Measuring What Matters in Workforce Training

Employers are investing in workforce training. But the size of those investments tells us only part of the story.

The more important question is what changes for workers.

Alison Griffin shared lessons from her work with FutureRise, a Colorado-based foundation supporting employer-aligned postsecondary programs. Her message: completion and job placement are starting points, not the finish line.

Looking beyond the first job

“Placement in a job is the minimum of what we should be tracking,” Griffin said.

To understand whether training is delivering lasting value, Griffin encourages institutions and employers to look at what happens next. Do workers earn more than they did before training? Does their pay continue to grow? Are they advancing within their organizations?

Credentials also need value beyond a single workplace. Training that counts with only one employer can leave a worker vulnerable if that job disappears. Credentials recognized by other employers, or that build toward a degree, can create more options for long-term advancement.

Building the pipeline together

Employer investment is changing how training programs are designed.

Rather than simply hiring graduates, employers are helping shape programs from the beginning. Griffin sees opportunities to expand earn-and-learn models, apprenticeships, and degree pathways that respond to changing skill needs.

Colleges can play an important role by bringing competing employers to the same table.

That convening role is especially valuable for smaller employers that cannot build a talent pipeline alone. By working together, employers and institutions can develop training that serves an industry rather than just one company.

Lessons from Colorado

Griffin pointed to Colorado’s construction industry as an example.

Through Project SCALE, industry partners are bringing together union and nonunion employers, small and large businesses, and education and nonprofit organizations to address shared workforce needs.

The effort spans fields such as electrical work and HVAC, with opportunities in rural and urban communities. It also serves more than one population: adults seeking to build new skills, young people entering the workforce, and employers preparing for retirements and industry growth.

For higher education leaders, the lesson is to think beyond individual employer partnerships and consider where institutions can help build a shared regional training system.

The bottom line

More investment in training creates an opportunity. Better outcomes show whether that opportunity is reaching workers.

For institutions, that means designing programs with employers, building credentials that travel, and measuring progress beyond completion and the first job.

The goal is not simply a stronger talent pipeline. It is a clearer path to lasting career opportunity.

Watch the full Presidents Forum conversation with Alison Griffin to learn more.

Read Griffin’s reporting in The RISE Report.