Workforce Development and Postsecondary Education
In the 21st century economy, skill has become the most critical determinant of economic success - for individuals, for
businesses, and for regions. The economic returns to education and skill development are growing and the most obvious
and the widest divide between those who are doing well and those who are not is education attainment. For the
unprepared, the increasing bias toward skills demands wrenching adjustments. However, the good news is that education
and skill are not fixed regional endowments. Unlike natural resource and location advantage, the chief determinates of
region economic success in the 21st century economy - education and skills advantage - are not immutable; they can be
changed. With the right policies and with aggressive leadership, a region can increase its stock of skills and create
flexible and responsive educational institutions that will attract new investment and make old investments far more
efficient.
We leave to others the work of improving the performance on our public schools and strengthening postsecondary attainment for traditional students. At FutureWorks, we concentrate our attention on developing the policies and practices that will promote training and education for millions of working adults who did not prepare for this economy when they were of school age. We have carried out cutting-edge research on those factors that influence postsecondary access and success for working adults, and our policy recommendations in this arena have attracted national attention. We have also consulted directly with several states and regions on workforce and education development programs, including new "demand-side strategies" for workforce basic skill development and innovative programs for community and technical colleges.
