Information Technology & Office Administration

Research and evaluation conducted by the Economic Opportunities Program’s Workforce Strategies Initiative explore strategies that help workers attain stability and mobility, including through training, education, and broader systems change.

In the years since the end of the Great Recession, the unemployment rate has declined much faster than the poverty rate, and more and more Americans are struggling to find work that allows them to support themselves and their families. WSI’s current research explores “raise the floor and build ladders” strategies, which improve the quality of low-wage jobs and promote mobility for low-wage workers.

Communities that Work Partnership Playbook
Publications

Communities that Work Partnership Playbook

This playbook presents the work of seven regional partnerships engaged in the Communities that Work Partnership.

Arizona: Understanding Skill Needs of Technology Occupations
Publications

Arizona: Understanding Skill Needs of Technology Occupations

Despite a positive growth outlook for IT in Arizona, there is local concern that the state lacks qualified workers to support the future of IT and that talent is leaving the area for professional opportunities elsewhere. As a result, in 2014 the IT Sector Partnership was launched with the intention of engaging a wide range of stakeholders to address the state’s workforce gap. The partnership aimed to define the challenges facing employers—both within the IT industry and in other sectors employing IT workers—and then develop and implement strategies to meet those needs.

The Freelance Economy and Workforce System Meet in the Bay Area
Publications

The Freelance Economy and Workforce System Meet in the Bay Area

The “on-demand” or “1099” economy is reengineering how millions of Americans work, and California’s San Francisco Bay Area is at the forefront of these changes. Four members of the Bay Area team participating in the Communities that Work Partnership (CTWP) set out to understand this challenge and explore how the public workforce development system—the one-stop job centers, community colleges, and publicly funded community-based training programs—could meet the skills needs of freelancers, and the businesses that hire them, in the region’s 1099 economy.

NOVA-NVFS Training Futures “Steps to Success” Model (Fairfax County, Va.)
Publications

NOVA-NVFS Training Futures “Steps to Success” Model (Fairfax County, Va.)

This document is a profile of a sector initiative and provides detailed description of the initiative that may include information about program design, funding, worker outcomes, partners and much more.

Initial Findings From Courses To Employment On Students’ Education And Employment Outcomes
Publications

Initial Findings From Courses To Employment On Students’ Education And Employment Outcomes

During Courses to Employment, WSI conducted participant outcomes assessments on students served by nonprofit-community college partnerships.

Courses to Employment: Initial Education and Employment Outcomes Findings for Community College-Nonprofit Partnership in Northern Virginia
Publications

Courses to Employment: Initial Education and Employment Outcomes Findings for Community College-Nonprofit Partnership in Northern Virginia

This report details the initial findings from longitudinal research on the education and employment outcomes of students who enrolled in Northern Virginia Family Service’s Training Futures (business and medical office administration training) program between 2007 and 2010.

Project QUEST: A Case Study of a Sectoral Employment Development Approach
Publications

Project QUEST: A Case Study of a Sectoral Employment Development Approach

This case study provides a detailed account of Project QUEST, a workforce development program in San Antonio, Texas that works closely with industry and community partners to create training and career opportunities that help low-income people move out of poverty.

About the Workforce Strategies Initiative

The Workforce Strategies Initiative, part of the Economic Opportunities Program, uses research and evaluation to explore strategies that help workers attain stability and mobility, including through training, education, and broader systems change.

About the Economic Opportunities Program

The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.

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More from the Workforce Strategies Initiative

Cover Page for the publication "Race and Gender Wealth Equity and the Role of Employee Share Ownership"
Publications

Race and Gender Wealth Equity and the Role of Employee Share Ownership

Employee ownership can promote equity, improve job quality, and boost business performance.

Cover page for the report "Unpacking the Work of Work-Based Learning"
Publications

Unpacking the Work of Work-Based Learning

Enhancing Conversations Between Employers and Workforce Professionals
Blog Posts

Enhancing Conversations Between Employers and Workforce Professionals

Many young people need job and training opportunities. How do workforce professionals talk about these issues with employers?

Voices from the Field: Engaging Employers to Connect Young Adults to Good Fit Employment
Publications

Voices from the Field: Engaging Employers to Connect Young Adults to Good Fit Employment

Young workers are facing dire employment prospects. But asking employers the right questions can help identify opportunities.

Cover page: "The Benefits of Bridging Divides: How YouthBuild Philly Shares its Supportive Practices to Build Business Value and Better Jobs"
Publications

The Benefits of Bridging Divides: How YouthBuild Philly Shares its Supportive Practices to Build Business Value and Better Jobs

YouthBuild Philly shows how businesses can develop supportive practices to help young people succeed at work.

Cover Page: "Genesis at Work: Evaluating the Effects of Manufacturing Extension on Business Success and Job Quality"
Publications

Genesis at Work: Evaluating the Effects of Manufacturing Extension on Business Success and Job Quality

Workforce practices are central to a firm’s success. What happens when companies focus on people and process equally?

A Toolkit to Engage Employers and Opportunity Youth on the Future of Work
Publications

A Toolkit to Engage Employers and Opportunity Youth on the Future of Work

How can we ensure Opportunity Youth are positioned to succeed in the future of work?

Cost of Turnover Tool: Make the business case to improve retention through upskilling and stability
Publications

Cost of Turnover Tool

Estimate how much your business spends each year replacing staff in one occupation.