The pandemic has caused a major economic shift for businesses and workers. Countless companies have had to quickly upskill their workers, equipping them with the skills they need to pivot to digital or remote services. As a result, the importance of efficiently and effectively training and onboarding workers with the right skills for the job has…

While the nation is enjoying its longest economic expansion on record and its lowest unemployment rate in 50 years, anxiety persists about how American businesses and workers will be affected by future changes in the labor market. Speculation about the "future of work" is typically centered on how new or emerging technologies could…

This chapter provides an in-depth analysis of Estonia's response to the European-level Recommendation on Youth Guarantee (YG). It provides the context explaining a range of policy interventions and conditions existing in Estonia before the adaptation to the YG. The chapter explores what opportunities the Estonian policy-makers saw in the YG to…

This chapter explores the United Kingdom's (UK) response to the Youth Guarantee (YG) in the two largest of its four constituent countries -- England and Scotland. The chapter examines the forms, systems and funding which underpin the YG and the conditions currently affecting young people socially, economically and geographically in England and…

Incorporation into the labour market is a key endeavour, of heightened importance in recent years due to high migration flows, for both immigrants and their recipient countries. Hence, activation and employability are major themes in both transnational and national policy discussions, which have generated various programmes and policy measures.…

This chapter discusses the approach to Youth Guarantee (YG) in Spain in the context of high percentage of school dropout rates, high youth unemployment and a large number of people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). Furthermore, it provides a detailed context of how the YG was implemented within the complex territorial governance…

A growing number of U.S. companies across a range of industries are designing apprenticeship programs to give workers access to on-the-job learning opportunities that allow them to transition into in-demand jobs and careers. This discussion paper provides a snapshot of the current state of apprenticeship in the United States based on interviews…

The COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted and accelerated two trends that were already occurring in the American workplace: First, the demand for new skills and competencies, including digital skills, from workers at every level. Second, the growing importance of investing in upskilling strategies that can help two groups of workers: Those who are…

As countries work to "build back better" from COVID-19, the education sector has a once in a lifetime opportunity to build back differently. Unprecedented school disruptions have laid bare how existing inequalities within education systems, including those structured along the intersections of gender and poverty, are exacerbated in times…

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…

Since the introduction of workplace computers in the 1970s, policymakers have been racing to outpace the workforce demands of the information age. To address concerns, policymakers have promoted an expansion of skills training to help workers keep up in the changing economy. Because the way people learn, work, and live is transforming, so should…

When it comes to digital literacy, how do we know what kind of skills America's workers need for the workplace, how they can best acquire them, and what competencies or credentials can help them signal their preparedness to employers? Over the past four months, National Skills Coalition staff interviewed business, education, and workforce leaders…

Paul Ryan has brought together the writings of the most prominent British research into vocational preparation in Britain in comparison to the other advanced economies, primarily within the EEC. The book, originally published in 1991, documents various aspects of inadequacy in British practice at the time, concentrating upon intermediate skills,…

Businesses throughout the United States are facing a tight labor market and a growing need for skilled workers. At the same time, millions of U.S. adults have foundational skills gaps in areas such as literacy or numeracy. This issue is especially acute among Americans with disabilities, who are twice as likely as their non-disabled peers to have…

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimated that approximately 9% of current jobs within OECD member states are threatened with automation and digitalization--all significant successes and advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, and computer science. With such global changes and forecasts, in the labor…