First Steps toward Recovery: Job Training and Reskilling

First Steps toward Recovery: Job Training and Reskilling Report #257 | February 2021 Milton Marks Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy www.lhc.ca.gov LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION Dedicated to Promoting Economy and Efficiency in California State Pedro Nava Government Chairman Sean Varner* The Little Hoover Commission, formally known as the Milton Marks “Little Hoover” Commission on California State Government Vice Chairman Organization and Economy, is an independent state oversight agency. David Beier* Dion Aroner By statute, the Commission is a bipartisan board composed of five public members appointed by the governor, four public Cynthia Buiza members appointed by the Legislature, two senators and two Bill Emmerson assemblymembers. Assemblymember Chad Mayes In creating the Commission in 1962, the Legislature declared its Senator Jim Nielsen purpose: Assemblymember Bill Quirk Senator Richard Roth ...to secure assistance for the Governor and itself in promoting economy, efficiency and improved services in the Cathy Schwamberger transaction of the public business in the various departments, Janna Sidley agencies and instrumentalities of the executive branch of *Served on study subcommittee the state government, and in making the operation of all state departments, agencies and instrumentalities, and COMMISSION STAFF all expenditures of public funds, more directly responsive Ethan Rarick to the wishes of the people as expressed by their elected Executive Director representatives... Tamar Foster The Commission fulfills this charge by listening to the public, Deputy Executive Director consulting with the experts and conferring with the wise. In the course of its investigations, the Commission typically empanels Krystal Beckham advisory committees, conducts public hearings and visits government Ashley Hurley operations in action. Rachel Mattioli Its conclusions are submitted to the Governor and the Legislature Sherry McAlister for their consideration. Recommendations often take the form of Tristan Stein legislation, which the Commission supports through the legislative process. Contacting the Commission All correspondence should be addressed to the Commission Office: Little Hoover Commission 925 L Street, Suite 805, Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 445-2125 | LittleHoover@lhc.ca.gov This report is available from the Commission’s website at www.lhc.ca.gov. Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................3 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................6 SECTION 1: RESKILLING AND RECOVERY .......................................7 The Need for Reskilling ...................................................................................9 The Potential for Reskilling ..........................................................................10 California’s Investment in Workforce Training and Education ...............11 SECTION 2: THE CHALLENGES OF RESKILLING ............................13 Barriers to Reskilling ....................................................................................15 Funding .................................................................................................15 Train and Pray ......................................................................................16 Connected but Conflicted ...................................................................17 A Patchwork Quilt ...............................................................................18 SECTION 3: APPROACHES FOR STRENGTHENING TRAINING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ................................................21 Creation of Training Ecosystems and Cross-Sector Partnerships ...........21 Aligning Reskilling with Regional Economic Development ......................22 Industry-Led and Sector-Based Training ....................................................23 RECOMMENDATIONS .....................................................................24 NOTES ...............................................................................................28 FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 1 Letter from the Chair February 10, 2021 The Honorable Gavin Newsom Governor of California The Honorable Toni Atkins The Honorable Scott Wilk President pro Tempore of the Senate Senate Minority Leader and members of the Senate The Honorable Anthony Rendon The Honorable Marie Waldron Speaker of the Assembly Assembly Minority Leader and members of the Assembly DEAR GOVERNOR AND MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE: Last year, the Little Hoover Commission initiated a review of the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to better understand the challenges facing the California economy and identify how state government can support those impacted by the pandemic-induced recession. The following report, the second in our series, focuses on the historic jobs crisis facing our state and details our findings and recommendations for supporting job training and reskilling for workers impacted by the pandemic. The Commission found that job training and reskilling will be critical in helping impacted workers return to employment, and have access to quality jobs. The Commission also found, however, that there are significant barriers that can make it difficult for individuals to identify training opportunities that lead to in-demand skills, or to translate training into a good job. In this report, we examine how state government can respond at speed and at scale to the current jobs crisis. California has already taken important steps toward strengthening its systems of workforce development and career education, including the Strong Workforce Program, and toward promoting the development of training partnerships that feature high levels of coordination between training providers and employers and clear guidance for trainees. The Commission recommends that the state expand existing training partnerships and encourage new ones, and ensure those partnerships have the resources they need to support workers impacted by the pandemic. Training and support is especially critical for low-wage workers—where job losses are concentrated—and for those in underserved communities. Over the next several months, we will examine approaches for addressing the longer-term economic effects of the pandemic. We intend to issue subsequent work later this year. The Commission respectfully submits this work and stands prepared to help you address the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sincerely, Pedro Nava, Chair Little Hoover Commission 2 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION Executive Summary Letter from the Chair California faces a historic jobs crisis. As of late 2020, address growing inequality. Many workers have California had lost over 1.5 million jobs due to the lost jobs that paid low wages and provided few COVID pandemic—more than it did during the entire benefits. Yet high-quality training can help workers Great Recession. Many of the jobs that have been increase their earnings and advance their careers. lost may not come back for years, if ever. State government must work with employers and training providers to forge training pathways that Job training and reskilling will be critical to help give impacted workers access to quality jobs as the impacted workers return to employment and access economy recovers. quality jobs. Yet workers looking to learn new skills face a maze of options and a minefield of decisions. The Challenges of Reskilling In order to address the jobs crisis, California must Training is easier said than done. Although well- focus resources on training workers and matching designed career education programs can lead to them with good jobs. To this end, the state must gains in employment and earnings, large-scale efforts encourage training partnerships that feature high to help workers transition to new jobs have generally levels of coordination between training providers had mixed or modest results. Training is often and employers, as well as guidance and support for characterized by low completion rates, insufficient workers seeking training. capacity, and barriers to access. Reskilling and Recovery In order to address the reskilling needs of workers impacted by COVID, California must address The COVID pandemic has had a devastating but structural and institutional barriers to training: highly uneven impact on California’s workforce, with that impact falling most heavily on workers in the Funding. The U.S. spends less on training and leisure and hospitality industries. workforce development than other industrial economies and, despite recent increases in state Job losses are concentrated among low-wage funding, the cost of career education remains a workers, exacerbating inequality and occupational barrier to expanding training programs. polarization, and among younger workers, less- educated workers, workers from communities of Train and Pray. Training programs have historically color, and women. been characterized by a “train and pray” approach, with limited coordination between training providers NEED FOR RESKILLING and employers to move trainees into identified Full recovery in affected sectors of the economy is employment opportunities. Training programs have probably years away; hospitality and leisure may also generally not addressed the opportunity gaps not see a full recovery until 2024. The pandemic has that can prevent workers, especially low-income meanwhile accelerated investments in automation, workers and workers from communities of color, bringing the “future of work” increasingly into from accessing or completing training, or from the present. Many Californians impacted by the translating training into employment. pandemic will need to move into new sectors, and may require training to do so. Connected but Conflicted. California’s public institutions of higher education exist in a relationship Through training, California can help workers return with regional economies that is “connected but to employment. By doing so, the state will also conflicted,” with differing incentive structures and FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 3 institutional cultures. Institutions of higher education are available to traditionally marginalized and can struggle to match the current pace of economic underserved populations. and technological change in introducing or modifying Industry-Led and Sector-Based Training. In order job training. to move away from “train and pray” approaches, A Patchwork Quilt. There are more than 30 state colleges and workforce agencies are also working workforce and training programs in California, more closely with businesses and industry spanning nine state agencies. This institutional associations to ensure that training provides the complexity is a barrier to collaboration in delivering specific skills that employers need. training and creates a system that is difficult for both trainees and practitioners to navigate. Recommendations Approaches for Strengthening In the face of high unemployment and worsening inequality, state government needs to move quickly Training and Workforce to build on ongoing work and to foster the expansion Development or creation of training partnerships that will give workers access to high-quality training and good State government has made important steps jobs. to strengthen California’s systems of workforce development and career education. The state Recommendation 1: The Governor should present needs, however, to continue to work to better align a statewide Equitable Recovery Worker Training plan incentives, funding, and programs to provide broad to the Legislature. This plan should establish equity- access to reskilling opportunities. minded targets for training, identify opportunities to increase cross-program coordination, and lay In recent years, colleges, workforce agencies, out a comprehensive outreach strategy for raising industry groups, and community organizations have awareness of training opportunities among impacted implemented innovative approaches for improving communities. alignment between training providers and employers and facilitating access to training. These include: Recommendation 2: The Governor and Legislature should increase annual funding for the community Training Ecosystems and Cross-Sector Partnerships. The creation of close partnerships college Strong Workforce Program and direct this that include training providers, employers, and funding toward providing new or increased support training intermediaries, including community-based for training intermediaries, including community- organizations, helps to address barriers to successful based organizations. training. Intermediary organizations can facilitate Recommendation 3: The Legislature should create coordination between employers and training a “race-to-the-top” grant competition for innovative providers, and help trainees navigate training regional training programs. This grant competition programs and access wraparound support. would support cross-sector training partnerships Aligning Reskilling with Regional Economic that include community-based organizations or other Development. Place-based approaches to inclusive training intermediaries as co-creators and provide regional economic development help to expand industry-led training opportunities for workers and the share of good jobs and ensure those jobs communities impacted by the pandemic. 