The Employment and Training Administration released Training and Employment Notice (TEN) TEN 45-11, to share with the workforce system a joint memorandum by the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture, the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Assistant Secretary of the Army, and the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality to agency leadership recommending they encourage their respective field staff build on or create new partnerships to employ young Americans this summer. This memorandum also provides the workforce system with information on partnering with public land management agencies and conservation corps to create or expand summer employment opportunities for Workforce Investment Act (WIA) youth and young adults on public lands.

This paper is from the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and authors use data from the Current Population Survey to summarize labor market trends in the U.S. over the past 30 years. The data show unevenness in labor market performance across demographic groups as inequality has increased. A specific finding from the current recession is that all groups suffered but young, less educated men were affected most significantly.

This summary is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and provides 2011 data on employment in the United States. In 2011, 11.5 percent of families included an unemployed person, falling from 12.4 percent in 2010. The labor force participation rate for mothers with children under age 18 was 70.6 percent in 2011. Authors report on data related to employment, unemployment, and family relationships that are collected as part of the Current Population Survey, which includes 60,000 households.

In April 2012, the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse hosted a Technical Assistance Webinar, "Achieving Economic Stability: Strategies for Successfully Connecting Dads to Jobs." This Webinar presented information and strategies to help participants improve their knowledge and understanding of: Federal Department of Labor priorities and programs; employment partnering opportunities for Responsible Fatherhood programs; practical ideas from research to help fathers find and keep jobs; and, promising practices and lessons learned from programs that have successfully helped fathers achieve economic stability. Presenters included:

• Ben Seigel: Deputy Director of the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Labor;
• Dr. Ronald Mincy: Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, New York; and
• Bob and Kathy Lambert: Co-Founders and Co-Executive Directors, Connections to Success, St. Louis, Missouri.

This Webinar highlighted the "Skills to Pay the Bills" curriculum, which was developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). During this Webinar, presenters provided an explanation of why the curriculum was necessary, how it was developed, and additional companion resources that are forthcoming. Mr. Michael Huberman began the discussion by sharing that employers indicate that soft-skills are essential to success in both attaining and maintaining employment. Ms. Lisa Stern of Concepts, Inc. discussed how the curriculum was developed. Feedback was solicited from the field and led to the development of a curriculum that was flexible, but structured, and focused on interactive activities rather than reading. Ms. Mary Coody, Project Director, Madison County High School/High Tech shared her experience using the "Skills to Pay the Bills" curriculum during a 4-6 week pilot with high school students of various ages and disabilities.

This report was authored by Mathematica Policy Research with funding from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Conducting site visits to eight local sites, this report details findings from the post-summer youth employment initiative, designed as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. States received funding to give States the option to continue to fund work experience opportunities for out-of-school youth ages 18 to 24 for an additional six months.

This report details early findings from an implementation evaluation of the summer youth employment activities funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Authored by Mathematica Policy Research with funding from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, this report provides information on the national context for implementation, the experience of local areas, and lessons on implementation practices.

From Civic Enterprises, the America's Promise Alliance, and Peter D. Hart Research Associates, this report provides findings from a survey of youth ages 16 to 24, who were not enrolled in school, not employed, and not planning to enroll in school in the coming year. Among the findings, 73 percent of respondents stated that they were very confident in being able to reach their goals in life and were optimistic about their futures. Around 75 percent had a goal of finishing high school or college and also accept responsibility for their own future.

Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and South Carolina have been awarded three year grants to implement user-friendly and quick-to-deliver public benefit systems. The grants, as part of the "Work Support Strategies: Streamlining Access, Strengthening Families (WSS)" initiative, are largely funded through the Ford Foundation, with additional funding from the Open Society Foundations and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.