Improving Higher Education's Role in Workforce Development

<p>Human capital and talent are increasingly important drivers of regional competitiveness. States and localities recognize that their economic development success is inextricably linked to their ability to cultivate and develop a workforce that has the knowledge and skills required by key businesses and industries. Communities and regions must operate successfully on each side of the human capital equation by both stimulating the demand for skilled workers and ensuring that the supply of workers is sufficient to meet that demand. The goal is to create lots of good jobs and have great workers to fill them. We can find examples of promising workforce development programs in many places throughout the U.S. However, workforce development faces a number of challenges and transitions even as it becomes an indispensable part of the formula for economic development success.</p> <p>A recent policy brief produced by Harry Holzer, a Visiting Fellow at The Brookings Institution, discusses some of the big issues affecting workforce development in the U.S. Holzer notes key trends such as the decline in certain mid-skill jobs that had been held by workers with a high school diploma or less, and the rise of new middle level jobs that require post-secondary education and/or training. This shift in the education and skill requirements for mid-level jobs has placed higher education, particularly community colleges, at the center of workforce development. The problem is that college completion rates are low for many disadvantaged students and the labor market outcomes and earnings for some graduates entering middle tier occupations can be disappointing.</p> <p>Holzer mentions [...]</p>