Behavioral Economics and Workforce Development: A Review of the Literature from Labor Economics and the Broader Field

Literature Reviewhere is mutual benefit for employers and workers when workers improve their skills beyond the minimum requirements for their position—a fact not lost on employers, many of who are willing to provide education and training opportunities to staff, including frontline workers. These opportunities typically include on-the-job-training, tuition reimbursement for postsecondary courses, and paid leave to attend classes. Despite often generous budgets for these activities, relatively few workers take advantage of these opportunities, potentially limiting increases in productivity, wages and longer-term career advancement (Tompson, Benz, Agiesta, & Junius, 2013). This dilemma raises an interesting research question: Can emerging lessons from behavioral science experiments be applied to cutting the Gordian Knot of worker participation in education and training programs? This review of current literature on the topic is intended to explore the strengths and limitations of applying tools of behavioral sciences to increase the participation and completion rate of training for lower-wage, frontline incumbent workers in ways that benefit both workers and sponsoring firms.The Hitachi FoundationRay Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resource

Evaluation of Travis County Investments in Workforce Development 2016 Update

Evaluation of workforce development programs.For more than fifteen years, Travis County has invested between $1-2.5 million in workforce development programs for disadvantaged residents. The purpose of the evaluation is to examine outcomes and impacts for participants in Travis County-funded community-based workforce programs over time and to provide recommendations and support for County and provider staff based on data analysis and best practice research. Seven providers with long standing County contracts have been the focus of an ongoing evaluation of the outcomes and impacts of local workforce services investments led by the Ray Marshall Center since 2006.Travis CountyRay Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resource

Promoting Two-Generation Strategies: A Getting-Started Guide for State and Local Policy Makers

Guide for State and Local Policy MakersThis is a revised and updated version of the one prepared in 2013. This paper is intended to serve as a getting-started guide for state and local policymakers as they begin to develop and implement two-generation strategies in their areas. It begins with an overview of the most recent family of innovative two-generation programs and provides several examples of the model that illustrate different approaches to a two-generation strategy with strong workforce and/or education components.Foundation for Child DevelopmentRay Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resource