Policy Hackathon: How to get more Americans back to work 

NSC CEO Andy Van Kleunen participated in POLITICO’s virtual “policy hackathon” in which he and other workforce leaders discussed challenges and possible solutions for innovations in workplace development. Some questions that were tackled: 

• Why are so many Americans were out of work? Leaders cited the effects of COVID-19, lack of childcare, new wage expectations, and more. 
• How do we create more jobs and workers to fill them? The policy hackers suggested increased vaccination, financial assistance, more work-from-home options, increased childcare, and technical skills training.  

“We also hear from states that they want to use their post-secondary — their community college — systems more effectively,” said Van Kleunen. “It would be better if the federal dollars like Pell Grants could be more flexible to put people in to shorter-term programs that connect to a job, that can move folks right away into a job, so that they don’t have to sit in a classroom for 16 weeks in order to qualify for Pell Grant.”