The ways we prepare young people for work—and the work itself—have changed tremendously during EDC's history. The growth of technology, its impact on our schools and workplaces, and the surge in various cutting edge industries continually create new opportunities to learn and grow professionally. EDC specializes in bringing diverse parties together—business leaders and labor unions, community groups and schools, government agencies and non-governmental organizations—to develop innovative and academically challenging programs that prepare people of all ages, and from all levels of the workforce, for the employment challenges they face. Our programs reach students in classrooms and afterschool programs; workers on the job; and citizens in community organizations, shelters, and prisons. A special area of interest is facilitating transitions for those who have been out of the workforce, such as unemployed adults, individuals on welfare, or incarcerated youth. Read on to learn more about our work in these areas:
View all EDC projects related to integrating work and learning |
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"Preparing the next generation of leaders is a special focus of EDC. We work to engage the interests of young people and provide them with the tools and experiences they need to improve our world and invent a better future." —Vivian Guilfoy, Senior Vice President and Director of EDC's Education, Employment, and Community Programs |
School-to-Career Programs |
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Working with schools and the business community, EDC develops career pathways for young people. We produce curricula that integrate academic and technical education, preparing young people for careers in growth industries like information technology, bioscience, and health care. Collaborating with educators and business leaders, we draft national skills standards for many industries and provide the support schools need to meet those standards. View all EDC projects related to school-to-career programs
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A Closer Look |
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Technology |
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With technological competence, people can advance in their education, obtain higher-skilled jobs, and expand their economic opportunities. For more than a decade, EDC has worked at the forefront of the community technology movement, strengthening programs, producing curricula, and offering professional guidance, training, and technical assistance to community technology centers in the U.S. and around the world.
View all EDC projects related to technology
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"Technology is a new basic skill. Options for life and career success present themselves when people integrate their intellectual, technical, academic and social skills and apply what they know to solve problems that emerge in life and work." —Joyce Malyn-Smith, Strategic Director of EDC's Education, Employment, and Community Programs |
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Sustainable Development |
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EDC facilitates global knowledge-sharing about the meaning and mechanisms of sustainable development. Drawing on the strengths of information and communication technologies, EDC works to create sustainable livelihood opportunities for youth, organizations, and governments. Our EQUIP3/Youth Trust: Learning and Earning for Out-of-school Youth project helps institutions in several countries prepare out-of-school children and youth for their roles in the world of work, civil society, and family life. The project collaborates with local youth serving organizations, including nongovernmental organizations, government agencies, private businesses, and education agencies to engage out-of-school and disenfranchised youth in addressing the social service and economic development needs of their communities, while helping young people acquire the skills they need to create productive lives. View all EDC projects related to sustainable development
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A Closer Look |
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Institutional Support |
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Working internationally, we provide government agencies, private institutions, and community-based organizations with professional training, evaluation, and skills development in new technologies, enhancing the spread of technological know-how and the growth of powerful new professional alliances across the globe. For instance, through the USAID sponsored Global Workforce in Transition (GWIT) project, EDC helps developing countries design and implement sound workforce development systems that support economic growth, reduce poverty, and increase national competitiveness in the global marketplace. |
"In partnership with government agencies, foundations, corporations, and social entrepreneurs, EDC is working to provide the conditions essential for human dignity and development—education, health, economic opportunity, and social justice." —Luther Luedtke, EDC's President and CEO |
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