MDRC’s Evidence First podcast features experts—program administrators, policymakers, and researchers—talking about the best evidence available on education and social programs that serve people with low incomes. In this episode, MDRC’s Leigh Parise talks with Paul Fain, an education and workforce journalist, and Betsy Tessler, a senior researcher at MDRC. Nondegree credentials are typically certificates or licenses earned in a short period of time that confer some kind of professional or industry-recognized skill. They are not new to the world of higher education, but they have received a lot of attention in the last few years as a “faster” way to connect students to employment in comparison to earning a traditional college degree.

On-the-job (OJT) training has been proven to be the most effective way to have dislocated workers seek reemployment in today's workforce. WorkforceGPS will host a virtual session on August 16, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET that will highlight best practices and testimonials on OJT effectiveness from Minnesota’s workforce development system staff, employers, and past participants.

The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals will host a virtual academy from August 28 to 30, 2023, offering a series of eight 1-hour sessions that will cover actionable strategies that attendees can leverage throughout the entire customer relationship, from initial intake through the job interview. Each session includes concrete techniques and actionable exercises that attendees can immediately put into practice with their customers. There is a registration fee for participation.

The prevalence of non-degree credentials (NDCs) in the U.S. workforce is growing, as more businesses look to skills-based hiring and more education and training programs emerge to meet those needs. NDCs increase the number of skilled workers and allow them to demonstrate learned competencies and skills. This National Skills Coalition report encourages state policymakers to invest in quality NDCs; shares work with states to define, measure, and track quality; and offers takeaways for how to advance quality assurance so that policymakers feel confident in investing in non-degree credentials, students have confidence in their training programs, and employers know which programs effectively prepare people for careers.

The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse case studies highlight innovative interventions that aim to improve employment outcomes for TANF participants and other individuals with low incomes, especially public assistance recipients. The purpose of each case study is to feature an innovative but untested intervention that a state, county, community-based organization, or other entity is undertaking. These 21 case studies are intended to help practitioners learn from the experiences of other organizations or agencies implementing innovative employment interventions.

In response to the April 2022 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report’s dire predictions about the impacts of climate change, this MDRC paper states that accompanying a rise in demand for clean energy systems and products is a growing shortage of workers trained in the building, installation, operation, and maintenance of new technologies. The need to rapidly expand the number of good climate jobs with family-sustaining wages and advancement opportunities offers an opportunity to provide redress for communities historically lacking adequate access to economic opportunity. It is more important than ever to develop new evidence-based pathways and models of career and technical education (CTE) that can meet the needs of a changing labor market. The paper presents (1) an overview of the scope of jobs that are affected by the transition to a clean energy and climate-resilient economy; (2) a review of the current state of policies aimed at expanding the climate workforce; (3) a review of the evidence about CTE; and (4) a discussion of barriers and potential solutions to improving the education and training pipeline to support an economic transition that is just and equitable.

The merging of WIOA and TANF services has the potential to provide substantial benefits to those most in need. This brief highlights four key strategies states can implement to bolster their integration efforts. The four strategies range from least intensive to the most intensive to reflect shared learning, collaborative activities, joint service delivery, and shared resources and the research references findings from the 2019 OFA TANF/WIOA Collaboration briefs.

This fact sheet provides information about the assignment, pass-through, and distribution of child support for parents who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). It outlines pass-through payments for families currently receiving TANF and families no longer receiving TANF. It also covers child support distribution for current and former TANF recipients.

Under federal law, families receiving TANF must cooperate with child support establishment and enforcement efforts. In addition, TANF recipients must assign their rights to child support payments to the state. When a state collects child support on behalf of a TANF recipient, the state is permitted to keep the money to reimburse itself and the federal government for TANF assistance. States, however, have the option of allowing some of the child support payment to be passed through to the parent and child and disregarded when determining TANF assistance, meaning the amount would not be considered income for purposes of determining TANF eligibility. This brief includes a chart of 52 states and territories and whether they have a pass-through and disregard policy, the amount of the pass-through and the statutory or code citation.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and its federal agency partners invite stakeholders to participate in the "Our Future Matters: Informing the Federal Interagency Strategy" national online dialogue. This important virtual conversation aims to enhance policies and practices to facilitate a smooth transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities.

Through the dialogue, federal staff will seek input on ways to enhance services for youth and young adults with disabilities in the following areas:

• Education
• Employment
• Health and Human Services
• Social Security

Please join this important conversation by visiting the dialogue now through August 14, 2023. Simply log on, register, submit ideas, or comment and vote on ideas submitted by others.