Workers, Training Programs, Strategy

Let’s Nerd Out—A Deeper Dive Into Fixing the Training Data Crisis

You’re not supposed to have favorites, but this Training Program Data problem is our oldest and favorite problem to solve at WhereWeGo. It’s why we exist as a company.

By Leah Lykins

Warning. Training program lingo incoming. 

You’re not supposed to have favorites, but this Training Program Data problem is our oldest and favorite problem to solve at WhereWeGo. It’s why we exist as a company. After a decade in public schools, seeing our most dedicated and successful students stop out of college and land in low-wage work a year later, we investigated some of the biggest pain points they had in navigating their postsecondary landscape. When we launched the first Training Navigator in response to what we heard–”I can’t make 4-year college work right now and I don’t know my alternatives”– the question we were asked most was: “Can my mom use this?”

But it took months of research and phone calls and visits to even find the data that went into that Training Navigator. Fortunately, since 2018, technology has… changed a bit. 

What’s happening?

More than 70% of Gen Z want to “follow their own educational path.” A recent survey found that 93% of Gen Z graduates said learning a skilled trade can be a better route to economic security than college, with trade school enrollment rising 5% between 2020 and 2023, about double the rate for four-year universities. Most teenagers are open to something other than a four-year degree. We won’t get into the topic of tuition prices here. But, suffice it to say, the desire for vocational training is as great as ever, and the American workforce is, contrary to some popular opinions, very willing to work for their future. In six years of user research, we’ve heard one clear message again and again: workers want to be able to compare training programs–and the information that drives their decisions– side by side.

Despite the realities of low-wage work, many workers and young adults navigate the hazy maze of career opportunity using a patchwork of resourceful tools—research, networks, mentors, brochures, career fairs, and the constant work of spotting scams and sorting signal from noise. 

Yet, in our many experiences working in New Orleans public schools or collaborating with workforce development boards, we saw first hand that even our dedicated guidance professionals struggle to remain in the loop as vocational training and labor market opportunities come and go like the tides—constantly shifting with new programs, emerging industries, policy changes, and economic shocks, leaving even the most resourced advisors scrambling to keep up.

Data quality sits at the heart of the training-to-career problem. The National Skills Coalition reports that “nearly 60 percent of state workforce agencies lack program-level data on training outcomes.” Closing that data gap isn’t glamorous, but it’s a prerequisite for nearly everything we build.

This lack of transparency and its impacts of wasted time, money, and opportunities stem from a few realities:

  • The training landscape changes very quickly.
  • Getting good self-reported data means having staff who aren't already stretched thin.
  • Public datasets are missing upwards of 50% of opportunities.
  • Sketchy offerings with higher marketing budgets flood the market.
  • Existing efforts to get better data aren’t centering worker-friendly information.

What are we doing about it?

We’re creating a national, sustainable, program-level dataset that meets the standards workers and workforce partners actually need.

Our method is based on millions of data points of what workers do and how training programs look. To create this novel data set we are:

  • Targeting fields critical for decision enabling like support services, cost, duration, modality 
  • Powering discovery with AI and human research review, applying measures of data quality and evaluating model performance over time
  • Applying inclusion criteria that go beyond WIOA standards to ensure programs most relevant to workers are most solved for
  • Workforce-informed metadata including outcomes and local labor data
  • CMS and API to allow scalable auditing and customization for partner use cases

It’s far from perfect. The work of getting great data for vocational training programs is never done. The information changes too quickly–far faster than any college-level, employer-level, or organization-level statistic– to let up. We’re continuously improving our tech and taxonomy through research and development.

Who is our work for?

We’re dedicated to making it easier for direct-to-worker organizations to provide access, guidance, and opportunity—the kind that drives real economic growth in our communities.

  • Regionally specific job & career boards: Elevating the offerings in a place-based, worker-centered way so that businesses and families can thrive in the region. 
  • Career maps in specialized industries: Supporting industry-specific workforce planning for industries that are facing rapid change and labor shortages.

Here’s where our vocational training data can be used:

  • Workforce Development Boards: Advance job seekers via programming tailored to their needs to improve local wage gains.
  • Economic Development Organizations: Spotlight robust upskilling ecosystems to attract businesses and support local economies.
  • Industry-Specific Nonprofits: Strengthen talent pipelines in critical industries like healthcare or manufacturing.
  • School Districts: Integrate vocational pathways into counseling systems for better postsecondary planning.

What’s coming?

Nearly anyone trying to compare colleges, employers, job postings, high schools, daycare centers, or Italian deli sandwich shops will come across better tools for comparing their options and what matters most to them: How far is it? How much is it? What support do they offer? What do others think about it? When can I do this? What will I get?

At WhereWeGo, our worker-centered methods could clear up the murky landscape of vocational training so that comparing where to go is as smooth as comparing pizza places. Or at least as smooth as comparing college. 

We’re looking for it all: on-the-job training programs, youth apprenticeships, nonprofit programs, bootcamps, online programming, nondegree certifications, work-based learning, and so on and so on and so on.

If you’re interested in:

  • Getting your hands on a vocational training dataset at no cost
  • Strengthening career pipelines
  • Building smarter workforce tools with us

…We’d love to talk.

📩 Email leah@wherewego.org

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Further reading:

  • National Student Clearinghouse Research Center - Career and Technical Education Enrollment Trends - "The number of students enrolled in vocational-focused community colleges rose 16% from 2022 to 2023 to its highest level since the National Student Clearinghouse began tracking such data in 2018." - https://nscresearchcenter.org

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