Ideas at work

Find initiatives working to improve our economy and provide job opportunities, and learn about proven strategies for action.

Initiatives and collaborations

Governor's Workforce Development Council
The GWDC works with local workforce councils throughout the state to develop policies for the Governor and the Legislature that ensure a globally-competitive workforce for Minnesota. See also the Minnesota Workforce Council Association.

Minnesota Budget Project
An initiative of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. Promotes tax fairness and a balanced approach to the state budget.

Minneapolis Consortium of Community Developers
Directs economic and social resources toward underserved communities.

Metropolitan Economic Development Association
Helps entrepreneurs of color succeed.

Minnesota Taxpayers Association
A nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to the advancement of efficient, economic government.

The NetWork for Better Futures
A results-oriented collaboration working to reduce the economic and social costs of high-risk adults, primarily African American men, with histories of incarceration, substance abuse, mental illness, chronic unemployment, and homelessness.

Research-based strategies

Listed below are proven, effective strategies linked to reports that provide data and information about how the strategies were implemented.

Access to post-secondary education for all (2)
- Increasing the number of children whose parents have stable employment
  Annie E. Casey Foundation, July 2009, 16 pp.
  This indicator brief outlines eight broad strategies for workforce development that are rooted in lessons learned from recent practice and research.
- Ready for tomorrow: helping all students achieve secondary and postsecondary success
  Jobs for the Future and NGA Center for Best Practices, November 2003, 43 pp.
  Examines the need for states to be competitive and create conditions for strong economic growth by helping all of their residents increase their skills and be prepared for postsecondary learning opportunities.
Amenities that attract an educated workforce (2)
- Economic development and smart growth
  International Economic Development Council, August 2006, 50 pp.
  Eight case studies on the connections between smart growth development and jobs, wealth and quality of life in communities.
- Attracting investment: Parks and open space create a high quality of life that attracts tax-paying business and residents to communties
  The Trust for Public Land, May 1999, 5 pp.
  Because businesses and their employees are no longer tied to traditional industrial centers, amenities such as parks, open space, and quality of life can attract residents, businesses, and economic activity to communities.
Asset-building opportunities (5)
- Family Independence Initiative, San Francisco: Two-year progress report
  Family Independence Initiative, May 2009, 9 pp.
  FII partners with very low-income working families and assists them in moving toward more stable middle-class status. Results show that these families made significant gains in income, debt reduction, and children’s grades, among other things as a result of their participation in this program.
- Microenterprise programs as asset builders
  The Aspen Institute, June 2007, 4 pp.
  Strategies being used by microenterprise development programs to help low-income families improve their financial footing, acquire assets and build wealth.
- Training low-income workers for skills and advancement: Final report on the McKnight Foundation Families Forward evaluation
  Wilder Research, September 2006, 134 pp.
  Reports on an initiative that trained low-wage Minnesota workers for better-paying jobs.
- State policy options to encourage asset development for low income families
  NGA Center for Best Practices, February 2006, 17 pp.
  Suggests a range of strategies for policymakers to help promote savings and increase income levels among low-income individuals and families.
- Moving from welfare to work: asset-building practices in welfare reform
  Michigan State University, February 2004, 8 pp.
  This brief presents examples of state organizational structures and program elements with the potential for building assets in TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) recipients
Community and stakeholder collaboration (1)
- Economic development and smart growth
  International Economic Development Council, August 2006, 50 pp.
  Eight case studies on the connections between smart growth development and jobs, wealth and quality of life in communities.
Transportation and housing choices (2)
- A heavy load: The combined housing and transportation burdens of working families
  Center for Housing Policy, October 2006, 32 pp.
  This study presents the combined housing and transportation cost burdens of households, with a focus on working families at the neighborhood level in 28 metropolitan areas.
- Economic development and smart growth
  International Economic Development Council, August 2006, 50 pp.
  Eight case studies on the connections between smart growth development and jobs, wealth and quality of life in communities.
Workforce training and development (9)
- Evidence scan of work experience programs
  Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., May 2010, 38 pp.
  This report presents evidence on the effectiveness of interventions that include work experience as a strategy to improve employment outcomes for people with barriers to employment. The report reviews 26 years of rigorous research gathering information from 27 evaluations. The author distinguishes between interventions targeting adults versus youth, paid versus unpaid work, and length of work opportunity.
- Alternative welfare-to-work strategies for the hard-to-employ: Testing transitional jobs and pre-employment services in Philadelphia
  MDRC, October 2009, 186 pp.
  This report presents interim results from an evaluation of two different welfare-to-work strategies for hard-to-employ recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in Philadelphia. The study is part of a larger project testing innovative employment strategies for groups facing serious obstacles to finding and keeping a steady job.
- Increasing the number of children whose parents have stable employment
  Annie E. Casey Foundation, July 2009, 16 pp.
  This indicator brief outlines eight broad strategies for workforce development that are rooted in lessons learned from recent practice and research.
- From getting by to getting ahead: Navigating career advancement for low-wage workers
  Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC), October 2007, 157 pp.
  Demonstrates an approach to helping low wage workers and dislocated workers advance by strategically combining work development opportunities and work support resources.
- Training low-income workers for skills and advancement: Final report on the McKnight Foundation Families Forward evaluation
  Wilder Research, September 2006, 134 pp.
  Reports on an initiative that trained low-wage Minnesota workers for better-paying jobs.
- State strategies for improving the employment outcomes of TANF and low-income families
  NGA Center for Best Practices, July 2006, 18 pp.
  Examines strategies that can help low-wage earners successfully advance in the job market and find jobs that can support families.
- The next generation of workforce development project: connecting workforce and economic development policy
  NGA Center for Best Practices, December 2004, 57 pp.
  Advocates the development of a flexible and knowledgeable workforce by integrating education, economic development, and workforce development policies.
- Earning while learning : maintaining income while upgrading skills
  Jobs for the Future, December 2003, 15 pp.
  Looks at programs that allow low-wage workers learn new skills while maintaining an income. It identifies what works for programs and practices that encourage skill development by providing income and support services to those pursuing further education and training.
- Making work pay: How to design and implement financial work supports to improve family and child well-being and reduce poverty
  Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC), April 2003, 77 pp.
  Focuses on designing and implementing financial supports that will reinforce the welfare-to-work message while increasing family income, and positively affect low income families and their children.