalism itself. This crisis of confidence has widened the divide afflicting American politics and cries out…

Over half of jobs in the U.S. require training beyond high school but not a four-year degree. These skilled jobs are the backbone of America's economy, and filling them is critical to America's success in the 21st century. Every day, in communities coast to coast, working people, students, and families are looking for opportunities to get ahead.…

The Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant represented an unprecedented investment by the federal government in integrated postsecondary education and workforce training offered primarily by community and technical colleges. Between 2011 and 2018, 256 grants totaling nearly $2 billion were awarded through…

In 2018, California Governor Gavin Newsom set an ambitious goal of reaching 500,000 active apprentices by 2029. He did so because apprenticeship is a proven model and clear strategy for connecting Californians to good jobs. It has a strong track record for workers and employers in the skilled trades and in firefighting, but apprenticeship…

With funding from the National Science Foundation in 2014, the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) launched a five-year project to demonstrate the efficacy of regional ecosystems of community colleges, four-year higher education institutions, and STEM-driven business in facilitating the retention and persistence of students in STEM fields. This…

The Higher Education Act (HEA) can promote connections to work by supporting linkages to career pathways that help youth and adults with barriers to employment obtain postsecondary credentials that lead to family-sustaining jobs with the potential for career advancement. HEA also has the potential to support partnerships between higher education,…

Workforce development in the United States today is spread across higher education institutions (primarily public two-year and for-profit colleges), labor market institutions, and workplaces, with public funding from a range of sources. But outcomes for students and workers are weaker than they could be, especially among disadvantaged students and…

To learn more about how nonprofits, educators, employers, and policymakers can work together to upskill the limited English proficient (LEP) workforce, Jobs for the Future (JFF) interviewed students and instructors who had participated in the pathbreaking and innovative bilingual training program known as Growing Opportunities in America for…

This report demonstrates the power of business-higher education partnerships to create new kinds of STEM pathways that provide educational opportunity and economic mobility for underrepresented students. With funding from the National Science Foundation in 2014, the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) launched a five-year project to demonstrate…

Investing in community college workforce training is a central part of the Biden administration's agenda for improving the lives of American families. Now more than ever, as the nation's economy enters a post-pandemic period of significant organizational and technological change, community colleges are well-situated to help millions of low-income…

House Democrats yesterday introduced major legislation to reauthorize the landmark Higher Education Act. Although reauthorization is long overdue, the new legislation, called the College Affordability Act, proposes mainly marginal improvements to a broken higher education financing system. Moreover, it doesn't do enough to help people who don't go…

In 2015 "The Helmsley Charitable Trust" provided grants to four Achieving the Dream (ATD) Leader Colleges to engage in STEM-specific iPASS reform beginning in fall 2016. iPASS, or Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success, is a whole-school reform approach that uses technology to promote, support, and sustain long-term,…

"Excelencia" in Education accelerates Latino student success in higher education to address the U.S. economy's need for a highly educated workforce for civic leadership. Policy must keep up with our country's changing demographics to serve students. This compilation includes fact sheets covering Excelencia's four policy priorities:…

National and state policymakers are considering whether to expand or establish work requirements for safety net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. During this process, policymakers should take into account what safety net program recipients need to meet those requirements and place themselves on a…