Webinar / Webcast
In rural communities, widely dispersed populations face many access challenges. With a declining talent pool and lower educational attainment, coupled with rising poverty rates as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need to prepare young people in rural areas for high-demand careers. The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship will host a webinar on April 28, 2022 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
April, 2022
Webinar / Webcast
The Urban Institute will host a webinar on October 13, 2021 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET to explore persistent rural poverty, which occurs in one in seven rural counties and leaves rural and Native communities lacking capital, quality jobs, housing, infrastructure, and services. The webinar includes presentations from six rural community development financial institutions on what has worked to transform the rural and Native areas they serve into opportunity and the challenges that remain.
October, 2021
Profile / Case Study
This report offers four case studies of rural youth apprenticeships in Maine, Arizona, Missouri, and Mississippi, the challenges for each of the respective regions, and their strategies for success. The report begins with a definition of youth apprenticeships and elaborates on the benefits and obstacles in designing, implementing, and sustaining rural apprenticeships.
August, 2021
Policy Announcement / Memoranda
The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has released a funding opportunity announcement for the Appalachian and Delta regions. Grant awards are intended to align with regional and comprehensive approaches to address economic distress and provide necessary workforce development activities so that dislocated and other workers can succeed in current and future job opportunities. ETA encourages applicants to include strategies to address the employment and training needs of individuals affected by substance use disorder.
July, 2021
Research-To-Practice Brief
This research-to-practice brief identifies programmatic solutions to support reentry for young adults who have been involved in the juvenile justice or criminal justice system as they navigate employment and education pathways. The brief summarizes best practices from nine communities under the three-year U.S. Department of Labor-funded Compass Rose Collaborative (CRC). CRC communities are: Southeast Arkansas; Los Angeles, California; Denver, Colorado; Hartford, Connecticut; Louisville, Kentucky; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; St. Louis, Missouri; and Albany, New York.
February, 2020
Innovative Programs
The Keystone Education Yields Success (KEYS) program is operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW). The KEYS Program assists low-income individuals in earning a career-specific, credit-bearing certificate or an associate's degree to enable them to secure jobs that provide family-sustaining wages with benefits and greater opportunities for advancement.
July, 2019
Report
This National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices guide offers concrete policies and recommendations to create and enhance workforce systems to better prepare workers for future employment opportunities. The report focuses on three key areas: aligning education and work systems for the workforce of the future, supporting midcareer workers in their second act, and addressing the challenges faced by the rural workforce.
July, 2019
Stakeholder Resource
Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore job center and its partners have streamlined TANF and WIOA assessment and referral processes, as well as sharing staff, spaces, and resources across programs, to improve service delivery to TANF customers. Job center partners aim to match job seekers with employers through opportunities such as a “reverse job fair,” a job search database, and a regional job developer to specifically work with customers.
June, 2019
Stakeholder Resource
TANF and WIOA programs in Tulare County, California are working together to coordinate employment services for CalWORKs (TANF) and work-eligible clients. Strategies include co-enrollment in programs—including WIOA career services, TANF supportive services, and a subsidized employment program—as well as shared spaces, cross-program workgroups, and a common database to exchange performance outcomes. This site also has a special focus on serving migrants and seasonal workers in rural areas.
June, 2019