Coordination of State Economic Development and Employment and Training Programs: Case Studies

摘要

The study analyzes the progress made in Delaware, Kentucky, Michigan and Maryland to coordinate job training and placement with business development plans. It is a continuation of a study begun four years ago to determine whether states were using the Joint Training Partnership Act to provide unemployed workers with the skills that are needed to attract new firms. Among its findings are that Delaware has increased the effectiveness of its efforts by placing responsibility for training in its Development office. In Kentucky, the Bluegrass State Skills Corporation operates as a quasi-public corporation to stimulate economic growth through skills training. It has been successful in coordinating resources and players, chiefly through informal contacts between state and local officials and the private sector. In Maryland, the Department of Economic and Employment Development was created to emphasize the need for coordination. The report also details the history of the Michigan Modernization Service to link employment and training with the adoption of new manufacturing technologies. It is aimed at boosting the competitiveness of existing firms rather than 'smokestack chasing'.