The successful practice of Workforce Education requires practitioners to have prerequisite knowledge. This common body of knowledge is applicable to practice in all settings: industry, community colleges, high schools, etc. The purpose of this text is to provide this background.

This text provides a comprehensive look at Workforce Education, an aspect of education which prepares individuals to be competitive in seeking employment or to improve on-the-job performance. The text is divided into three parts: mission, knowledge base, and program design. The knowledge base of the text is drawn for the academic fields of economics, sociology, psychology, career development theory, instructional systems design, and public policy analysis. The text is applicable for both graduate and undergraduate education and is written with the practitioner in mind.