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Workforce Development
One of the Federal Reserve’s responsibilities is to promote the highest sustainable level of employment. Workforce development is a key part of this mission.
What is workforce development?
Workforce development includes education, training, and research on the job market. It aims to meet employers’ needs and help people enter the job market and move up economically, especially in low- and moderate-income communities.
- Listening, learning, and capturing insights from community members in business, education, and labor
- Conducting in-depth research and analyses that address information gaps in workforce needs
- Sharing our information through publications, programs, tools, and other resources
- Convening key organizations that can leverage the insights and resources we provide
Tools and educational resources
To promote workforce development across the region, the Cleveland Fed conducts research and engages with stakeholders in business, labor, and education to better understand gaps in workforce needs and opportunities for filling them. We share our findings in publications, programs, and tools.
Career readiness programs
These innovative and free offerings are designed to provide an understanding of possible career fields, opportunities, and transferrable skills that support career progression for the present and future workforce.
Occupational Mobility Explorer
The Occupational Mobility Explorer helps users explore opportunities for workers to transfer their skills from one occupation to a similar—but higher-paying—occupation in the same labor market.
Fed Communities
Insights, research, and events from around the Federal Reserve System exploring workforce development topics, with a particular eye to low- and moderate-income communities.
Around the District
Cleveland Fed president and CEO Beth Hammack learns firsthand about the region’s diverse economy through a busy schedule of visits to factories, offices, and classrooms across the Fourth District.
For more on Hammack’s visits, check out the stories below:
Georgetown
Hammack toured Toyota Kentucky’s massive plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, to hear about the company’s workforce development strategies.
Bedford
Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr joined Hammack for a visit to Tendon Manufacturing, a Northeast Ohio manufacturer that has found a unique solution to address the workforce shortage.
Elyria
Hammack learned about a career-centered, high-tech program offered by Lorain Community College during a tour of the campus.
Cleveland - Hough
During a visit to MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, Hammack heard about why unfilled manufacturing jobs are a threat to the long-term vitality of the manufacturing industry in Northeast Ohio.
Connect with us
Do you have questions or want to know more about workforce development? Let us know!
Events
The Cleveland Fed has hosted a variety of events exploring workforce development topics.
Policy Summit 2025: Building Strong and Sustainable Communities
The seventeenth Policy Summit was held on June 26–27, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. The theme was “Building Strong and Sustainable Communities” through innovative strategies focused on housing, the workforce, small business, and economic development.
Fed Talk: Meeting the Workforce Needs of In-Demand Industries in Ohio
This discussion centers on the innovative ways that communities are working together to expand workforce pipelines for in-demand industries, using the semiconductor and related industries in Ohio as an example.
Fed Talk: Closing the Essential Skills Gap: Preparing the Newest Generation in the Workforce
This conversation focuses on how various community and education entities can collaborate to prepare the next generation of workers to effectively navigate the career landscape.
Resources on workforce development
Browse reports, research, videos, and more.