About Our Center
On any given weekday, nearly half of the American population is either enrolled in a course of study‚ teaching others‚ or administering an educational program. Meanwhile‚ the American economy is driven by new ideas‚ emerging technologies‚ and one of the best-educated and most productive workforces in the world. The relationship between education and employment is complex‚ and their influence on each other is profound.
As part of FHI 360's US Education and Workforce Development Group‚ the National Institute for Work and Learning (NIWL) collaborates with relevant stakeholders—including youth‚ parents‚ teachers‚ employers‚ organized labor‚ and community groups as well as federal‚ state‚ and local governments—to increase their participation in education and workforce development and foster relationships among all the constituencies involved. NIWL engages K-12 and higher education institutions‚ employers‚ and community-based organizations in efforts to support comprehensive‚ systemic educational improvement and reform and create expanded formal and informal opportunities to promote learning and development for people of all ages.
NIWL:
- Develops and implements innovative‚ evidence-based programs and services
- Improves programs and institutions through research and evaluation
- Builds capacity for system reform
NIWL (formerly the National Manpower Institute)‚ was founded in 1971 by The Conference Board and became a Center in AED, later acquired by FHI 360, in 1988. NIWL enjoyed high-level support from its inception; the founding chair of the board was Former Secretary of Labor John Dunlop‚ and Former Secretary of Labor Willard Wirtz served as the first president of NIWL. NIWL was formed with the conviction that any new effort to investigate the nation’s human resource problems and suggest remedies should be based on two guiding principles: 1) to be effective‚ change must be supported by all elements of the community‚ including business‚ labor‚ education and government; and 2) to be sustainable‚ change must be implemented at the local level.
NIWL’s work is accomplished through a combination of research and evaluation‚ technical assistance and training‚ and program development and implementation in three broad areas: Career and College Readiness‚ Teacher Preparation and Professional Development‚ and Workforce Development.