4 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION Recommendation 4: The Governor’s Office should develop a statewide partnership with companies providing job market analytics to collect high-quality data and perform data analysis on in-demand skills, competencies, and occupations, and make this data available to training providers, workforce agencies, and their partners. Recommendation 5: The state should establish a working group composed of senior representatives from relevant agencies that can facilitate coordination and interagency collaboration in providing reskilling opportunities to workers impacted by COVID. FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 5 Introduction The COVID pandemic produced the sharpest and American Job Centers are intended to provide “one- deepest economic contraction in California’s modern stop” access to employment and training programs, history. As of late 2020, California had lost a total but most are unable to provide a high level of of over 1.5 million jobs as a result of the pandemic, individualized attention and many job seekers are more than the number of jobs lost during the unaware that these centers even exist.4 Great Recession. These job losses are concentrated Given the daunting situation for the individual among lower-wage workers.1 The pandemic also seeking training, and in order to ensure that training amplified existing trends toward greater automation, leads workers to in-demand jobs, it is vital that the exacerbating concerns over the two-tier quality of state of California support reskilling opportunities California’s economy and over a “future of work” that feature high levels of coordination between that the pandemic made increasingly present.2 It is training providers and industry, as well as clear probable that many of the jobs that have been lost guidance for the trainee. In order to provide more may not come back for years, if ever. navigable pathways to training, the “different players In order to return to employment, and have access in the workforce development field—including to quality jobs, many workers impacted by the businesses, education and training providers, pandemic may need training to acquire new or unions, trade associations, local governments, and additional skills. workforce [development] boards—need to come together to form training partnerships.”5 High levels Yet a worker looking to get training to move into a of collaboration are required to help workers identify new job likely faces a confusing and complex variety pathways to a new career, locate appropriate training of options. They must choose whether to take a opportunities, and connect with the resources and program offered by a community college, a university supports that will help them complete training and extension program, the online branch of a national translate that training into a job. nonprofit university, or a for-profit institution. They must choose from an array of different programs In recent years, California’s colleges, universities, of varying length (and cost) that may culminate in workforce agencies, and community-based career experience, an increasingly diverse range of organizations have developed innovative approaches certificates (some industry recognized, some not; to training and have crafted stronger partnerships. some short-term, others long-term), or a degree. Few In the face of high unemployment and worsening tools exist to help individuals understand the career inequality, California must move quickly to build on or economic value of different program options, this work and on the state’s investments in career determine what skills are in-demand, or identify training and workforce development. The state must what training is right for them. To further complicate expand existing training partnerships and encourage matters, federal aid for displaced and disadvantaged new ones, and ensure those partnerships have the workers may be available for some programs, while resources they need to support workers impacted Pell or Cal Grant aid may be available for others. by the pandemic. By doing so, state government can help colleges, workforce organizations, and The worker confronts a maze of options and a employers create and expand pathways that lead minefield of choices, where a poor decision can leave impacted workers back into employment and into them with debt and a credential with little value on high-quality jobs. the job market.3 And they will probably have limited assistance making these choices. Federally-supported This report examines how state government can 6 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION respond at speed and at scale to the current jobs crisis. The Commission understands this report The Economic Impacts of to complement ongoing work to strengthen the COVID-19 Pandemic California’s systems of career education and workforce development, as well as the efforts This is the second Commission report on the of the Future of Work Commission to shape the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic development of a more equitable workforce in the and on state government’s response to face of rapid economic and technological change.6 the pandemic-induced recession. Our first The pandemic underscores the importance of report, First Steps toward Recovery: Saving crafting more cohesive education and workforce Small Businesses, focused on how California systems that encourage the creation of good can best support small businesses impacted jobs, promote lifelong education, and support by the COVID pandemic and put forward workers as they transition to new careers.7 Yet as recommendations for how state government educational institutions and workforce agencies can collaborate with the private sector to pilot and expand new practices and approaches, encourage small business recovery. state government must take immediate steps to support workers impacted by COVID. By encouraging This second report turns to workers affected greater engagement with employers and greater by the pandemic and the recession. It coordination among training providers, these steps focuses on immediate and near-term steps can help to establish stronger foundations upon the state of California can take to support which to build more robust systems of training and reskilling and retraining opportunities for lifelong skills acquisition. impacted workers and communities. Section 1: Reskilling and government will not reopen, resulting in permanent Recovery job losses. This substantially explains the pandemic’s uneven The COVID pandemic and pandemic-induced impact on California’s workers. The service sector recession have had a devastating but highly uneven disproportionately employs younger workers, less- impact on California’s workforce. The pandemic’s educated workers, workers from communities of economic impact has fallen most heavily on the color, and women.10 As a result, those groups have service sector, especially on leisure and hospitality. borne the brunt of job losses. According to the Mandatory closures and restrictions designed to limit Legislative Analyst’s Office: COVID transmission, as well as declines in travel and tourism, severely affected these customer-facing ◊ Workers with a high school diploma/GED or industries. Leisure and hospitality accounted for less make up 33 percent of the workforce, but, nearly half of job losses between February and May as of September 2020, account for 61 percent 2020.8 According to Opportunity Insights, as of late of job losses. In comparison, workers with a October 2020, employment in leisure and hospitality baccalaureate degree or higher accounted for only fell more than 28 percent from pre-pandemic 3 percent of job losses; levels, compared to an 8 percent fall in employment overall (See Figure 1).9 Many of the impacted service ◊ Workers under the age of 25 constitute 11 percent of the workforce, but accounted for 24 percent of sector businesses that closed as mandated by the job losses; FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 7 Figure 1: Percent Change in Employment – Leisure & Hospitality vs. Total Employment In California, as of October 22, 2020, employment rates in leisure and hospitality decreased by 28.3% compared to January 2020 (not seasonally adjusted). Oct 22, 2020 -8.2% Total -29.3% Leisure & Hospitality Source: Opportunity Insights, Economic Tracker, https://www.tracktherecovery.org/. Accessed 1/15/2021. ◊ Women make up 45 percent of the workforce, but economic consolidation have tended to eliminate accounted for 53 percent of job losses; and, “middle-skill” jobs—those jobs that require training and education beyond a high school diploma but ◊ Latino workers make up 38 percent of California’s do not require a baccalaureate degree—while the workforce, but accounted for 50 percent of job shares of high- and low-skill jobs have expanded.13 In losses.11 the aftermath of the Great Recession, employment Jobs losses are also concentrated among low-wage growth was highest in service industries, with much workers. Employment for higher-wage workers of that growth occurring in low-wage jobs. These are (those earning $60,000 or more annually) fell the jobs that the pandemic has eliminated.14 by about 14 percent in April 2020, but has since completely recovered. Conversely, employment for In the face of occupational polarization and the lower-wage workers (those earning $27,000 or less pandemic’s uneven impact, witnesses emphasized annually) fell by more than 35 percent in April 2020, the importance of policies that can address inequities and remained 27 percent below pre-pandemic levels in employment. According to Laura Tyson, Professor at the end of the year (See Figure 2).12 at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and former Chair of the U.S. President’s Council of The pandemic’s impact on low-wage workers both Economic Advisors, and Lenny Mendonca, former exacerbates inequality in California and puts a Chief Economic and Businesses Advisor to Governor spotlight on increasing occupational polarization Newsom, this could include implementation of in the workforce. In recent decades, outsourcing policies like further increases to minimum wage overseas, globalization, technological change, and 8 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION and increased worker protections to help transform The Need for Reskilling “bad” jobs—meaning those with low wages, little chance of advancement, and often no benefits—into Part of the solution to the current crisis of better jobs, providing higher income and benefits. employment and inequity includes implementing Tyson and Mendonca, together with other witnesses, policies that can transform what economists refer also suggested that further increasing the state’s to as “bad” jobs into better jobs. Another part is earned income tax credit and addressing problems to help workers move into new and higher quality of housing affordability could help reduce inequality jobs. Witnesses testifying before the Commission by bringing Californians up to a minimum living emphasized that reskilling and job training will be standard.15 a critical component of economic recovery. The COVID pandemic likely will result in a lasting impact California’s improved budgetary environment, on the workforce, especially on low-wage workers together with potential for additional federal stimulus and those workers with lower levels of education. As and support following the November 2020 election, the economy recovers, according to Mark Schniepp, may increase the state’s capacity for undertaking Director of the California Economic Forecast, “Low- initiatives that address income inequality and job income Californians will need to move into other quality. economic activities, and may need training to do so.”16 Figure 2: Percent Change in Employment – High-Wage vs. Low-Wage Workers In California, as of October 22, 2020, employment rates among workers in the bottom wage quartile decreased by 27.8% compared to January 2020 (not seasonally adjusted). Oct 22, 2020 -0.2% High-Wage (>$60K) -27.8% Low-Wage (<$27K) Source: Opportunity Insights, Economic Tracker, https://www.tracktherecovery.org/. Accessed 1/15/2021. FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 9 Although uncertainty about the course of the vehicles in warehouses to robot room service, pandemic and the speed of vaccination makes COVID has accelerated automation and digitization forecasting recovery difficult, full recovery in throughout the economy, which is likely to have a impacted sectors is likely years away. The extensive disproportionate impact on less-educated and lower- damage inflicted on leisure and hospitality and wage workers.21 In addition, if employers continue on small businesses means that full recovery in to allow workers to work remotely, this may further employment may be slow. In California, nearly 20,000 reduce traditional office support and maintenance small businesses listed on Yelp had permanently jobs. closed as of September, with restaurants and retail Digitization will probably also change the skills establishments showing the highest number of required for existing jobs and will shape the closures.17 Small business closures will constrain competencies needed for jobs that emerge as the workforce recovery, as may a slow revival in tourism economy recovers. Jobs in retail and logistics already as a result of enduring concern over the safety of increasingly require digital skills.22 Job training and travel. Analyses suggest there may not be a return reskilling will likely be necessary to help workers to the previous employment peak in leisure and impacted by COVID adjust to the post-pandemic hospitality until 2024 and those sectors will probably workforce and transition to new jobs. not reabsorb all their former employees.18 Some estimates suggest that 25-to-40 percent of current The Potential for Reskilling layoffs may become permanent job losses.19 Reskilling and job training can help to ensure that, as Analyses suggest there may recovery begins, workers will have viable pathways to good jobs and employers will have access to career- not be a return to the previous ready employees. employment peak in leisure A number of studies have demonstrated that high- and hospitality until 2024 and quality career education can help workers increase those sectors will probably their earnings and advance their careers. Evaluations of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community not reabsorb all their former College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program, a employees. Some estimates federal initiative launched during the Great Recession suggest that 25-to-40 percent to provide training aligned with regional needs for dislocated workers, suggest that participation in that of current layoffs may become program led to improved employment outcomes permanent