The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announced a series of new products through the Campaign for Disability Employment that are designed to promote the hiring, retention, and advancement of people with disabilities, and dispel negative stereotypes about disability and employment. The products include two Public Service Announcement (PSA) discussion guides, seven posters, as well other campaign outreach tools.

On January 26th, 2011, at 2:00 pm Eastern, Peer TA hosted a Webinar on TANF and EITC: Creating Additional Opportunities for ARRA Funded Subsidized Employment Participants. Although ARRA funding has ceased, State and local TANF agencies have an opportunity to provide additional support to their subsidized employment participants. Their subsidized employment participants may be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), recognized as one of the most successful anti-poverty efforts in U.S. government history. This Webinar discussed how EITC and free tax filing at VITA sites can help TANF participants improve economic self-sufficiency and generate a positive economic return on the local economy; how TANF agencies have an opportunity to provide additional support to participants in ARRA funded or non-funded subsidized employment programs; and low-cost ways to connect participants to free tax preparation and services.

Community colleges around the country are faced with the task of teaching basic skills courses to over 2.5 million students. These students are often unable to make the transition to college-level coursework, an inability that has significant income-related implications. Individuals who do not take college coursework and earn an occupational certificate earn significantly less than those who do so. In an effort to aid students in making the transition from basic skills education to college coursework, the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges developed the Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) program. The current study found I-BEST positively impacted six of seven educational outcomes as compared to a control group. Although the study did not find a relationship between I-BEST participation and positive changes in wages and hours worked, the authors attribute this to the participants entering the workforce during a recession. Due to the known positive relationship between college coursework and income, it is expected that future studies will find positive workforce outcomes among I-BEST participants.

Education Pays 2010, a report released by the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center, presents the benefits of higher education in terms of several criteria. Central to their report, are the statistical differences in earned income and unemployment rates between high school graduates and those who possess a four-year degree. Additionally they report further benefits correlated with a postsecondary education, including: greater job satisfaction, greater civic engagement, healthier lifestyles, more engagement in the education of their children, increased tax revenue for the government, and less government expenditure on public assistance. Despite increases in rates of enrollment, large demographic-linked gaps in participation and completion of higher education persist. In an effort to close these gaps, the College Board recommends providing high-quality primary and secondary education, postsecondary training opportunities, and generous financial support to encourage postsecondary success.

The U.S. Department of Labor released a report that includes the findings of a multi-year study of the impact of the Unemployment Insurance program in stabilizing the economy during a recession. Completed by IMPAQ International LLC and the Urban Institute, this report includes information on the UI benefits from 2008 to 2009 in the context of the current recession.

Recently, data collection and reporting strategies have increased as workforce development program funders focus on program evaluation. Public/Private Ventures released this report, which is a compilation of data from 200 service providers around the country on their challenges as they attempt to understand and improve their outcomes. Authors outline five recommendations for funders about how they can better support a culture of learning and continuous improvement across the entire workforce system.

This issue brief was authored by the National Transitional Jobs Network and includes a summary of findings, lessons learned, and strategies for moving the transitional jobs field forward. Specifically, authors recommend that accurate targeting, sector-based hard skills training, job development strategies, job retention strategies, and adult learning are ways that transitional jobs as a field can move forward and provide tailored service delivery to vulnerable populations.

This paper is from the Brookings Institution, and authors provide an update to a September 2009 paper, which simulated the unemployment rate based on the data from 2009. Using recent data released by the Census Bureau, authors conclude that the recession is going to have a large impact on poverty for the next several years. The recent simulations reveal that the overall poverty rate could increase from 12.5 percent in 2007 to nearly 16 percent by 2014, and the child poverty rate could increase from 18 percent in 2007 to nearly 26 percent in 2014.

A number of states have created free Reality Check Calculators to help youth, students, and adults understand how salary, wages, careers, education, training, and budgets all interrelate. Reality Check Calculators can be used to estimate the cost of living in a particular state or community. There are several examples of these in California, Minnesota, and Texas. These tools help the users think about what the cost of living is, and how education and training correlate to salary and careers. The Calculators allow users to think about:

• Type of housing they would like (apartment, condo, house);
• Utility Costs (phone, electricity, cable, etc.);
• Food (eating out, cooking at home, combination);
• Transportation needs (public transportation, used or new car);
• Entertainment and other miscellaneous charges; and
• Savings.

Once the user has established their “ideal” cost of living and budget they are linked to state salary, occupation, and labor market information sites.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration has launched "mySkills myFuture," a Web portal that helps job seekers match their current skills to new careers and determine what training is needed to transition from one job to another. Users can view local job postings and locate training and education providers. They are also able to find descriptions, salary information and common job tasks associated with new occupations.