This report evaluates four grantees of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Ready to Work (RTW) Partnership Grant (RTW) program. RTW assists the long-term unemployed—persons who have been out of work for at least 6 months—in finding jobs and succeeding in the labor market. Support services include career guidance, occupational training, employment readiness, job search assistance, and work-based training. The evaluation, which covers a four-year period from 2014 to 2018, reviews RTW implementation among four grantees: the Maryland Tech Connection program at the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation; California Skills to Work in Technology/Job Search Accelerator at San Francisco’s Jewish Vocational Service; Finger Lakes Hired at RochesterWorks! (Monroe County, New York); and Reboot Northwest at Worksystems, Inc. in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington.

This brief reviews how seven programs that combine substance use disorder treatment and recovery with employment services transitioned to meet service delivery challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief, part of the Building Evidence on Employment Strategies project, also reviews how the programs responded to increased substance misuse and overdoses during the initial months of the COVID-19 crisis.

This case study explores the employment programs for youth and services for families, housed at the Community Action Organization (CAO) of Scioto County (Ohio). Highlighting the Comprehensive Case Management and Employment Program (CCMEP) for youth and a behavioral health unit for adults and youth, the case study notes where it operates; what services the Employment and Workforce Division provides; how participants access CAO services; key CAO partners and their roles; how CAO is funded; and future plans to enhance services.

This case study illustrates the operations and practices of Climb Wyoming (Climb), a nonprofit organization working to help low-income, single mothers achieve self-sufficiency at six locations in Wyoming. The case study highlights where Climb operates; who Climb serves; what services Climb provides; how Climb is organized, staffed, and funded; how Climb uses data to monitor program outcomes; and promising practices, remaining challenges, and future plans.

Supportive services are one of 14 program elements of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) youth program that enable individuals to participate in WIOA activities. This second set of resources on providing supportive services to youth includes information on: addressing the needs of runaway or homeless youth; youth exiting the juvenile justice system; legal aid, including children’s law programs; transportation; domestic and intimate partner violence; and youth assessment and case management.

(See also Resources on "domestic violence" in the Resource Library)

Supportive services are one of 14 program elements of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) youth program that enable individuals to participate in WIOA activities. This first set of resources on providing supportive services to youth includes information on: Supportive Services Guides and Locators; the TANF Program and state contacts; the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and State CCDF contacts; the State Child Support Enforcement Program; guidance and support for individuals with disabilities; the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; the Foster Care to Success Education Training Voucher Program; and health, mental health, and substance abuse resources.

This report offers four case studies of rural youth apprenticeships in Maine, Arizona, Missouri, and Mississippi, the challenges for each of the respective regions, and their strategies for success. The report begins with a definition of youth apprenticeships and elaborates on the benefits and obstacles in designing, implementing, and sustaining rural apprenticeships.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report synthesizes lessons learned and initial findings from HPOG University Partnerships 2.0 (HPOG UP 2.0) research grants awarded in 2016 to Brandeis University, Loyola University-Chicago, and Northwestern University. Under HPOG UP 2.0, researchers were required to partner with HPOG grantees. The report identifies the research methodologies for each grantee and takeaways during the four years of project-related research. It also illustrates how the university partnerships with these grantees grew and how the research conducted was implemented in specific, action-oriented practice.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report presents evaluation findings of the Instituto del Progreso Latino’s Carreras en Salud program. Carreras en Salud supports low-income, low-skilled Latino adults in Chicago in accessing and completing occupational training in nursing, which can result in improved outcomes in employment and earnings. Carreras en Salud is one of nine programs examined under the Administration for Children and Families’ Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education project.

This June 29, 2021 Annie E. Casey Foundation webinar presented findings from a study of 26 young parents with foster care experience. The webinar explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives and covered multiple themes: employment disruptions, economic hardships, educational challenges, mental health challenges, insufficient resources, barriers to receiving services, and silver linings.