US Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services
seek feedback to improve career pathways training models

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services today issued a Request for Information soliciting feedback to better align federal grants and services in order to develop high-quality career pathways programs for job training participants. This inter-agency collaboration builds on President Obama's focus on job-driven training to improve the federal workforce system for the 21st century.

"This joint effort will produce new ideas and new opportunities that will enhance job training programs and further improve how we serve individuals and communities," U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez said. "Improving the link between workers and jobs that need to be filled will help strengthen our economy and the middle class."

The career pathways initiative is an approach designed to link and coordinate education and training services in ways that enable workers to attain industry-recognized credentials, and ultimately, employment. The departments are working together to improve the alignment of their programs at the state, tribal or local levels in an effort to support robust career pathways systems.

Together, the departments will collect and analyze information that is expected to yield important insights on: the benefits of and challenges to aligning diverse funding streams, programs and stakeholders around career pathway systems; and the current and potential future use of career pathways systems to help at-risk populations gain skills and access the middle class.

"We're working to create high-quality job prospects for hard-working families by matching careers in growing fields with people who are eager to fill them. Community feedback will help us improve the ways we address our country's workforce needs," said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

The analysis will also generate essential information that will inform policy development and the next generation of investments and technical assistance by providing us with greater clarity on the catalysts and obstacles to career pathways systems development.

Stakeholders in the public and private sectors, as well as state, regional, tribal and local areas are encouraged to respond to this Request for Information or share with other interested parties. For more information on this Request for Information, please view the Federal Register notice located at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-04-23/pdf/2014-09274.pdf. The response period is open from April 23 to June 9.

The departments are also hosting a webinar on Thursday, May 1, to provide an overview of the career pathways program and instructions on how to respond to the Request for Information. To sign up for this webinar, visit https://www.workforce3one.org/view/5001411230480370094/info.