Solutions at Work: An Overview of the Heldrich Center's Mission and Current Projects

Solutions at Work:

An Overview of the Heldrich Center’sMission and Current Projects

Carl E. Van Horn, Ph.D., Director

Kathy Krepcio, Executive Director

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development

Workforce Diversity and Inclusion

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development 2

Mission and History

The Heldrich Center is a research and policy institute dedicated to raising the effectiveness of the American workplace by strengthening workforce education and training programs

Founded in 1997, the center employs 18 full-time professional staff and faculty representing an array of disciplines, from economics and labor relations to business administration and public policy



What the Center Offers

Evaluations of workforce and education programs

Research on promising workforce practices

Promotion of workforce and economic development

Workforce partnerships and solutions



Accomplishments

Conducted over 200 research projects and evaluations

Documented workforce best practices in over 180 publications

Hosted over 60 major events

Conducted and published 17 nationwide surveys

Generated national and international media coverage



Workforce Challenges

Improving productivity by closing the skills and education gap

Ensuring economic opportunity by connecting people to work

Building workforce and economic development partnerships

Strengthening workforce and education programs and building capacity

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public

Policy

Solutions at Work: An Overview of the Heldrich Center

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Research and Evaluation

Assesses the effectiveness of workforce and education programs, underscoring best practices in education, training, and economic development, while also identifying emerging challenges that employers and policymakers must address.

Selected projects include:– A profile of career and technical education programs in New

Jersey high schools;– Evaluation of New Jersey’s Customized Training program,

which provides funds to private companies to assist them in training their employees; and

– Examination of efforts of 10 states to deploy community colleges in support of economic development efforts.


Policy


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Information and Workforce Solutions

This group leverages the center's research on labor issues and its insight into workforce programs to develop information technology products designed to empower job seekers and assist workforce program operators. The center also analyzes industry workforce needs and how to span gaps between labor supply and demand.

Selected projects include:– The development and maintenance of a New Jersey training

program consumer report card (www.njtrainingsources.org), which describes training program features and facilitates searches and comparisons of programs based on the preferences of job seekers; and

– The creation of a career guidance website for New Jersey’s high schools (www.njnextstop.org)


Policy


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Public Information

Distributes and publicizes research findings to educate business and union leaders, policymakers, community members, as well as media and the academic communities, on critical workforce and education issues that relate to the emerging global, knowledge-driven economy.

Selected projects include:– WorkTrends surveys of American workers; and – Heldrich Center website (www.heldrich.rutgers.edu) and e-

newsletter.


Policy


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Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building This group assists frontline staff and managers in

public workforce agencies and community-based organizations.

Selected projects include: – Designing and managing the September 11th Fund’s

Employment Assistance Program, which provided employment assistance to more than 11,000 workers displaced by the September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City; and

– Developing a Workforce Information Plan for the City of New York.

Education

Solutions at Work: An Overview of the Heldrich Center's Mission and Current Projects