workforce Publications

Background and Supporting Evidence for Adult Education for Work (October 2009)
This paper provides specific steps the adult education system can take to develop and implement career pathways systems of learning that move low-skilled adults... read more
International Trends in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning (October 2009)
This background paper reviews strategies and programs that other countries have designed to improve the basic skills of adults and the quality of the services a... read more
Investing in Human Capital: A Foundation for Lasting Prosperity (September 2009)
The United States must invest in expanding the supply of models that directly reduce poverty, writes JFF President and CEO Marlene B. Seltzer in this commentary... read more
From Competencies to Curriculum: Building Career Paths for Frontline Workers in Behavioral Health (July 2009)
Workers on the front lines of behavioral health play a critical role in the care of people with mental illness, substance abuse problems, and other disorders, y... read more
Regional Growth and Opportunity Case Studies (July 2009)
As part of the Regional Growth and Opportunity Initiative, the National Center on Education and the Economy examined how four U.S. regions are convening key act... read more
Reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act: A Down Payment on a Workforce Development System for the 21st Century (June 2009)
The federal government last reauthorized its investment in the nation’s workforce system in 1998 with the Workforce Investment Act. As Congress and the Ob... read more
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Selected Funding Streams for Struggling Students and Disconnected Youth (March 2009)
On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the economic stimulus plan. Congress and the Oba... read more
Making a Difference: New Ideas at Work Across the Commonwealth (January 2009)
On January 15, 2009, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, JFF’s Making a Difference breakfast focused on the commitment to education and economic dev... read more
A Primer for Work-Based Learning: How to Make a Job the Basis for a College Education (December 2008)
This practice brief introduces work-based learning, a central and novel aspect of how workers in the Jobs to Careers initiative are trained and advanc... read more
Sustaining the Promise: Realizing the Potential of Workforce Intermediaries and Sector Projects (December 2008)
Complex workforce development projects managed by intermediaries, usually focused on one industry or sector, provide a wide range of education, training, and su... read more