This new career pathways website is a hub for information about career pathways research from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE). It includes the PACE study, the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) research portfolio, and other programs being evaluated.

The career pathways approach can improve fragmented and broken educational pipelines. The approach links education and training services to help students advance to higher levels of education and employment in a given sector. The career pathways framework combines adult education, training, and postsecondary programs and connects those with employers’ needs. This toolkit, developed by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), is intended to help interagency state teams identify and use federal resources to support career pathways models. It also includes summaries of various federal programs that may strengthen states’ career pathways initiatives by providing more ways to obtain support services for students.

This report focuses on TANF recipients’ engagement and experiences in the HPOG Program, with the goal of helping understand how HPOG programs serve TANF recipients and developing hypotheses for further study. Specifically, this report uses preliminary data to describe observed differences — and possible reasons for the differences — in the participation, outcomes, and experiences of two types of HPOG participants: (1) Those receiving TANF benefits when they begin an HPOG program, and (2) Those not receiving TANF when they begin an HPOG program. The report then addresses why TANF recipient participation levels vary across HPOG programs and identifies strategies programs used to engage the TANF population and work cooperatively with local TANF agencies. (author abstract) 

This brief provides an overview of the College of Menominee Nation (CMN) Tribal HPOG program, key findings to date, and stories from students who have participated in the program. The CMN Tribal HPOG program offers a Nursing Career Ladder to allow students to progress from the Pre-Nursing Assistant level through to the Registered Nurse level. Based on qualitative data from interviews with administrative and program implementation staff, focus groups with students, phone interviews with program completers and non-completers, as well as administrative data, findings focus on program structures, processes, and outcomes. (author abstract) 

The Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Impact Study is being designed to demonstrate how variations in program services affect program impacts. The literature on promising and innovative career pathways programs, especially in health care, is quite limited. As such, the HPOG Impact Study will fill a void in the sectoral training and career pathways literature about both program effectiveness and which types of programs or program components are most effective. Key evaluation questions that will be addressed in the study include:

1. What impacts do HPOG programs have on outcomes of interest?
2. To what extent to these impacts vary by subgroups of interest?
3. To what extent does HPOG program participation (in particular components, with particular dosage) have an impact on outcomes of interest?
4. To what extent do various HPOG program models or components have varying impacts?
5. To what extent do specific program enhancements have impacts, relative to the “standard” HPOG program?
6. How does parental participation in various HPOG program models and components affect outcomes for children? (author abstract) 

This practice brief is part of a series being developed by the Tribal HPOG evaluation team, comprised of NORC at the University of Chicago, Red Star Innovations and the National Indian Health Board (NIHB). The briefs will be used to disseminate important lessons learned and findings from the Evaluation of the Tribal Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program, which is sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The HPOG program was established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to support 32 demonstration projects, including 5 Tribal Organizations and Colleges, to train Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low-income individuals as healthcare professionals. The Tribal HPOG program aims to meet local healthcare demands by increasing the number of well-trained health professionals in tribal communities. The program uses a career pathways approach where students advance through related trainings that build on each other to deepen students’ healthcare knowledge and skills. This practice brief presents an overview of post-secondary education in tribal communities, including background about Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs); describes the economic status and employment rates of American Indians/Alaska Natives; provides data on American Indian/Alaska Native representation in healthcare professions, and discusses the benefits of greater diversity in the healthcare workforce; describes tribal educational opportunities and pipeline programs; and illustrates how the Tribal HPOG program is helping to bridge gaps by providing opportunities for native education, training, and employment. (author abstract)