Low-Skill Workers' Access to Quality Green Jobs

Explores the potential for the green jobs market to help low-skill workers gain needed skills and higher wages. Offers recommendations for improving training efforts, including curricular reforms and financial support, and examples of innovative programs

Expanding Economic Opportunity for Young Men and Boys of Color through Employment and Training

Young men of color have long experienced lower earnings and higher unemployment compared to young white men. Many factors have contributed to these negative outcomes: persistent discrimination, hiring practices of employers, geographic and social isolation, substandard secondary education, lack of career and postsecondary educational guidance, inadequate career and technical education, and higher incarceration rates. This paper focuses on promising strategies for improving the labor market outcomes of low-income young men of color. It outlines an employment-focused approach to improving economic opportunities and outcomes for these young men, highlighting potential policy, system and institutional reforms as well as program investments

The Benefits and Challenges of Registered Apprenticeship: The Sponsors' Perspective

This report analyzes a survey of a nationally representative sample of sponsors of registered apprenticeship programs. Commissioned by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor, the survey includes questions about how sponsors (mainly employers) view their registered apprenticeship programs. The study analyzes these survey responses on the value, benefits, and drawbacks of registered apprenticeship, its integration with the workforce investment systems, apprentice completion and reasons for non-completion, and suggestions for possible improvement. In general, sponsors report highly positive attitudes about registered apprenticeship as a system for training their workforce

Implementation Analysis of High Growth Job Training Initiative (HGJTI) Programs

The High Growth Job Training Initiative (HGJTI) is a national grants program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA). Between 2001 and 2006, more than 150 grants were awarded to establish demand-driven job training and related projects designed to meet employer-defined workforce challenges. This report is one of a series from the national evaluation of the HGJTI being conducted by the Urban Institute, the Institute for Policy Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and Capital Research Corporation. This report documents the national initiative and describes the structure and implementation of projects implemented by selected grantees. The information presented is based on reviews of grantee applications and quarterly reports submitted to ETA, and on field-based site visits to six grantees purposively selected to represent a variety of organizations, industry sectors, and geographic regions