Workplace mentors can impart their knowledge, skills, and wisdom to apprentices, helping them gain confidence and competence. This guide has four modules and FAQs to support mentors in their relationships with apprentices in youth registered apprenticeship programs. There is also a list of resources that mentors and employers can use when implementing youth apprenticeship programs and information on the benefits of mentoring.

The Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Community Services (OCS) announced a funding opportunity for the Community Services Block Grant CARES Act Rapid-Cycle Impact Projects. The funding will support the CARES Act goal of adapting service models to meet urgent community needs while testing proposed projects’ strategies to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Support will be provided for communities to utilize a rapid-cycle learning or continuous quality improvement approach to strengthen the effectiveness of a grant-funded program or service strategy. Up to 20 grants will be awarded. Applications are due by July 26, 2021.

This report reviews how the COVID-19 pandemic recession has had a disproportionately negative economic impact on women and persons of color in the workforce, particularly those working previously in the service industry. This impact points to a need for a workforce development approach that supports workers who must switch industries and occupations due to the potential for long-term unemployment and lower labor demand.

This Annie E. Casey Foundation annual publication provides data on child well-being among states and in multiyear comparisons from 2010 to 2019. Data in this review covers economic well-being, education, health, and family and community, including state rankings for these categories. There is also a separate section on how families fared during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

This U.S. Department of Labor tipsheet identifies resources for workforce programs that provide educational, occupational, and other skills training and services to prepare homeless and runaway youth for current and future job opportunities. The tipsheet includes strategies for serving homeless and runaway youth, models of collaboration, and Federal and non-Federal resources.

The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals will host a webinar on July 27, 2021 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to discuss how to create, implement, or improve workforce development programs for job seekers with prior criminal justice involvement. Key objectives include learning about best practices for service delivery of holistic evidence-based workforce development programs for this population; the process of networking with community partners, researchers, employers, agencies, and individuals for collaboration; and the importance of establishing trust from these job seekers at the design stage for buy-in and retention. A registration fee is required.

This collection of resources includes research, promising programs, tools, and guides that can be used to support returning citizens and those with a criminal record to enter registered apprenticeships. The compendium features programs targeting returning citizens: the Next Chapter IT Apprenticeships; the Flintridge Center Apprenticeship Preparation Program; Greyston Bakery; the VICE Media Group Media, Production, and Technology Apprenticeships; Jails to Jobs (California); and the Iowa Department of Corrections Apprenticeship.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 supports recovery from the economic and health impacts created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Conference of State Legislatures will host a webinar on June 24, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. ET which will review the intersection of the Recovery Plan Act, youth and young adult homelessness, and education. Additionally, speakers will discuss opportunities to support the education and basic needs of youth and young adults and to increase their economic security.

The post-COVID-19 economic recovery presents challenges for governors and state leaders seeking to identify and address barriers that keep the workforce from returning to work and filling job vacancies. This National Governors Association report examines state actions to address these barriers, increase labor force participation among low-income populations, and engage employers to address hiring challenges. The report highlights initiatives that provide monetary incentives to return to work, ensure access to affordable child care, reinstitute job search requirements, utilize TANF waivers, and address hesitancy to return to workplaces due to health and safety concerns.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation research-to-practice brief assesses how Tribal HPOG 2.0 grantees incorporated tribal culture and practices into their healthcare training programs. The Tribal HPOG 2.0 Program includes projects that connect eligible individuals with education and training in a healthcare-related field or occupation. Integrating tribal values into the curricula helped students to deliver culturally sensitive healthcare services. Attention is paid to how these grantees offered events and supportive services to connect students with their respective culture to build community and provide culturally specific gathering spaces for trainees of similar backgrounds.