Labor-Community Initiatives in Worker Training in the United States and the United Kingdom

Abstract

The authors examine labor organizing around the training issue in the United States and the United Kingdom. The best practice examples presented are the Machine Action Project in Springfield, Massachusetts, and the Inverclyde Training Trust in the Glasgow, Scotland region. In both cases, labor built a response to industrial decline around training. Both cases demonstrate that labor and community organizations can play an increased role in local economic development practice. The U.S. case depicts a proactive response, whereas response in the United Kingdom has been largely reactive. The authors conclude that labor in both places should look to other countries for examples of more proactive shaping of training policy in the interests of workers.