The vitality of rural communities depends on local residents developing marketable, practical job skills. A skilled rural workforce increases the scope of locally-available professional services for all residents, improves employee (and resident) retention, and makes it easier for employers to fill open positions.
Education and training programs offer workers the opportunity to develop and improve the skills required to obtain and maintain employment. They also enable workers to acquire the skills needed to advance in a specific employment sector.
Education and training programs range in scope from pre-employment job skills to specialized vocations and on-the-job training. Opportunities for education and training are available to all workers, however federal policy over the last decade has encouraged the development of programs designed to help low-income workers increase their employment options.
Although in-person job training and adult education opportunities are more difficult to find in rural areas, distance education and online training via computer technology allows rural residents to receive training in a wide variety of fields.
Human service agencies can also assist with job placement and career planning, skill development, and supportive services such as child care subsidies, housing and transportation assistance.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Tools
2-1-1 Information & Referral Service
Web site
2-1-1 provides free and confidential information and referral for help with employment, food, housing, health care, and counseling.
21st - Century Initiative Listening Tour
Web site
Includes a series of regional Listening Tour meetings with community college presidents and trustees, community and business leaders, and policymakers to gain insights about issues confronting community colleges and their more than 12 million students. Discussions include funding, completion, developmental education, and best practices. A national roadmap will be developed to guide AACC and community college leaders into a new era of change.
About.com: Adult/Continuing Education
Web site
Contains a variety of resources on adult continuing education with links to documents and organizations.
America's Service Locator
Web site
Assists in locating workforce services, in your neighborhood, or across the country.
Career and Technical Education
Web site
Links to information, statistics, research, and resources on vocational education to help prepare young people and adults for postsecondary education, and successful careers.
CareerOneStop
Web site
An integrated suite of national web sites that help businesses, job seekers, students, and workforce professionals find employment and career resources.
Economic Success Clearinghouse
Web site
Clearinghouse for information, policy analysis and technical assistance related to welfare, workforce development and other human and community services.
Find Job & Career Information
Web site
Presents information to help workers in all stages of their job and career development, including: starting a new job, making long-term career plans, researching job opportunities, dealing with job loss, and finding training to acquire new skills.
HHS.gov/Recovery
Web site
Provides information and resources on the programs invested in improving health and human services supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and Hispanic Worker Initiative
Web site
Provides a variety of resources regarding multilingual and multicultural strategies for serving job seekers and workers with limited English proficiency.
National Association for State Community Services Programs: State Contacts
Web site
Provides contacts for state community services programs funded through the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and the U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program (DOE/WAP). Implements services including weatherization, energy assistance, child care, nutrition, employment, state energy programs, job training, and housing in urban, suburban and rural communities.
National Farmworker Jobs Program
Web site
Provides information on the National Farmworker Jobs Program, including a directory of farmworker job program services by state.
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
Web site
Administers and coordinates programs that are related to adult education and literacy, career and technical education, and community colleges.
Recovery & Employment Assistance Lifelines (REAL)
Web site
Provides recovery and employment assistance for wounded and injured service members and their families when they return to the homes and lives they left prior to their service to the United States. Contact toll free: 1.888.774.1361.
Recovery.gov
Web site
U.S. government’s official website providing access to data related to Recovery Act spending. Features information on the opportunities, including jobs, provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as well as information on where the ARRA funding is going and up-to-date data on the expenditure of funds. Allows for the reporting of potential fraud, waste, and abuse.
Rural Labor and Education Briefing Room
Web site
Provides links to information and reports from the ERS on rural employment, earnings, and education levels.
State Employment Specialists in Vocational Education
Web site
Lists state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies that assist individuals, with disabilities, to become employed.
Study Guide Zone
Web site
Free resources for students, beginning professionals, and anyone who wants to improve their score on a standardized test. Includes GED, ACT and SAT test study guides.
Supported Employment Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) KIT
Web site
Provides practice principles about supported employment, an approach to vocational rehabilitation for people with serious mental illnesses. Available by downloading from website or order by DVD.
