The Promise and Pitfalls of Employer-Linked Job Training for Disadvantaged Workers

Abstract

In the wake of welfare reform and the Workforce Investment Act, social workers are increasingly functioning as job brokers for their disadvantaged clients. Underemployment, unstable temporary employment, and limited advancement for less-skilled workers in the United States suggest a need for innovative workforce investment strategies. This article explores ethnographic data from one welfare-to-work program using employer-linked training in the context of emergent job brokering strategies in the broader employment and training industry. Employer-linked job preparation is found to enhance the organizational processes by focusing training activities and raising client morale. However, in the case presented, credentialing and job conditions limit the longevity of placements in the labor market. Policy and practice implications are discussed.