job losses. and wage gains.23 Similarly, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) recently reviewed the economic returns on community college career education Automation and digitization may exacerbate these credentials and found that credentials holders, on shifts in employment. National surveys of corporate average, saw an 20 percent increase in earnings. The executives suggest that between 40 and 50 percent majority of students earned middle-income wages of companies have responded to the pandemic within one year of completing a career education by accelerating investments in automation or plan program.24 Although wages for students earning to do so.20 From the use of QR codes to order career education credentials differ considerably by at restaurants to increased use of automated sector and by credential, it is clear that training— 10 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION especially when that training is aligned with industry is declining, workers are also reaching retirement age demand—can lead to increases in earnings. PPIC’s creating demand in many middle-skill occupations.30 analysis further suggests that career pathways, Projected skills gaps are also especially prominent which allow participants to build skills over time in fields like advanced manufacturing, technology, by “stacking” shorter-term credentials, can provide healthcare, and construction, fields which have opportunity for advancement. tended to be less impacted by the pandemic and which are likely to lead the recovery.31 These are also There also appears to be potential for training to fields that tend to offer higher wages than the service help workers move into sectors less impacted by the sector, or provide increasingly well-defined career pandemic and more likely to lead recovery. PPIC, pathways that can support skill acquisition and for example, projected in 2014 that California faces promotion.32 a shortage of 1.5 million workers with some college education but less than a bachelor’s degree by A key dimension of reskilling will be working with 2025.25 There are also notable regional and sectoral employers and analyzing economic and job market skills gaps, of which the following are a few examples: data to determine how the pandemic has impacted demand for skills and competencies and orienting ◊ PPIC projected that California’s healthcare training accordingly. workforce will require almost 450,000 new workers by 2025, and that 40 percent of these California’s Investment in additional healthcare jobs will be in “allied” Workforce Training and healthcare fields, which require associate degrees Education or vocational certificates, rather than bachelor’s or advanced degrees.26 This gap appears to still In responding to COVID’s impact on low-wage exist. According to testimony to the Commission, workers and developing strategies for reskilling, California will need 500,000 new allied health California can build on recent work to strengthen the workers through 2024.27 state’s system of career and workforce education. ◊ The Center for a Competitive Workforce projected in 2017 that the Los Angeles basin would see Since the Great Recession, California has substantially 67,450 job openings in twenty middle-skill expanded investment in career education. Between occupations between 2018-2022. Yet, completion 2012 and 2018, annual categorical funding for career trends in relevant regional community college education programs (both K-12 and community training programs would leave 42 percent of those college) grew from $100 million to nearly $1 positions unfilled.28 billion.33 With respect to training and reskilling, the most significant portion of this investment is the ◊ Valley Vision, a Sacramento region civic leadership community college Strong Workforce Program, a organization, and the Los Rios Community College $248 million annual, recurring expenditure that District Center of Excellence projected in 2018 provides funding for regionally aligned career an annual shortage of 7,000 skilled construction education. The Strong Workforce Program organizes workers in the Sacramento area through 2021.29 colleges into eight regional consortia and requires Although the pandemic will affect projections of those consortia to collaborate with industry and local worker shortages and of skills gaps, workforce workforce development boards to address regional practitioners emphasized that skills gaps are workforce needs.34 enduring. Even though the share of middle-skill jobs FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 11 Key Institutions for Addressing Worker Reskilling As discussed below (see p. 18), there are a range of state workforce education and training programs, which, in turn, are administered by a number of state agencies. With respect to training for workers impacted by COVID, the following institutions and agencies are likely to be most significant and feature most prominently in this report: California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) - CWDB is the state’s coordinating body for workforce issues and is responsible for preparing the state’s unified strategic plan for developing a skilled workforce as required by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014. CWDB also administers a number of funding programs that support local and regional workforce development and advance the state’s workforce vision.35 Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDBs) - The core of California’s workforce system is comprised of 45 Local Workforce Development Boards. LWDBs bring together representatives and stakeholders from businesses, labor, and education to address local workforce issues. By linking employers, labor, and training providers, LWDBs play a key role in facilitating the design of workforce and training programs. They also manage the approximately 200 federally-supported American Job Centers in California that provide “one-stop” access to training and employment services. California Community College (CCC) System - California’s 116 community colleges are the state’s principal providers of career education. According to CCC data, almost 350,000 students enrolled in community college career and technical courses in 2018-19 with the goal of building skills to enter or advance their careers.36 California community colleges annually award approximately 50,000 career education credentials (including associate degrees and certificates).37 Adult Education Consortia - In 2015, the Adult Education Block Grant (subsequently renamed the California Adult Education Program-CAEP) brought community colleges, K-12 districts, and county offices of education together into 71 local consortia with the goal of better coordinating adult education. As well as providing adult basic and secondary education and English as a second language instruction, these consortia also offer career education for adult learners. In 2016-17 more than 100,000 students received career education through CAEP. Some adult education programs are also working to develop pathways that lead from basic education to the workforce.38 Other Institutions of Higher Education - In addition to community colleges, other postsecondary institutions, both public and private, provide continuing education and training for adult learners. Both UC and CSU have expansive extension programs. UC Extension enrolls over 400,000 students, divided between students in professional noncredit and general noncredit courses and students in professional credit or degree credit programs.39 CSU similarly offers a range of degree and certificate opportunities through its Professional and Continuing Education programs.40 A number of national institutions also specialize in providing higher education to adult learners, including nonprofit institutions like Western Governor’s University and National University. 12 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION In addition to Strong Workforce, a number of other advancement. In California, the Irvine Foundation initiatives aim to align career education more closely launched a major grant initiative, Better Careers, to with industry needs and ease transitions between support training programs that aim to help workers education and work. The community colleges are access better jobs.47 developing career pathways that align stackable Yet education leaders speaking with the Commission credentials with job requirements and industry observed that updating and modernizing California’s certifications.41 The California Apprenticeship approach to career and workforce training is like Initiative works to expand apprenticeship turning a very large ship: the pace of change is opportunities to non-traditional fields, including slow. The development of career pathways can be biotech, healthcare, and information technology.42 a difficult process, especially since the creation of The Credit for Prior Learning Initiative, meanwhile, is curricular and credential pathways requires close developing policy to expand credit for prior learning engagement with employers on identifying the within the community college system, with the goal specific skills that training must provide.48 Although of eventually allowing more adult learners to receive there is widespread enthusiasm for expanding academic credit for their previous training and apprenticeship opportunities and the number experience.43 of apprentices in California has increased from As the creation of these programs and initiatives 64,000 in 2016 to nearly 100,000 today, they remain suggests, California policymakers have emphasized overwhelmingly concentrated in the traditional the need for stronger systems of workforce fields of construction and building trades. To the development and career training that foster greater Commission’s understanding, California has not equity of opportunity and equip workers to succeed developed a specific plan or strategy to meet in the face of economic change. In the most recent Governor Newsom’s aspirational goal of 500,000 iteration of California’s strategic workforce plan, apprentices by 2029, though several nonprofit the state has committed to a “High Road” approach organizations have suggested possible roadmaps.49 to workforce development, which emphasizes the Section 2: The Challenges importance of job quality, equity, and environmental sustainability in providing job opportunities for of Reskilling workers. The state has also committed to fostering demand-driven skills attainment, enabling upward While the potential for job training is real, reskilling mobility for all Californians, and better aligning, is easier said than done.50 Although studies show coordinating, and integrating programs and that career education and well-designed training services.44 programs can help workers increase their earnings, efforts to help workers transition to new jobs in the State efforts to strengthen and expand career face of economic transformation or dislocation often training and workforce development reflect show mixed or modest results.51 Training is further broader awareness of the importance of helping characterized by low completion rates, insufficient workers obtain the skills they need to succeed in a capacity, and barriers to access.52 Career education rapidly changing economy. Major corporations like pathways can boost earnings and employment for Starbucks45 and Amazon46 have launched programs students earning a credential, but only 55 percent designed to help their workers upskill and acquire of students entering a career education program additional credentials and degrees, with the goal in California finish in 6 years or less.53 The success of providing them with opportunity for career of individual training programs, which may be the FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 13 Models for Reskilling and Training Studies on job training and on the future of work highlight a range of programs from around the world and from other U.S states that show promise in either assisting displaced workers return to employment or helping employed workers obtain new skills that will allow them to transition to better jobs or advance in their careers.54 The following are examples of different approaches to supporting job training and reskilling: INTERNATIONAL ◊ Sweden uses job-security councils (JSCs) to help laid-off workers return to employment. These councils, which are nonprofit organizations supported by employer payments, exist alongside state employment services and provide financial assistance and individualized job counseling for workers who have been laid-off. Although JSCs vary in the services they provide, their support can include helping workers identify needed skills and directing them to appropriate training. According to the OECD, the close relationship between employers and social partners represented by JSCs helps to explain why more than 85 percent of displaced Swedish workers find new jobs within a year—the highest reemployment rate in the OECD.55 ◊ Singapore launched the SkillsFuture initiative in 2014 in order to promote lifelong learning and strengthen connections between training and work. Through the SkillsFuture initiative, government agencies and educational institutions work with employers to identify skills that are in demand and provide training in those skills through short, modular courses that result in recognized skill certifications. Singapore also provides workers with training credits and with online tools to explore career and training options.56 UNITED STATES ◊ Project Quest is a workforce development program in San Antonio created by community groups in the early 1990s in response to changes in the local economy that made it necessary to provide low-income residents with new skills so they could access emerging good jobs. Project Quest focuses on serving low-income adults. The program places trainees in career education programs at local educational institutions and provides extensive wraparound services, mentoring, and financial assistance for the costs of training.57 The program boasts a completion rate of nearly 90 percent and substantially increases participants’ earnings; a recent nine-year study found that participants, on average, ended up earning over $5,000 more annually than control group members.58 These models illustrate different aspects of approaches to supporting reskilling: improving alignment between training and in-demand skills; helping workers identify training opportunities; and providing displaced workers and trainees with support and guidance. They all suggest the importance of partnerships in connecting workers to training and to new careers. 