FAQs

What type of research does the Center do?

The Center conducts research in three core areas with the goal of better aligning education and training with workforce and labor market demand: jobs, skills, and people. See more in About the Center.

How can I register with the Center to receive updates of your work?

You can sign up to receive email updates at the bottom of the page in our email sign up section .

Is the Center associated with a specific organization or advocacy group?

The Center is an independent, nonprofit organization that is associated with the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy.

How is the Center funded?

The Center is funded by generous grants from its partner foundations: Lumina Foundation for Education, The Joyce Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

What data does the Center use for its research and analysis?

The Center uses data from federal and state statistical agencies, as well as from private data organizations that provide employment projections, population estimates and other economic indicators. Our projection work includes data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Macroeconomic Advisers (MA), and Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. (EMSI). The Center also utilizes data available from the National Center for Education Statistics, O*NET (Occupational Network), Current Population Statistics, and the Census.

How does the Center make projections?

The Center works with Macroeconomic Advisers and Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. to adjust projections data generated by the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Bureau of Labor Statistics; it does this by incorporating updated micro and GDP trend data to account for changing expectations about the recession.

Who uses the Center's research and analysis?

The Center’s research is available to the public. It has been used by the current administration, academics, journalists, higher education and labor policymakers, foundations, and other stakeholders in the education, training and workforce arena.

What type of information does the Center provide on 21st Century skills?

We provide estimates on the changing knowledge, skills, abilities, work activities, context and values required to perform 21st Century occupations. We do this because in a demand-driven economy, traditional education degrees and credentials act only as a signal to these core competencies. This research, built on the O*NET data system, enables the Center to peer into the black box of formal education to evaluate and better understand true occupational requirements in a modern workplace. Some examples of our work include defining formal classroom training and on-the-job training for green jobs to assist with ground-level workforce development and evaluating the formal education and workplace training requirements for stimulus-created jobs.

Who works at the Center?

The Center was created in 2008 by leading labor economist, Anthony P. Carnevale, and is staffed with senior economists with backgrounds in education economics and issues pertaining to social mobility. Detailed bios can be found on our website.

Who can I contact if I have more questions about the Center?

If you have additional questions not answered in the FAQ’s, please submit your query to cewgeorgetown@georgetown.edu or by calling 202.687.7766. We will make sure your questions are answered in a timely manner.