Too much within workforce development – the broad network of nonprofit, public sector, and for-profit organizations providing job training and access – focuses on individual attainment of skills and conveys that the exceptional achievement of the few in escaping systemic poverty somehow means that labor markets are not broken.

Workforce development services can repair the harm caused by years of underinvestment in jobseekers, particularly women and people of color. Doing so means moving away from a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps mentality, recognizing the fundamental value, dignity, and agency of the people being served, and making meeting their needs – holistically – the rule not the exception.

The U.S. was built on unpaid labor and continues to rely on underpaid labor, disproportionately that of women and people of color. At the same time, workforce development interventions have, at times, supported and exacerbated discriminatory practices that push many jobseekers into low-wage work. Efforts to address this must start with recognizing it.  

We believe decisions are better and more just when those they impact have the power to inform, if not make, them. As grantmakers, this means involving more community members in our funding decisions. It also means supporting those who work in workforce development to deeply listen to and partner with those they serve.

The incentives within the workforce development system can bias toward quick placements into low-quality jobs. We must do a better job of telling the story of what real progress looks like for people who have been failed by multiple systems.