Elyse Ashburn

Washington, D.C.

Editor @Workshiftnews. Writer and analyst on ed + work, former chief of staff at UMBC and journo at CHE. Tweets are my own.

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Articles

Black Learners and Workers Lead on AI Adoption, but Need Additional Training

1 month ago | workshift.org | Elyse Ashburn

Black learners and workers are emerging as early adopters and power users of artificial intelligence, yet need increased access to training, more time to experiment, and stronger social networks to fully capitalize on AI’s economic potential, according to new research from Jobs for the Future.
Big Goals, Bigger Budget Cuts

1 month ago | workshift.org | Paul Fain |Elyse Ashburn

An outline emerges of Trump’s plan to unify federal job training, boost apprenticeship, and give state governments more control of the money. But experts say the administration’s huge proposed budget cuts say more than its vague rhetoric. Also, an essay on covering living expenses for learners in short-term training.
White House Aims to Boost Apprenticeship

2 months ago | workshift.org | Elyse Ashburn |Paul Fain

President Trump released a series of education-focused executive orders Wednesday, including ones on artificial intelligence in K-12 education, reforming higher education accreditation, and registered apprenticeship. The Details: In the executive order on workforce training and apprenticeship, the White House directed the secretaries of the Labor, Commerce, and Education Departments to develop a plan for the United States to reach at least 1M new active apprentices.
States Get Creative with WIOA (Where They Can)

2 months ago | workshift.org | Elyse Ashburn

Amid persistent labor shortages and changing economic demands, many governors across the country are reinventing their approach to workforce development. But they also still feel hemmed in by what they see as an overly-restrictive federal system.
Faced with an Aging Workforce, an Insurer Turned to Teens

Mar 19, 2025 | workshift.org | Elyse Ashburn

Pinnacol Assurance isn’t the kind of company most people think about, unless they’re having one of the worst days of their lives. And the worker’s comp industry certainly isn’t on the mind of high school students mapping out their future. Or at least it wouldn’t be if not for Julie Wilmes and the company’s apprenticeship team. Their job is to make Pinnacol a desired destination for Denver’s high school students. And the imperative is strong.
Absolute Chaos

Feb 6, 2025 | workshift.org | Elyse Ashburn |Paul Fain |Colleen Connolly

An aborted federal funding freeze causes confusion among education and job training providers, while the White House still plans to review spending on apprenticeships, WIOA, and workforce training under CHIPS. Also, Augusta Tech’s bid to become an anchor institution for its region’s industrial revival. Education and job training programs aimed at working-class Americans largely have avoided pitched political battles.
'Absolute Chaos' — Freeze on Federal Funding Upends Workforce Programs

Jan 29, 2025 | workshift.org | Elyse Ashburn |Paul Fain |Colleen Connolly

Education and job training programs aimed at working-class Americans largely have avoided pitched political battles. With bipartisan support and relatively modest federal funding, they lack the infotainment appeal to fuel soundbites from lawmakers or arguments on social media. That changed this week with a (now rescinded) memo from the Office of Management and Budget, which ordered a 90-day pause on trillions of dollars in federal grants and assistance.
Apprenticeship System Update Will Have to Wait

Dec 11, 2024 | workshift.org | Elyse Ashburn

The U.S. Department of Labor has withdrawn an 800-page proposal to update the registered apprenticeship system that was unlikely to stand in the new administration. The rule changes aimed to increase worker protections and quality by requiring better outcomes data, streamlining aspects of the process for creating apprenticeships, and making apprenticeship more compatible with K-12 and college education.
The Vulnerable Lower-Middle Class

Nov 11, 2024 | workshift.org | Elyse Ashburn

Labor is having a moment in the U.S. The country’s dockworkers just successfully led a three-day strike for higher pay, and crippling strikes by UPS Teamsters and the nation’s rail workers were narrowly avoided in the past two years after concessions from employers and, in one case, intervention from Congress. Public support for unions is at the highest level since 1965, after reaching its nadir in 2009.
The Great Mismatch

Oct 10, 2024 | workshift.org | Elyse Ashburn |Paul Fain

Labor is having a moment in the U.S. The country’s dockworkers just successfully led a three-day strike for higher pay, and crippling strikes by UPS Teamsters and the nation’s rail workers were narrowly avoided in the past two years after concessions from employers and, in one case, intervention from Congress. Public support for unions is at the highest level since 1965, after reaching its nadir in 2009.