Hiring people who have served prison sentences has never been a priority in the United States. For men and women who were once incarcerated, finding any job is difficult; finding a sustainable, family-supporting job is nearly impossible. Today the country is at a critical crossroads on this issue, and it's time for change. As the nation works in…

Purpose: Apprenticeships in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, which operate under the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP), now account for about 20 percent of all registered apprentices in the USA. The purpose of this paper is to draw on interviews and focus groups to examine the strengths and limitations of USMAP,…

The past decade has seen a resurgence of interest in career and technical education (CTE) as a way to engage students, help people build the skills necessary to succeed in a technologically advanced economy, and meet employer demand for workers. MDRC--which has a two-decade history of developing and evaluating CTE programs, including their…

The California Community Colleges Workforce and Economic Development program (WED program) helps students, incumbent workers, business partners and industries develop skilled competencies in critical industry sectors. As a source for developing and implementing training and curriculum, the WED program is instrumental in helping the community…

High school students participating in 16 California multiple pathways programs generally graduated at higher rates, met university requirements in greater numbers, performed better on high school exit exams and were more engaged in school and learning. This report summarizes a 2007-2008 study of the ConnectEd Network of Schools, capturing positive…

The principal shortage means that many educators, including assistant principals and resource teachers, are moving into the job with little training. Mentor and apprenticeship relationships can aid leadership development. Exemplary leaders' highest calling is to build leadership in others--exemplified in Santa Cruz's Growing Our Own" program.…

This report examines the composition, challenges, needs, and training opportunities of the emerging nontraditional work force. By the year 2000, 87 percent of newcomers to the United States' workforce will be Asians, Hispanics, Blacks, women returning to work, and immigrants. After an introduction, the report provides information on the following:…

Selected state and local experiments in developing/supporting workplace-centered training programs were analyzed to identify issues relevant to developing a national policy for workplace training. Intensive case studies of state economic development/training programs in California and Illinois and the employment and training programs provided by…