Manufacturing & Automotive

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.

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

Unpacking the Work of Work-Based Learning

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?

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.

Northwest Georgia: Partnering to Connect Workers to Jobs in the Floor Covering Industry
Publications

Northwest Georgia: Partnering to Connect Workers to Jobs in the Floor Covering Industry

The Northwest Georgia Regional Workforce Partnership is developing a new talent pipeline for employment in local advanced manufacturing industries, with an initial focus on the floor covering industry. The new education and training pipeline builds on the local public school system’s college and career academy infrastructure and will connect high school students and graduates to advanced manufacturing jobs that business leaders indicate are difficult to fill.

Houston, Texas: Developing Prototypes for Workforce Development Strategies
Publications

Houston, Texas: Developing Prototypes for Workforce Development Strategies

Greater Houston is the nation’s fourth largest metro economy and has enjoyed four years of extraordinary growth, creating more than 480,000 jobs since the bottom of the recession—three jobs for every one lost. But this growth has also intensified employers’ struggle to fill key occupations, particularly in middle-skill careers and professions. UpSkill Houston, and the local leaders involved in the Communities that Work Partnership (CTWP), have adopted a series of innovative prototypes to speed workforce innovation and to scale what works to meet the demand for these middle-skill jobs.

Workforce Development, Inc. (Southeastern Minnesota)
Publications

Workforce Development, Inc. (Southeastern Minnesota)

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.

Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (Rio Grande Valley, Tex.)
Publications

Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (Rio Grande Valley, Tex.)

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.

Shoreline Community College – Auto Sales and Service Training Pathways Program (Shoreline, Wash.)
Publications

Shoreline Community College – Auto Sales and Service Training Pathways Program (Shoreline, Wash.)

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.

Automobile Career Pathways Project (Seattle, Wash.)
Publications

Automobile Career Pathways Project (Seattle, Wash.)

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 the Metro Bus Operator Bridge Program in Los Angeles, CA
Publications

Courses to Employment: Initial Education and Employment Outcomes Findings for the Metro Bus Operator Bridge Program in Los Angeles, CA

This report details initial findings from research on the education and employment outcomes of 651 participants who enrolled in the Metro Bus Operator Bridge Program in Los Angeles between 2006 and February 2010.

Courses to Employment: Initial Education and Employment Outcomes Findings for Community College-Nonprofit Partnership in Seattle, WA
Publications

Courses to Employment: Initial Education and Employment Outcomes Findings for Community College-Nonprofit Partnership in Seattle, WA

This report details the initial findings from research on the education and employment outcomes of students who enrolled in the General Services Technician (automobile service and repair) program at Shoreline Community College between 2006 and 2009.

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.