A work-based learning quagmire has arisen related to SNAP. Benefit recipients enrolled in subsidized work-based learning programs offered through their SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) are paid a reasonable wage in these transitional jobs; as a result, they are no longer eligible for SNAP and are forced off their training program. This sudden and unexpected decrease in or loss of government benefits that often occurs with an increase in wages is referred to as a benefit cliff. This American Public Human Services Association brief explains work-based learning and how it differs from unsubsidized employment, as well as possible solutions to benefit cliffs.

WorkforceGPS will host a virtual session on September 13, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT to discuss how to expand relationships with employer sponsors for apprenticeships. This webinar will highlight the risks of relying on a single contact for planning, such as lack of expansion, decreased enrollments, or potential termination due to internal shifts or turnover while uncovering strategies for securing leadership buy-in.

Students who face barriers to success need accessible pathways to economic mobility, but low income and low tolerance for debt present challenges. Strategies at all levels of education, as well as after they enter the workforce, could provide support to achieving their career goals. This Urban Institute report describes results from a survey of career and technical education program administrators, with insights about strategies that can support students in getting jobs that offer pathways to economic stability and long-term upward mobility.

Unemployment insurance (UI) exists to provide temporary partial wage replacement during periods of involuntary unemployment while beneficiaries are actively seeking reemployment. The Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) program provides UI eligibility assessments and reemployment services to beneficiaries. This Upjohn report provides an evaluation plan, including a logic model, for PY 2020 for the state of Maryland. It also outlines anticipated ways that future annual RESEA evaluations can build on evidence about program and services impacts as well as special evaluations of program and services refinements and extensions.

Team-based case management is an innovative approach that removes redundancies and emphasizes coordination across the multiple organizations that may be serving the same participant. This guide describes how team-based case management can benefit SNAP E&T participants and provides an implementation checklist and resources for State agencies considering this approach. It highlights innovative approaches from Kentucky, Vermont, and Washington, highlighting how each State adopted team-based case management during the 2014 Farm Bill E&T pilot projects.

Economic Mobility Pathways will host a virtual session on September 27, 2023 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT during which youth-centered programs will share their innovative strategies in the outreach, engagement, and implementation of holistic economic mobility coaching practices for youth and young parents. Topics include differences in goal setting, community building, managing burnout, and more.

Workforce GPS will host a virtual session on September 11, 2023 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT that will provide an overview of the many professional development resources available to veteran service providers through National Veterans’ Training Institute. Staff from the Employment and Training Administration, the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, and Management Concepts will provide a refresher on the roles and responsibilities of workforce development staff to ensure effective, integrated, and seamless service delivery to veterans.

The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 introduced changes that require states to report on specific employment and education outcomes for people after they stop receiving TANF cash assistance.  Mirroring the Department of Labor's Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs, these measures cover employment, employment retention, employment earnings, and attainment of a high school degree. This Urban Institute fact sheet is a resource for states, federal staff, and agency leaders implementing the new law.  Drawing insights from the 2018 report called Measuring Employment Outcomes in TANF, the fact sheet helps explain the challenges and opportunities of measuring and interpreting employment outcomes.

Youth adults and young adults with disabilities (Y&YADs) are overrepresented in the justice system. Researchers estimate between 30-60% of youth in correctional facilities have a disability and are at an elevated risk of adverse outcomes, including unemployment and recidivism. The Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) hosted a webinar on August 17, 2023 that provided an overview of approaches states can take to develop effective transition services, highlighted rehabilitation and recovery practices that improve long-term opportunities for justice-involved youth and young adults with disabilities, and discussed educational and economic supports that improve employment outcomes for youth exiting the justice system. The webinar was a followup to an earlier roundtable discussion on the same topic hosted by CAPE-Youth and the White House Office of Public Engagement, as summarized in this brief.

An apprenticeship is an “earn-and-learn” model that combines classroom instruction with on-the-job learning provided by a mentor. It provides training in a specific occupation and delivers occupational skills that are recognized and transferable across employers. Traditionally focused on training for occupations in the building trades, the U.S. Department of Labor aims to expand registered apprenticeship as a workforce training model, including nontraditional industries such as health care and information technology. Although registered apprenticeship programs share key elements, they vary in terms of occupational focus, length, registration agency, and approach. This Urban Institute brief focuses on the three approaches (time-based, competency-based, or hybrid), their considerations, and insights from program sponsors using each approach.