People deserve an education and workforce system that prepares them for quality jobs.
No Dead Ends is a policy agenda for the majority of young adults, who need resources for choosing a post-high-school plan. The information gap is the widest for alternative pathways to a career, such as apprenticeships, certification programs, or entrepreneurship. In fact, two-thirds of recent high school graduates who are not pursuing a college degree said they would have considered alternative pathways if they had more information about them.
People deserve an education and workforce system that helps them pivot to the jobs of the future.
No Dead Ends is also an agenda for the majority of adults, who believe they need to gain new skills to prepare for the impacts of artificial intelligence and other seismic changes to the economy. Experience tells us that they need a blend of in-demand technical know-how and uniquely human skills, but neither employers nor the education and workforce systems are investing enough in the career navigation, upskilling, and reemployment assistance that make those experiences possible.
People deserve an education and workforce system that unlocks their potential.
No Dead Ends is an agenda for one-third of U.S. adults with records of arrests, convictions, or incarceration who face a complex web of rules and regulations that prohibit them from pursuing jobs they’re qualified for or can learn to do. Career advancement is possible when policies and systems are redesigned to normalize work and learning opportunities for people with records.
People deserve an education and workforce system that de-risks learning and work decisions.
Additionally, No Dead Ends is an agenda for more than half of college graduates, who are underemployed a year after they graduate. A postsecondary education is one of the most valuable investments a person makes in their lifetime, on average leading to higher earnings, improved health outcomes, and reduced dependency on social welfare programs. But when a student earns a low wage out of college while loans mount, it undercuts their long-term upward mobility. Students deserve better safeguards against a degree or credential that does not pay off in the labor market or when a recession weakens their job prospects.
People deserve an education and workforce system that values their skills.
And No Dead Ends is an agenda for nearly half of U.S. workers, who have the skills to thrive in higher-wage, in-demand jobs but are screened out of hiring simply because they do not hold a bachelor’s degree. Their skills and competencies developed on the job, through military service, or in shorter-term education and training programs should be validated and rewarded.
People deserve an education and workforce system fit for their lifelong journeys through learning and work.
All told, No Dead Ends is a policy agenda to expand opportunities for the 92 million U.S. workers—more than half of the people in the country’s labor force—who don’t have quality jobs and face barriers to advancement in the rapidly evolving economy.