USAID and the International Youth Foundation put together this report to help youth providers conduct labor market assessments to design demand-driven training programs. The authors provide eight steps to conducting a labor market assessment. First, an organization must assemble a group of advisors and then set goals for the labor market assessment and devise key research questions. Next, they identify target sectors, conduct field research to understand the local labor dynamics of those sectors, and review the findings. Finally, the organization designs the training program and then rechecks and redesigns the training as necessary. The toolkit also includes tips, case studies, and ways to adapt the assessment process to more challenging regions.

This Jobs for the Future report provides recommendations for state community college systems to use real-time labor market information to build better middle-skill pathways in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). First, the authors provide an overview about the hidden middle-skill STEM market and real-time labor market information. Next, they provide five recommendations to support the use of real-time LMI to develop middle-skill STEM pathways. Those recommendations include using real-time LMI as a long-term change strategy, strengthening state-level data systems to support real-time LMI, providing technical assistance to use real-time LMI, and integrating real-time LMI into critical ongoing decision-making.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration developed a series of online training modules to teach workforce development agencies how to use labor market information. There are five modules available that provide an introduction to LMI and detail how to apply it for job seekers, skills assessment, re-employment, and businesses. There is also a customizable version of the training that workforce development professionals can use in their own states.

Career One Stop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, provides a directory of Website links to state and national career and labor market information offices. Users can search by state to find a state profile with employment trends data, employment-related resources, and the website link to the state’s labor market information office, if available.

Child abuse prevention programs have begun to focus on strengthening families to prevent abuse, as opposed to only targeting risk factors. Father involvement with children is one of these protective factors and is associated with improved child well-being. This brief from the Child & Family Research Partnership discusses the relationship between involved fathers and protective factors against abuse in families, including knowledge of parenting and connection to social supports.

In this three-part podcast series, the Child Welfare Information Gateway presents information about the importance of father involvement in the lives of children, as well as suggestions for engaging fathers and working with fatherhood organizations. In Parts 1 and 2, leaders from fatherhood organizations share some benefits of father involvement, tips for locating local noncustodial fathers, and insights into the perspective of fathers. In Part 3, a partnership between a child welfare agency and fatherhood program in South Carolina is discussed.

This report from Brookings discusses the impact of tax refunds—primarily the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit—on helping families out of poverty. Research indicates that the EITC benefits recipients in a variety of ways, including by increasing adult workforce participation and improving child health. The report includes a link to the recently updated Brookings EITC Interactive, which provides IRS data on the zip code level about where EITC filers live and additional information about the filers. Data like this can help practitioners target their work toward helping eligible families obtain assistance.