The webinar, hosted by the Department of Labor in March 2016, highlights national which points to the importance of youth and adults gaining strong foundation skills, completing high school equivalence, and earning industry-recognized certificates and degrees in order to gain economic stability and self-sufficiency. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) offers multiple coordination points and opportunities with educational institutions at every level to get clients moving ahead.

This policy debate on employer engagement in workforce development programs, hosted by the Urban Institute, discusses the implications of WIOA on engaging employers. Effective employer engagement has been a challenge for workforce systems and programs; this discussion aims to pinpoint what is needed to support effective policy and practice.

Approximately 6.7 million young adults in America are out of school and out of work. In order to answer questions about assistance to help young adults access employment and opportunities that service providers can leverage, this report from the Aspen Institute documents the results of a survey in which hundreds of service providers described their experiences serving this population. The service providers gave insight into strategies and challenges for connecting young adults aged 18-29 to employment and explained what they consider to be good employment outcomes.

The implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), signed into law in 2014, presents an extraordinary opportunity for the publicly-funded workforce development system. The system can now demonstrate its ability to improve job and career options for our workers, job-seekers, and youth, including those with disabilities and other barriers to employment, through an integrated, job-driven network that links diverse talent to businesses and supports the development of strong regional economies. In January 2016, collaborative teams from across the United States and its territories met in Washington, D.C., for a national convening entitled, “One Team, One Vision, One Conversation.”

In 2014, only about half of youth and young adults ages 16-24 held jobs, and about one in five were neither working nor in school. This problem most severely affects disadvantaged groups, including individuals with less education, lower incomes, and minority young people, specifically young men of color. In June 2014, MDRC and the Rockefeller Foundation convened a group of academics and experts to discuss potential demand-side approaches to youth employment. Some themes that emerged were: employers are a heterogeneous group with diverse needs and preferences; incentives are unlikely to be the only force motivating employer decisions; employers are more likely to engage in youth employment efforts if it is easy for them to do so and if they believe it will positively influence their businesses; and disadvantaged young workers need assistance communicating their skills and experience and support in entry-level jobs.

The 2015 National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) State Organizational Structure Survey shows how workforce and partner programs are organized within State Workforce Agencies across the United States. This map includes data and details about each State’s workforce programs.

Compared to a few decades ago, low-income children today have better access to healthcare, fewer are born to teen mothers, fewer live in foster care, and their parents have more education. However, the circumstances and outcomes of higher-income children have advanced even more rapidly, leading to expanding inequality in the resources that boost child development. Additionally, in some ways, the circumstances of low-income children have gotten worse. This report consists of a consensus plan from researchers at the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute. The plan would reduce poverty and improve opportunities for those at the lowest income levels.

The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) hosted a webinar on Wednesday, January 20, 2016. The webinar focused on how responsible fatherhood programs and other interested stakeholders can help low-income fathers gain new employment skills, find better jobs, and improve their overall financial situation.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Quick Start Action Planners (QSAPs) are web-based self-assessment tools designed to help state and local leaders identify areas of strength and challenges as they prepare their workforce systems for the implementation of WIOA. The WIOA QSAPs are designed to help leaders at all levels of the public workforce system plan for this transformation and prepare for implementation of WIOA. Once users obtain their results, they will be directed towards a WIOA Action Plan to assist them in implementing necessary changes, as well as other helpful resources. This webinar shows how to use the QSAPs, and illustrates how its results can be used as dynamic tool to start a dialogue between board members and workforce system partners.