Ticket to Work
Web site
Provides information on the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program which is for people with disabilities who are interested in going to work. Includes a database of Employment Networks that provide vocational rehabilitation services, searchable by ZIP code, city, county, and state.
Transition Assistance Program (TAP)
Web site
Assists service members leaving active duty by providing information and resources to be used as part of a comprehensive program of transition and employment assistance.
Veterans' Employment & Training Service (VETS)
Web site
Provides veterans and transitioning service members with the resources and services to succeed in the workforce by maximizing their employment opportunities, protecting their employment rights, and meeting labor-market demands with qualified veterans today.
VirtualCAP
Web site
Provides information and resources that can be used by Community Action Agencies and others to help low-income persons and families move toward self-sufficiency and to reduce poverty in communities across the United States. Includes directory of local community action agencies by state or agency.
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service (VR&E)
Web site
Assists Veterans with service-connected disabilities to prepare for, find, and keep suitable jobs or to live as independently as possible if they are not able to work.
White House Rural Council
Web site
Focuses on job creation and economic development in rural areas. Works to create dialogue between the Administration and rural America.
Funding
REAL: Rural Education for Adult Learners GED Program
Grants for providing Alaska Natives better access to GED services.
Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program (REDLG)
Loans and grants are to assist in economically developing rural areas.
Rural Health Training and Education Initiative
Funding that will allow VA facilities to expand health professions (Associated Health, Dentist, Nursing, and Physician) training to additional rural or highly rural VA locations.
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants Program
Funds to expand or improve the ability to deliver career training programs, including HIT workforce, that can be completed in two years or less, and are suited for workers eligible for training under the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers Program.
Veterans Workforce Investment Program (VWIP)
Funding to provide support for employment and training services to eligible veterans.
Wal-Mart Foundation Local Community Contribution
Grants to support the needs of local communities by funding organizations working to improve the lives of their associates, customers and neighbors.
Wal-Mart National Giving Program
The Walmart Foundation's areas of focus include Education, Health & Wellness, Environmental Sustainability and Workforce Development / Economic Opportunity.
Wal-Mart State Giving Program
Funding to local nonprofit organizations in four main areas of focus: Education, Workforce Development / Economic Opportunity, Health & Wellness and Environmental Sustainability.
Inactive Funding
Inactive Funding Opportunities -
Lists additional funding programs for this topic that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.
Maps & Map Collections
Location, Location, Location: Job Loss
Geographic coverage: United States
Color-coded map that shows the percentage of job loss or gain in each U.S. county between December 2007 and October 2009.
Date: 2009
Rural Job Gains in 2011
Geographic coverage: United States
Shows job changes in rural counties from November 2010 to November 2011.
Date: 2011
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
2009 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Service Issues
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on issues related to rural America. Examines three key topics: workforce and community development, creating viable patient-centered medical homes, and serving at-risk children.
Date: 04 / 2009
2012 WICHE Workplan: It's All About Outcomes
Sponsoring organization: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Discusses WICHE's focus in 2012 which includes finance, access and success, workforce and society, technology and innovation, and accountability. Highlights students exchange programs in rural and underserved areas, rural healthcare initiatives, and rural primary care clinics.
Date: 09 / 2011
Adult Education in the Rural Context: People, Place, and Change, No. 117
Author(s): Jeffrey Ritchey
Focuses on the changing nature of rural adult learning and instruction. Discusses adult education in rural areas. Explores the role that adult educators might play in this context. Available for purchase.
Journal citation: New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education
Date: 04 / 2008
Community College Estimated Growth: Fall 2010
Author(s): Kent Phillippe, Christopher M. Mullin
Sponsoring organization: American Association of Community Colleges
Summarizes findings from an AACC survey of community colleges which shows, although enrollment has continued to increase, the rate of increase has slowed in comparison to previous years. Provides enrollment counts for credit enrollment 2000–2010.
Date: 02 / 2011
Community Health Worker National Workforce Study
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
Describes a comprehensive national study of the community health worker workforce and of the factors that affected its utilization and development in both urban and rural settings.
