A better metric for the value of a worker training program
The United States has thousands of workforce development and training programs, run by the public, social, and private sectors. Some are excellent; others, not so much. The problem is that we don’t know which are which.
According to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, spending on programs in the U.S. for those not going to four-year colleges — everything from federal and state jobs initiatives to on-the-job training, certifications, community college, and employer training — is at least $300 billion a year. But according to the World Bank, only 30 percent of youth employment programs are successful, with many of those offering only marginal benefit. And most programs have no positive effect at all.