In an Aspen Institute blogpost about job training programs, an argument is made about what should be done to make the broad category of “job training” work. The post emphasizes expanded funding to compensate people for the transportation, employment, and child care barriers they may face when deciding to attend job training. Furthermore, looking at labor market realities and long-term outcomes is important in the design and implementation of effective services, as is recognizing the limits of job training in a stagnant and structured labor market.

Produced by the Center for Poverty Research at UC Davis, this policy brief compares different interventions focused on increasing college enrollment for high school seniors. Research indicates students involved in a mentoring program are statistically more likely to enroll in college than both the control group and groups receiving assistance without personal mentoring. Women were most positively affected. Students who had not taken the SAT, or who did not have parent or counselor support, also positively benefitted. And, students were just as likely to persist in college as students in the control group who had enrolled, indicating any disadvantages before mentorship did not affect them once they got to college. This study refutes previous research by showing the importance of intensive, face-to-face mentoring for students above less-personalized methods.

This report evaluates the early impacts of the Year Up program. Year Up is a national training program for youth between 18-24 years of age. It provides individuals with 6 months of full-time training in IT and financial service sectors, followed by a 6-month internship, with an emphasis on professional and technical skills development. Findings indicate that Year Up participants reported higher-than-average earnings after assignment, as well as high satisfaction rates within the classroom. This consistently large and positive effect on incomes – when compared to the control group – represents the largest positive impact to date for any federal workforce program tested in this manner. Findings also indicated that adherence to program design during implementation was also largely positive, though outcomes vary between Year Up offices.

This brief from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families explores who Latino fathers are and how this affects their engagement with their children. For this brief, data from the National Survey of Family Growth was analyzed; a sample of Latino fathers was separated into immigrant and non-immigrant categories because the immigrant experience has been found to have a significant impact on all facets of a father's life. The brief shares key findings about who Latino fathers are and their interaction with the labor market and their children and offers points for discussion and future research.

This report from MDRC presents the interim impact findings from an ongoing evaluation of YouthBuild, a program that employs at-risk youth in the construction field, teaching them marketable skills while also supporting them to earn their high school diploma or GED. Many of the reported impacts from this randomized control trial were positive, and each is examined in the report.

This brief from Mathematica Policy Research highlights a newer practice in college settings called competency-based education (CBE), which allows students to work at their own pace towards a credential, often meeting workforce demands faster than traditionally paced programs. This brief explores the current research that exists on this model, offers policy recommendations, and provides examples of colleges currently operating CBE models.

This report from MDRC evaluates the implementation and impacts of New York City's Summer Youth Employment Program, the nation's largest of its kind. It examines both the implementation of the program and its long- and short-term impacts on youth earnings, employment, and education. The findings are presented, and the tensions that exist for a summer-only program with long-term goals for youth are discussed.

This brief from the Urban Institute analyzes young adults who progressed through initial career pathway programs to eventually secure middle-skill jobs in their industries. Though Career Pathway programs are a promising model, there is less data available about workers who move past the initial entry level job and on to higher wages. The findings from the data used for this brief show that obtaining more than one credential can support career advancement.

This report from the Urban Institute highlights the work of three community-based organizations taking part in the JPMorgan Chase’s New Skills at Work Initiative. It showcases promising approaches and strategies to engage employers to fill their employment needs and train workers to meet these needs.

This report from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation is a required annual report to Congress on indicators and predictors of welfare dependence. The report provides data on benefits provided only by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Security Income, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The indicators reported on are mostly current through 2015, and some select indicators are current through 2016; the report summarizes the changes to the data over time.