National implementation evaluation of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) to serve TANF recipients and other low-income individuals: Interim outcome study report

Record Description

The Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program funds training programs in high-demand healthcare professions, targeted to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low-income individuals. This report is part of the HPOG National Implementation Evaluation (NIE) and provides interim results on the key outcomes of HPOG healthcare training completion and employment, as well as on participants’ pre-training activities and receipt of support services and employment assistance. This study includes 27 HPOG grantees and the report provides information about the first 12 months of HPOG participation for 8,634 individuals. (author abstract)

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2013-12-31T19:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2014-01-01

PACE career pathways program profile: Year Up

Record Description

A substantial skills gap exists between the education and training of the labor force and the needs of employers in many high growth industries, including healthcare and manufacturing. This gap results in unemployment while good paying jobs go unfilled. At the same time, many low-skilled adults persist in low wage work with little opportunity for advancement.

Career pathways programs, like Year Up, are an approach to fill a vital need for skilled workers in the economy and offer low-wage workers the opportunity to obtain occupational and other skills and advance into the middle class.

This brief was produced by Abt Associates as part of the Innovative Strategies to Increase Self-Sufficiency (ISIS) project, a random assignment evaluation of nine promising career pathways programs that aim to improve employment and self-sufficiency outcomes for low-income, low-skilled individuals. (author abstract)

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2013-12-31T19:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2014-01-01

Health Profession Opportunity Grants: Year three annual report (2012-2013)

Record Description

This Annual Report provides a snapshot of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program at the end of its third year of operation. The report summarizes program operations and participant activity and outcomes from HPOG’s inception through the third year of grantee activities. (author abstract)

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2013-12-31T19:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2014-01-01

Career Pathways

Record Description
In April 2012, the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor released a letter endorsing the concept of “Career Pathways” as a promising approach to address the country’s challenge of how to prepare workers of all skill levels to participate fully in the country’s economic future. This challenge lies at the intersection of each department’s domains of expertise, and no solution can become fully functional without engaging each department’s constituency. The Departments defined Career Pathways as a series of connected education and training strategies and support services that enable individuals to secure industry relevant certification and obtain employment within an occupational area and to advance to higher levels of future education and employment in that area. In the Career Pathways initiatives sponsored by the departments to date, we have seen roles for each department’s stakeholders. The education community takes a lead on providing classroom-based learning, and then partners with business and workforce development professionals to create workplace-based learning opportunities. These connections help businesses meet short-term staffing needs and grow a next generation of skilled employees. At the same time, the human services field supports workers in balancing their educational, professional, and family responsibilities while they make this investment in their future. What makes these activities a true Career Pathways initiative is the commitment to cross-agency partnerships that identifies the strengths and needs of each partner and uses that expertise to build the pathway.
Record Type
Combined Date
2014-07-17T10:30:32
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County

PACE career pathways program profile: Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) program

Record Description

A substantial skills gap exists between the education and training of the labor force and the needs of employers in many high growth industries, including healthcare and manufacturing. This gap results in unemployment while good paying jobs go unfilled. At the same time, many low-skilled adults persist in low wage work with little opportunity for advancement.

Career pathways programs, like the Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) Program, are an approach to fill a vital need for skilled workers in the economy and offer low-wage workers the opportunity to obtain occupational and other skills and advance into the middle class.

This brief was produced by Abt Associates as part of the Innovative Strategies to Increase Self-Sufficiency (ISIS) project, a random assignment evaluation of nine promising career pathways programs that aim to improve employment and self-sufficiency outcomes for low-income, low-skilled individuals. (author abstract)

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2013-12-31T19:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2014-01-01

PACE career pathways program profile: Des Moines area community college Workforce Training Academy Connect program

Record Description

A substantial skills gap exists between the education and training of the labor force and the needs of employers in many high growth industries, including healthcare and manufacturing. This gap results in unemployment while good paying jobs go unfilled. At the same time, many low-skilled adults persist in low wage work with little opportunity for advancement.

Career pathways programs, like the Workforce Training Academy Connect (WTA Connect) Program, are an approach to fill a vital need for skilled workers in the economy and offer low-wage workers the opportunity to obtain occupational and other skills and advance into the middle class.

This brief was produced by Abt Associates as part of the Innovative Strategies to Increase Self-Sufficiency (ISIS) project, a random assignment evaluation of nine promising career pathways programs that aim to improve employment and self-sufficiency outcomes for low-income, low-skilled individuals. (author abstract)

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2013-12-31T19:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2014-01-01

State Opportunities for Reconnecting Young Adults to Education, Skills Training and Employment

Record Description

The Working Poor Families Project released a policy brief that explores ways to connect young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 years old to education and training programs borne out of state level policies and interventions.

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2013-09-30T20:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2013-10-01
Innovative Programs

Training Futures

Mission/Goal of Program

Training Futures, a program of Northern Virginia Family Service trains low-income, underemployed or unemployed individuals in office and health care job skills and provides job development services.  Training Futures was launched in 1996 and has since trained more than 2,200 people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Within six months of graduation, 72% of trainees secure full-time employment in an office environment. The employment rate of graduates far exceeds those of other national programs, placing Training Futures in the top-performing echelon.

Programs/Services Offered

Training Futures delivers a 25-week program that includes 17 weeks of curriculum in critical office skills and software, including Microsoft Office Suite software, keyboarding, business communication, customer service, business math, and filing. The Training Futures program is operated as a business site; trainees attend classes Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Trainees are expected to dress professionally – the program provides each student with three professional outfits – and students must be on time and attend classes regularly.

A key part of the Training Futures experience is the 3-week internship. Training Futures staff arranges internships with local employers by carefully matching trainees’ strengths to “job orders” placed by an employer. Trainees report to that employer during the same hours that they attend the training session. To support participants’ job search, Training Futures provides skills training in resume development and interviewing; hosts job fairs where employers interview participants on-site; provides office equipment for participants and graduates, such as computers, Internet access, fax, and telephones; facilitates job clubs where participants offer support to one another; and provides ongoing coaching from the trainers and volunteers during the job search process.

In 2008, the program was selected as one of six sites nationwide to be a participant with the Aspen Institute’s Courses to Employment three-year Demonstration Project. A study released by the Aspen Institute about Training Futures shows 94% of trainees complete the program. 84% of Training Futures graduates go on to find employment after program completion with an average of $6,000 annual wage gain. 84% of completers gain college credit for their work at TF.

Start Date
Monday, January 1, 1996
Type of Agency/Organization
Community-based Organization
City
Vienna
State
Virginia
Geographic Reach
Onesite
Clientele/Population Served
Low income; 200% of FPL or less or TANF
Topics/Subtopics
Employment
Job Development and Placement
Education and Training
Career Pathways
Innovative Programs

Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative

Mission/Goal of Program

Started in 2005, Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative (CPI) is a partnership between community colleges, workforce development agencies, employers, social service providers, driven by two-state agencies, Arkansas Department of Higher Education and Department of Workforce Services. Arkansas CPI is aimed at providing marketable educational credentials to low-income individuals for immediate entry into a high demand occupation or higher education. Arkansas CPI improves working relationships between public systems and pre-established programs and services in order to assist low-income individuals in acquiring workplace skills that ultimately lead to economic self-sufficiency and reduced Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) reliance.

The program has expanded from 11 to 25 community colleges throughout Arkansas, providing training in local high- demand occupations and career fields. Career Pathways initiative serves current and former transitional employment assistance (TEA) recipients, or TANF eligible students, currently or newly enrolled at one of the participating public two-year colleges in Arkansas or in a program administered by participating two-year colleges.

Programs/Services Offered

Programs that Arkansas CPI offers include adult General Education Development (GED), English as a Second Language (ESL), and basic education courses. The educational pathways developed by the initiative include: WAGE, Employability Certificate, Career Readiness Certificate, Certificates of Proficiency, Technical Certificates, and Associates Degrees. These certificate courses provide participants with skills in specific fields and provide training in areas such as computer literacy. Another program offered is the Bridge Program which prepares students for credit-based courses that result in college credentials.

Participants in the program are paired with a community outreach coordinator who works with the participant to create individual career plans and overcome barriers they may be facing. The coordinator also serves as a liaison between the participant and employers and/or other program coordinators. This relationship allows the participant to take full advantage of Arkansas Career Pathways Opportunities. 

Start Date
Thursday, September 1, 2005
Type of Agency/Organization
Other Public Agency
City
Little Rock
State
Arkansas
Geographic Reach
Multisite
Clientele/Population Served
TANF participants
Topics/Subtopics
Education and Training
Career Pathways

Tribal Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program evaluation: Interim report

Record Description

This Interim Report provides an overview of the tribal HPOG grantees’ progress over the first two years of the program with initial evaluation findings organized around program structure, program processes, and education and employment outcomes. The report also summarizes the evaluation questions and methodology. The report was written by the Tribal HPOG evaluation team, comprised of NORC at the University of Chicago, Red Star Innovations and the National Indian Health Board. (author abstract)

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2013-12-31T19:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2014-01-01