Date: 03 / 2007
Community Services Block Grant: Annual Report, 2010
Author(s): Tabitha Beck, Payten Carroll, Natalya Lozovaya, Mark Schmeissing, Eric Stam
Sponsoring organization: National Association for State Community Services Programs
Reviews how the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funded network of state and local agencies helped individuals and families overcome economic insecurity in FY 2010.
Date: 08 / 2011
Demographics of Rural Women: Now and the Future
Author(s): Martha McMurry, Tom Gillaspy
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
An analysis of data that shows rural women still lag behind in several social and economic areas, such as education and earnings, but are catching up.
Journal citation: Rural Minnesota Journal Volume 3 Issue 1
Date: 2008
Distance Learning and the Changing Face of Business Development Services
Author(s): Luz Gomez, Joyce Klein
Sponsoring organization: Aspen Institute
Looks at early practice in the area of distance-based business development services for rural and urban programs. Provides lessons for those looking to embark or expand efforts in this area.
Date: 09 / 2011
Educating Adults to Improve Rural Economic Development
Author(s): Amber Ramsey, Ruoye Yang
Discusses the need for adult education in rural areas. Presents the interactive model of program planning applied in education of rural America.
Date: 2010
Education: A Regional Overview
Author(s): Don E. Albrecht
Sponsoring organization: Western Rural Development Center
Explores education characteristics in the western states and examines how it impacts rural development.
Date: 2008
Family - Friendly Policies for Rural Working Mothers
Author(s): Rebecca Glauber
Sponsoring organization: Carsey Institute
Presents an analysis of differences in access to
family - friendly policies between rural and urban mothers.
Date: 09 / 2009
From Education to Regulation: Dynamic Challenges for the Health Workforce
Author(s): Denise Holmes
Sponsoring organization: Association of Academic Health Centers
A set of papers that clarify some of the issues related to producing and retaining a 21st century health workforce including the unresolved challenges of workforce regulations, professional and educational standards, workplace practices, and offers possible responses.
Date: 2008
Inventory of State Job Creation and Job Retention Incentives, 2010
Author(s): Timothy Hodge
Sponsoring organization: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
Highlights all major state programs in the North Central Region that provide assistance to businesses for new or retained jobs. Discusses rural incentives and distribution, and rural funding programs. Covers ND, MN, SD, NE, KS, WI, IA, MO, IL, IN, MI, and OH.
Date: 01 / 2011
Jobs and Economic Security for Rural America
Sponsoring organization: White House
Highlights programs and policies the current administration has implemented in rural America to support economic growth and job creation. Discusses the White House Rural Council which was developed to accelerate the ongoing work of promoting economic growth in rural America and which focuses on spurring agricultural innovation, expanding infrastructure, increasing access to capital in rural areas for small
businesses, and creating economic opportunities through conservation and outdoor recreation.
Date: 08 / 2011
Keeping Opportunities in Place: The Influence of the Rural Community College Initiative
Author(s): Vasti Torres, Arthur Viterito, Aimee Heeter, Lilia Santiague, Susan, Johnson, Lynn Barnett
Sponsoring organization: American Association of Community Colleges
Provides an assessment of the Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI). RCCI was a national demonstration program at 24 community and tribal colleges started in 1994 that worked to help community colleges in distressed rural areas to expand access to postsecondary education and help foster regional economic development.
Date: 2008
Matter of Degrees: Tomorrow’s Fastest - Growing Jobs and Why Community College Graduates Will Get Them
Author(s): Jessica Milano, Bruce Reed, Paul Weinstein Jr.
Examines hot jobs in four of the fastest growing sectors of the economy: education, health care, information technology, and energy and environment.
Date: 09 / 2009
Moving from Jobs to Careers: Engaging Low - Wage Workers in Career Advancement
Author(s): Betsy L. Tessler, David Seith, Zawadi Rucks
Sponsoring organization: Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation
Presents information on the effectiveness of new strategies delivered by the Work Advancement and Support Center (WASC) to help low - wage and dislocated workers take steps to advance by increasing their wages, upgrading their skills, or finding better jobs.
