Catherwood LibraryILR School

In a rapidly changing and increasingly technology driven economy, more and more workers are finding that they must constantly learn new skills just to keep afloat in the job-market---a trend reinforced by the current economic downturn and high unemployment levels. With dropping out of the workforce to go to college for a first or second degree not an option for most workers, many are looking to government funded certification programs to help them avoid or bounce back from unemployment. Already over stretched and severely under funded, these programs are being forced to tell an ever increasing number of people that they cannot gain the skills they need to make a living, because they do not have the money to pay for the skills they need.