Preparing the Workers of Today for the Labor Needs of Tomorrow

Happy Labor Day from The Takeaway. In this special episode, we’re exploring the economy, and the ways society can prepare the people of today for the labor needs of tomorrow. Here’s what you’ll find in this holiday show:

• On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump promised to fix the economy. Harry Holzer, a professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown and a Nonresident Senior Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, evaluates the state of the American economy as Trump’s tenure crosses the eight month mark. Matt Olson, a truck driver delivering goods to dairy farms all across Wisconsin and Minnesota, also shares his perspective on the U.S. labor market.  

• How are traditional systems of education preparing workers to access the jobs of today and tomorrow? Alison Kadlec, senior vice president and director of higher education and workforce programs at the non-profit research organization Public Agenda, weighs in.

• In 2015, there were nearly 5 million young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who were neither in school nor working. Clive Belfield, a professor of economics at Queens College, and Kate Kingery, deputy director of community transformation at County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, say communities with greater numbers of these so-called “disconnected youths” tend to have higher levels of unemployment, teen births, and child poverty.

• In the city of Chicago, there are about 60,000 disconnected youths. Through a private-public partnership called Thrive Chicago, the Windy City is connecting 10,000 of these young adults with jobs, internships, or mentorship programs. Brandis Friedman, who covers education with WTTW’s Chicago Tonight, explains how Thrive Chicago is working.

• According to a 2011 Pew poll, 57 percent of Americans say the higher education system in the United States fails to provide students with good value for the money. Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich explores “alternative paths” to reaching the middle class that don’t involve a traditional four year college education.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.