Bridging America's Skills Gap
We improve work skills by bringing together employers, educational institutions and job seekers to ensure employment needs are being met.
Poor skills in the workplace remain a challenge in America’s workforce. ICF works to bridge the gap between skill and opportunity by improving training and employment options for workers, employers, and government education and training programs.
Leveraging technology tools and research expertise, we enable our clients to see which promising programs get results and where they should invest resources going forward.
By increasing training and certification opportunities, our team tackled the unemployment problem among electricians in California. Partnering with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the University of California–Davis, investor-owned utilities, and a consortium of California community colleges, we helped 65 percent of un- or underemployed electricians find jobs. This project is now being implemented in four states and across Canada.
We have studied the Florida training and workforce development system and uncovered insights that helped the state’s training and education system better align with in-demand occupations.
We have trained nonprofit and government agencies and equipped them with tools so they can help low-income individuals and families get access to job training programs, mentoring programs, as well as find jobs.
And, for community colleges across the United States, we evaluate the impact of training initiatives funded by the Department of Labor that help workers affected by free trade agreements to acquire new skills. Colleges use our findings to improve career pathways and employment outcomes for students.
Whether it’s evaluating training programs or offering technical assistance, we‘re committed to building career pathways for those who need it.
