This report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation details the implementation and early impacts of the Bridge to Employment in the Healthcare Industry Program in San Diego. The San Diego Workforce Partnership (SDWP) used an Individual Training Account (ITA) model to help low-income individuals pay for training in the healthcare industry. Using funding from the Health Profession Opportunity Grant, SDWP contracted with three local organizations that operated the program in different areas of San Diego. The program included assessment, case management, ITAs, employment services, and support services, such as transportation, child care, and temporary housing. Early findings showed that participants who received the ITA and support services were more likely than the control group to participate in health care training, receive a credential, and work in a health care job.

The Pathways to Healthcare Program at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona was one of nine career pathways programs being evaluated under the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) study. Abt Associates issued this report to document implementation and early impacts of this study, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation. The researchers found that the program was implemented as intended, with more than 60% of the treatment group participating in either basic skills or occupational training. The treatment group was also more likely to enroll in college occupational training, earn college credentials, and participate in advising and support services than the control group.

This report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce offers five ways to better integrate education and workforce data to improve career pathways for students. Those five ways include: using education projections, business expansion, and workforce quality tools; aligning education programs with labor market demand; aligning curriculum with workforce requirements; providing counseling and career pathways tools for advisors; and conducting job placement and skills gap analyses. Each section provides examples of how states have used the five ways to improve education and employment outcomes for students completing a career pathway.

This report from the Department of Labor provides an overview of the evidence behind effective job training programs for youth and adults. For adults, the evidence supports post-secondary education related to an in-demand field, employer engagement, and job training that is closely related to a real job or occupation. There is less evidence on what works for youth, but early experience to career and higher education information and work experience can be beneficial. The report concludes with next steps to expand what works and fill the gaps in evidence.

This brief from the Urban Institute provides a framework for why workforce programs and employers must engage with one another. First, the brief presents the challenges that workforce programs may face when engaging employers. Employers may not see the value in partnering with workforce programs or may be wary of working with the government or nonprofits. Then, the brief discusses why employers become involved in workforce programs, why workforce programs engage employers, and how employers are involved in workforce programs. Employers can play a variety of roles in a workforce program, such as oversight, program design, program delivery, recruitment and hiring, and financial or in-kind resources. The report concludes by describing how employers can become partners with workforce programs under WIOA.

Higher family incomes are associated with a variety of positive effects on child well-being, and by connecting parents to career pathways in high-demand industries, states can foster more family stability. In this brief from Ascend at the Aspen Institute, the ways in which TANF funding can be used to support career pathway programs are discussed. The brief provides recommendations to help states increase access to career pathways (e.g., state and local service coordination), as well as a discussion of some benefits of gradually phasing out critical supports as parents start on the path to stable careers.

Integrated Education and Training (IET) helps adults prepare for the workforce by combining basic skills training with training for in-demand occupations. In this report, compiled by CLASP, research about IET is presented, as well as guidelines for how IET fits into career pathways efforts. Funding for IET programs and additional services that can be offered to participants in IET programs (e.g., career navigation) are also discussed.

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.

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.