Date: 12 / 2008
National Rural Health Information Technology Workforce Summit Summary
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
Compiled from the Summit held in Washington, D.C. on September 22, 2009. The topics for the recommendations include: Data Development, Workforce Resources, and Policy.
Date: 09 / 2009
New, Longer Road to Adulthood: Schooling, Work, and Idleness among Rural Youth
Author(s): Anastasia Snyder, Diane McLaughlin, Alisha Coleman-Jensen
Sponsoring organization: Carsey Institute
Focuses on the education and work experiences of rural youth during the emerging adult years (age 20 to 24) as they make the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
Date: 2009
President's Budget FY 2011: What's in it for Rural America?
Author(s): Brian Dabson
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Pulls information from the FY 2011 budget proposals sent by the President to Congress on February 1, 2010 that focuses on rural America. Areas of rural interest included in the budget are: economic growth and job creation, broadband access, renewable energy, community development, healthful food options, clean water, and conservation of natural resources.
Date: 2011
Profile of Hired Farmworkers, a 2008 Update
Author(s): William Kandel
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Describes the hired farmworker labor market which is unique because it includes a large population of relatively disadvantaged, often unauthorized workers, and sometimes mobile workforce. Discusses poverty rates and housing issues for these workers.
Date: 07 / 2008
Reclaiming the American Dream: Community Colleges and the Nation's Future
Sponsoring organization: American Association of Community Colleges
Presents the results of the AACC 21st Century Initiative, which strives to educate an additional five million students with degrees, certificates, or other credentials by 2020. Includes both urban and rural campuses and community colleges.
Date: 04 / 2012
Role of Community Colleges in Meeting the Nation's Health Workforce Needs
Author(s): Roxanne Fulcher
Sponsoring organization: Health Workforce Information Center
An interview with Roxanne Fulcher, Director of Health Professions Policy and the Health Professions Education Center at the American Association of Community Colleges. Addresses the role of community colleges in relation to the rural health care workforce and the Healthcare Virtual Career Platform.
Date: 09 / 2011
Sound Investment: The Community College Dividend
Author(s): Christopher Mullin
Sponsoring organization: American Association of Community Colleges
Discusses the need to support community college institutions to educate and train the future workforce. Discusses investing in higher education, student debt loads, and the economy.
Date: 03 / 2011
State Approval Regulations for Distance Education: A Starter List with Addendum
Sponsoring organization: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Lists agencies and regulations for each state regarding their approval process for out-of-state distance education programs. By July 1, 2011, each state must comply, according to the U.S. Department of Education's new regulations.
Journal citation: Washington - WRHA Newsletter
Date: 04 / 2011
Status of Education in Rural America
Author(s): Stephen Provasnik
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Education Statistics
Measures the status of education conditions rural America. Discusses demographics, outcomes, and resources.
Date: 07 / 2007
Strengthening Our Partnering Efforts to Aid Rural, Low-Income Families by Listening to Employer Experiences
Author(s): Margaret Manoogian, Sally R. Bowman, Debra Minar Driscoll
Examines rural employer needs, hiring practices, attitudes about low-income job applicants, and activities with county workforce development organizations.
Journal citation: Journal of Extension Volume 45 Issue 1
Date: 02 / 2007
Student Exchange Programs: Statistical Report, Academic Year 2011-12
Sponsoring organization: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Discusses WICHE's three student exchange programs: Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP), and Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP). Covers Fall 2011 enrollment, discusses health workforce shortages, and the funds that flow between students' home states and the enrolling institutions in these programs.
Date: 01 / 2012
Working Hard for the Money: Trends in Women’s Employment 1970 to 2007
Author(s): Kristin Smith
Sponsoring organization: Carsey Institute
Reports on trends in women's employment, their earnings, and the rural-urban earnings gap. Includes data on changing family dynamics and offers policy recommendations.
Date: 12 / 2008
Journals
New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education
Published quarterly. Explores issues to instructors, administrators, counselors, and policymakers in a broad range of adult and continuing education settings, such as colleges and universities, extension programs, businesses, libraries, and museums.
