Shaping Tomorrow PDF Download

Increased international competition, rapid technological innovation, and profound demographic changes have all created an urgent need for a skilled and capable work force. The work force development system that has been assembled over the years in the United States is extensive; however, the goals and services provided by a wide range of public and private agencies have never been integrated. Efforts to integrate these diverse resources and reform the nation's labor force development policy must include more attention to the following: public-private partnership, coordinated service delivery, program accountability, and decentralized program administration. The implementation of a demand-driven, decentralized, and flexible work force demands a new role for the federal government. The federal government should take the following actions: build a federal partnership, support state reorganization efforts, improve state and local coordination, ensure program accountability, develop flexible targeted programs, and leverage additional resources. Current policies concerning job training for the disadvantaged, vocational education, welfare, worker adjustment, employment service, unemployment insurance, labor market information, and elementary secondary education must all be reassessed and reformed to increase coordination among all levels of government and the private sector. (MN)