Upskilling New England: Bridging the Gap Between New England’s Educators and Employers
Unemployment in New England is at or near record low rates exacerbating a persistent skill shortage reported by employers across the region. In a recent McKinsey survey, executives increasingly see investing in retraining and “upskilling” existing workers as an urgent business priority. With New England’s share of fast-growing, high-skill industries wherein available jobs largely require a postsecondary credential, upskilling is an essential tool that nearly all businesses need to employ to ensure a greater skills match while improving employee retention and work product. Strada’s Consumer Insights Data indicates that adults in New England with no college experience are most likely to feel as if they need additional education to advance in the workforce–the call for meaningful educational programs exists in the region. For successful implementation of upskilling programs, collaboration and alignment between New England’s educators and employers is imperative.
All Learning Counts – New England (ALC-NE), a project funded by Lumina Foundation, seeks to increase and accelerate adult attainment of quality credentials in New England through new policies and programs related to recognition of learning (ROL), stackable credential pathways, new tools and resources, and convenings of state policymakers, postsecondary education leaders and adult learners. Check back here for more information in the coming weeks!