'This Is the Model': A $40 Million Program for Workforce Training in Virginia

To quickly build a skilled workforce, two Kansas community colleges and Panasonic created an accelerated 8-week apprenticeship, funded by the company and featuring tailored classroom and practical training. The program aims to fast-track workers into Panasonic's new EV battery factory while providing clear career pathways through stackable credentials.

Toyota is building a battery plant in the small town of Liberty, North Carolina, and ushering in an economic revival. Along with the thousands of jobs it is expected to bring to the area, the company is working with community colleges and paying students to complete programs in which they learn the necessary skills to work at the plant.

Community colleges such as Delaware Technical Community College and Lorain County Community College offer short-term certificate programs that are more accessible to adult learners and students with families. In 2022, the Delaware college awarded roughly 4,500 certificates and credentials.

A UNM-Taos nursing program has been touted by the college and the hospital as a great example of workforce development in a community that has long struggled with economic development. As leaders continue to look for ways to diversify the economy beyond low-paying tourism and service industry gigs, the program might be one example of how to effectively merge education and workforce development.

ACCESS Development Services trains women to drive electric auto rickshaws, providing them with marketable skills that help them earn a living independently. The all-women Pink City Rickshaw Company employs the women to provide tours throughout the city and has since trained over 200 women.

As society debates the value of a traditional college degree, states, employers, and even colleges are opting to focus on apprenticeships that allow students to learn on the job and gain real-world experience while also being compensated for their work. Nationwide, there are about 680,000 registered apprentices working in fields ranging from information technology to aquaculture to fashion.

Nigeria's digital payment ecosystem, particularly Point of Sale (POS) operations, has emerged as an entrepreneurial solution to help young people find sustainable employment and income to support themselves and their families. With the POS systems, people can establish small hubs for cash withdrawals, bill payments and other financial services. With the help of these new ventures, youth unemployment has dropped from 53.4% to 6.5% over a four-year period.

Targeted plumbing training programs are providing women with life-changing skills, independence, and career opportunities. Led by initiatives such as the German government aid agency GIZ and the Wise Women Plumbers Cooperative, hundreds of women have become licensed plumbers, overcoming societal stigma to gain economic empowerment, improve local water management, and shift perceptions around women's roles.

Nonprofit SolarAid trains repair technicians who can fix solar energy kits. In the 2023-24 financial year, SolarAid’s teams across Zambia and Malawi repaired 2,422 solar products, reducing electronic waste, increasing the lifespan of products, and improving access to solar lights, as well as creating job opportunities

The Philadelphia-based company Solar States offers a paid training opportunity for city residents to learn to install solar panels and earn the necessary credentials to help them start careers in the industry. The company’s newest program, Find Your Ladder, is a training opportunity for people who have been through the criminal justice system.