Technology Testing for Adult Learning and Employment

To better understand how new technologies can increase workforce development outcomes, the EdTech Center @ World Education field-tested employment and education technologies with over 1,500 working adult learners and job seekers, over half of whom were immigrants. The report,  Leveraging Technology to Increase Opportunity and Economic Security for Adults, details learnings on how seven digital technologies removed barriers preventing adults from growing their talent and connecting to meaningful work opportunity. 

Fourteen pilots of tools that the Employment Technology Fund @ JFF (ETF @ JFFLabs) had invested in identified promising tools and practices across four segments: Learning and Training, Mentoring and Support, Job Search and Placement, and Assessment and Matching. Based on the findings, EdTech Center staff advised developers of the technology tools on tool adaptations to increase outcomes for adults facing economic hardships. Key learnings from each tool can be found on the following pages: Cell-Ed, Northstar Digital Literacy Assessment, SkillSmart, Signal Vine, Nepris, Care Academy, and Pairin.

The EdTech Center also compiled and disseminated effective employment technology products and practices primarily through the development of a searchable, online Workforce EdTech Tools repository. It share tools, promising practices, and an Online Tool/Resource Evaluation Rubric to guide organizations in determining whether or not a technology tool or resource aligns with its needs. 

EdTech Center @ World Education serves as advisor to the  Employment Technology Fund & JFFLabs, which was launched in 2017 through the joint efforts of leading foundations to invest in innovative tech-based solutions that support the more than 75 million American adults who struggle to find meaningful employment.