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Preparing for the Workplace Charting A Course for Federal Postsecondary Training Policy (1994) / Chapter Skim
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8 BECOMING AN AGENT OF CHANGE
Pages 169-176

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From page 169...
... Nevertheless, we envision the federal government playing an important new role vis-a-vis postsecondary training: as a catalyst or an agent of change in encouraging systemic reform. In this chapter, we examine how the federal government could become an agent of change, in terms of both its functions and institutional structures through which these functions could be carried out.
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From page 170...
... Rationalizing Federal Requirements In Chapter 3 we described how conflicting and contradictory federal requirements complicate the task of systemic reform at the state and local levels. The federal government needs to develop common or compatible program definitions; procedures for determining eligibility; and fiscal, administrative, and planning requirements in its programs that support postsecondary .
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From page 171...
... Developing National Skills Standards In Chapter 6 we argued that existing federal efforts to encourage the development of skills standards lack an adequate framework. We believe that the federal government needs to take responsibility for resolving the numerous design issues identified in that chapter and for creating a national framework within which individual skills-standards boards could operate.
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From page 172...
... To do so, the federal government needs to take a lesson from the states that have restructured themselves to improve their ability to take a systemic approach to work force development issues. With dozens of programs scattered among various executive branch departments (most notably, Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor)
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From page 173...
... and probably reduce the turf struggles among departments and agencies. They fail, however, to provide the strong systemic perspective that is a major problem with current federal policy, nor are they sturdy vehicles for carrying out the leadership role that we have recommended the federal government assume.
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From page 174...
... We favor some mechanism for providing a central waiver-granting authority that would avoid the difficulties of seeking individual departmental approvals. Most of our committee members believe that a new mechanism is needed if the federal government is to be the influential agent of change that we think is needed.
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From page 175...
... All of our committee members agree on the need for the federal government to become an agent of change in the task of building a strong postsecondary training system in the United States. We differ somewhat on the best vehicle for carrying out this role.
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Key Terms

  • force development
  • federal efforts
  • development issues
  • employment policy
  • simplification act

  • joint funding
  • national framework
  • systemic approaches
  • administrative action
  • systemic reform

  • funding simplification
  • leadership role
  • skills standards
  • national commission
  • natural experiments

  • local levels
  • longitudinal studies
  • readily accessible
  • strong systemic
  • review procedure

  • program coordination
  • single federal
  • action involves
  • implementing skills
  • six functions

  • training institutions
  • equal ownership
  • studies related
  • government assume
  • sponsor research


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