Non-degree credentials continue to gain attention and investment from workers, employers, and states, making it critical to ensure these credentials lead to good jobs and equitable outcomes. Given the significant role of life circumstances in people’s ability to enroll in and complete postsecondary programs, access to holistic supports, like food, housing, childcare, and emergency aid, along with career and academic coaching, and student-centered, family-friendly campus policies, should be a key component of evaluating the quality of non-degree pathways. The National Skills Coalition (NSC) hosted a Policy Action Lab to focus on expanding holistic support for students pursuing quality non-degree pathways. The event brought together more than sixty postsecondary, workforce, human services, and advocacy leaders from twenty states to examine state progress, innovations, and promising strategies tied to providing holistic supports to students pursuing quality, career-oriented non-degree programs and pathways at community and technical colleges. This NSC resource highlights key themes and considerations, as shared by states.

Despite rising college costs, a postsecondary education remains one of the most reliable pathways to good jobs and well-paying careers in the United States. Postsecondary education carries an immense earnings premium: One recent study found that a bachelor’s degree holder earns about $964,000 more over their lifetime than someone with a high school education. However, access to higher education remains strongly divided by demographic factors such as race and socioeconomic status. Programs that promote postsecondary access for underrepresented groups remain more important than ever; one such program is Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), which helps increase college enrollment and success for low-income students. This Center for American Progress resource describes GEAR UP, their services, and program outcomes.

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) annual block grant dedicates $16.5 billion in federal funds for states to support families with financial need, for instance through monthly cash assistance and through nonrecurrent short term benefits (NRSTs). While ongoing cash assistance comes with several restrictions, including work requirements, NRSTs have more flexibility, both in terms of who is eligible and what actions are required of recipients. Research has shown that cash payments can have strong positive outcomes for parents and children, including improved health, reduced child abuse and neglect, better education and work opportunities, and increased food, housing, and financial security. This Urban Institute summary provides an overview of key facts and considerations related to using TANF funds to support certain types of cash transfers to families with low incomes.

States have broad flexibility over the use of state and federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds, and many have used that flexibility to divert funds away from income support for families and toward other state budget areas often unrelated to TANF’s goals. In 2021, states spent only about a fifth of the funds on basic assistance to meet essential needs of families with children; yet research shows that investments in cash assistance can improve academic, health, and economic outcomes for children in families in poverty. This Center on Budget and Policy Priorities resource consists of fact sheets for every state, detailing how each spends its TANF funds.

In today's rapidly evolving job market, the importance of social capital, connections, and robust networks for youth career success cannot be overstated. Social capital plays a critical role in helping young people navigate the complexities of career development, and building it requires intentional effort and strategic planning. The National Youth Employment Coalition is hosting a webinar on September 26, 2024 at 2:30 p.m. ET to discuss the transformative power of social capital and potential strategies to help young people build it.

Recent research has explored the delivery of human services programs in rural contexts, identifying promising models for service delivery and highlighting remaining needs. This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation research brief uses data from the National Evaluation of the 2nd Generation of Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG 2.0) to further examine human services delivery in rural areas. The brief explores variation in participant characteristics between programs in rural and non-rural areas; implementation strategies and challenges for programs operating in rural areas; and differences in impacts on participant outcomes between participants in rural and non-rural programs. The discussion of implementation strategies and challenges for programs highlights some service delivery challenges reported by both rural and non-rural program staff, but specifically focuses on strategies that rural program staff use to mitigate those challenges.

The National Governors Association (NGA) selected Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, and North Carolina to participate in the Policy Academy to Strengthen Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) Delivery. These four states will receive technical assistance through the policy academy to identify and address barriers to successfully implementing SNAP E&T programs in their states. This NGA resource describes how workforce and human services agencies in these states will receive technical assistance to elevate their SNAP E&T programs to drive more resources and opportunities for economic self-sufficiency.

This Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Network and National Indian Child Welfare Association fact sheet highlights the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe (PGST) Kinship Parenting Program. The PGST Kinship Parenting Program provides outreach and support to kin caregivers and their families in Kitsap County, Washington, including helping them identify and connect to services such as childcare, behavioral health, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), TANF non-needy (child-only) grants, assistance with Social Security Income and other paperwork, and much more. Other tribal nations and service providers can utilize the outlined practices as a guide as they develop or modify their own programming that best aligns with their community values, needs, and resources.

The Rehabilitation Services Administration funds the Disability Innovation Fund-Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment (SWTCIE) projects designed to decrease subminimum wage employment and increase competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities currently employed in or contemplating subminimum wage employment. This Mathematica practice brief explores how SWTCIE staff promote their projects to potential participants and employers. It summarizes interviews with four SWTCIE projects from agencies in Connecticut, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Texas. The brief shares promising practices including (1) meeting people where they are and proactively addressing their concerns, (2) engaging a wide network in their communities, (3) consulting external resources such as communications firms to shape their branding, and (4) promoting success stories and using family and peer mentors. The lessons learned could help vocational rehabilitation agencies and other organizations interested in implementing aspects of their programs.