This issue brief from MDRC highlights key findings about job training programs that lead to success with various populations, including youth and dislocated workers. Of particular importance are programs with employer engagement and programs that are career-focused, both of which have been shown to be effective when implemented correctly. The brief shares recent innovations in career training as well as lessons learned from successful programs.

In this fact sheet from the Urban Institute, several ways in which states can promote economic development through investment in the workforce are profiled. Occupational and job training, customized training programs, workforce intermediaries, and apprenticeship programs are all discussed as strategies to help states build a skilled labor pool. In turn, the influx of skilled workers can promote economic development by meeting employer needs and supporting the growth of new business.

In this report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, data on young children who have stayed in emergency homeless shelters is examined to measure child well-being 20 months after a stay in a shelter. The report considers pre-reading skills, pre-math skills, developmental delays, and behavior challenges to see if homelessness has an impact on these indicators of child well-being, using national norms for young children as a comparison. Also considered are links between a lack of housing or child care stability and well-being.