When Saeed Shareef lost his job as a restaurant server, he decided to get the training he needed to become a junior web developer.  

Workforce experts say that Shareef’s story should be routine. But it is exceptional. With an overlapping and sometimes confusing array of job training programs scattered around the country—and too little coordinated information about what sorts of training various employers need—there is no central place for workers to turn for help or some assurance that their investment in retraining will pay off.

A new report from the National Student Clearinghouse shows an alarming trend: COVID-19 has slowed the growth of college degree and certificate earners to a standstill. The numbers are the lowest in eight years—and come at the worst possible time, as unemployment soars and millions of Americans are suffering.

This is more than concerning; it’s a national emergency. The time to act is now. There are actionable, immediate steps that we can—and must—take to help people earn degrees and credentials that lead to better jobs and lives.