Field Notes: Research, reports & opinions.
Frameworks, reports, and opinions from building at the intersection of workforce development and technology since 2018.
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Evaluating Training Programs: A Thought Asparagus
I still believe deeply in that idea. But I now think we confused transparency with trust.
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Is AI really inevitable?
I think I may be allergic to the way some people talk about AI.
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My Co-Founder Just Shipped a Production Software Tool. She Can't Code.
What happens when the people closest to the problem can finally build the solution? Leah Lykins built and shipped our first WhereWeGo Labs tool without writing a line of code.
Read More: My Co-Founder Just Shipped a Production Software Tool. She Can't Code. -
When Social Impact Technology Fails
Tens of millions of dollars flow into well-intentioned apps, websites, and platforms that end up in the digital graveyard. This report explains why — and how to build platforms that appreciate instead of depreciate.
Download Report: When Social Impact Technology Fails -
Social Impact Technology Scorecard: Is Your Tool Built to Appreciate or Depreciate?
A diagnostic tool for workforce leaders and funders to evaluate whether their platform is designed for long-term impact or quiet decline.
Launch Lab: Social Impact Technology Scorecard: Is Your Tool Built to Appreciate or Depreciate?
All Insights
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Helping Houston Students Take the Next Step with MorePathways
Together, we created a clearer and more supportive journey from career exploration to action. The platform's primary call to action is not simply "Apply" or "Learn More." It is "Help me get started."
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Try our Training Program ROI Calculator
Most training program and community college websites don't make those tradeoffs easy to see. So I built a new little experiment for WWG labs this month: the Training Program Cost & Benefits Calculator.
Launch Lab: Try our Training Program ROI Calculator -
How we built it: A worker-facing ETPL for Mississippi in 7 days
Most state Eligible Training Provider Lists are built for compliance, not for workers. Here's what happens when we rebuilt one as a worker-facing product with a 1 week limit.
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A deeper dive: WhereWeGo's menu of capabilities
A plain accounting of the worker-facing tools we build across the education-to-career pipeline.
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A Mother's Day WhereWeGo Lab: Can a Mom Actually Work Here?
A free scorecard that helps working moms and caregivers evaluate whether an employer is genuinely supportive — built on research from the CDC, PWFA, PUMP Act, and maternal retention studies.
Launch Lab: A Mother's Day WhereWeGo Lab: Can a Mom Actually Work Here? -
Workforce Pell Eligibility Check: Free Tool for Florida, Louisiana, New York, and California (May 2026 Launch)
Free 90-second Workforce Pell eligibility check for short-term training programs in FL, LA, NY, and CA. Built for community colleges, workforce boards, and sector partnerships before the July 1, 2026 federal launch.
Launch Lab: Workforce Pell Eligibility Check: Free Tool for Florida, Louisiana, New York, and California (May 2026 Launch) -
WhereWeGo Launches New Initiative, Inviting Industry to Help Shape Development of Workforce Tools
WhereWeGo Labs will launch free workforce tools every 30 days, while actively seeking ideas from workers, practitioners and partners to influence what to build next.
Read More: WhereWeGo Launches New Initiative, Inviting Industry to Help Shape Development of Workforce Tools -
Workforce Website Evaluation Report & Rubric
75% of workforce websites are missing the top three things workers actually want. We evaluated 50 sites and built a rubric so you can find out where yours stands.
Download Report: Workforce Website Evaluation Report & Rubric -
Career Maps: A Deeper Dive Into Powering Up the Real Routes Through Industries
Where many see a pure skills-matching problem, we see a support and framing problem. Career maps should reconnect people to why they work, not just where.
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Let's Nerd Out: A Deeper Dive Into Fixing the Training Data Crisis
Nearly 60% of state workforce agencies lack program-level training outcomes data. Workers deserve better. Here is how we are fixing it.
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Building a Green Workforce: How IREC & WhereWeGo Are Advancing Clean Energy Careers
Clean energy employment grew by 142,000 jobs in 2023. We built the platform connecting those workers and the organizations training them across 10 states.
Read More: Building a Green Workforce: How IREC & WhereWeGo Are Advancing Clean Energy Careers -
How SkillUp & WhereWeGo Helped Millions of Workers Discover Great Careers
4 million workers reached. 100,000 monthly visitors. 82% of users discovered training options they did not know existed. Here is how the SkillUp partnership came together.
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Unlocking the Future of Work — With Better Data
We built the first nationwide, up-to-date database of career training programs. Here is why the existing data was failing workers and what we did about it.
Read More: Unlocking the Future of Work — With Better Data -
Unlocking the Future of Work — With Career Maps
Clear, accessible career pathways are the foundation of a thriving workforce. Here is how career mapping serves workers, employers, regions, and policymakers at the same time.
Read More: Unlocking the Future of Work — With Career Maps -
Building Better Products Through Ongoing Collaboration
Most technology partnerships end at launch. Ours do not. Here is why a retainer model produces better workforce platforms and what it looks like in practice.
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Find a Clear Path Forward with WhereWeGo's Design Day
A one-day retreat that applies user-centered design thinking to your technology project and ends with a concrete roadmap.
Read More: Find a Clear Path Forward with WhereWeGo's Design Day -
Am I Eligible for WIOA Funding?
Depending on where you live, $4,000 or more may be available through WIOA to help cover the cost of vocational training. Here is how to find out if you qualify for these regional training dollars.
Read More: Am I Eligible for WIOA Funding?
Want to go deeper?
Tell us your goal and about your context. We will arrive at the first call with our homework already done. You can speak with Leah this week.