Skip to content
National Fund for Workforce Solutions Logo
  • Who We Are
    • Our Supporters
    • Our Leaders
    • Our Staff
  • How We Work
    • Our Network
  • What We Do
    • Address Systemic Barriers
    • Transform Career Navigation and Training
    • Activate Industry Leaders
  • Resources
    • Tools
    • Publications
  • News
    • Press Room
    • Blog
    • State of Our Workforce
  • Events

National Fund for Workforce Solutions Joins Forces With Harvard’s Project on Workforce for Innovative Career Navigation Research

8.16.23  •  by Josh Enoch  •   Press Release

Washington D.C. August 16, 2023 – The National Fund for Workforce Solutions today announced it is collaborating with Harvard University’s Project on Workforce on a research project aimed at better understanding the career navigation landscape nationwide. This new collaboration offers a ‘best of both words’ approach that applies both an academic and field-based lens to examine programs and systems that impact career trajectories. The project aims to produce recommendations that will lead to better economic opportunities for many underserved populations.

“Career paths are much like snowflakes — no two are the same, but environmental factors shape each,” said Michelle Wilson Ed.D, National Fund director of evaluation and learning. “In addition to their family networks, both public and private educational systems expose young people to career possibilities. But socioeconomic status will likely shape a person’s experience and expectations, which results in a two-tiered labor market system marked by occupational segregation. This research will allow us to explore some of the key drivers of this issue and ultimately make recommendations that will help to create a more equitable workforce.”

Well-resourced, white-dominant communities often have career exploration programs that are robust and structured and are more likely to establish an expectation that young people will enter a four-year college and pursue living-wage careers. In contrast, students in low-resourced communities who are often Black, Native American, and/or Latino, are less likely to benefit from similar programs and the personal networks afforded their well-resourced counterparts. Research shows that these scenarios are more likely to create conscious and unconscious opportunities for tracking and guiding learners and workers to pursue an occupation dominated by people with similar socioeconomic, gender, and/or racial identities, resulting in skewed representation of demographic groups in certain occupations.

“Career navigation is broken in the United States,” said Kerry McKittrick, associate director of the Harvard Project on Workforce. “We know very little about which education and employment pathways lead to economic mobility, and for whom. The data that does exist often overlooks the role of race, ethnicity, gender, and family wealth in economic advancement — yet occupational segregation continues to pervade our system. This research will allow us to identify the practices that empower workers and learners in their career trajectories, and make actionable, high-impact recommendations for practitioners and policymakers to increase equity and economic opportunity in the labor market.”

Wilson is leading primary research of the National Fund’s network of workforce development practitioners and the job seekers and workers they serve. The National Fund team and researchers from Harvard are currently working together to co-develop a white paper on career navigation. The National Fund will also develop journey maps that illustrate people’s lived experiences navigating the workforce and expand the indicators used in the National Fund’s Workforce Equity Dashboard .

On August 22, project leaders will convene national experts, workers and advisors from the National Fund’s network at Harvard’s campus for a roundtable discussion about key findings and recommendations to inform the white paper.

“We are excited to bring together practitioners and researchers as well as workers with lived experience to share their reactions and ideas,” said National Fund Chief Program Officer, Michelle Rafferty. “Too often our field fails to center and elevate worker voice. By centering people whose lives are impacted most, we hope to facilitate an equitable, grounded conversation that helps the field better understand what changes are needed.”

The white paper is scheduled for publication in October and is expected to drive evidence-based practices, future policy and advocacy efforts, and future research.

The full project will wrap up in February 2024.

###

About National Fund for Workforce Solutions

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions envisions an equitable future where all workers have the resources required to thrive, race does not dictate employment outcomes, and all jobs are good jobs. We are a recognized leader in establishing and scaling effective strategies that foster racial equity in the workforce to help communities thrive. Our dynamic national network is comprised of more than 30 regional workforce collaboratives that convene cross-sector stakeholders and align resources toward collective action for greater impact. Our four solutions — activating employers to make jobs better, equipping workers for success, changing systems for improved outcomes, and co-investing for impact — are how we work to achieve our goals. Learn more at www.NationalFund.org.

About the Project on Workforce

The Project on Workforce is an interdisciplinary, collaborative project between the Harvard Kennedy School’s Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy, the Harvard Business School Managing the Future of Work Project, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The Project produces and catalyzes basic and applied research at the intersection of education and labor markets for leaders in business, education, and policy. The Project’s research aims to help shape a postsecondary system of the future that creates more and better pathways to economic mobility and forges smoother transitions between education and careers. To learn more, visit https://www.pw.hks.harvard.edu/.

 

Share This Post
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
Linkedin

Recent Posts

  • A Peek into the Activate Employers Community of Practice
  • Who’s Missing From the Workforce?
  • How Job Quality Drives Both Employee Engagement and Burnout Prevention

Categories

  • #LIAW
  • Apprenticeships
  • Career Navigation
  • CareerSTAT
  • CareerSTAT Academy
  • Collaboratives
  • Employers
  • Event
  • Financial Wellness
  • Grant Funding
  • Industry Partnership
  • Job Quality
  • Local Investment @ Work
  • News
  • Policy
  • Racial Equity
  • Resource
  • Retail
  • SHIFT 2024
  • Systems Change
  • Uncategorized
  • Work-Based Learning
  • Worker Success
  • Young Adults

Archives

  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • February 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • July 2015
  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Press Room
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Let's Connect

State of Our Workforce

Join us for a deeper dive into the diverse, groundbreaking solutions our network employs to tackle local challenges nationwide.

Subscribe

Newsletter

Would you like to receive our monthly newsletter and other related news updates? Click the button below to sign up.

Sign Up

© 2025 National Fund for Workforce Solutions. All rights reserved.

Registered 501(c)(3) EIN 47-5172476

Seattle Website Design by Jordan Crown

  • Who We Are
    • Our Supporters
    • Our Leaders
    • Our Staff
  • How We Work
    • Our Network
  • What We Do
    • Address Systemic Barriers
    • Transform Career Navigation and Training
    • Activate Industry Leaders
  • Resources
    • Tools
    • Publications
  • News
    • Press Room
    • Blog
    • State of Our Workforce
  • Events
We believe your data is your property and support your right to privacy and transparency.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT