What Works for Job Training Programs for Disadvantaged Workers
Oct 17, 2019
Reimagining the Workforce Development System for the 21st Century and Beyond
Technology, globalization, and demographic changes have altered what employers need from workers and what workers can expect from employers. Many Americans no longer follow a straightforward, linear path from education to the workforce to retirement—rather, it is becoming more common for individuals to work while going to school, return to school to get more education or change careers after spending some time in the workforce, or work multiple freelance jobs. RAND Education and Labor researchers are working with education and training institutions, employers, and policymakers to take a systems-levels approach to examining education, workforce development, and employment, and to develop evidence-based policy recommendations to better support workers and employers in the 21st-century and beyond.
Featured Research
Equitable Access to Opportunities for Learning, Training, and Re-Training Throughout Individuals’ Working Lives
RAND Education and Labor researchers are examining how best to provide students with a broad base of fundamental skills, as well as exposure to career and technical education that will prepare them for the world of work. In addition, we are considering alternative funding models that can more equitably distribute costs of continuing education and training among individuals, employers, and taxpayers.
Matching and Re-matching Individuals with Jobs to Which They and Their Skills are Well-suited
Recent graduates often find it difficult to make the transition from school to the workforce, as employers often want to hire workers with previous experience. RAND Education and Labor researchers are working in partnership with employers, education and training providers, and other stakeholders to better-align education and training curricula with labor market needs, and to facilitate the school-to-workforce transition. At the same time, many experienced workers find that their current skills are no longer in need, but there are no clearly defined pathways for them to quickly adapt and acquire new skills. Our work has examined new mechanisms to support greater job and career mobility, as well as the needs of freelancers in the growing “gig” economy.
Recent Publications
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The American Working Conditions Survey Finds That Nearly Half of Retirees Would Return to Work November 12, 2019
According to the American Working Conditions Survey, more older workers report having meaningful work compared with their prime-age counterparts, and nearly half of retirees would return to work under the right conditions.
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Effectiveness of Screened, Demand-Driven Job Training Programs for Disadvantaged Workers: An Evaluation of the New Orleans Career Pathway Training October 17, 2019
Lower-skilled workers face a shrinking pool of employment opportunities. To combat this, the city of New Orleans developed a job training program that helped these individuals train for and find skilled jobs in particular industries. The authors of this report examine that program's implementation and effectiveness and perform a cost-benefit analysis. Findings include improved wage growth and a positive return on investment.
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What Works for Job Training Programs for Disadvantaged Workers: The Case of New Orleans' Career Pathways Training Program October 17, 2019
The authors of this brief examine the implementation and effectiveness of a New Orleans job training program that helped lower-skilled, unemployed, and underemployed individuals train for and find skilled jobs in particular industries.
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RAND's Interdisciplinary Behavioral and Social Science Agent-Based Model of Income Tax Evasion: Technical Report September 19, 2019
Explores an agent-based computational simulation model of individual income tax evasion tools to understand how taxpayers change their compliance behavior and what government policies could help mitigate the problem of tax evasion.
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Reimagining the Workforce Development and Employment System for the 21st Century and Beyond September 19, 2019
Although nearly two decades have elapsed since the turn of the 21st century, the U.S. approach to education, training, and workforce development still largely operates on a 20th-century model. To address this, RAND Corporation researchers developed a systems-level, blue-sky approach to conceptualizing and visualizing features and functions of a 21st-century U.S. workforce development and employment system.
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A System That Works: How a New Workforce Development and Employment System Can Meet the Needs of Employers, Workers, and Other Stakeholders September 18, 2019
U.S. education, training, and workforce development have not significantly changed despite 21st-century needs. This research brief details a systems-level, blue-sky approach to rethinking the current workforce development and employment system.
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The Effects of Job Characteristics on Retirement September 12, 2019
Presents results based on a recent survey that queried older workers about their current, desired, and expected job characteristics, as well as about how certain job characteristics would affect their retirement decisions.
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The Appalachia Partnership Initiative's Investments in K–12 Education and Catalyzing the Community: Reflections from 2014 Through 2017 August 29, 2019
The growth in energy production in the tristate Appalachia region has spurred a demand for hiring workers who are proficient in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. RAND Corporation researchers assessed the Appalachia Partnership Initiative's (API's) October 2014 to December 2017 investments in K–12 STEM education activities and initiatives related to catalyzing the community.