Workforce development systems are designed to prepare people for employment, but structural racism and inequities in access, opportunities, and outcomes in the labor market and across society limit the success of programs in achieving these goals. Urban Institute researchers conducted a multifaceted landscape scan of workforce development programs in Delaware to gain a comprehensive understanding of the degree to which the state’s workforce system prioritizes racial equity and addresses structural racism. This report shares insights on how to better infuse racial equity considerations into workforce development policies, programs, and practices. We provide an overview of the activities and experiences of Delaware’s workforce development programs, with a focus on organizations that provide or support education and training for occupational skills in the state.

Why this matters

State workforce development ecosystems are complex, multilayered, and shaped by top-down forces, such as federal funding streams and structural racism. This research effort seeks to amplify the voices of workforce development practitioners who work directly with individuals in need of training and with businesses in need of skilled workers. Equity in workforce development requires strategies for ensuring equitable outcomes in the labor market after program completion, not just equitable practices within a training program. Racial equity can be achieved in many ways in the workforce system, including through participant recruitment, data collection and analysis, efforts to address diversity and equity within workforce programs’ staff and leadership, and advocacy for effective policies and equitable hiring practices by employers.