Education & Workforce Development
A Work in Progress
Opportunities for Delaware’s workforce development and economic recovery BY BRUCE W. WEBER DELAWARE’S SUSTAINED post-pandemic economic recovery is heading in the right direction with a high rate of vaccinations, falling COVID-19 cases, stabilizing unemployment numbers, and rebounding industries. With the economic rebound comes unique opportunities to use our collective wisdom to redefine workplaces and enhance our workforce. Most importantly, this is an opportunity to address disparities and systemic issues that became prominent during this time, including access to quality child care, inequities among racial groups and differences in wages, and health and safety across industries and among workers. In his economic outlook delivered to the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce in April 2021, Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker said Delaware’s recovery was very much a “work in progress” and introduced the concept of “opportunity occupations” to retrain some segments of the workforce into better compensated and more stable sources of employment. 22
At the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, we are a committed partner in helping Delaware’s business community respond to opportunities and develop a more diverse and skilled workforce. In 18 months of virtual and hybrid learning, we focused on key learning objectives and the sustained professional development of students and our alumni. We now know better than before what success
“There are many economic challenges ahead, but addressing these basic issues puts our economy on the path of recovery and sustained prosperity.” — Jim Butkiewicz, Professor of Economics Se p t e m b er / Oc t o b e r 2021 | DELAWARE BUSINESS
