Transforming Work Development Policies for the 21st Century / Chapter 3: Reemploying Unemployment Insurance Claimants: A Good Government Investment

Our country’s workforce development policies and programs were largely developed more than 30 years ago and are insufficient to address the needs of our modern economy. While disruption in traditional occupations (and the skill sets needed for those occupations) has increased over the last few decades, overall workforce development funding has diminished and is not likely to increase.

More comprehensive restructuring and truly innovative approaches are needed to meet the human capital demands of employers. More and better information is also needed to inform job seekers about an increasing range of private and public options from which they can obtain the skills and credentials to be successful. It is in response to these and other trends that Transforming U.S. Workforce Development Policies for the 21st Century was developed. The book provides thoughtful perspectives on how workforce development efforts, often based on approaches from decades ago, might be rethought to better respond to these trends.