Workforce Innovation

91´«Ã½

WorkforceIcon800x800Summary of Positions

  • 91´«Ã½ promotes libraries as established centers for learning, advancement, and economic opportunity for all.
  • 91´«Ã½ urges decision makers and agencies implicated in economic opportunity development to include libraries in their planning.
  • 91´«Ã½ supports grants to states or localities that promote workforce development through libraries and career exploration and planning by job seekers of all ages.
  • 91´«Ã½ encourages cooperation across programs and funding streams in the delivery of client-centered services to job seekers, youth, and employers.
  • 91´«Ã½ believes strengthening educational and learning opportunities for youth through libraries is vital to building a strong foundation for economic success.

The Issue

Every day, libraries across the country empower job seekers to access employment services and training, leading to better jobs and improved career pathways. Over 99% of public libraries provide internet access, which is a vital resource for job seekers. Among Americans who have looked for work in the last two years, 79% used online resources in their most recent job search and 34% say these online resources were the most important tool available to them.

Of course, the services libraries provide go beyond broadband. People use libraries to improve job skills, access new technologies, pursue vocational and educational programs, start new businesses, and advance research. Access to new technology and the ability to use it effectively are central to success in the new economy. Today’s libraries have maker spaces, 3D printers, laser cutters, multimedia studios, and other technological resources, enabling people to engage in diverse disciplines from advanced manufacturing to animation. Everyone may use these resources for business activities, in pursuit of formal educational programs, and in informal experimentation.

From connecting job seekers with employers, to educating and advancing the work of the next generation of entrepreneurs, libraries are established centers for learning and advancement. Recent data from State Library Administrative Agencies shows that over half of states and territories (52%) currently have programs and activities related to workforce development, and over a third (39%) indicated plans to coordinate with workforce agencies in the years to come. And, with 120,000 locations, leveraging libraries to advance economic opportunity is cost-effective. This national infrastructure is already in place, ready to accommodate new programs. Increasingly, libraries are re-designing spaces to accommodate mobile work. Libraries of all sizes informally support freelancers and contractors, and a growing number offer dedicated co-working spaces.

In 2014, Congress reauthorized the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act () to help job seekers and workers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market. This legislation now recognizes the part libraries can play in assisting these job seekers and be integrated into the state and local plans to deliver these crucial services. WIOA strengthens the capacity of public libraries to support workforce investment in local communities by including the following provisions:

  • Ensure State Workforce Development Boards develop strategies for technological improvements to facilitate access to, and improve the quality of, services and activities provided through the one-stop delivery system, including improvements to enhance digital literacy skills as defined by IMLS
  • Ensure Local Workforce Development Boards develop strategies for using technology to maximize the accessibility and effectiveness of the local workforce development system by increasing access to services and programs of the one-stop delivery system, such as improving digital literacy skills
  • Authorize employment, education, and training programs provided by public libraries as additional one-stop partners
  • Authorize adult education and literacy activities provided by public libraries
  • Authorize a public library as an eligible provider of adult education and literacy services
  • Include a definition of “workforce preparation activities” that specifically includes digital literacy skills
  • Authorize technical assistance activities related to the development and dissemination of proven models for addressing the digital literacy needs of adults, including older adults
  • Encourage support for national, regional, or local networks of private nonprofit organizations, public libraries, or institutions of higher education to strengthen the ability of those organizations to meet various performance requirements

Recent Advocacy

Webinars

  • March 2021: National Skills Coalition,
  • November 2020: PLA,
  • August 2020: 91´«Ã½, : Nevada Libraries Harness Virtual 3D for Education and Careers
  • August 2020: 91´«Ã½, Career and Workforce Development
  • August 2020: 91´«Ã½, for Workforce Development

Related

  • Libraries Connect Communities: Essential Partners in Workforce & Career Services: 2-Pager
  • , Public Library Association
  • PLA Video:


  • December 2020: : How State Policymakers Can Help Workers and Business Adapt in a Changing Economy, Natonal Skills Coalition
  • September 2019: , John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
  • April 2017: Careers for America’s Youth in the Digital Age
    The nation’s 120,000 libraries represent a cost-effective method for developing opportunities for youth to code, thus driving job growth and innovation across a range of economic sectors in the digital age.
  • December 2016: The Manufacturing Sector & The Knowledge Economy: Expanding Opportunity through Libraries
    Libraries are established centers for learning and advancement and enable broad economic opportunity.
  • November 2016:
    Libraries are a cost-effective, turnkey national network of resources for implementing new initiatives advancing entrepreneurship.
  • April 2015:

Staff Contact

Larra Clark
Deputy Director, Advocacy and Public Policy
lclark@alawash.org

Megan Janicki
Project Manager, Libraries Build Business
mjanicki@alawash.org