How Effective are Workforce Development Programs? Implications for U.S. Workforce Policies

Prepared for the APPAM Fall Research Conference 2011. In this paper, the authors begin by first describing the programs that encompass workforce development and then examine the evidence and conventional wisdom on the effectiveness of workforce development programs, elaborating on the arguments outlined above that challenge the conventional wisdom and the approaches that have been applied in measuring the effectiveness of workforce development interventions. They conclude by summarizing the arguments and evidence in support of an alternative view that counters the conventional wisdom and finds that workforce development works.