The New Center Unveils Plan to Renew the American Dream; Outlines Overhaul of Flawed Workforce Training Programs

News provided by

May 30, 2019, 11:00 ET

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The New Center—an organization focused on creating the space for a political center in today's America— released a new policy paper entitled "The New American Dream: Workforce Training Programs."

The U.S. is on pace to set a record for the longest economic expansion in its history by July 2019, and the unemployment rate is the lowest it's been in nearly 50 years. By many measures the U.S. economy is thriving. And yet, far too many American workers in far too many places are being left out and left behind.

Consider:

In the period between 1990 and 2015, the U.S. has lost about 30% of its factory jobs.
Distressed rural communities have lost 1.4 million jobs since the Great Recession.
The percentage of men out of the labor force, which includes people who are unemployed and also those not looking for work, has jumped from 14% in 1950 to 31% in 2018. At the same time there are over 7.5 million job openings as of March 2019 that were unfilled.

Innovation - the creation of new products, industries and jobs, and the elimination of old ones - has always brought disruption. And leaders in Washington have often held up "workforce training" as the panacea to help workers and communities deal with the disruption.

But it isn't working, due to significant underinvestment and poor performance from many of the programs that are funded.

According to a report by the National Skills Coalition, since 2001 the government has cut funds for workforce training programs by 40%. And a publication by Mathematica Policy Research found that participation in public workforce services and training did not translate into an increase in earnings.

In a new paper released today by The New Center, we outline six key tenets for the next president to consider in revitalizing American job training:

Emphasize the Job, Not the Training
Cut through the Licensing Thicket
Fix Job Corps
Promote Awareness of Workforce Training Resources
Improve Reporting on Outcomes
Provide Flexibility for State Funding

The full paper is available for download at www.newcenter.org

About The New Center

American politics is broken, with the far left and far right making it increasingly impossible to govern. This will not change until a viable center emerges with an assertive agenda that appeals to the vast majority of the American people.

This is the mission of The New Center, which aims to establish the intellectual basis for a viable political center in today's America.

We create and promote ideas, news coverage, and commentary that helps Americans see common-sense solutions to the problems we face.

CONTACT
[email protected]

SOURCE The New Center