The Emergence of Local Practices in a Devolved Workforce Investment System: Barriers and Possibilities for Enhancing Degree Completion. (August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Nisbet, Elizabeth; McKay, Heather A.; Haviland, Sara
• Is Part Of: Economic development quarterly. Volume 31:Number 3(2017:Aug.)
• Page Start: 183
• Page End: 195
• Publication Date: 2017-08
• Subjects: workforce investment -- labor force issues -- jobs -- college education -- training; Economic development -- Periodicals; Economics -- Periodicals; United States -- Economic conditions -- Periodicals; 330.973
• DOI: 10.1177/0891242417719831
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0891-2424

Abstract

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.