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Consider the paper ceiling—when not having a bachelor’s degree prevents skilled workers from accessing jobs in a labor market that needs them. Between 2012 and 2019, 69% of new jobs in the U.S. required a bachelor’s degree, excluding 70 million workers from a significant portion of the job market. This phenomenon reflects the nation’s overreliance on college degrees as an indicator of job readiness. Businesses must shift their emphasis from requiring a bachelor’s degree to possessing key skills, and entrepreneurship education teaches these crucial skills. This shift requires the participation and support of economic developers.

Former IEDC board chair and veteran economic development executive Tom Kucharski, CEcD, HLM, has served as the architect behind major regional transformations. Kucharski is a quoted economic development expert in national publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Newsweek. In this article, he offers insights and advice for economic developers serving today and into the future.

An economic sustainability plan can help communities and economic development programs create consensus around goals, strategies, and actions that meet the needs of the present without risking the prospects of future generations. Learn how to develop an economic sustainability plan and what critical questions to ask.

IEDC is accepting submissions through May 30 for the 2023 Excellence and Leadership in Economic Development Awards. Workforce Solutions Borderplex’s Neighborhood Solutions Tour: Jobs Toolbox on Wheels won a Gold Award in 2022 in the Neighborhood Development category. Workforce Solutions Borderplex (WSB) in El Paso, Texas, expanded its workforce development from static centers into a mobile service, visiting neighborhoods in need of support for upskilling and improving quality of life. The project was created when the unpredictability of pandemic lockdowns forced WSB to take an innovative approach to serving communities in dire need of workforce development. The data-driven tours consider lower-wage quartile ZIP codes, unemployment ...

IEDC has announced a new Excellence in Economic Development award category: Best Use of Federal Economic Development Resources. This award recognizes programs, projects, and initiatives created to improve the quality of life and economic well-being of a community, region, or state by utilizing federal economic development resources. These resources can include grants, other financial assistance, technical support, research, data, informational resources, and other resources provided by the federal government. IEDC is now accepting submissions for the 2023 Excellence and Leadership in Economic Development Awards. Be sure to check out IEDC’s other 25 Excellence in Economic Development categories and 10 Honorary and Leadership award ...

IEDC's Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) program recognizes organizational excellence in the areas of internal and external operations, structures, and procedures. This series profiles recently accredited AEDOs, putting some of economic development's highest-performing organizations in the spotlight. This edition: McKinney (Texas) Economic Development Corporation.

How does climate change impact economic development and an economic developer’s ability to operate and equitably grow their local or regional economy? What responsibility do economic developers have to do something about climate change? Here are five steps that will help you get started on the climate change journey.

How are economic developers addressing the persistent shortage of workers and specific skills? The latest report from IEDC’s Economic Development Research Partners examines partnerships that five EDOs have developed to help meet businesses’ talent pipeline and training needs. Using observations from the cases, the report identifies roles and recommendations for EDOs seeking to boost talent development in their communities.