The Emergence of Local Practices in a Devolved Workforce Investment System: Barriers and Possibilities for Enhancing Degree Completion

《The Emergence of Local Practices in a Devolved Workforce Investment System: Barriers and Possibilities for Enhancing Degree Completion》

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关键字: workforce investment; labor force issues; jobs; college education; training; COLLEGE-EDUCATION; FEDERALISM; PROGRAMS; POLICY; ACT

作者单位: [Nisbet, Elizabeth] CUNY, John Jay Coll, New York, NY 10021 USA. [McKay, Heather A.; Haviland, Sara] Rutgers State Univ, Sch Management & Labor Relat, Educ & Employment Res Ctr, Piscataway, NJ USA. Nisbet, E (reprint author), CUNY John Jay Coll Criminal Justice, Dept Publ Management, 524 West 59th St,Room 3516 North Hall, New York, NY 10019 USA. E-Mail: enisbet@jjay.cuny.edu

摘要: Former President Obama's 2020 Goal for the United States to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world required that both new and disengaged college students attain degrees. The workforce development system could assist the latter by supporting credit-bearing education as training. Its ability to address this need depends on the controlled devolved structure established by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, which allows states and local workforce investment areas to set priorities and make a range of choices bounded by federal constraints. Analyzing interview data with frontline staff, case managers, and leadership in workforce systems in four states, the authors identify obstacles and opportunities for supporting degree completion. Three federal Workforce Investment Act mandates are particularly influential: individual training accounts, eligible training provider lists, and emphasis on demand occupations. The authors also model factors such as local partnerships and staff knowledge that can mediate how policy and practice shape local workforce investment area support for college.