This National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) toolkit offers strategies for designing workforce programs that strengthen career pathways, sector partnerships, and participant-centered engagement. It shares the main findings of NCAI’s ongoing research examining the innovative approaches to workforce development that Tribal Nations and other Native-led workforce development entities are forging, how they are achieving success, and why. TANF programs can use it to enhance training access, skill building, and long-term economic stability for families.

This Jobs for the Future toolkit serves as a strategic, action-oriented resource to help intermediaries build data-driven, learner-centered, and employer-aligned pathways to digital jobs. It provides guidance on building digital career pathways, including training design, employer connections, and credential alignment. The toolkit offers practical strategies for TANF programs to support participants in high-growth, technology-driven fields.

This Connecticut Faith Jobs Collaborative webpage highlights cross-sector collaboration to connect participants with training and employment opportunities. Programs can review these partnerships to replicate in creating structured, accessible career pathways for participants.

This faith-based training program combines soft skills, job readiness, and employer engagement. It provides an example of how community partnerships can expand access to career pathways and help participants achieve lasting employment outcomes.

Talent and workforce leaders must actively counteract three major risks – (1) automation outpacing foresight, (2) lagging capability systems, and (3) strategy being dictated by technology – by advocating for internal mobility and upskilling to close projected talent shortfalls. Ultimately, they must view AI adoption as a development opportunity to redefine how capability is built, focusing on outcomes and consciously reinvesting capacity freed by automation to ensure growth and resilience for both the business and its people.

This Aspen Institute playbook explores emerging skills in the AI-driven labor market and offers strategies for workforce upskilling. TANF programs can leverage these approaches to align training with in-demand occupations and prepare participants for sustainable career pathways.

This America Succeeds report highlights the workplace value of durable skills: communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership. TANF programs can integrate these into their case management or training to help participants build foundational and transferable skills for long-term career growth.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs play a critical role in helping families move toward employment, stability, and long-term economic mobility, including through the use of career pathways, which are connected sequences of education, training, and work experiences that help individuals progress through chosen fields. STAR has created a catalog of career pathway toolkits to help TANF programs plan career pathway initiatives. 

To accompany the Career Pathways Toolkit Catalog, these Starter Pathways are designed to help TANF administrators and staff navigate the toolkits more efficiently and intentionally. 

Users can begin with Starter Pathways to identify where to start planning based on their role and quickly access the most relevant toolkit sections based on their career pathways goals.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs play a critical role in helping families move toward employment, stability, and long-term economic mobility, including through the use of career pathways, which are connected sequences of education, training, and work experiences that help individuals progress through chosen fields. STAR has created a catalog of career pathway toolkits to help TANF programs plan career pathway initiatives. 

To accompany the Career Pathways Toolkit Catalog, these Guided Use Cases offer short, practical explainers that show how TANF programs can apply selected tools to common implementation challenges. TANF administrators and staff can use these Guided Use Cases to quickly identify which tools are most relevant, when to use them, and how they can support TANF program goals.

Low literacy and numeracy are prevalent among TANF participants and can be barriers to pursuing education, job training, and employment. Improving literacy and numeracy may improve employment outcomes as adults with higher literacy levels tend to earn more and experience greater job stability.

This tipsheet provides TANF leaders with practical guidance on why and how to use TANF resources to support basic skills development to improve employment outcomes. By investing in foundational skills, TANF agencies can promote long-term self-sufficiency and reduced dependence on government benefits.

This tipsheet suggests ways TANF leaders can use technology to support program participation and participants’ employment outcomes. By investing in technology solutions, TANF agencies may efficiently deliver services that promote participant self-sufficiency and reduce dependence on government benefits. Technology options discussed in this resource include: 

• Virtual service delivery platforms, including digital service hubs, virtual case management tools, and online learning platforms
• Virtual platforms providing access to data and analytics
• Tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) 

This resource also discusses factors for TANF leaders to consider when evaluating potential technology solutions.