14 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION result of strong leadership and years of relationship to support adults in making a career transition.”61 building with employers and communities, can be This point also generally applies to California. difficult to replicate. California invests heavily in worker training and Helping workers impacted by COVID transition has made considerable strides toward improving to new and better jobs will be a challenge. A career education and strengthening workforce recent Brookings Institution analysis observes, development, but the state’s workforce and training “Job transitions data suggest that today’s hardest- systems remain difficult to navigate. Limited hit occupations—from waiters and bartenders coordination among different programs further to teachers and personal care aides—have not tends to lessen their cumulative impact.62 historically offered pathways into occupations that Several institutional and structural factors pose have added jobs in recent months. Likewise, today’s challenges for efforts to retrain workers: high-demand occupations like software engineering have not typically absorbed workers from the FUNDING occupations currently under pressure.”59 A historical challenge for career education and for programs that aim to provide workers with training In the Commission’s opinion, these challenges in new skills lies in funding. The United States spends do not detract from the importance of job much less on workforce development and career training in addressing the economic impacts of training than many European and other advanced COVID and should not deter California from a economies. According to one analysis, the U.S. robust commitment to reskilling. Economic and government spends only a fifth of the OECD average technological change means that providing workers on programs that help adults find a new job. This with training is likely to be an essential part of translates into relatively limited federal support recovery, both in order to help workers return to for state workforce development and employment employment and to ensure that employers have services, including the American Job Centers access to workers with necessary skills. Yet in order administered by local workforce development boards to retrain workers successfully and help them move that are intended to provide workers with a “one into jobs that are better than those they lost, it is stop shop” for accessing employment and training critical that state government, training providers, and services.63 employers work together to forge training pathways for impacted workers. This will require addressing The expense of career education creates further structural and institutional barriers to reskilling. challenges relating to state funding. Career education tends to be more expensive than general education, Barriers to Reskilling both because it often requires sophisticated Since the Great Recession, researchers have equipment and because instructors with industry emphasized the need for stronger systems of experience and expertise in up-to-date skills tend workforce development that can equip workers to command higher salaries than other faculty. Yet to succeed in the face of economic change and California colleges receive the same per-student foster greater equity of opportunity.60 Yet, despite appropriation for career programs as they do for considerable attention to the importance of general education programs. The structure of supporting workers facing an uncertain future of community college funding in California has thus work, the Brookings Institution observes, “the U.S. historically disincentivized colleges from establishing lacks a strong foundation of programs and services or expanding career education programs. As a result, FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 15 colleges have sometimes been reluctant to expand were only partially offset by additional federal career training programs to meet workforce demand. funding from the CARES Act.67 Workforce agencies Researchers cite the capacity limits and waitlists also face considerable additional demand for their common to college nursing programs—one college’s services as a result of high levels of unemployment.68 nursing program typically had 100 eligible students TRAIN AND PRAY vying for 30 open spots each year—as an example of In addition to problems of underfunding, training funding structures impeding the ability of programs programs have historically been characterized by to respond to workforce needs.64 weak connections between training and regional workforce demand. Tim Rainey, Executive Director “Low-wage workers are hard to of the California Workforce Development Board, reach—they face technological, characterized this as a “train and pray” approach wherein colleges and other training providers have financial and even linguistic generally provided training that they hope will barriers that prevent them lead to employment, rather than working closely with employers and workforce agencies to move from pursuing reskilling trainees into identified employment opportunities.69 opportunities.” - Brookings Moreover, training programs have often not been Institution well aligned with current workforce needs.70 Improving alignment between training programs The recent expansion in categorical funding for and regional economies has been a goal for recent career education, especially the creation of the workforce initiatives. The Strong Workforce Program, Strong Workforce Program, was intended to for example, provides funding for training programs help remove this disincentive to providing career that address regional workforce needs. training and compensate for the expense of these Researchers and workforce development programs.65 Van Ton-Quinlivan, former Executive Vice professionals increasingly emphasize, however, Chancellor for Workforce and Digital Futures for the that creating real pathways from training to jobs California Community Colleges, observed, however, requires attending also to the “opportunity gaps” that career education programs still rely on grant that may prevent individuals from underprivileged funding, with the result that uncertainty about the backgrounds from entering a training program, continuity of resources can inhibit colleges’ sustained succeeding in training, or from translating training investment in these programs.66 When colleges have into a job.71 As a Brookings Institution study on resources for faculty hires, it can be safer and less reskilling observes, “Low-wage workers are hard expensive to hire in general studies rather than in to reach—they face technological, financial and career education. even linguistic barriers that prevent them from The pandemic amplifies these funding challenges. pursuing reskilling opportunities.”72 These workers Community colleges and other training providers tend to have lower levels of education and are are currently under an enormous burden to serve more likely to have low English proficiency, and may students under extremely difficult circumstances. also need support meeting basic needs, including The pandemic has strained college and university transportation and childcare. Lack of social capital budgets, and costs associated with supporting and of professional networks can make it difficult students and transitioning to remote instruction to identify new career or training opportunities, 16 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION or to secure a job even after completing a training At the community college level, programs oriented program. toward the transfer mission traditionally enjoyed greater prestige than those providing vocational The California community college system has training, although this has changed with recent launched a number of initiatives to address emphasis on and investments in career education.77 opportunity gaps and support student retention and completion.73 In the near term, however, COVID Fostering deeper connections between colleges and the transition to remote education may amplify (and universities) and employers can be challenging. opportunity gaps, since online learning can pose a Developing training programs requires “translating” barrier for lower-income students and trainees who between educational and industry cultures, may have limited internet access.74 practices, and expectations. Yet college faculty and administrators, as well as employers, have limited CONNECTED BUT CONFLICTED time for this kind of engagement, or for building the Despite recognition that employers and training relationships that can foster such engagement.78 providers must work more closely together, establishing effective partnerships is often difficult. Fostering deeper connections California’s institutions of higher education exist in a relationship with regional economies that is between colleges (and “connected but conflicted.”75 The incentive structures universities) and employers and institutional cultures of educational institutions and of industry differ substantially. Alignment can be challenging. Developing between institutions of higher education and regional training programs requires economies is often limited. Even within community “translating” between college career education, the level of connection between training providers and employers can vary educational and industry significantly between campuses and programs. cultures, practices, and Problems of workforce alignment are, in large part, expectations. a structural feature of higher education systems born of a post-World War II era when postsecondary education was not necessary to obtain a middle-class Institutions of higher education can also appear to lifestyle and when individuals often remained in a struggle to match the current pace of economic and single career for their whole working lives. Despite technological change and can be slow to introduce growing recognition of the need to serve adult or expand programs in response to workforce needs. learners and of the importance of lifelong learning, Deborah Yaddow, Senior Director of Pathways at federal and state policy generally encourages Futuro Health, a new healthcare training initiative public university systems to focus their mission on discussed in detail below, observed that many traditional baccalaureate education for traditional- programs designed to train workers are “not as aged students.76 Although CSU and UC extension nimble as they need to be.”79 This is particularly the divisions provide extensive continuing education case with the community college system, where programs, primarily oriented around upskilling for approval for training programs can take a year or current workers, these divisions have not traditionally longer. The community college system and the been viewed as part of the systems’ central missions Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office have been and are self-supporting rather than state-funded. working to improve curricula approval processes FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 17 and have streamlined what was previously a more to a new job.”85 It is, however, in the words of one cumbersome process.80 Yet the approval process workforce development practitioner, “a patchwork for new programs and courses appears to remain quilt.” slow in at least some cases; the need to obtain local The institutional complexity of California’s workforce approval of training curricula already in use at other and career training system can be a barrier to community colleges further complicates the scaling collaboration in delivering training services. of existing training programs.81 Developing partnerships across agencies and These challenges suggest the need for a stronger systems requires coordinating separate program infrastructure for developing and sustaining rules, funding streams, and data systems. The large engagement between colleges and employers, number of agencies, departments, and programs and for aligning training with industry needs.82 In involved in training can also present challenges for addition, higher education and workforce leaders access and awareness. For example, a recent study emphasized the importance of better labor market found that many business owners were unaware data and intelligence, especially market intelligence of the Employment Training Panel, which to funds that can help trainers understand where the labor incumbent worker training, despite paying into it.86 market is going and which skills are likely to be in- The California Career Pathways Trust Program (CCPT) demand in the future.83 Together with consultation offers an illustration of the challenges of cultivating with employers, such data can help to provide a greater partnership and collaboration among foundation for aligning training with industry needs. agencies and stakeholders. This initiative provided A PATCHWORK QUILT $500 million between 2014 and 2016 to support According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, there regional consortia of K-12 districts, community are more than 30 state workforce education and colleges, workforce boards, and employers that were training programs in California, spanning nine state intended to create and sustain career pathways agencies and drawing on various streams of federal leading from high school to postsecondary career and state funding (See Figure 3).84 At the local level, education and into the workforce.87 A review of there are 116 community colleges and 45 workforce the program by Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national development boards in California—systems that are nonprofit that works to support the development of further decentralized and characterized by a high a more skilled and equitable American workforce, level of local control. In