Recommendations on Performance Accountability in the Workforce Education and Training System

The nation’s workforce education and training system are essential to reach the collective prosperity. President Obama's administration called upon all Americans to obtain some education and training beyond high school, recognizing that postsecondary education is becoming the gateway to family-sustaining employment and the driver of long-term economic growth. By 2018, 30 percent of newly created jobs and other job openings will require some college or an Associate degree. However, not enough individuals are reaching their career and educational goals. Half of the U.S. workforce has only a high school diploma or less, and many of those with a high school diploma lack the necessary skills to compete for the jobs of the future. CLASP recommends that significant changes be made in workforce development and adult education programs authorized under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) so that these programs may become better gateways to the middle-class for low-income and other marginalized workers.