Building a Next Generation Workforce Development System

Building a Next Generation Workforce Development System

Researcher(s):Evelyn Ganzglass, Neil Ridley, Martin Simon, Christopher T. King, Betty Jane Narver, and Carl Van Horn
Date: September 2000
Publisher: Ford Foundation
Publication Type: Full Report (PDF). Contact rmcpubs@raymarshallcenter.org for printed copies.

Abstract: The current workforce development system has not kept pace with the changing economy and changing expectations for the role of education and training. In addition, there is a wide and growing gap between public workforce programs and private sector human resource practices. We believe the time is ripe for a fresh examination of the existing workforce development system. It is also time to define a vision for a next generation workforce system.

 

This discussion paper is a work in progress that:

• Summarizes key features of the New Economy and the forces of change that have given rise to it;
• Briefly characterizes existing workforce development programs in the United States;
• Lays out a series of characteristics of a next generation workforce system;
• Suggests possible strategies for building the workforce system of the future; and
• Initiates a dialogue among key players in the workforce system, particularly the states and regions responsible for its implementation.