The Role of Skills and Jobs in Transforming Communities

Harry J. Holzer
Georgetown University

This article outlines the obstacles to widely shared prosperity in the labor markets of older communities in the United States. It addresses the need for more and better jobs, for the education and training programs to give workers the skills to fill these jobs, and for improved access to good jobs and schooling for minority and low-income residents. Examples of successful or promising approaches in each area are provided. Policy implications include government efforts to encourage the creation of more high-wage, high-performance jobs; provide more resources and incentives to community colleges to improve the employment outcomes of disadvantaged students; expand sector-based training and high-quality career education and apprenticeships; and expand services that would link all residents in a metropolitan area to good schools and jobs.