addition, an array of other found that the initiative’s vision went largely institutions and organizations provide instruction unrealized. “Although all consortia created important serving adults looking to acquire new skills or pathways during the grant period, many of them training, ranging from the UC and CSU divisions of disbanded, did not sustain staffing of CCPT functions, continuing education and major nonprofit private and saw members turn their attention to other universities to for-profit institutions. matters as new grants or initiatives surfaced.”88 California’s system of workforce training and Several lessons emerged from this outcome, development may not constitute as complicated a including the importance of continuity in state maze as the broader federal workforce system, which support and state leadership in creating lasting and has been described as a “constellation of colleges, sustainable cross-sector partnerships. Most of the workforce programs, and other training providers” cross-sector consortia supported by CCPT were not that “forms a Rube Goldberg contraption that often in place long enough to remain durable after funding overwhelms individuals seeking to reskill or transition disappeared.89 18 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION Challenges of Coordination: The Eligible Training Provider List The current downturn underscores systemic and structural challenges confronting California’s workforce and career education systems. The complexity of navigating among agencies and of coordinating different funding streams can challenge efforts to support displaced workers.90 Valley Vision related an example of the difficulties of cross-sector coordination. Staff at Valley Vision explained that basic computing skills, like proficiency in Microsoft Office and Excel, are in high demand among employers, but that it has been challenging to arrange training in these areas. Unemployed Californians are eligible for California Training Benefits, which are federally funded through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Valley Vision has, however, encountered difficulties helping individuals apply these benefits to courses in computer literacy at local community colleges and adult education schools, since many of those institutions are not included on California’s Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL), which identifies programs eligible to train individuals receiving WIOA funding. Valley Vision staff observed that while many local community college and adult education programs were excluded from ETPL, more expensive programs from for-profit providers appeared on the list and were thus eligible for federal funding. They and their partners struggled to obtain an explanation for why training benefits could not be applied to courses offered by public institutions that addressed a genuine reskilling need. The explanation appears to lie at both federal and state levels. In order to secure placement on ETPL, a program must undergo multiple levels of state agency review (the training provider first submits an application to the local workforce development board, and the application is then also reviewed by the Employment Development Department) and provide significant, federally- mandated data relating to workforce outcomes. The application process appears to dissuade some colleges and schools from seeking placement on ETPL, while institutions or programs may not collect the required outcomes data or may have to work across multiple agency data systems to obtain it.91 The challenges surrounding Valley Vision’s engagement with the Eligible Training Provider List underscore the complexities of the workforce and training system. The range of federal and state agencies involved and layers of technical programmatic requirements can make cross- agency coordination challenging and create a system that is difficult even for experienced practitioners to navigate. FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 19 Figure 3: LAO Table Showing Funding for Major Workforce Education and Training Programs in California 2018-2019 Enacted Budget (in Millions) Source: Legislative Analyst’s Office, https://lao.ca.gov/Education/EdBudget/Details/170. Note: This figure provides LAO’s most recent listing of major workforce programs, from the 2018-19 budget year. This list includes some programs that received one-time funding or that are no longer supported, and does not feature newer programs, like the California Workforce Development Board’s High Road Training Partnerships. It nevertheless reflects the array of state programs and agencies involved in training. In addition, most programs listed remain in place and continue to receive funding at levels comparable to those shown. 20 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION training and reskilling programs that can lead to Section 3: Approaches for quality jobs for workers impacted by COVID. These Strengthening Training and are strategies that are often already in place and Workforce Development are helping to organize new training efforts across the state. Additional state leadership and support Since the Great Recession, California has made is, however, needed to scale and replicate these significant investments in career education. In approaches. the course of this study, the Commission learned CREATION OF TRAINING ECOSYSTEMS AND that existing initiatives are reshaping the training CROSS-SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS and workforce education landscape. Programs One approach to strengthening training lies in like Strong Workforce have encouraged greater creating what witnesses called “training ecosystems:” collaboration between community colleges and close cross-sector partnerships that foster and employers. Partnership between training providers structure the connections and linkages necessary and employers is becoming more routine and these to develop training pathways and help students partnerships are increasingly aligning training with through those pathways.95 Central to this strategy industry needs.92 CSU’s Professional and Continuing is the inclusion of training intermediaries, often Education program, for example, has adopted community-based organizations (CBOs) or nonprofit strategies for addressing workforce needs that organizations, that support coordination between include developing short-term courses and stackable employers and training providers and help trainees modules in collaboration with employers, as well navigate training programs and the job market.96 as partnering with essential industry sectors— cybersecurity, life sciences, and fire sciences—to Intermediary organizations can help to address develop new certificate and degree programs.93 barriers to training. By partnering with CBOs, for example, training providers can leverage those In order to address challenges facing California’s organizations’ knowledge of their communities workers and support those impacted by the to connect with potential trainees and better pandemic-induced recession, California must build understand what is needed to address place- on this work. based conditions affecting training outcomes.97 Training intermediaries often, however, struggle to Witnesses also observed that significant skills gaps obtain funding. Tim Rainey observed that colleges remain and that training curricula often lag behind have traditionally been reluctant to share funding rapid technological and industry change. The state with CBOs, even though those organizations can of California needs to continue to work to better play a key role in training missions.98 Yet placing align incentives, funding, and programs to provide intermediaries at the center of training partnerships broad access to reskilling opportunities. Given appears to strengthen collaboration and the challenges of aligning employers and training coordination.99 providers and of providing navigable training pathways, one witness observed, “We have to move A new and innovative example of an ecosystem away from business as usual.” The question is, approach to training is Futuro Health, a new “How do we move into a space where we can work $130 million partnership that emerged out of the differently?”94 November 2019 collective bargaining agreement between Kaiser Permanente and SEIU-United Witnesses suggested key strategies for supporting Healthcare Workers West. Futuro Health represents FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 21 a shared commitment—and shared investment—on students with career exploration and coaching, the part of employers and labor to work together assistance determining pathways to credentials, and to address the healthcare skills gap at scale. Futuro support transitioning from education to employment. Health aims to recruit and train 10,000 people in Debbie Yaddow, Futuro Health’s Senior Director of allied healthcare positions by 2024. Pathways, explained that given the “smorgasbord of education offerings out there, it is hard for a Futuro Health also represents a new education- student to know which education program is best… to-work model that responds to identified skills So, Futuro Health does the work to hone in on what gaps and curates training offerings, while providing is in demand, source quality partners, and negotiate pricing.”101 In its first nine months, Futuro Health was on track to move 1,500 students into education Center for a Competitive programs and had already upskilled more than 3,500 Workforce current healthcare workers to help address the COVID pandemic. The Center for a Competitive Workforce (CCW) provides the nexus for a cross-sector training The specific model developed by Futuro Health is partnership between the Los Angeles County made possible by the character of the healthcare Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) industry, including large employers, a substantially and the Los Angeles region’s 19 community unionized workforce, and highly defined career colleges. CCW was founded in 2017 as a paths, and may thus be difficult to replicate in other regional Strong Workforce Program project sectors. Yet it reflects the broader potential of and is funded through the regional consortia’s training ecosystems to address the institutional gaps Strong Workforce allocation. CCW focuses “on between training providers and employers and help institutionalizing the regular engagement of trainees navigate training programs. and partnerships between our 19 community colleges in the L.A. region and employers ALIGNING RESKILLING WITH REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT from high-growth industry sectors with projected growth of middle skill jobs.” The Witnesses emphasized the importance of integrating Center supports and organizes engagement training and reskilling programs with place- between community colleges and employers based approaches to inclusive regional economic by convening industry councils that connect development. Witnesses observed that inclusive business leaders and faculty and help to regional development will be necessary to grow identify labor trends and priorities for skills the share of good jobs and ensure those jobs development. It also leads program advisory are available to traditionally marginalized and meetings wherein employers provide input underserved populations. As noted above, the and feedback on program curricula. overall trend in California is toward occupational polarization and a decline in the share of middle- In addition to developing employer skill jobs. In 2017, for example, the Brookings engagement, CCW provides labor market Institution calculated that the Inland Empire faced a research, analyzes the relationship between deficit of 350,000 good or promising jobs to enable anticipated job openings and program struggling workers to reach the middle class.102 Yet, completion trends, and promotes work-based according to testimony from Jobs for the Future, learning opportunities.100 “There are tremendous opportunities for educational 22 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION institutions to partner with business and labor to benefit from the resulting growth. State government support inclusive economic development strategies can help to catalyze these partnerships by that spur economic growth and create higher quality establishing strategy and prioritizing resources.106 jobs for Californians.”103 UC Davis’s new life sciences campus in Sacramento, Lenny Mendonca highlighted the Fresno DRIVE Aggie Square, offers an example of how regional initiative as an example of this kind of collaboration. partnerships can connect research and training as This initiative has crafted an inclusive and part of regional economic development strategies. comprehensive development plan for the Fresno In alignment with the creation of a new university region through input from a range of community and industry research hub, UC Davis’s Division organizations. The plan includes a strategy for of Continuing and Professional Education is also strengthening workforce development with a working with industry partners and local community focus on providing upskilling and reskilling within colleges to develop a Life Sciences Workforce sectors identified as priorities for regional economic Training Collaborative to provide training that leads development, including agricultural technology.104 to middle-skill jobs in the life sciences, starting The Inland Empire Growth and Opportunity (IEGO) with a certificate program in cell and gene therapy campaign has similarly developed a cluster-based manufacturing.107 economic development strategy that focuses on INDUSTRY-LED AND SECTOR-BASED regional industries, like logistics and professional TRAINING services, that have potential to produce high-quality Career education programs are moving away jobs.105 from “train and pray” approaches to training to approaches that are more firmly rooted in employer Jobs for the Future observes that partnerships demand for specific skills and occupations. “In order between universities and industry can further to succeed, workforce development providers must connect regional economies to research and work hand-in-glove with local businesses to ensure