This report evaluates four grantees of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Ready to Work (RTW) Partnership Grant (RTW) program. RTW assists the long-term unemployed—persons who have been out of work for at least 6 months—in finding jobs and succeeding in the labor market. Support services include career guidance, occupational training, employment readiness, job search assistance, and work-based training. The evaluation, which covers a four-year period from 2014 to 2018, reviews RTW implementation among four grantees: the Maryland Tech Connection program at the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation; California Skills to Work in Technology/Job Search Accelerator at San Francisco’s Jewish Vocational Service; Finger Lakes Hired at RochesterWorks! (Monroe County, New York); and Reboot Northwest at Worksystems, Inc. in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington.

This brief reviews how seven programs that combine substance use disorder treatment and recovery with employment services transitioned to meet service delivery challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief, part of the Building Evidence on Employment Strategies project, also reviews how the programs responded to increased substance misuse and overdoses during the initial months of the COVID-19 crisis.

This case study explores the employment programs for youth and services for families, housed at the Community Action Organization (CAO) of Scioto County (Ohio). Highlighting the Comprehensive Case Management and Employment Program (CCMEP) for youth and a behavioral health unit for adults and youth, the case study notes where it operates; what services the Employment and Workforce Division provides; how participants access CAO services; key CAO partners and their roles; how CAO is funded; and future plans to enhance services.

This case study illustrates the operations and practices of Climb Wyoming (Climb), a nonprofit organization working to help low-income, single mothers achieve self-sufficiency at six locations in Wyoming. The case study highlights where Climb operates; who Climb serves; what services Climb provides; how Climb is organized, staffed, and funded; how Climb uses data to monitor program outcomes; and promising practices, remaining challenges, and future plans.

This report offers four case studies of rural youth apprenticeships in Maine, Arizona, Missouri, and Mississippi, the challenges for each of the respective regions, and their strategies for success. The report begins with a definition of youth apprenticeships and elaborates on the benefits and obstacles in designing, implementing, and sustaining rural apprenticeships.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report synthesizes lessons learned and initial findings from HPOG University Partnerships 2.0 (HPOG UP 2.0) research grants awarded in 2016 to Brandeis University, Loyola University-Chicago, and Northwestern University. Under HPOG UP 2.0, researchers were required to partner with HPOG grantees. The report identifies the research methodologies for each grantee and takeaways during the four years of project-related research. It also illustrates how the university partnerships with these grantees grew and how the research conducted was implemented in specific, action-oriented practice.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report presents evaluation findings of the Instituto del Progreso Latino’s Carreras en Salud program. Carreras en Salud supports low-income, low-skilled Latino adults in Chicago in accessing and completing occupational training in nursing, which can result in improved outcomes in employment and earnings. Carreras en Salud is one of nine programs examined under the Administration for Children and Families’ Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education project.

This June 29, 2021 Annie E. Casey Foundation webinar presented findings from a study of 26 young parents with foster care experience. The webinar explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives and covered multiple themes: employment disruptions, economic hardships, educational challenges, mental health challenges, insufficient resources, barriers to receiving services, and silver linings.

Through the TANF Works! Series, the Office of Family Assistance seeks to disseminate information about promising practices within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) field that can be scaled or adapted by other programs. The series includes three components:

• Emerging Practices Series – Special topics briefs and a three-part webinar series share strategies implemented by TANF programs to help low-income individuals gain and maintain employment.
• TANF-WIOA Collaboration Series – Fourteen case statements highlight the collaboration between TANF and WIOA agencies in 19 locations across nine states to improve service coordination for job seekers.
• Coaching for Success Series – This toolkit offers strategies for integrating client-centered coaching practices into TANF programs. Resources include topical webinars, tip sheets, and multi-page guides.

TANF Works! is part of the Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) project, which supports TANF agencies and their partners in identifying, adopting, and sharing innovative practices to improve employment outcomes for low-income individuals.

Next spring, the Administration for Children and Families will launch the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse, a new website to help TANF administrators and other program providers make evidence-informed decisions, so that they can design effective programs to help low-income individuals find and succeed in employment. On Monday, July 29, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. ET, members of the Pathways team will lead a panel discussion at the National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics (NAWRS) conference in New Orleans to preview the website and gather feedback to inform its ongoing development.

Want to attend the panel, but unable to attend the conference in person? Join Mathematica’s Facebook Live event broadcasting the discussion: https://www.facebook.com/MathematicaNow.