This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation white paper is a follow-up to a roundtable convened in January 2019 which examined the status of and future directions for employment and training research. The white paper covers three key areas: what has been learned from prior research studies and what are the current federally funded research and evaluation efforts on employment and training programs for low-income populations; what contextual factors and trends will affect the labor market and consequently low-income workers’ future employment and earning prospects; and what topics and questions arose as common themes in roundtable discussions.

On July 15, 2020, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET, there will be a virtual tour of the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse, a new resource funded by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families. Designed to meet the needs of employment service providers and support TANF administrators’ use of evidence-based practices, the Pathways Clearinghouse provides free, reliable, and accessible information about what works to help job seekers with low incomes find and sustain employment. The launch event will feature a discussion with an expert panel, including Naomi Goldstein and Kim Clum from OPRE, to explore how the website identifies interventions designed to improve employment outcomes, reduce employment challenges, and support self-sufficiency for people with low incomes.

This report illustrates the demand for digital literacy skills and its consequences. The report contains data on the lack of digital literacy within the current workforce, where digital skill gaps occur across industries and occupations, and how digital skill gaps affect worker earnings and business competitiveness. The report also presents findings about digital skill gaps by demographic groups to include age, sex and race.

This tool relies on state-provided or other public data to support early childhood stakeholders in calculating the funds needed to increase early childhood workforce qualifications. The calculator enables the user to set the program type (for example, Head Start, Pre-K, or other center-based programs), child age group (infant-toddler and/or pre-K), and teacher category (lead and/or assistant teacher). Other data to be inputted include number of early childhood educators, current educational qualifications of the existing workforce; whether the teacher has the required credentials; and average tuition costs, on a statewide basis, for two-year and four-year degree programs.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report reviews data collection and performance measurement improvements that will be used to evaluate the next cohort of Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) grantees in late 2020. The review examines three key areas: what changes to the HMRF performance measures would improve the usefulness, quality, and clarity of data collected; what enhancements to Information, Family Outcomes, Reporting, and Management (nFORM) (the data collection system through which grantees submit data) would increase data quality and improve user experience and data access; and what training and technical assistance activities would help grantees when using nFORM. The review is drawn from lessons learned from the 2015 cohort of HMRF grantees.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Unemployment Insurance has issued a set of resources on reemployment services that are available for unemployment insurance claimants and employer recruitment services. These tools and strategies for supporting service delivery include My Reemployment Plan, Pathway to Reemployment Framework, and information about Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments Grants.

This referral guide helps fatherhood practitioners better understand what types of referrals are appropriate for individuals who have survived domestic violence. The brief also includes information on anger management programs, battering intervention programs, and domestic violence agencies. This guide was created through the Preventing and Addressing Intimate Violence when Engaging Dads (PAIVED) study, which was funded by the Office of Family Assistance and overseen by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation.

This tip sheet identifies five tips that support program staff members’ effectiveness while offering high-quality services to participants in a virtual environment. The tips also provide guidance on protecting participant confidentiality, which is a principal challenge in remote communications. These tips cover how practitioners can create a plan for remote service delivery, connect with participants, set up staff members for success at home, maximize participant engagement, and adjust plans to support staff members as needed.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report covers results of the second round of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program from the beginning of the Program (September 30, 2015) through its fourth year (September 29, 2019). This assessment examines the characteristics of HPOG 2.0 program participants, the activities in which they engaged, and their employment outcomes.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation is hosting a webinar on July 22, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. ET to discuss fiscal approaches for implementing the Family First Prevention Services Act. The discussion will include guidance on budget preparation of evidence-based programs. Presenters will provide tips on how to develop estimates on staffing and needed resources for prevention services administration, estimate matching Title IV-E revenue, and forecast cost savings from out-of-home placements as a result of successful prevention services. Presenters include representatives of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Mainspring Consulting, and the Hawaii Department of Human Services.