These standards were developed by the Workforce Solutions Collaborative for the City of Philadelphia, which has a high rate of unskilled workers compared to available unskilled jobs. The standards are separated into seven content areas and reflect best practices for high-quality basic skills programs aimed at increasing employment outcomes for individuals. In addition to the standards, a self-assessment tool is included which can be used to determine an agency's capacity to provide services and as a road map to create development plans for future use.

This toolkit provides self-assessment tools for programs seeking to enhance their bridge programs and other transitional services to adult learners. It provides three documents -- the first is the Team Survey, which measures program service usage as perceived by program staff. Next, a Service Usage Evaluation is included, which is designed to give an accurate picture of how services are actually being used. Finally, toolkit users complete a Service Improvement Plan to help prioritize any needed improvements to existing services.

This report was developed for workforce development professionals in the United Kingdom; however, it highlights career pathways and cluster programs in several States. From the profiles of the different programs, lessons learned and policy implications are drawn which are helpful to those in the U.S. wishing to replicate a career pathway model.

This practice brief from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) comes out of the ongoing evaluation of the five Tribal HPOG grantees, each of which was awarded a demonstration grant for a period of five years. Within the Tribal HPOG programs, supportive services are offered alongside the career pathways model used to train students for careers in the health care field. These services are a key component of the programs, as students often face multiple barriers to completing their training. This brief highlights the supports offered by the five programs and examines the similarities and differences among programs.

This toolkit, provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, provides a guide for States and localities interested in developing a career pathways initiative. The toolkit centers around six key elements that are essential to developing an initiative. Promising practices are highlighted, and specific tools are included in this step by step, user friendly resource for human service administrators.

Brookings Center on Children and Families and Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity held an event on December 5, 2012 to examine the impact of the election on programs affecting the poor like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as well as the Earned Tax Credit (EITC). Answers to this and related questions were discussed by a panel of experts.

The United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report that examined long-term unemployment (more than 27 weeks), entry into and out of long-term spells of unemployment, and the effect of long-term unemployment on average wages. The period of study covered the mid-1980s through 2009. More than 22 percent of the men in the study experienced at least one long-term spell of unemployment from their labor market entry through 2009. On average, the first long-term unemployment spell lasted 55 weeks. The majority of men eventually found another job, although the average hourly wage declined more than 17 percent from two years before the beginning of the first long-term unemployment spell to the year after it began. Hourly wages began to trend upwards in the years following the first long-term unemployment spell. However, four years after onset of the first long-term unemployment spell, average hourly wages were still at seven percent below what they were four years before the spell began.

This U.S. Census Bureau report shows that the number of households with children under 18 who had at least one unemployed parent rose by 33 percent, from 2.4 million to 3.2 million, between 2005 and 2011. In some States, the rise was much sharper. Using statistics from the American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, the report provides an updated picture of the composition and living arrangements of families and households in the U.S. It covers specific topics such as same-sex couple households, young adults living in their parents' home, and multigenerational households.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy released the "Soft Skills to Pay the Bills" video series and discussion guide on DVD. The activities in this publication were created to provide an introduction to the "basics" of soft skills. These materials have been designed with youth service professionals in mind – specifically, those working with in-school and out-of-school youth, ages 14 to 21, on career and workforce readiness skills. The basic foundation for the structure of these activities includes convenience, cost-effectiveness, and creativity.

The National Governors' Association (NGA) announced a new year-long initiative, detailed in the brief, "America Works: Education and Training for Tomorrow's Jobs." The initiative will concentrate on improvement of the education and workforce training systems, as well as alignment of those systems with the needs of individual State economies.