America's labor market presents a paradox. Although the unemployment rate is just 3.9%, there are more jobs open than people who can fill them. Nationwide, there are roughly 68 workers for every 100 open jobs. Many factors contribute to this workforce shortage, but one of the most significant is a growing skills gap -- millions of workers across…

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…

Governors are increasingly aware that the emerging economy will provide few well-paying jobs for workers who have not earned a postsecondary degree or a relevant workforce certificate. Fifty years ago, nearly 80 percent of all jobs required only a high school diploma or less and most paid a good wage. Fast-forward to data from 2013 and that number…

This project sought to develop a model that could be used to gather information on employer and student needs in Mesa County and Western Colorado in order to enhance and validate vocational education offerings. To meet the objectives of the study, a comprehensive review of literature regarding existing models and/or programs, along with numerous…

In order to maintain and improve its residents' standard of living, Colorado must develop an internationally competitive work force for the 21st century. To achieve this goal, a fully integrated, improved, and updated work force development system must be established. This system will require an ongoing partnership among business and industry,…

A study determined labor market needs of high technology firms in Colorado. It assessed such needs in relation to present and projected output of vocational education and training programs and developed recommendations for policies and programs to meet industry training needs at the vocational training level. Data were collected through on-site…

A study examined the ways in which practitioners in four states were defining the terms coordination/cooperation/collaboration when directing the monies set aside in Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) funding for use in coordination among educators and job training providers. Case studies of the use of 8 percent set-aside monies were conducted in…

The conference reported here was designed to encourage practitioners and other educational decision makers to improve, expand, and/or install programs of education/work in postsecondary institutions of Colorado. The objectives, program, and conference proceedings from each of four sessions are presented. Session one, an overview, consists of…

A descriptive study concerning adult cooperative education was conducted to identify types of cooperative agreements, some of the most common elements found on written agreement forms and whether these elements can be considered essential to any agreement, discrepancy between what is advocated in the literature concerning cooperative agreements…

This document describes the essential elements of jobs for the Future's (JFF) four-state work force preparation policy proces. It begins with a brief outline of the following five steps: (1) use information to clarify necessary action; (2) create regional and community forums; (3) educate and empower the citizenry; (4) assess employer practices…

Developed for adult vocational educators in Colorado, this annotated bibliography reviews relevant literature and research concerning job development and placement services for learners in postsecondary adult vocational education institutions. The included references relate to postsecondary job development, career education, and vocational…

The project was designed to develop a data interface system which would (1) improve the quality of vocational data, (2) provide vocational data in a more timely manner, (3) provide meaningful analyses of data (particularly in the worker demand-supply area), and (4) provide the capability of interacting different data bases. Procedures were…

Surging demand for workers, growing income inequality, and passage of welfare reforms have made work force development one of the United States' key national concerns. Public/Private Ventures has been working with various states to design work force development strategies that seek to address the concerns of many work force development specialists…