Foundations invest millions in new programs aimed at smoothing the connections between would-be employees and prospective employers. Companies have cropped up to improve the process. Some people call it “education and employment,” while others prefer “college to career.”

A new web portal, the Learn & Work Ecosystem Library, hopes to bring greater attention and understanding to this complicated and often confusing landscape. 

For many students who live in the area served by California's Kern Community College District, college can feel far away—and it is. 

The district sprawls over a region larger than West Virginia. It is served by just one public university. But a dual-enrollment program is making a huge difference—not only for its sheer size but for its success in enrolling high numbers of Latino high school students.

Ensuring a stable economy will take many forms; learning must be part of it, write Julie Peller of Higher Learning Advocates and the National Skills Coalition's Andy Van Kleunen in this op-ed piece. 

The new Congress has an opportunity to modernize the nation's approach to learning and working with real investments in skills development, the authors say. This includes making tuition aid more accessible to those who are working and investing in college and industry partnerships to connect graduates with quality jobs.