Registered Apprenticeships are recognized as a key strategy to improving job quality and creating access to good-paying jobs for all, including populations historically underrepresented – women, people of color, and individuals with a disability – and underserved populations. The U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau will be hosting a webinar on November 16, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. ET to 3:30 p.m. ET to discuss creating access to good-paying jobs for youth and young adult women. It will highlight the importance of educating young women on the advantages of apprenticeship, feature programs and training opportunities, discuss recruitment strategies, and share information on Department of Labor apprenticeship programs.

The success sequence is discussed in the context of policy approaches for reducing poverty and improving economic opportunity for adolescents and young adults. It refers to a series of milestones in life associated with escaping poverty and joining the middle class, most commonly including high school completion, full-time employment, and waiting for marriage to have children. Policy approaches influenced by the success sequence theory emphasize educational programming and public awareness campaigns to spread knowledge around the importance of following success sequence milestones to achieve economic self-sufficiency. This Mathematica report is the third in a series on the success sequence conducted for the Department of Health and Human Services. This report presents findings from this mixed-methods study that investigates the factors associated with following the success sequence and economic self-sufficiency. 

Access the first report and second report here.

Employment coaching is increasingly considered an alternative to traditional case management in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other employment programs. In employment coaching, coaches work collaboratively with participants to set individualized goals. These goals could be directly related to finding, keeping, or advancing in a job, or could be indirectly related to employment, such as completing education or training programs. This Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation brief describes the lessons learned about the coach–participant relationship from talking with coaching program staff and participants as part of the Evaluation of Employment Coaching for TANF and Related Populations. It discusses the benefits of strong coach–participant relationships, approaches to building them, program features that can affect them, and how program leaders can promote them.

The BOOST initiative connects families with low incomes to critical human services supports and educational and career pathways to advance multigenerational family economic success. In six cities — Baltimore, Green Bay, Hartford, New York City (Queens), Portland, and Syracuse — community colleges and human services nonprofits have partnered to support the economic advancement of families as part of the BOOST initiative. This Jobs for the Future brief explores how these partnerships can advance multigenerational family economic success and how to lean into their unique strengths as they seek to achieve this goal. It looks at how the sites are working to change policies and access funding to support their partnership goals. It also highlights practices and insights learned, with the intent of aiding and accelerating other efforts to follow this collaborative path.

The Administration for Children and Families is hosting a webinar on November 14th, 2023 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET to highlight their new website, Promising Occupations, and how it can be used to enhance TANF case management or other employment services. The website is a career exploration tool that features more than 600 occupations that are expected to grow over the next 10 years and pay $15 per hour or more. The website will aid employment service providers to increase their usage of labor market information. The website allows users to identify promising occupations that are attainable through short-term education or training and are projected to grow with family-sustaining wages. During this webinar, attendees will learn:

• What is a "promising" occupation?; 
• The purpose of the website and how it was developed; and
• How to use the website and how it can help with your work with clients. 

The America’s Promise Job-Driven Grant Program was designed to develop and expand regional partnerships among employers, economic development agencies, workforce investment systems, and education and training providers to build a pipeline of skilled American workers in high-demand industries experiencing domestic labor shortages. Grantees, through the support of their established partnerships, offered tuition-free education and job training to workers that addressed the immediate needs of the regional labor market. Education and job training were offered in the form of classroom training and work-based learning opportunities, in addition to supports such as case management, job placement services, and necessary wraparound supportive services. This Department of Labor research brief evaluates the impact of America’s Promise programs on the earnings and employment of participants.

An apprenticeship is a proven strategy to develop a talent pipeline for a skilled workforce. Apprenticeship programs can help businesses mitigate workforce shortages and provide workers with paid work experience, classroom instruction, progressive wage increases, and a nationally recognized credential. However, apprenticeship completion rates are a concern for employers, labor organizations, and other organizations that sponsor and operate these programs. As apprenticeship expansion efforts continue to gain traction, it is imperative to consider the factors that may prevent apprentices from being successful. This AIR brief summarizes the findings of studies on apprentice retention and provides recommended strategies to mitigate factors negatively affecting attrition.

Young people need both cross-cutting skills and specialized knowledge to thrive in the rapidly changing economy, and business and industry leaders require fresh talent to innovate and grow. Pathways are a strategy to connect education with careers to meet the needs of youth, educators, and employers and create a more thriving and equitable economy. College and career pathways expand economic opportunity for all young people and meet regional talent needs. This Jobs for the Future framework outlines key considerations and promising strategies for pathways leaders who seek to achieve outcomes for youth while strengthening rural communities.

In 2022, the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) and Project SPARC (Student-Parents Are Reimagining CalWORKs) conducted research to better understand the barriers experienced by parenting students in CalWORKs, California’s cash assistance program for families with children. Parenting students work hard every day to pursue their goals, often juggling work, classes, and caregiving responsibilities. Public systems and programs can provide critical support, but frequently create additional hurdles for parenting students and their families, especially those with low incomes. This CSSP brief highlights findings from the research on parenting students’ experiences transferring to four-year institutions. Inadequate support for families’ basic needs combined with limited support at four-year institutions for parenting students who participate in CalWORKs are significant barriers for parenting students as they further their education.

Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Accounts are tax-advantaged savings accounts that are available to eligible individuals with disabilities. ABLE account funds can be used for "qualified disability-related expenses" (QDE). A QDE is any expense the beneficiary incurs because of the disability. These may include expenses related to education, housing, transportation, employment training and support, or other expenses that help improve health, independence and/or quality of life. This Social Security Administration blogpost explains who is eligible for an ABLE account, what the funds are used for, and the effect it has on Social Security disability benefits.