Many employment and training programs for low-income individuals include a variety of services that aim to improve employment and earnings. Some also include strategies to address other needs, such as housing. ESER identified a primary strategy for each multi-strategy intervention that the review examined. Those identified include: education; training; work-readiness activities; subsidized employment/transitional jobs; employment retention services; case management; financial incentives or sanctions; supportive services; and health services. This guide from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation describes the process for identifying a primary strategy.

This brief from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation highlights 19 interventions identified by the Employment Strategies for Low-Income Adults Evidence Review (ESER) that featured work-readiness services as their chief employment or training strategy. The brief describes these interventions and their impact on employment.

This reporting guide from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation recommends best practices for study authors on how to describe impact evaluations of employment programs. The guide includes recommendations for describing study characteristics, design and analysis, data, and sample tables.

This issue brief, published by Mathematica Policy Research, Social Policy Research Associates, and the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, describes the business services provided by 28 randomly selected local Workforce Investment Boards (LWIBs). These LWIBs participated in the Workforce Investment Act Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs Gold Standard Evaluation. The study measured how LWIBs met local business needs.

The Employment and Training Administration recently released a report on the U.S. Department of Labor’s Pay for Success pilots. This Training and Employment Notice details the report and provides background on the pilots.

Ramsey County, Minnesota’s welfare counselors draft long-term employment plans for their clients. Instead of pushing clients into getting the first available job, they create plans that are broken down into manageable steps. This article from Governing Magazine highlights this innovative approach and its benefits.

Work-based learning includes workplace activities through which individuals gain the knowledge, skills, and experience needed for entry or advancement in a particular field. Though work-based learning provides many benefits for job-seekers, those opportunities are more likely to go to the more highly educated and socially connected segments of the population. This paper from Jobs from the Future offers strategies to implement effective models of work-based learning that expand access for the many populations who do not currently benefit.

The U.S. Department of Education wrote this blog post about five key parts of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Notably, WIOA will provide improved services for approximately 20 million people each year.

On September 23, 2016, Mississippi held its first state data summit, “Advancing the Use of Data for a Bright Mississippi Future.” The focus of the summit was how state policymakers can use cross-program data tools to better align workforce and education programs with employer needs and help people advance their careers. This blog post from the National Skills Coalition recaps the event.