Transitioning to the New Economy: Individual, Regional and Intermediation Influences on Workforce Retraining Outcomes

Goldstein H. A., Lowe N. and Donegan M. Transitioning to the new economy: individual, regional and intermediation influences on workforce retraining outcomes, Regional Studies. The problem of helping workers employed in older manufacturing sectors shift to jobs in growing, high-technology sectors continues to frustrate workforce and economic development officials. An innovative retraining programme in North Carolina has been instituted to train former workers for jobs in pharmaceuticals and biomanufacturing. This study examines what factors best explain whether trainees are successful in receiving job offers after completing their programmes, with a special focus on whether training providers that serve workforce intermediary roles, in addition to their educational role, lead to more successful outcomes for their trainees.