The passage of WIOA in 2014 marks a new emphasis on workforce strategies that emphasize strong partnerships with many stakeholders that help strengthen local systems. Understanding local workforce systems and these frameworks is important when WIOA moves toward full implementation this summer.
In our brief, “Understanding Local Workforce Systems,” my co-authors and I offer a framework for local workforce systems, as a strategic way of thinking about a complex set of actors and goals. This brief starts by defining a local workforce system and outlining the current policy and funding context. Then we discuss who the workforce system serves and key organizations involved. Followed by descriptions of the seven major functions of local workforce systems. The brief ends with potential strategies for addressing local workforce issues.
The brief is part of the five-year collaboration between JPMorgan Chase and the Urban Institute to inform and assess JPMorgan Chase’s philanthropic investments in key initiatives. One of these is New Skills at Work, a $250 million multi-year investment in workforce programs that aims to expand and replicate effective approaches for linking education and training efforts with the skills and competencies employers need.
Read more at Understanding Local Workforce Systems. If you have any questions or comments on this brief you can contact me at mvannoy@rutgers.edu or you can contact the lead author Lauren Eyster at aelsbree@urban.org.