development, with potential both to help industries that their students gain skills that employers want.”108 address existing technological challenges and, “move the industries up the global value chain by Industry-led training approaches can take different developing new products and services that are more forms. The California Workforce Development knowledge-intensive and higher value-added.” When Board’s High Road Training Partnerships (HRTP) further combined with training, such partnerships initiative, for example, is a $10 million demonstration help ensure that underserved communities can Identifying Digital Skills in Sacramento Providing reskilling to workers impacted by COVID requires understanding the skills and occupations that are in demand and creating pathways that allow workers to acquire those skills. Valley Vision has partnered with Burning Glass Technology, a leading job market analytics company, to learn what digital skills are needed for high-growth jobs in the Sacramento area. This partnership will provide research into the digital skills demanded by industry and into the skills-based overlaps between high-unemployment occupations and occupations in growing fields, in order to inform reskilling strategies. This collaboration is funded by the City of Sacramento, through CARES Act funding.109 FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 23 project that aims to model high road training will be integral to the social scaffolding that can approaches. HRTP supports programs that support economically vulnerable workers.”114 demonstrate industry-led problem solving, including Although retraining alone will not address the severe participation from employers and workers, and high impacts of COVID-19 on California’s economy and levels of partnership between employers and labor in workforce, it can help to ensure that, as recovery addressing industry workforce needs.110 Tim Rainey begins, workers will have viable pathways to good explained that the “DNA of the high road approach is jobs and employers will have access to career-ready high industry engagement.” The goal of this strategy employees. is to “pull people into quality jobs, rather than The Commission focuses its recommendation pushing them into the labor market.”111 Current HRTP on near-term steps that California should take to programs include training partnerships in logistics, increase availability of high-quality training and janitorial services, hospitality, and healthcare, among reskilling opportunities for workers impacted other sectors. by COVID, enable the creation and expansion of With funding support from JP Morgan Chase, pathways that lead to new and better jobs, and the San Diego Regional Economic Development facilitate access to those pathways. The Commission Corporation (EDC) has launched the Advancing understands that more work will be needed to create San Diego initiative, which aims to expand access a stronger, more cohesive, and more streamlined to skilled talent for small businesses and increase system of training and reskilling in California. Yet, diversity in high-demand jobs. This program while California continues to strengthen its education employs the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s and workforce systems, state government must act Talent Pipeline Management framework, wherein now to support equitable recovery by addressing employer collaboratives identify and communicate immediate training needs. competency and credential requirements to training 1. The Governor should present a statewide providers and provide feedback to the providers Equitable Recovery Worker Training plan to the on how to update and improve curriculum.112 San Legislature by October 1, 2021. The Governor’s Diego Regional EDC publicly recognizes colleges and January budget proposes $250 million in one- universities as “preferred providers” if faculty align time funding for career education and workforce curricula with the needs of local employers. Students development to support improved linkages between from preferred provider institutions are then eligible higher education institutions and employers, as for fully-funded internships within participating small well as one-time and ongoing funding for specific businesses.113 workforce development programs. The Commission Recommendations encourages the Governor and Legislature to approach career education and workforce Many calls for expanded and improved job training development funding as a critical investment in and reskilling programs come with the admonition supporting recovery. The Governor and Legislature that these opportunities should accompany other should deploy funding strategically and with steps to strengthen the safety net and improve intention to support the workers and communities job quality. In the words of a Brookings Institution most impacted by the pandemic and create durable report, “reskilling alone will not be enough to lessen training pathways and partnerships that help inequality or provide equal opportunity.” That low-income workers move into better jobs. State report goes on, however, to observe that “reskilling government needs a plan for providing high-quality 24 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION training as part of an equitable recovery. Strong Workforce regional consortia to use this additional funding to provide new or increased In order to guide the state’s investment in training support for training intermediaries, including and workforce development, the Governor’s community-based organizations. The Commission Office, in consultation with the Community understands that sustained engagement between Colleges Chancellor’s Office, California Workforce training providers and employers is necessary Development Board, Strong Workforce regional to better align career education programs with consortia, and other relevant agencies, as well as employer needs. The Commission also understands UC and CSU, should develop a statewide plan for that including community-based organizations as providing job training to workers and communities equal partners can help training consortia better impacted by COVID. address the needs of trainees from underserved communities. To these ends, Strong Workforce The plan should draw on current data and funding should be expanded to enable the regional projections to identify in-demand skills and consortia to more fully partner with and better occupations, both regionally and statewide. Based support training intermediaries and community- on that and other relevant data, the plan should based organizations, while sustaining their establish statewide and regional targets for training investment in career education programs. and reskilling that support equitable recovery. These targets should be equity minded and should take into The Legislature should also work with the Community consideration both place-based conditions and the Colleges Chancellor’s Office to update Strong uneven economic impact of the pandemic, which falls Workforce Program language to further encourage hardest on communities of color and underserved and lead colleges and regional consortia to support communities. The plan should outline how training training intermediaries (including community- providers will meet training goals, and further based organizations) and points of connection with identify opportunities to increase cross-program employers. coordination and private sector engagement in achieving those goals. Where possible, the plan 3. To advance a “rise of the rest” agenda for should leverage private sector initiatives and worker training, the Legislature should use interests to help scale and sustain training. It a portion of proposed one-time funding for should also lay out a comprehensive, cross-agency workforce development to fund innovative outreach and communications strategy for raising regional training programs in a race-to-the- awareness of training opportunities among impacted top competition. This grant competition would communities and for helping workers identify support the development or expansion of the programs that best address their needs, with cross-sector training partnerships that feature evaluation metrics to determine the success of both community-based organizations or other outreach. The Governor should present a follow-up training intermediaries and employers as co- report by October 1, 2022 indicating progress toward creators and that provide industry-led training meeting the stated targets. opportunities for workers and communities impacted by the pandemic. This competition could 2. In order to strengthen existing training be jointly administered by the Community Colleges consortia, the Governor and Legislature should Chancellor’s Office and the California Workforce increase annual funding for the community Development Board, and would fund partnerships college Strong Workforce Program and direct that support high road approaches to reskilling FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 25 and address regional workforce needs, with a focus but achievable goals related to job placements and on workers from traditionally underserved and earnings, and could be reviewed by a panel drawn underrepresented communities. The competition from the Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office could encourage applicants to align training with and California Workforce Development Board. The regional economic development strategies and competition should also allow participants to align initiatives. evaluation with their existing outcomes reporting. This grant competition would provide a framework 4. The Governor’s Office—with consultation to encourage the development of richer training and support from the Community Colleges ecosystems that address current training needs and Chancellor’s Office, California Workforce that incorporate training intermediaries, which can Development Board, and other relevant facilitate better outcomes for trainees and closer agencies—should take the lead in developing a alignment between training providers and employers. statewide partnership with companies providing It would also enable training partnerships to scale to job market analytics to make high-quality better meet the training needs of workers impacted data and data analysis on in-demand skills, by COVID. In order to incentivize participation, grants competencies, and occupations available to should be sizable and the competition should include training providers and their partners. In order multiple rounds of funding. To maximize the reach of to guide this partnership and the dissemination this competition and enhance statewide coordination and use of data/data tools, the Governor’s Office and leadership, the Commission further suggests should present an implementable job training that the state partner with private foundations/major data plan to the Legislature by October 1, 2021. corporations in developing and funding the initiative. Given demand for training and the reality of scarce resources, it is critical that training providers, Competition guidelines should be carefully designed local workforce development boards, and Strong to ensure that this initiative complements existing Workforce regional consortia target in-demand skills training and workforce programs, so that it will work and occupations. It is also essential that individuals with those programs rather than competing against looking to develop new skills understand what them. This will further help provide a basis for skills are in demand in their region/locality. Many sustaining partnerships beyond the grant funding. community college districts and Strong Workforce The competition should be structured to encourage regional consortia already purchase job market participating colleges and agencies to respond data and analysis, but districts may be limited in the quickly to current needs. For example, the program depth of data and range of data tools they are able to could require that participating colleges/Strong obtain. Workforce consortia significantly expedite approval for any new training courses or programs funded The size of California’s labor market and workforce by the grant. The competition should also require training system suggests that the state may have applicants to develop outreach strategies that target leverage to work with job market analytics providers impacted communities and help workers determine (e.g., Burning Glass, LinkedIn) to make data, data what training is most appropriate for them. analysis, and data tools available to community college districts, local workforce development Finally, both application and evaluation processes boards, regional consortia, and community-based should be succinct and non-burdensome. organizations providing training and employment Applications should be simple, should contain bold services, as well as to regional industry and business 26 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION groups. This data/data analysis should be regionally direct problems where interagency cooperation is tailored, identify the specific skills and occupations required. In addition, this working group could help that should be the focus for reskilling, and help to coordinate workforce development components training providers and workers identify the most of the infrastructural investments that are likely to promising pathways for reskilling and upskilling. emerge from state and federal economic recovery Colleges and Strong Workforce regional consortia efforts. It could further enable greater coordination would be expected to “truth test” this data with in the development of communications strategies employers and with industry groups and then work to engage impacted communities, as well as in the with employers to revise curricula accordingly. continued introduction of user-oriented platforms to better connect workers with training and In return for access to the data, colleges and Strong employment opportunities. In order to support the Workforce regional consortia would be required working group, the Commission suggests that limited to demonstrate how they are teaching to the in- funding be provided for staff time. demand skills and competencies identified