About Us

Learn more about the goals of our Center, our leadership team members, researchers, advisory board, partners, and funders.

Letter from the Center Leadership

The challenges facing today’s workforce are complex and rapidly evolving. Aligning education with employment, ensuring pathways into high-demand fields, and preparing workers for shifting industries requires bold solutions. These challenges also present opportunities—to equip individuals for lifelong learning, strengthen employer talent pipelines, and advance economic and social mobility.

At Old Dominion University, the Center for Workforce Development Research and Practice (CWDRP) is seizing these opportunities. Over the past year, we have expanded our work in three critical areas:

Work-Based Learning – advancing apprenticeships, internships, and experiential models to prepare students for the future of work.
Education-to-Employment Alignment – partnering with colleges, employers, and policymakers to close skill gaps and meet emerging labor market needs.
Leadership Development – building the next generation of faculty and workforce leaders through graduate education and professional development.

Recent highlights include:

Conducting applied research with national partners on work-based learning and workforce systems.
Designing a new scholarly journal to strengthen apprenticeship and work-based learning research.
Delivering professional development that empowers educators, employers, and practitioners across higher education, business, and the public sector. We have served over 75 CTE research fellows and developed a network for professionals and researchers.

Our mission is clear: to be a national leader in research, technical assistance, and professional development that strengthens workforce systems. We aim to bridge education and work, reduce skill shortages, expand the availability of talent, and equip workers with adaptable skills for the future economy.

Looking ahead, we are pursuing answers to the questions funders, policymakers, and practitioners care about most:

How do apprenticeships and internships best prepare students for the future of work?
What models most effectively align education with fast-changing labor market needs?
How can faculty development and leadership preparation strengthen workforce systems nationwide?

Through applied research and strategic partnerships, CWDRP generates actionable insights that inform policy, guide institutional practice, and expand leadership capacity. Our ultimate goal is to fuel economic growth and strengthen opportunity by ensuring employers and workers alike have what they need to thrive.

This work is possible because of the commitment of our faculty, research affiliates, fellows, students, and external partners. As we move forward, we invite you to join us in building a more connected, resilient, and innovative workforce development system for Virginia and the nation.

Warm regards,
James E. Bartlett, II, Ph.D.
Executive Director, CWDRP
Professor of Workforce and Postsecondary Education