Workforce Strategy Center

INTRODUCTION
Bridge programs have emerged as an effective strategy for preparing low-wealth, low-skilled individuals for jobs that require more education. By providing the necessary academic, employability, and technical skills, these programs help participants enter and succeed in postsecondary education and training and, ultimately, the labor market.

In Summer 2010, Workforce Strategy Center (WSC) conducted a survey to determine the proliferation of bridge programs throughout the country. The resulting report, Building a Higher Skilled Workforce: Results and Implications from the BridgeConnect National Survey, documented this growing field—detailing where the programs are located, whom they serve, and what outcomes they achieve.

With generous support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, WSC now digs deeper into bridge programs to further advance the workforce development field. Moving beyond the BridgeConnect report, we set out to study how these programs work to position low-skilled, low-wealth populations for success.

WSC undertook this project to help the Kellogg Foundation explore an important area of workforce development that builds on its work with low-wealth individuals. Specifically, this research focuses on bridge programs that help low-income adults attain postsecondary credentials leading to further education or careers. We therefore looked for sites with programs organized around the criteria identified below. Each of the highlighted programs:

• Offer postsecondary credentials to low-income adults to help them enter and advance in further education or career track employment
• Serve people of color, single heads of household, low-wealth individuals, or immigrants
• Work with employers in industry sectors important to the region’s economy
• Involve employers in significant ways
• Design programs that include a series of courses and services (not just a single course)

This report is aimed at bridge program practitioners whom we hope will learn from the promising practices highlighted. We also believe policymakers will benefit from learning how these programs are working on the ground to effectively bridge individuals into postsecondary credentials that lead to careers. We have punctuated the text with video clips that capture practitioner and participant emotions and personalities. This “digital storytelling” adds authenticity to the programs that a report alone cannot capture.

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