by that data. Strong Workforce consortia should also work The Commission understands that the pandemic has with local workforce development boards and encouraged greater interagency communication and community-based organizations to make the relevant cooperation. The Community Colleges Chancellor’s information about skills and occupations publicly Office is working with the Labor and Workforce available, in an accessible and easily understood Development Agency to address issues surrounding form, in order to raise awareness of training the Eligible Training Provider List. The Chancellor’s pathways and inform individuals’ choice of training Office is also collaborating with the Governor’s Office options. of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to explore opportunities for community colleges to 5. The state should establish a working group partner with small business development centers to composed of senior representatives from state support regional entrepreneurship.115 workforce, higher education, and economic development agencies, as well as from other Such cooperation is critical if state agencies agencies that support major workforce and programs are to meet the training needs of development programs, that can facilitate workers and communities impacted by COVID. The coordination among agencies and programs in Commission recommends that California work to providing reskilling opportunities to workers institutionalize greater interagency coordination and impacted by COVID. cooperation. In 2018, the National Skills Coalition proposed the creation of a “cross-Secretariat This working group would identify barriers to Governor’s Workforce and Economic Mobility Cabinet reskilling resulting from inadequate coordination to ensure that public investments in workforce or alignment between agencies and programs. It development put workers on pathways to good jobs would develop approaches for addressing those and work in tandem with other economic mobility barriers and identify what can be accomplished strategies.”116 The working group proposed here through administrative action, and through greater would provide a structure for expanding coordination interagency coordination and collaboration, as well in the immediate term and may form the basis as advising where legislative action is required to for subsequent development of a permanent improve programs. It would also act as a single point coordinating institution for reskilling and workforce of contact to which practitioners statewide could development. FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 27 Notes 1. Fernando Lozano, Professor of Economics, 7. OPR, The Master Plan for Higher Education in Pomona College, Testimony to Commission, California and State Workforce Needs, see endnote July 9, 2020. Chas Alamo, COVID-19 and the 3. Matt Horton, et al., Preparing California for the Labor Market: Which Workers Have Been Hardest Future of Work: Creating Equity by Addressing the Hit by the Pandemic? (Legislative Analyst’s Access Gap (Milken Institute, 2020). Retrieved Office, December 8, 2020), https://lao.ca.gov/ from: https://milkeninstitute.org/sites/default/ LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/531. files/reports-pdf/Future%20of%20Work%20 Report%202020.pdf. 2. Sarah Bohn, Dean Bonner, Julien Lafortune, and Tess Thorman, Income Inequality and Economic 8. Mark Schniepp, Director of the California Opportunity in California (Public Policy Institute Economic Forecast, Testimony to the of California, December 2020). Retrieved from: Commission, June 25, 2020. https://www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/ 9. Data from Opportunity Insights, Economic incoming-inequality-and-economic-opportunity- Tracker, https://tracktherecovery.org/. Accessed in-california-december-2020.pdf. January 9, 2021. 3. Mary Alice McCarthy, Beyond the Skills Gap: 10. Fernando Lozano, see endnote 1. Making Education Work for Students, Employers, and Communities (Washington, DC: New America 11. Chas Alamo, COVID-19 and the Labor Market, see Foundation, October 2014), pp 2-3. Retrieved endnote 1. from: https://newamerica.org/documents/1575/ beyond-the-skills-gap.pdf. Governor’s Office 12. Data from Opportunity Insights, Economic of Planning and Research (OPR), The Master Tracker, https://tracktherecovery.org/. Accessed Plan for Higher Education in California and State January 12, 2021. Workforce Needs: A Review (December 2018), pp. 45-6. Retrieved from: https://opr.ca.gov/ 13. Laura Tyson, Professor at the Haas School of docs/20190808-Master_Plan_Report.pdf. Business, UC Berkeley, and Lenny Mendonca, Former Chief Economic and Business Advisor to 4. Annelies Goger, Turning COVID-19’s Mass Layoffs Governor Newsom and Director of the Governor’s into Opportunities for Quality Jobs (Brookings Office of Business and Economic Development, Institution, July 23, 2020), https://www.brookings. Testimony to the Commission, July 23, 2020. See edu/research/turning-covid-19s-mass-layoffs- also, Sylvia A. Allegretto, A Post-Great Recession into-opportunities-for-quality-jobs/. Overview of Labor Market Trends in the United States and California (UC Berkeley, Institute for 5. Alicia Mazzara and Gabe Horwitz, The 7 Habits of Research on Labor and Employment, June 2018), Highly Effective Workforce Programs (Third Way, pp. 5-6. Retrieved from: http://irle.berkeley.edu/ July 7, 2014), https://www.thirdway.org/report/ files/2018/06/A-post-Great-Recession-overview- the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-workforce- of-labor-market-trends-in-the-US-and-CA.pdf. programs. 14. Fernando Lozano, see endnote 1. 6. Future of Work Commission, https://www.labor. ca.gov/labor-and-workforce-development- 15. Fernando Lozano, see endnote 1. Laura Tyson agency/fowc/. Accessed January 18, 2021. and Lenny Mendonca, see endnote 13. Alissa Anderson, California’s Workers Are Increasingly 28 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION Locked Out of the State’s Prosperity (California investments-due-to-covid-19-honeywell-study- Budget & Policy Center, December 2019), https:// shows. Accessed September 14, 2020. calbudgetcenter.org/resources/californias- 21. J.H. Caldwell and Dilip Krishna, “The Acceleration workers-are-increasingly-locked-out-of-the- of Digitization as a Result of COVID-19,” Deloitte, states-prosperity/. July 30, 2020, https://www2.deloitte.com/global/ 16. Mark Schniepp, see endnote 8. en/blog/responsible-business-blog/2020/ acceleration-of-digitization-as-result-of-covid-19. 17. Yelp, Economic Average, “Yelp: Local Economic html. Accessed September 14, 2020. Impact Report,” September 2020, https://www. yelpeconomicaverage.com/business-closures- 22. Rework America Business Network, Digital update-sep-2020.html. Accessed January 12, Blindspot: How Digital Literacy Can Create a More 2021. Resilient American Workforce (Markle Foundation, October 2019), pp. 7-9. Retrieved from: https:// 18. Jerry Nickelsburg, Director of the UCLA Anderson www.markle.org/sites/default/files/2019-10-24- Forecast, Testimony to the Commission, June 25, RABN-Digital-Literacy-ReportFINAL.pdf. 2020. David Shepardson, “U.S. Travel Spending Will Plunge in 2020, Not fully Recovery until 2024: 23. Debra D. Bragg, Lessons from TAACCCT: Travel Group,” Reuters (November 17, 2020), Recommendation for Future Evaluation Investments https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health- (October 7, 2019). Retrieved from: https:// coronavirus-usa-travel/u-s-travel-spending-will- s3.amazonaws.com/newamericadotorg/ plunge-in-2020-not-fully-recover-until-2024- documents/TAACCCT-Eval-Final_for_ travel-group-idUSKBN27X2N1. publication9.27.pdf. 19. Alastair Fitzpayne and Ethan Pollack, Millions 24. Sarah Bohn, Jacob Jackson, and Shannon of Workers Have Lost Their Jobs, and Some Are McConville, Career Pathways and Economic Never Coming Back. An Ambitious Approach Is Mobility at California’s Community Colleges (PPIC, Needed (Aspen Institute, May 11, 2020), https:// June 2019). Retrieved from: https://www.ppic. www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/supporting- org/wp-content/uploads/career-pathways-and- workers-facing-permanent-job-losses/. Bank of economic-mobility-at-californias-community- the West Economics, California Economic Outlook colleges.pdf. (September 2020), https://changematters. 25. Sarah Bohn, California’s Need for Skilled Workers bankofthewest.com/2020/09/22/california- (PPIC, September 2014), Retrieved from: https:// economic-outlook-september-2020/. Accessed www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_914SBR. January 14, 2021. pdf. 20. Fitzpayne and Pollack, Millions of Workers Have 26. Shannon McConville, Sarah Bohn, and Laurel Lost Their Jobs, and Some Are Never Coming Back, Beck, California Health Workforce Needs: Training see endnote 19. Honeywell, Press Release, Allied Workers (PPIC, September 2014), Retrieved “Companies Planning to Increase Automation from: https://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/ Investments Due to COVID-19, Honeywell Study R_914SMR.pdf. Shows,” July 8, 2020, https://www.honeywell. com/en-us/newsroom/pressreleases/2020/07/ 27. Debbie Yaddow, Senior Director of Pathways, companies-planning-to-increase-automation- FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 29 Futuro Health, Testimony to the Commission, 36. California Community Colleges, Student September 24, 2020. Success Metrics, https://www.calpassplus.org/ LaunchBoard/Student-Success-Metrics. Accessed 28. Somjita Mitra, et al., L.A. & Orange County September 15, 2020. Community Colleges: Powering Economic Opportunity (Center for a Competitive Workforce, 37. Sarah Bohn and Shannon McConville, Stackable October 2017), p. 75. Retrieved from: https:// Credentials in Career Education at California laedc.org/download/34720/. Community Colleges (PPIC, October 2018), p. 6. Retrieved from: https://www.ppic.org/wp- 29. Centers of Excellence Los Rios Community content/uploads/stackable-credentials-in-career- College District, et al., Construction: Cluster and education-at-california-community-colleges- Workforce Needs Assessment: Sacramento Region october-2018.pdf. (Valley Vision, January 2018). Retrieved from: http://www.valleyvision.org/wp-content/uploads/ 38. Elizabeth Zachry Rutschow, Katie Beal, and COE-Construction-Sacramento-web-1.pdf. Chase Johnson, Beyond the Basics: Integrating Workforce and College-Readiness Training into 30. Trish Kelly, Managing Director, and Renee John, California’s Adult Basic Skills Programs (MDRC, July Project Leader, Valley Vision, Conversation with 2019). Retrieved from: https://www.mdrc.org/ Commission staff, January 13, 2021. publication/beyond-basics/file-full. 31. Sarah Bohn, California’s Need for Skilled Workers, 39. University of California Institutional Research and see endnote 25; Mark Schniepp, see endnote 8. Academic Planning Unit, Annual Accountability Report (Oakland, CA: University of California 32. Bohn, Jackson, and McConville, Career Pathways Office of the President, 2017), p. 132. Retrieved and Economic Mobility, see endnote 24. from: https://accountability.universityofcalifornia. 33. Van Ton-Quinlivan, “Pathways to Economic edu/2017/documents/pdfs/2017Acct_Rpt_web. Opportunity in the 21st Century: A Case Study pdf. on How the California Community Colleges 40. Sheila Thomas, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Modernized To Deliver on its Workforce Mission,” Dean, Professional and Continuing Education, Governance in an Emerging New World, Spring California State University System, Conversation Series, Issue 619, May 2019 (Hoover Institution), with Commission staff, December 16, 2020. https://www.hoover.org/research/pathways- economic-opportunity-21st-century-case-study- 41. Bohn, Jackson, and McConville, Career Pathways how-california-community-colleges. and Economic Mobility, p. 6, see endnote 24. 34. California Community Colleges, Strong Workforce 42. California Apprenticeship Initiative, https:// Program, https://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/ caihub.foundationccc.org/. Accessed January 12, Chancellors-Office/Divisions/Workforce-and- 2020. Economic-Development/Strong-Workforce- Program. Accessed September 15, 2020. 43. Credit for Prior Learning Initiative, Findings and Recommendation to Expand Credit for Prior 35. California Workforce Development Board, About Learning as a Vision for Success Strategy. Retrieved Us, https://cwdb.ca.gov/about_us/. Accessed from: https://successcenter.cccco.edu/Strategic- September 14, 2020. 30 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION Projects/Credit-for-Prior-Learning-Initiative. Meaney, Realism about Reskilling: Upgrading the Career Prospects of America’s Low-Wage Workers 44. California Workforce Development Board, 2020- (Brookings Institution, December 2019), p. 47. 2023 Unified Strategic Workforce Development Plan, Retrieved from: https://www.brookings.edu/ Strategic Planning Elements, p. 16. Retrieved research/realism-about-reskilling/. from: https://cwdb.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/ sites/43/2020/09/Strategic-Planning-Elements. 51. White House Council of Economic Advisers, Final_ACCESSIBLE.pdf. Addressing America’s Reskilling Challenge (July 2018). Accessed from: https://www.whitehouse. 45. Starbucks College Achievement Plan, https:// gov/briefings-statements/cea-report-addressing- starbucks.asu.edu/. Accessed January 20, 2021. americas-reskilling-challenge/. 46. Amazon, Upskilling 2025, https://www. 52. Ann Huff Stevens, What Works in Career and aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/ Technical Education (CTE)? A Review of Evidence upskilling-2025. Accessed January 20, 2021. and Suggested Policy Directions (Aspen Institute, February 4, 2019), p. 48. Retrieved from: 47. Irvine Foundation, Better Careers, https://www. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/ irvine.org/our-focus/better-careers/. Accessed uploads/2019/01/1.2-Pgs-40-54-What-Works-in- January 10, 2021. Career-and-Technical-Education.pdf. 48. Sheneui Weber, Vice Chancellor of Workforce and 53. Bohn, Jackson, and McConville, Career Pathways Economic Development, California community and Economic Mobility, p. 5, see endnote 24. Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Conversation with Commission staff, November 2, 2020. Bohn and 54. Escobari, Seyal, and Meaney, Realism about McConville, Stackable Credentials, pp. 12-14, see Reskilling, see endnote 50. endnote 37. 55. OECD, Back to Work: Sweden: Improving the Re- 49. Vinz Koller, Closing the Gap: The Future of employment Prospects of Displaced Workers (Paris: Apprenticeship in California (Jobs for the Future, OECD Publishing, 2015). Retrieved from: https:// December 2018). Retrieved from: https://www. read.oecd-ilibrary.org/employment/back-to-work- jff.org/documents/2759/Closing_the_Gap_The_ sweden_9789264246812-en#page1. The OECD Future_of_Apprenticeship_in_CA_-_12-20-2018. observes that JSCs are not available to all Swedish pdf. Brent Paron and Michael Prebil, The Road workers and that their effectiveness in helping to 500,000 Apprentices: Ideas for Expanding displaced workers return to employment varies Apprenticeship in California (New America with the quality of services they provide. Foundation, October 2020). Retrieved from: https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/ 56. Michael Fund, “Developing a Robust System for reports/road-500000-apprentices/. Upskilling and Reskilling the Workforce: Lessons from the SkillsFuture Movement in Singapore,” 50. Jeffrey Selingo, “The False Promises of Worker in Brajesh Panth and Rupert Maclean, eds., Retraining,” The Atlantic (January 8, 2018), https:// Anticipating and Preparing for Emerging Skills and www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/01/ Jobs (Springer, 2020), https://link.springer.com/ the-false-promises-of-worker-retraining/549398/. chapter/10.1007/978-981-15-7018-6_39. Van Marcela Escobari, Ian Seyal, and Michael Ton-Quinlivan, CEO, Futuro Health, and former FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 31 Executive Vice Chancellor of Workforce and Regional Workforce Development Board, Digital Futures, California Community Colleges, Conversation with Commission staff, December Conversation with Commission staff, August 12, 16, 2020. 2020. 69. Tim Rainey, Executive Director, California 57. Project Quest, https://questsa.org/. Accessed Workforce Development Board, Testimony to the January 19, 2021. Commission, September 24, 2020. 58. Anne Roder and Mark Elliott, Nine Year Gains: 70. Selingo, “The False Promises of Worker Project QUEST’s Continuing Impact (Economic Retraining,” see endnote 50. Mobility Corporation, April 2019). Retrieved from: 71. Annelies Goger and Luther Jackson, The https://economicmobilitycorp.org/wp-content/ Labor Market Doesn’t Have a ‘Skills Gap’ – It Has uploads/2019/04/NineYearGains_web.pdf. an Opportunity Gap (Brookings Institution, 59. Marcela Escobari, Ian Seyal, and Carlos Daboin, September 9, 2020), https://www.brookings.edu/ “New but Narrow Jobs Pathways for America’s blog/the-avenue/2020/09/09/the-labor-market- Unemployed and Low-Wage Workers,” (Brookings doesnt-have-a-skills-gap-it-has-an-opportunity- Institution, November 16, 2020), https://www. gap/. brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/11/16/ 72. Escobari, Seyal, and Meaney, Realism about new-but-narrow-job-pathways-for-americas- Reskilling, p. 10, see endnote 50. unemployed-and-low-wage-workers/. 73. Shannon McConville, Sarah Bohn, and Bonnie 60. For example, McCarthy, Beyond the Skills Gap, see Brooks, Supporting Student Parents in Community endnote 3. College CalWORKs Programs (PPIC, October 2020), 61. Goger, Turning COVID-19’s Mass Layoffs into p. 11. Retrieved from: https://www.ppic.org/wp- Opportunities for Quality Jobs, see endnote 4. content/uploads/supporting-student-parents- in-community-college-calworks-programs- 62. Koller, Closing the Gap, see endnote 49. october-2020.pdf. 63. Goger, Turning COVID-19’s Mass Layoffs into 74. Di Xu, COVID-19 and the Shift to Online Instruction: Opportunities for Quality Jobs, see endnote 4. Can Quality Education Be Equitably Provided to Stevens, What Works in Career and Technical All? (Third Way, September 18, 2020), pp. 3-6. Education (CTE)? p. 51, see endnote 52. Retrieved from https://thirdway.imgix.net/pdfs/ override/COVID19-and-the-Shift-to-Online- 64. Stevens, What Works in Career and Technical Instruction_web.pdf. Education (CTE)? p. 49, see endnote 52. 75. W. Richard Scott, Michael W. Kirst et al., 65. Ton-Quinlivan, “Pathways to Economic Higher Education and Silicon Valley: Connected Opportunity in the 21st Century,” see endnote 33. But Conflicted (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins 66. Van Ton-Quinlivan, see endnote 56. University Press, 2017). 67. Sheneui Weber, see endnote 48. 76. Richard Arum and Mitchell Stevens, Building Tomorrow’s Workforce Today: Twin Proposals for 68. Blake Konczal, Executive Director, Fresno the Future of Learning, Opportunity, and Work (The 32 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION Hamilton Project, October 2020), p. 10. Retrieved ca.gov/ci/ct/pt/. Accessed September 15, 2020. from: https://www.hamiltonproject.org/assets/ 88. Marty Alvarado and Joel Vargas, The California files/PP_ArumStevens_LO_FINAL.pdf. Career Pathways Trust: Lessons About the State 77. OPR, The Master Plan for Higher Education and Role in Sustaining Efforts to Improve Economic State Workforce Needs, pp. 14-15, 46, 51, see Advancement (Jobs for the Future, November endnote 3. 2018), p. 1. Retrieved from: https://www.jff.org/ documents/2735/CCPT_State_Lessons-111318. 78. Sheneui Weber, see endnote 48. pdf. 79. Debbie Yaddow, see endnote 27. 89. Alvarado and Vargas, The California Career Pathways Trust, see endnote 88. 80. California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Streamlining Curriculum Processes in the 90. Renee John, Conversation with Commission staff, California Community College System (White November 30, 2020. Paper, April 19, 2017). Retrieved from: https:// www.laocrc.org/assets/docs/migrated/104/ 91. Stewart Knox, Former Undersecretary of the WhitePaperFinal_April2017.pdf. California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, Conversations with Commission staff, 81. Jessica Kim, Vice President of Economic and November 30, 2020 and January 21, 2021. Workforce Development, Los Angeles EDC, Conversation with Commission staff, October 16, 92. Jessica Kim, see endnote 81. 2020; Blake Konczal, see endnote 68. 93. Sheila Thomas, see endnote 40. 82. Jessica Kim, see endnote 81. 94. Ana Gutierrez, Senior Director, Jobs for the 83. Sheneui Weber, see endnote 48. Future, Testimony to the Commission, September 24, 2020. 84. Legislative Analyst’s Office, Improving Workforce Education and Training Data in California (August 95. Debbie Yaddow, Written Statement to the 18, 2016). Retrieved from: https://lao.ca.gov/ Commission, September 24, 2020. Publications/Report/3494. 96. Laura Tyson, see endnote 13. 85. Escobari, Seyal, and Meaney, Realism about 97. Ana Gutierrez and Alison Schmitt, Senior Program Reskilling, p. 21, see endnote 50. Manager, Jobs for the Future, Written Statement 86. Small Business Majority, Small Business Challenges to the Commission, September 24, 2020. Terry in Hiring and Training Employees in California Grobe, Better Careers for Californians (Jobs (October 22, 2020), p. 10. Retrieved from: https:// for the Future, October 2019); Terry Grobe smallbusinessmajority.org/sites/default/files/ and Matthew Poland, Transforming Systems to research-reports/Small-business-challenges-in- Achieve Better Careers for Californians: Balanced hiring-and-training-employees-in-California.pdf. Stakeholder Relationships Lead to Innovative Workforce Development Strategies (Jobs for the 87. California Department of Education, California Future, May 2020). Career Pathways Trust (CCPT), https://www.cde. FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 33 98. Tim Rainey, see endnote 69. and Renee John, Conversation with Commission staff, October 28, 2020; Valley Vision, “Innovative 99. Grobe, Better Careers for Californians, and Grobe Partnership Will Build a Roadmap to a Resilient and Poland, Transforming Systems, see endnote Workforce,” https://www.valleyvision.org/ 97. innovative-partnership-will-build-a-roadmap-to-a- resilient-workforce/. Accessed November 2, 2020. 100. Center for a Competitive Workforce, Annual Report: 2019-2020. Retrieved from: https:// 110. California Workforce Development Board, High competitiveworkforce.la/who-we-are/. Road Training Partnerships, https://cwdb.ca.gov/ initiatives/high-road-training-partnerships/. 101. Debbie Yaddow, see endnote 95. Accessed September 14, 2020. 102. Chad Shearer, Isha Shah, and Marek Gootman, 111. Tim Rainey, see endnote 69. Advancing Opportunity in California’s Inland Empire (Brookings Institution, February 26 2019), pp. 6, 112. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Talent 28-30. Retrieved from: https://www.brookings. 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San Diego Regional EDC, Advancing inlandgrowth.com/. Accessed November 2, 2020. San Diego, https://www.sandiegobusiness.org/ about-edc/our-initiatives/advancing-san-diego/. 106. Ana Gutierrez and Alison Schmitt, see endnote Accessed September 18, 2020. 97. 114. Escobari, Seyal, and Meaney, Realism about 107. John Marx, “Continuing and Professional Reskilling, pp. 2-3, see endnote 50. Education Leads the Way,” UC Davis – Aggie Square, October 29, 2020, https://aggiesquare. 115. Sheneui Weber, see endnote 48. ucdavis.edu/news/aggie-square-our-universitys- 116. National Skills Coalition, Securing a Strong new-front-door. Accessed January 20, 2021. Economic Future for All Californians: A State 108. Mazzara and Horwitz, The 7 Habits of Highly Workforce Development Policy Agenda (November Effective Workforce Programs, see endnote 5. 13, 2018). Retrieved from: https://www. nationalskillscoalition.org/state-policy/states/ 109. Evan Schmidt, CEO, Valley Vision, and Trish Kelly california. 34 | LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION Little Hoover Commission Members CHAIRMAN PEDRO NAVA | Santa Barbara ASM. CHAD MAYES | Yucca Valley Appointed to the Commission by Speaker of the Assembly Appointed to the Commission by Speaker of the Assembly John Pérez in April 2013 and reappointed by Speaker of the Toni Atkins in September 2015. Elected in November Assembly Anthony Rendon in 2017. Government relations 2014 to represent the 42nd Assembly District. Represents advisor. Former State Assemblymember from 2004 to Beaumont, Hemet, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, 2010, civil litigator, deputy district attorney and member San Jacinto, Twentynine Palms, Yucaipa, Yucca Valley, and of the state Coastal Commission. Elected chair of the surrounding areas. Commission in March 2014. SEN. JIM NIELSEN | Gerber VICE CHAIRMAN SEAN VARNER | Riverside Appointed to the Commission by the Senate Rules Appointed to the Commission by Governor Edmund G. Committee in March 2019. Elected in January 2013 to Brown Jr. in April 2016 and reappointed in January 2018. represent the 4th Senate District. Represents Chico, Managing partner at Varner & Brandt LLP where he Oroville, Paradise, Red Bluff, Yuba City, and surrounding practices as a transactional attorney focusing on mergers areas. and acquisitions, finance, real estate, and general counsel work. Elected vice chair of the Commission in March 2017. ASM. BILL QUIRK | Hayward Appointed to the Commission by Speaker of the Assembly DION ARONER | Berkeley Anthony Rendon in 2017. Elected in November 2012 to Appointed to the Commission by the Senate Rules represent the 20th Assembly District. Represents Hayward, Committee in April 2019. Partner for Aroner, Jewel, and Union City, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, Ellis. Former State Assemblymember from 1996 to 2002, Fairview, Sunol, and North Fremont. chief of staff for Assemblymember Tom Bates, social worker for Alameda County, and the first female president SEN. RICHARD ROTH | Riverside of Service Employees International Union 535. Appointed to the Commission by the Senate Rules Committee in February 2013. Elected in November 2012 DAVID BEIER | San Francisco to represent the 31st Senate District. Represents Corona, Appointed to the Commission by Governor Edmund G. Coronita, Eastvale, El Cerrito, Highgrove, Home Gardens, Brown Jr. in June 2014 and reappointed in January 2018. Jurupa Valley, March Air Reserve Base, Mead Valley, Managing director of Bay City Capital. Former senior officer Moreno Valley, Norco, Perris, and Riverside. of Genentech and Amgen, and counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary. CATHY SCHWAMBERGER | Calistoga Appointed to the Commission by the Senate Rules CYNTHIA BUIZA | Los Angeles Committee in April 2018 and reappointed in January Appointed to the Commission by Speaker of the Assembly 2019. Associate general counsel for State Farm Mutual Anthony Rendon in October 2018. Executive director of the Automobile Insurance Company. Former board member California Immigrant Policy Center. Former policy director of the Civil Justice Association of California and the Capital for the American Civil Liberties Union, San Diego, and Political Action Committee. policy and advocacy director at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. JANNA SIDLEY | Los Angeles Appointed to the Commission by Governor Edmund BILL EMMERSON | Redlands G. Brown Jr. in April 2016 and reappointed in February Appointed to the Commission by Governor Edmund G. 2020. General counsel at the Port of Los Angeles since Brown Jr. in December 2018. Former senior vice president 2013. Former deputy city attorney at the Los Angeles City of state relations and advocacy at the California Hospital Attorney’s Office from 2003 to 2013. Association, State Senator from 2010 to 2013, State Assemblymember from 2004 to 2010, and orthodontist. Full biographies are available on the Commission’s website at www.lhc.ca.gov. FIRST STEPS TOWARD RECOVERY: JOB TRAINING AND RESKILLING | 35 “DEMOCRACY ITSELF IS A PROCESS OF CHANGE, AND SATISFACTION AND COMPLACENCY ARE ENEMIES OF GOOD GOVERNMENT.” By Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, addressing the inaugural meeting of the Little Hoover Commission, April 24,1962, Sacramento, California Milton Marks Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy www.lhc.ca.gov