Recap of Workforce Briefing Releasing New Report, Building a Stronger Workforce: Federal Spending on Postsecondary Education and Training

AGC and Progressive Policy Institute released the report during an event at the U.S. Capitol complex that featured comments from congressional officials, the report's authors, a construction general contractor and a community college administrator. The panelists talked about the challenges posed by the current federal funding levels and urged policy makers to help.

The report, titled Building a Stronger Workforce: Federal Spending on Postsecondary Education and Training, notes that of the $139.5 billion the federal government spends annually on postsecondary education, only $28.2 billion goes to workforce education and training programs. The other $111.3 billion supports "traditional" degree programs that only 38 percent of Americans complete.