Five Federal Priorities To Advance Economic Mobility And Wellbeing

For millions of workers and families across the country there is deep uncertainty about what tomorrow will bring. Economic news careens from bad to good and back again; the nature of work itself is shifting; and although hiring numbers are strong, millions of Americans remain disconnected from full, meaningful employment. These challenges are particularly severe in communities where underinvestment and discrimination have been the norm for generations and where marginalized communities are being pushed farther into society’s margins.

The federal government is in a unique position to make meaningful change – to step up and seize this unsettled moment and advance policies and build systems that will better prepare workers, create clearer, more equitable pathways into the workforce, and safeguard the long-term economic health and wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities.

Taking advantage of this opportunity requires specific, intentional, cross-sector action on the part of federal policymakers in deep partnership with state and local leaders, social entrepreneurs, and community-based organizations. Here are five meaningful innovations that will support workers and make our economy stronger, more inclusive, and more sustainable.

• Help Every Young Person Develop a Breadth of Skills. The foundation for success – in the workforce and in life – isn’t constructed once young people graduate from high school or college; it’s built much earlier. Federal education and workforce policies should reflect what we know about the science of learning and development, and drive greater support for effective approaches that create a range of safe, high-quality, engaging learning experiences for every student from the start. Federal education policies, starting from birth, must prioritize approaches that prepare students not only with technical knowledge, but with the full breadth of whole learner skills - physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and creative - to thrive in rapidly evolving workplaces and adapt to the jobs of tomorrow.
• Strengthen Partnerships to Expand School Capacity. Schools – from K-12 to post-secondary institutions – are critical pathways for workforce development, but educators, school communities, and even physical school buildings are being asked to take on ever-greater responsibilities without the resources required to keep pace. In addition to greater support overall, federal policymakers should prioritize investments that help schools develop and maintain high-quality external partnerships with organizations that can bring expertise in innovative, equity-based educational approaches, educator mentoring and support, college access and completion, career readiness, and more.
• Incentivize New Workforce Development Approaches. Continued investment in outdated workforce development and employment programs won’t provide today’s workers or our economy with the best chance to thrive. Dedicated funding to drive the creation of innovative, evidence-focused models that can make programs more effective, equitable, and relevant to economic needs is essential. The Workforce Development Innovation Fund – which was included in workforce reauthorization legislation advanced by the House of Representatives in the last Congress – is an example of powerful policy that can bring our workforce development system into the 21st century (and beyond).
• Invest Earlier – and More Sustainably – in Bold Solutions. Too many promising new approaches with the potential to support workers, businesses, and communities wither on the vine due to a lack of early-stage public investment and support. Along with incentivizing innovation, federal policymakers should look for opportunities to expand the funnel for promising approaches, couple greater support with robust evaluation and experimentation, and then connect proven-effective approaches with sustainable funding streams that allow them to scale.
• Deepen Cross-Sector Collaboration. Organizations engaged in education and workforce development – schools, nonprofits, social innovation organizations, and others – are constantly seeking out opportunities to engage in ongoing dialogue with their peers, identify what works, and adapt the most effective approaches. The federal government has a unique vantage point and unrivaled capacity to forge stronger national connections, and federal policymakers should prioritize the creation of opportunities that not only allow for, but accelerate collaboration between organizations working to address workforce challenges.

Trailblazing lawmaker Shirley Chisholm once astutely observed: “You make progress by implementing ideas.” The flaws in how we currently prepare young people to thrive, support workers, and protect the vitality of our communities are readily apparent, especially in historically underserved and under-resourced communities. At the same time, practical ideas aimed at addressing these challenges are ripe for implementation. Along with the challenges of the past several years, we now face a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the federal government to embrace new ideas that will make our economy more accessible, more equitable, and better prepared to weather the challenges of a rapidly changing future. We cannot miss this opportunity to turn these ideas into progress for all.

Deborah Smolover is a Managing Partner at New Profit and Executive Director at America Forward, New Profit’s nonpartisan policy initiative.