Disconnected youths (often referred to as “opportunity youth”) are young people who are neither in school nor working, missing opportunities to both earn and learn. They are also more likely to suffer from challenges in adulthood such as lower lifetime earnings, a greater chance of unemployment, and poorer health. Disconnection therefore affects labor force productivity in the long run. This means helping these youths return to work or school provides short- and long-term benefits for them and their potential employers alike. This first article of a two-part series from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas shows findings that the sharp rise in disconnected young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic is the exacerbation of a problem that has gradually worsened in the past two decades. While attention was paid to decreases in school enrollment during the pandemic, identifying long-term solutions to both employment and enrollment are important to reduce disconnection among young adults.

Work experience and work-based learning are two related strategies for helping people with low incomes improve employment and earnings outcomes. Work experience and work-based learning could include paid or unpaid work or learning experiences in a work setting. This Evidence Snapshot brief summarizes what rigorous research tells us about seven interventions that used work experience and work-based learning and their impacts on earnings, employment, the receipt of public benefits, and education and training. The brief helps TANF administrators, policymakers, researchers, and the general public apply this evidence of program effectiveness to their context and questions that matter to them.

Learn and Earn to Achieve Potential (LEAP)™ is an Annie E. Casey Foundation initiative which creates supportive career and education pathways for youth, ages 14–25, who have experienced foster care, criminal justice system involvement, or homelessness. This webpage discusses how participants in the 2023 National LEAP Convening reflected on their collective work in three areas: LEAP’s support of education and career trajectories for young people who have experienced public systems; how strategic partnerships with public systems can promote and expand the reach of equitable career and education pathways; and the role of young adults in cultivating equitable pathways to school and work. Key takeaways from the convening reflect the following lessons: youth engagement is essential, scale strategies for today and tomorrow, and embrace innovative partnerships.

Employment retention services interventions offer a combination of services intended to help maintain employment and promote career advancement among people, often those with low incomes, who already have a job. This Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse Evidence Snapshot summarizes what rigorous research tells us about nine interventions that used employment retention services as their primary service and the interventions’ impacts on earnings, employment, the receipt of public benefits, and education and training. The Evidence Snapshot helps TANF administrators, policymakers, researchers, and the general public apply this evidence to contexts and questions that matter to them.

This is an updated brief from the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) 2018 TANF Works! TANF/WIOA Collaboration Series that described collaboration strategies between Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs to serve populations with low incomes. These updated briefs were developed through follow-up outreach and interviews to explore how TANF/WIOA collaborations have been sustained over time and have evolved as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each brief features a success story and includes snapshot infographics depicting TANF and WIOA data.

Integration of TANF and WIOA services has become second nature in Lehigh Valley since 2018; by streamlining eligibility, customers are immediately made aware of programs where they are qualified and can begin receiving services. The co-location of TANF and WIOA staff with an intentional office layout facilitates a full-service experience for customers as well as lends itself naturally to partner collaboration. The brief discusses how merging TANF and WIOA creates a “familial environment” where caseworkers and other employer partners benefit from this collaboration.

This is an updated brief from the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) 2018 TANF Works! TANF/WIOA Collaboration Series that described collaboration strategies between Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs to serve populations with low incomes. These updated briefs were developed through follow-up outreach and interviews to explore how TANF/WIOA collaborations have been sustained over time and have evolved as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each brief features a success story and includes snapshot infographics depicting TANF and WIOA data.

Communication between the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA) and the Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County (WIB) was the primary reason for this collaboration’s success. The seamless transition to a virtual work environment and virtual service delivery by both agencies continued to meet their customer needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief notes how the pandemic inspired the County’s successful Reverse Referral Process, while implementing a “no wrong door approach.”

This is an updated brief from the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) 2018 TANF Works! TANF/WIOA Collaboration Series that described collaboration strategies between Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs to serve populations with low incomes. These updated briefs were developed through follow-up outreach and interviews to explore how TANF/WIOA collaborations have been sustained over time and have evolved as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each brief features a success story and includes snapshot infographics depicting TANF and WIOA data.

The Missouri Workforce Centers (WFC) in Kansas City and vicinity and the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan regions provide TANF/WIOA customers with an array of services through Missouri Work Assistance (MWA). The customer flow from TANF to WIOA differs between Kansas City and the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan regions. However, both sites have a similar process where each MWA contractor and its partners assist TANF/WIOA customers at the WFC to support job entry, skills gain, and work experience. The brief highlights key elements that made the collaboration successful, including strengthening community connections, rapidly responding to changes in the labor market, sharing resources, prioritizing team sharing, and implementing a two-generation approach.

This CareerOneStop webpage provides information and guidance for individuals with criminal records seeking to expunge or seal their records to improve their chances of finding employment. The webpage explains the difference between expungement and sealing, provides information on eligibility requirements, and offers step-by-step instructions on how to begin the expungement process. Additionally, the page includes links to resources for finding legal assistance and other helpful tools for ex-offenders.

Registered apprenticeship programs (RAPs) are nationally recognized as an effective workforce development tool that is responsive to local economic needs. In honor of Earth Day, ICF and Vanguard, in partnership with netAmerica’s Workforce Innovation Network, are hosting an Apprenticeship Lunch & Learn Lunch and Learn event on April 20, 2023, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET. During this event, presentations will cover the role of Registered Apprenticeship Programs in meeting national and statewide efficient and renewable energy goals. Speakers will discuss how youth apprenticeships can effectively address their workforce needs, facilitate a conversation about true workplace needs and training provider solutions, and promote the return on investment of registered apprenticeships in renewable energy.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Administration will host the first of a series of webinars related to trauma and healing on May 2, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET. The webinar will discuss the neuroscience behind toxic stress, trauma, and healing, and offer practical strategies and tools for workforce professionals to cultivate healthy and more effective services and workplaces for staff, organizations, and participants in workforce programs. Presenters include guest speakers from the Trauma and Resilience at Work team at Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, the Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation, and the City of Detroit.