 The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and several other foundations funded a series of studies and pilot projects in the early 2000s to expand build a network of career ladders and mobility for workers through skills training and the use of workforce intermediaries, as described by Robert Giloth.The California state Employment Development Department (EDD) also in the early 2000s funded a series of career ladder programs, spearheaded by then director Michael Bernick.The programs sought to improve mobility and income of low wage workforces in California.