Across the country, community development corporations (CDCs) and other types of community-based organizations (CBOs) have become increasingly involved in workforce development, encompassing recruitment, skill training, placement, mentoring, and crisis intervention. Workforce Development Networks explains why and how the need for such customized, networked mediation has become so acute in America, especially for residents of low income communities of color, and why conventional approaches continue to fail.

This book explores how labor markets are changing - jobs are being created, but they pay less and job security is declining, as is the payoff for experience and seniority. The authors walk the reader through ten case studies, taken from across the United States over a period of five years. They show how a growing number of CDCs, CBOs, community colleges, and regional public authorities have made progress, using the principles of networking and collaboration.

Bennett Harrison and Marcus Weiss conclude with their recommendations for community-based workforce development networks.