This report from the Department of Labor provides an overview of the evidence behind effective job training programs for youth and adults. For adults, the evidence supports post-secondary education related to an in-demand field, employer engagement, and job training that is closely related to a real job or occupation. There is less evidence on what works for youth, but early experience to career and higher education information and work experience can be beneficial. The report concludes with next steps to expand what works and fill the gaps in evidence.

This brief from the Urban Institute provides a framework for why workforce programs and employers must engage with one another. First, the brief presents the challenges that workforce programs may face when engaging employers. Employers may not see the value in partnering with workforce programs or may be wary of working with the government or nonprofits. Then, the brief discusses why employers become involved in workforce programs, why workforce programs engage employers, and how employers are involved in workforce programs. Employers can play a variety of roles in a workforce program, such as oversight, program design, program delivery, recruitment and hiring, and financial or in-kind resources. The report concludes by describing how employers can become partners with workforce programs under WIOA.

The Aspen Institute’s Workforce Strategies Initiative created this playbook to document lessons learned from the Communities that Work Partnership project. Seven regional teams were selected to participate in this project, which included workforce development leaders and representatives from private industry. Each team collaborated to advance a variety of industry-led workforce development strategies. The playbook includes information on building partnerships, collecting labor market information, business engagement and skills development, and additional strategies for improving the talent pipeline. Each play describes the strategy, includes an example of a site that used that strategy, and provides action steps for applying the strategy in regions.

This toolkit from the Heartland Alliance provides resources targeted toward organizations wanting to engage employers for transitional jobs or subsidized employment programs. These resources will help organizations plan and implement effective job development strategies, build relationships with employers, and serve participants with barriers to employment. The toolkit includes research briefs on six different topics, videos of employers describing how partnering with transitional jobs programs was good for business, and links to additional information by subtopic.

Subsidized child care is a support service that allows parents to become and remain employed, thereby contributing to the Texas economy. This report demonstrates that subsidized child care is an effective work support service that enables parents to participate in the workforce or in work-related activities. As reflected in the report, approximately 65 percent of unemployed TANF parents were able to find employment within 12 months of receiving child care. Additionally, approximately 83 percent of non-TANF parents maintained employment 12 months after receiving child care and experienced an average quarterly wage gain of 3 to 4 percent.

A central goal of federal child care subsidies, which is primarily funded through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), is to support the employment of low-income parents, including those who receive or are transitioning from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Employment and preparation for employment, therefore, are also conditions for subsidy eligibility. A growing body of research in early care and education has explored the patterns of employment and employment outcomes for parents receiving subsidies, and the differences in employment outcomes between low-income families with subsidies and those without.

Work-based learning opportunities are a critical tool for filling skills gaps for positions that require some education or training past high school. This scan from the National Skills Coalition identifies the policies that all 50 states and the District of Columbia have implemented to encourage work-based learning opportunities. The authors found that 35 states had at least one of the following policies: expansion initiatives, employer subsidies, pre-apprenticeships or youth apprenticeships, secondary student work-based learning opportunities, or policies supporting postsecondary classroom instruction for apprenticeships.

Nearly 12% of American children will spend at least half of their lives from birth to age 17 living in poverty. This report from the Urban Institute analyzes factors that have helped these persistently poor children achieve economic success. Some of those factors include spending more years in an employed family, spending fewer years in a family headed by someone with a disability, and living in less segregated and disadvantaged neighborhoods. The researchers recommend several strategies to help more persistently poor children achieve economic success, such as subsidized employment for parents and programs to help families move out of disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Post-employment services that align with individual’s interests, strengths, and abilities are necessary to ensure they can maintain or advance in employment. Unfortunately, many TANF participants tend to obtain low-skill/low-wage jobs with little room for advancement and can experience difficulty retaining jobs. TANF programs strive to address this issue by offering a variety of post-employment education, training, and supportive services designed to help TANF families sustain long-term livable wage employment and occupational advancement. Given the significant flexibility TANF programs have in the type of post-employment support offered, these services vary across states and programs, depending on the needs of TANF participants. During our interactive webinar, Post-Employment Services and Strategies for TANF Programs on August 2, 2017 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EST, TANF programs shared how they continue to support TANF participants post-employment through a variety of approaches.