Gabriella C Gonzalez

The RAND Program Classification Tool is an instrument containing questions and response options across eight key domains that allows for the consistent description of programs in the same content area. Such data can help program portfolio managers compare programs, avoid duplication, and target technical assistance. Developed for psychological health and traumatic brain injury programs, the tool has broader applicability to other content areas.

For over a decade, operations associated with irregular warfare have placed large demands on U.S. ground forces and have led to development of new Army and Joint doctrine. This report helps analysts identify and assess twelve key factors that create and perpetuate environments susceptible to insurgency, terrorism, and other extremist violence and instability to inform military decisions on allocation of analytic and security assistance resources.

A strategic goal of the post-hurricane recovery plan for Puerto Rico is developing a modern workforce. Authors describe a course of action for a workforce development system that addresses workforce shortages and brings longer-term benefits to individuals, the community, and the economy. This system includes strong K through postsecondary education and career pathways, and aligns training with the evolving labor market and local business needs.

Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing to tap natural gas are predicted to bring significant long-term benefits to Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. To inform policy decisions on how best to expand and sustain the pool of workers with knowledge and skills needed by oil and natural gas employers in the tristate region, this report summarizes findings from surveys administered to oil and gas employers and education providers.

The production of natural gas and gas liquids from shale in West Virginia has increased demand for workers in the energy sector. In 2013, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) asked RAND to work closely with the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia to develop a collaborative strategy for preparing the local talent pool for the energy-sector workforce. We developed ten recommended action items.

This report documents key technological innovations in the energy sector; identifies best practices of educational and training programs that have successfully responded to evolving labor markets in other sectors; analyzes four case-study energy-sector education and training programs in southwestern Pennsylvania; and provides recommendations for the energy-sector education and training system in the region.

The U.S. Department of Defense has implemented many programs to support service members experiencing difficulties handling stress, mental health problems, or deficits caused by a traumatic brain injury. This report describes RAND s assessment of one such program, Airman Resilience Training (ART), an Air Force psychoeducational program designed to improve airmen s reactions to stress during and after deployment."

Summarizes the education and labor market initiatives implemented or under way in four countries in the Arab region--Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates--to address the human resource issues they each face as they prepare their countries for a place in the 21st century global economy. Together, these countries highlight the variety of challenges faced by countries in the region and responses to those challenges.