Moving Up in the New Economy: Career Ladders for U.S. Workers [Hardcover]

Joan Fitzgerald (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Century Foundation Book | Publication Date: January 12, 2006

"The United States used to be a country where ordinary people could expect to improve their economic condition as they moved through life. For millions of us, this is no longer the case. Many Americans today have a lower standard of living as adults than they had in their parents’ homes as children. . . . This book is about restoring the upward mobility of U.S. workers. Specifically, it addresses the workforce-development strategy of creating not just jobs, but career ladders."—from Moving Up in the New Economy

Career-ladder strategies create opportunities for low-wage workers to learn new skills and advance through a progression of higher-skilled and better-paid jobs. For example, nurses’ aides can become licensed practical nurses, administrative assistants can become information technology workers, and bank tellers can become loan officers.

Career-ladder programs could provide opportunities for upward mobility and also stave off impending national shortages of skilled workers. But there are a variety of obstacles that must be faced candidly if career-ladder programs are to succeed. In Moving Up in the New Economy, Joan Fitzgerald explores specific programs in different sectors of the economy—health care, child care, education, manufacturing, and biotechnology—to offer a comprehensive analysis of this innovative approach to job training. Addressing the successes achieved—and the problems faced—by career-ladder programs, this timely book will be of interest to anyone interested in career development, workforce training, and employment issues, especially those that affect low-wage workers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joan Fitzgerald is Associate Professor and Director of the Law, Policy, and Society Program at Northeastern University. She is coauthor of Economic Revitalization: Cases and Strategies for City and Suburb.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Ilr Pr (January 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801444136
• ISBN-13: 978-0801444135
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,152,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joan Fitzgerald is the Director of the Law, Policy and Society Program at Northeastern University and the author of Moving Up in the New Economy: Career Ladders for U.S. Workers and Economic Revitalization: Cases and Strategies for City and Suburb. She lives in Boston.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't whine--do something!, March 13, 2006

By 

Dan Swinney (Chicago--www.clcr.org) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Moving Up in the New Economy: Career Ladders for U.S. Workers (Hardcover)

I think Joan Fitzgerald's book is great and particularly timely. The headlines are legitimately full of the disasters in our economy linked to the new pressures of global competition. Rather than complain or oppose (certainly required--but alone--insufficient), Joan patiently and thoroughly describes the details of an approach that must be the foundation for US education policy at the federal, state and local level. It's a work in progress and Joan provides great information on the ideas, the case studies, and the practitioners. In Chicago and in Illinois, there is a new openness by top leaders in business, government, and labor to new approaches. I'm encouraging them to read Joan's book now.