In high-demand sectors, employers often have difficulty finding applicants with the right skills, and job seekers need training to qualify for those positions. WorkAdvance is a workforce development model that treats both employers and jobseekers as customers in these high demand sectors. This MDRC brief draws on an evaluation of four WorkAdvance programs to analyze whether they impact the long-term upward economic mobility of participants. The programs were Per Scholas and St. Nicks Alliance in New York, Madison Strategies Group in Oklahoma, and Towards Employment in Ohio. The researchers analyzed economic impacts through three years of follow-up, and they found that some sector programs had positive effects that lasted beyond two years. In some cases the economic impacts strengthened after two years, especially for long-term unemployed participants who were reentering the labor market.

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) helps increase the benefits of work for low-income individuals, but workers without children can only receive a maximum of $500 a year. This MDRC report includes interim findings from the Paycheck Plus Demonstration in New York City, which tested the idea of expanding the EITC to working single adults without dependent children. The project recruited over 6,000 adults in New York City, and half were randomly selected to receive a Paycheck Plus bonus if they went through the process of applying for it. Interim results showed that individuals who received bonuses had higher income, increased employment, increased payment of child support, and increased tax filing.

WorkforceGPS compiled this list of resources to serve the populations with barriers to employment that are targeted by H1-B TechHire grants. These populations include youth and young adults (ages 17-29), individuals with disabilities, individuals with limited English proficiency, and individuals with criminal records. There are resources tailored to each population, including toolkits, assessments, and manuals, to help them overcome their barriers and obtain employment.

In this issue brief, the National Skills Coalition proposes a $500 million Career Pathways Support Fund that would allow community colleges to provide classes and support services to non-traditional and low-income students pursuing job-driven degrees and certificates. The issue brief describes the need to support the need for postsecondary education for low-income working adults, since 80% of jobs will require some postsecondary training. Arkansas, Iowa, and North Carolina have all pursued statewide career pathways initiatives and there is some federal support for career pathways, but these efforts are not sufficient to fulfill the demand for postsecondary training that leads to high-wage employment. The Career Pathways Support Fund would fund partnerships between community colleges and employers that would offer students courses and support services leading to an industry-recognized credential.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance (HHS/ACF/OFA) Regions V and VII hosted the TANF Technical Assistance Meeting, Innovations in TANF: Setting the Stage for the Next 20 Years on June 22-24, 2016, at the Bolling Federal Building in Kansas City Missouri. The meeting brought together TANF program administrators and other key stakeholders to engage with peers on innovative strategies and collaborations to promote economic and social well-being for individuals, families, and communities. Meeting attendees were provided with opportunities to discuss best practices and latest research, as well as to plan ways to improve TANF programming for low-income families in their jurisdictions.

This MDRC report highlights early findings from the Jobs Plus Pilot Program Evaluation, which provides employment services for public housing residents. This study focuses on how the nine Public Housing Authorities selected as grantees implemented their four-year grant programs. In the first 18 months of the grant, all nine sites had begun implementing their programs and developing a variety of partnerships and employment services. The researchers found that the employment services offered were often generic and not tailored to individual needs, and that grantees needed more guidance on how to develop community support for work. Grantees voiced a need for more technical assistance in implementation, including clearer guidance and program standards.

This Urban Institute report, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation describes the first year of the second round of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants Program (HPOG 2.0). Under HPOG 2.0, TANF participants receive education and training for high-demand, high-wage healthcare occupations. In this first year report, the authors describe the 21 grantees, the services they offer, and the characteristics of participants. HPOG 2.0 programs enrolled 5,150 participants in Year One and offered training in 66 different occupations, and the majority of participants were women with at least one child. Many participants remained in training after Year One, but 19% had started jobs or received a promotion.

This report and interactive maps from the Brookings Institution illustrate how geography affects people’s sense of hope about their futures. Without hope, people can suffer from health problems and substance abuse issues that shorten lifespans. The researchers are attempting to see where low-income white and minority individuals are the least optimistic about the future. Three different sets of interactive maps show how each state rates on optimism, worry, and pain for poor non-Hispanic white individuals and poor minorities. Overall, minorities fared worse on all three measures in states with lower minority populations, and white individuals fared worse in Appalachian states and in the heartland.