The Aspen Institute

This publication shares the observations of a group of past sectoral training program participants – four years post-training – about how that experience changed them and their families and what they see as barriers to their future success. Based on a series of group discussions plus in-depth interviews with 26 individuals, the publication quotes them extensively as they describe positive changes in their work and personal lives, while also pinpointing a number of ongoing struggles (e.g., paying for housing, child care, transportation and medical care) that impinge on their career advancement. The publication should help those connected to the workforce development field gain a better understanding of the training program elements that sector participants themselves feel positively affected their long-term labor market outcomes.