Sector Training Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons from the America's Promise Partnerships

The COVID-19 pandemic required workforce development agencies, education and training providers, and community-based organizations to adjust their operations and service delivery to meet employers’ needs while ensuring the health and safety of their communities and workforces. This brief draws on data collected from virtual site visits with 18 of the 23 America’s Promise Job Driven Training (America’s Promise) grant programs as part of a comprehensive implementation study to explore the development of and services provided by regional grant partnerships involving workforce development agencies, institutions of higher education, economic development agencies, employers, and community-based organizations. It highlights creative approaches and challenges to adjusting service delivery in the changing context of the pandemic as well as adaptations used to meet the needs of the sectors most commonly targeted by the America’s Promise grants.