Organizations
Adult Learning Programs of Alaska
National organization
Operates REAL:Rural Education for Adult Learners GED Program. Consists of a non-profit educational organization that provides adult basic education services to Fairbanks, the North Star Borough, and underserved populations in Alaska.
American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)
National organization
A proponent and national voice for community colleges. Membership represents 95 percent of all accredited U.S. two-year community, junior and technical colleges.
Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)
National organization
Promotes educational standards and business practices within the correspondence field. Operates the CETC Accrediting Commission, a nationally recognized accrediting association.
Early College High School Initiative
Nonprofit/Foundation
Establishes Early College High Schools, which are designed so that low-income youth, first-generation college goers, English language learners, students of color, and other young people underrepresented in higher education can simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an Associate’s degree or up to two years of credit toward a Bachelor’s degree—tuition free.
Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA)
Federal government
Directs businesses, adults, youth, dislocated workers, and workforce professionals to training and employment services. Administers federal government job training and worker dislocation programs, federal grants to states for public employment service programs, and unemployment insurance benefits. Also includes support and resources for rural areas.
Health Workforce Information Center (HWIC)
National organization
Provides free access to resources on health workforce. Operated by the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences and funded by the Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Nonprofit Leadership Alliance
National organization
Workforce development organization that certifies diverse leaders for the nonprofit sector, working to strengthen communities.
North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD)
State/regional organization
One of four regional rural development centers in the nation. Works with extension professionals, researchers, and partners to enhance rural development outcomes. Serves a 12 state area in the North Central region which includes ND, SD, NE, KS, MN, IA, MO, WI, IL, IN, MI, and OH.
Rural Community College Alliance (RCCA)
National organization
Works to build the capacity of community colleges to improve the educational and economic prospects for rural America.
U.S. Department of Education (ED)
Federal government
Works to ensure equal access to education, and to promote educational excellence for all Americans.
YouthBuild
Federal government
Consists of an alternative education program that assists youth who are behind in basic skills with obtaining a high school diploma or GED credential. Also provides disadvantaged youth with opportunities for meaningful work, service to communities, and employment opportunities.
Terms & Acronyms
Accreditation Process that gives public recognition to institutions that meet certain standards. It is a promise that an institution will provide the quality of services it claims to offer.
Distance Education Education designed for learners who live at a distance from the teaching institution or education provider. It is the enrollment and study with an educational institution that provides organized, formal learning opportunities for students.
General Education Development (GED) Provides people over the age of 16 the opportunity to earn a certificate or diploma that is widely recognized as the equivalent of a high school diploma.
Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) Designed to provide WIA eligible clients (adults and dislocated workers) with access to job training based on their interests in conjunction with labor market demands. The participant uses the funds to purchase training services from an eligible provider he or she selects in consultation with an employment counselor. Payments from ITAs may be made in a variety of ways, including vouchers, the electronic transfer of funds through financial institutions, or other appropriate methods. Payments may also be made incrementally, through payment of a portion of the costs at different points in the training course.
On-the-job-training (OJT) Provide workers with job specific training programs at their work site which may include training on the operation of specialized equipment, general office procedures and computer training.
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) Known as "welfare reform." PRWORA implemented a number of significant changes in the welfare system such as the imposition of time limits and work requirements on recipients, and the devolution of welfare program administration authority to state governments.
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Provides block grants to states to administer programs to assist needy families.
Work-Study Program A federal program based on financial need for college students that provides funds earned through part-time employment to assist students in financing the costs of postsecondary education.
Workforce Development Programs and policies that prepare people for work through a variety of educational opportunities, job training, and employment activities.
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Directs local areas to give priority for intensive training services to welfare recipients and other low-income individuals. These include the types of services that promote career advancement.
Workforce Investment Boards (WIB) The creation of local workforce investment boards (WIBs) is a major provision of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, the federal legislation that consolidated scores of employment and training programs. WIBs are responsible for establishing local performance standards; chartering one stop service delivery centers and selecting qualified service providers, and monitoring performance to ensure accountability. They are prohibited from delivering services.
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