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BUILDING EVIDENCE AND ENABLING CONDITIONS FOR CHANGE

Creating More Effective Learning
and Training Opportunities

For learners from low-income backgrounds looking to postsecondary education or workforce training to secure a better economic future, the path to and through these opportunities should be clear; however, many programs with strong outcomes are inaccessible, unaffordable, or incompatible with the lives and responsibilities of learners. These programs should also align with careers.

Ascendium supports the development and evaluation of learning and training opportunities that support these learners. We are committed to exploring new opportunities that respond to emerging labor market needs and helping to expand proven-effective programs so more learners can access and obtain credentials that offer a strong return on their investment.

Apprenticeships and sectoral workforce training programs are two models that show promise; however, we need to learn more about how and for whom these models can be most effective. Our partners are working to expand the reach of these opportunities while also contributing to that learning.

Maryann Rainey, Senior Program Officer, talks about Ascendium’s grant to sectoral training provider Merit America.

We are committed to exploring new opportunities that respond to emerging labor market needs and helping to expand proven-effective programs so more learners can access and obtain credentials that offer a strong return on their investment.

Serving More Learners Through New Sectoral Training Programs

Sectoral training programs train individuals for existing jobs in high-demand sectors that do not require a four-year college degree, providing an alternate pathway for learners to achieve upward mobility. Evidence continues to build about the components of effective programs. There is also a strong demand for well-trained workers in good jobs that require non-degree credentials and training.

Merit America, a national workforce development nonprofit, is building new sectoral training pathways to good jobs for learners from low-income backgrounds. In response to unique opportunities in industries receiving historic federal investments, Merit America is expanding its programming to serve more learners and offer new tracks in fields such as semiconductor manufacturing, clean energy, climate, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.

The organization will offer financing for learners to complete these training pathways through the Opportunity Coalition, raising up-front capital to support direct learner financing via zero percent, outcomes-based loans. Additionally, Merit America will continue to evaluate its sectoral training programs, using the evidence to improve its programming so that more learners can achieve upward mobility.

Expanding Apprenticeship Pathways to Develop Wisconsin’s Future Workforce

In Wisconsin, significant federal investments and industry growth are resulting in projections for thousands of new jobs in the skilled trades over the next few years. This has led to an urgent need for industries who need tradespeople to enhance workforce development initiatives and take bold steps to grow the pipeline of future workers.

A grant to the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership (WRTP) | Building Industry Group Skilled Trades Program (BIG STEP) supports an expansion of the organization’s reach as a statewide workforce intermediary responsible for increasing access to apprenticeship opportunities. The grant also supports Wisconsin’s Pathways to Apprenticeship Program, which addresses the need for enhanced awareness and engagement around apprenticeship pathways, particularly for rural learners from low-income backgrounds.

Through this program, WRTP | BIG STEP will provide quality credentialed training and placement of underserved and underrepresented learner populations into good jobs supported by pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeship programs. This initiative will also bring together stakeholders to build a workforce framework to meet Wisconsin’s infrastructure needs.

Growing the Availability of High-Quality Guidance for Postsecondary Education in Prison Programs

The reinstatement of Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated learners has led to growth in postsecondary education in prison programs. This presents an opportunity for the field to identify and implement practices and models that best serve these learners. However, few resources are widely available to ensure these programs result in good learner outcomes.

American Institutes for Research (AIR) is launching an initiative to significantly increase the availability of high-quality best practice guidance for postsecondary education in prison programs. Through this initiative, AIR is helping to identify, strengthen, and disseminate resources drawing on the expertise of existing programs. These resources will help other providers as they develop new programs or expand existing ones, ensuring that programs can effectively serve learners and create supportive pathways to continued education or employment after release.

Supporting Institutions Critical to Upward Mobility

Institutions with dedicated missions and those that serve disproportionately large populations of learners from low-income backgrounds, such as community colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and rural-serving institutions, among others, play a critical role in creating pathways to upward mobility. We support these institutions in building their capacity to carry out their vital roles and to share their expertise by developing evidence and insights to inform the broader field.

Best-in-class nonprofit workforce training providers also play a vital role in creating new paths to good jobs in high-demand fields. Organizations such as NPower and Per Scholas, for example, provide specialized training paired with robust supports. They also partner directly with employers to make rewarding careers in tech more accessible to all.

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