Stimulus Learning Session: Developing a Durable Workforce System for the Future

This Learning Series Recap summarizes lessons from state and local government leaders on how the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) can be used to transform workforce systems. The insights come from the learning session, ‘Developing a Durable Workforce System for the Future,’ hosted and facilitated by the Government Performance Lab (GPL) as part of its Stimulus Learning Series.

Improving workforce development using ARPA funds

Even before the pandemic, millions of Americans were disconnected from secure, well-paying career pathways. At the same time, millions of jobs went unfilled. Combined with accelerating trends in automation, digitization and globalization, the pandemic exposed the urgent need to develop systems that can quickly connect people to sustainable new careers. To do so, governments told the GPL about three major challenges they must address in workforce systems: 

• Barriers to access: Burdensome and high-cost eligibility requirements for training programs discourage participation, job descriptions require credentials that unnecessarily lock out non-traditional candidates, and a self-service approach to delivering supports penalizes individuals that have limited time and access to information.
• Ineffective supports: Current training opportunities are often not aligned to employer/industry needs, services fail to address jobseekers’ underlying barriers to employment, and people are asked to commit to jobs programs without a clear understanding of their effectiveness.
• Inefficient systems: Employers, jobseekers, training providers, and workforce boards lack a shared, real-time understanding of labor market needs. Burdensome administrative requirements disadvantage highest-need jobseekers and distort incentives to re-train.  

ARPA funds present a rare opportunity to respond to these challenges. Currently, leaders from state and local governments and non-profits across the country are testing innovations that expand accessibility, offer more effective responses, and strengthen the ecosystem supporting workforce investments. 

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