Elyse Ashburn

A national commission uses real-world examples to make the case for improving education and workforce readiness, while another set of reports calls for integrated education-to-career systems. Also, Eckerd Connects and evolving job centers, and seed money for helping North Carolina community colleges reimagine the workforce. (Subscribe here.) The midterm elections in 40 days will decide gubernatorial races in 36 states.

My first major newspaper internship was on the editorial desk of the St. Petersburg Times in the early aughts. I got paid to question state leaders who came by to woo the board, to participate in lively debates, and to write staff editorials that could actually change things in a big, influential state. And when I was done each day, I would drive 20 minutes to one of several world-class beaches and read until sunset. It was a dream internship by any measure.

A private two-year college leans into its vocational roots to prepare students for high-paying, high-demand careers. Also, new research on how U.S. workers layer apprenticeships and degrees, and essays on how Workforce Pell gets ROI only half right, and on why people need to be at the center of the skills-based economy. (Subscribe here.) Dunwoody College of Technology is unusually well situated to deliver on surging employer demand for workers in the skilled trades.