top of page
black background image

About Us

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.

pattern background image
black background image
black background image

What We Do

​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.

Harvard Business School Logo
Harvard Education School Logo

OUR PRIORITIES

Harvard Kennedy School Logo
black background image
black background image
black background image

1

meeting image
black background image
black background image

How do we measure foundational skills?

RESEARCH QUESTION
RESEARCH QUESTION
black background image
OUR APPROACH

Real experiments in work and learning environments

the number 34

The share of all U.S. jobs requiring decision-making rose from 6% in 1960 to 34% in 2018

WHY IT MATTERS

Modern Structure
black background image
black background image

2

1-3-fraction image

~2/3 of U.S. workers do not hold a 4-year college degree

WHY IT MATTERS

black background image
OUR APPROACH

Create the first open-source system-level infrastructure of data and evidence on the Workforce Development Sector in the U.S.

Carpenter drilling
black background image
black background image

What is the current landscape of the Workforce Development Sector in the U.S.?

RESEARCH QUESTION
Circles on White Facadeimage
black background image

Skillbase
Foundational Skills and Worker Learning Pathways 

black background image

3

Copy of woman%2520wheelchair%2520learnin
black background image
black background image

How can online training resources help adults secure quality jobs more quickly?

RESEARCH QUESTION
black background image
OUR APPROACH

Build, iterate, and evaluate online aggregator of free foundational skills resources for jobseekers

the number 56

Adult English language learning increases annual earnings by 56%

WHY IT MATTERS

Modern Structure
black background image

College to Career

Creating smoother connections

black background image

4

the number 26

Only 26% of U.S. working adults believe their college education is relevant to their work.  

WHY IT MATTERS

black background image
OUR APPROACH

A Research-Practice Initiative to understand and disseminate effective college-career interventions

woman%20placing%20sticky%20notes%20on%20
black background image
black background image

Which models improve career outcomes and economic mobility?

RESEARCH QUESTION
black background image
black background image

The    Care-force
The future of healthcare jobs

black background image

5

AEnB2Upg2StdIu-fv0h7dVZ7sdRwmF8ED0XtZzND
black background image
black background image

How has COVID-19 changed supply and demand of healthcare roles?

RESEARCH QUESTION
black background image
OUR APPROACH

Research partnerships with policymakers and employers to build better healthcare career pathways

OUR APPROACH
number 10

Only about 10% of nursing assistants become registered nurses within six years

WHY IT MATTERS

Millions of Americans still lack clear pathways to sustained advancement in the labor market. Success cases exist in pockets, but lessons have been difficult to generalize and scale. We need to move the needle.

bottom of page