Reaching both job seekers and employers can be especially challenging in rural areas. This WorkforceGPS webinar recording shares outreach strategies that help connect workers with workforce services and employment opportunities. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners can use the ideas shared to improve recruitment, strengthen employer relationships, and expand awareness of available services among families who may not regularly engage with the workforce system. A PowerPoint presentation and transcript are also provided.

This Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility Technical Assistance Center technical assistance resource focuses on transportation coordination for people participating in employment and training programs. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners can use it to identify transportation solutions that support work activities, job training, and career development. By helping TANF programs coordinate across other social services, the resource can improve access to employment opportunities and reduce transportation-related disruptions.

This webpage highlights KANSASWORKS’ mobile workforce center that brings employment services to rural and underserved communities. This is a practical example of how workforce agencies can meet people where they are. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can use the model to explore joint outreach events, job fairs, skills workshops, and other collaborative activities that make employment services more accessible to participants.

Supportive services—such as childcare, transportation, housing assistance, and career coaching—can make the difference between participating in employment services and successfully reaching long-term goals. This National Skills Coalition resource highlights how these supports can help people overcome everyday barriers that can prevent them from finding and keeping a job. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, this resource can offer practical ideas for strengthening service delivery by connecting families with the resources they need to participate in work activities, training, and education. Whether reviewing your program's supportive services or looking for new partnerships, this resource can help TANF practitioners better meet families where they are and support lasting economic stability.

Helping families achieve economic security requires more than employment services. This Child Trends brief examines Virginia's Comprehensive Health Investment Project, a comprehensive case management program that helps families with low incomes meet immediate needs, such as housing and other basic supports, while also working toward long-term education and employment goals. The findings show how a whole-family approach can improve employment outcomes over time. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners can use these insights to strengthen case management, build partnerships with community providers, and better connect families with the coordinated supports they need to achieve lasting economic stability.

With funding from the U.S. Department of Labor, Jobs for the Future (JFF) partnered with organizations across 24 states to expand pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeship programs that create career pathways for young people ages 16–24. This JFF resource explores what can help participants successfully transition from pre-apprenticeship into Registered Apprenticeships and where common barriers exist. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners can use these insights to strengthen career pathways for youth and young adults, build partnerships with apprenticeship programs, and connect participants to in-demand careers that lead to long-term employment and economic stability.

Approximately one in seven young people in New York City between the ages of 16 and 24 are not in school or not working. This MDRC brief examines the Advance & Earn program, which combines education, career coaching, and paid work experiences to help young adults build skills and prepare for employment. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs serving opportunity youth can use these findings to explore strategies for engaging young adults who face barriers to work, supporting them as they complete training and creating stronger pathways to long-term employment and economic independence.

The Workforce Pell initiative expands federal Pell Grant eligibility to certain short-term training programs, creating new opportunities for individuals seeking credentials that can lead to employment in high-demand industries. As states and training providers begin implementing the program, understanding how Workforce Pell will operate is essential for workforce and human services professionals.

This Jobs for the Future roadmap provides a practical overview of Workforce Pell, including eligibility requirements, the role states play in approving programs, and key implementation considerations. It also highlights the challenges states and institutions may face as they build the systems needed to support eligible nondegree credential programs.

For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, the Workforce Pell has potential to increase access to financial aid for participants pursuing short-term training that aligns with employment goals. This resource can help TANF programs understand emerging opportunities, identify eligible training pathways, and prepare to connect participants with programs as they become available.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public input on the modernization of CareerOneStop and O*NET, two key workforce information resources used by job seekers, workforce professionals, and employment service providers nationwide. The effort is intended to improve access to career exploration, training, labor market information, and employment resources through a more user-friendly, mobile-accessible platform with enhanced functionality.

DOL is specifically seeking feedback from workforce practitioners, state and local workforce agencies, and other stakeholders on how these tools can better support frontline service delivery, reflect regional labor market needs, and improve the user experience for job seekers. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, this RFI is an opportunity to share insights on how clients with employment barriers interact with career and workforce information systems and identify enhancements that could strengthen case management and employment outcomes. Comments will be accepted through August 10, 2026.

The core mission of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is helping families reach self-sufficiency, but that goal is much harder when a parent is trying to go to school, raise children, and hold a job at the same time, all without reliable childcare or transportation. A two-generation (2Gen) approach tries to solve for the whole family at once by supporting parents' education and careers while investing in children's development. This report from Jobs for the Future examines Rising Futures Maine, an initiative that invests in community-based organizations as local 2Gen leaders that connect student parents to education and career pathways. The work spans three counties and includes models focused on cohort-based coaching, barrier removal, industry credentials, and even a father-focused pilot addressing long-standing gaps in engaging noncustodial parents. For TANF practitioners, this resource looks at what it takes, operationally and relationally, to support parents as both caregivers and students. The recommendations the report offers on sustaining funding, protecting income supports, and using data on student parents are directly applicable to how TANF programs are designed and prioritized.