To meet the growing sector of clean energy’s labor force demands, employers and workforce development professionals are seeking new approaches to train workers quickly and more effectively. The Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship is an initiative funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy that seeks to expand access to one such approach: registered apprenticeships for people with disabilities in high-growth sectors, such as clean energy. This Urban Institute brief discusses the need and opportunities for building inclusive apprenticeships in the clean energy sector.

The 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act amended the Social Security Act to require states to adopt evidence-based strategies in their Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) programs. This Employment and Training Administration brief summarizes the changes in RESEA program design and service delivery that occurred since the first survey in 2020. It also describes states’ current evaluation activities and plans.

Individuals can better meet economic challenges with higher wages, expanded employment opportunities, knowledge of financial concepts, and access to affordable and safe financial products and services. To help support the financial well-being of people with low incomes, government agencies fund both employment and training (E&T) programs and financial capability interventions. This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation research brief describes the experiences of individuals with low incomes who participated in programs that integrate E&T and financial capability services. The brief is intended for E&T program administrators, client-facing staff, and financial capability service providers seeking to learn more about the successes and challenges of delivering integrated services from the perspective of participants. By incorporating these insights into service delivery, practitioners can improve program structures, strengthen engagement, and enhance supports to foster financial well-being for individuals with low incomes.

The Federal Partners in Transition is hosting a webinar on May 17, 2024 from 3:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET which will include a presentation that focuses on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workforce, potential future use of AI, and current policy, regulations, and laws surrounding AI at the state and federal level. Presenters from the Office of Disability Employment Policy will lead a conversation on the intersection between AI and Disability Employment.

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center at Virginia Commonwealth University is hosting a webinar on May 22, 2024 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET where Federal, State, and Tribal representatives will discuss effective models in service provision to Indigenous youth and young adults, including individuals with disabilities. There will be discussions on the challenges faced and the actions taken to form Indigenous Service Models. Examples of culturally-focused youth camps, WIOA-funded workforce programs, federal and state initiatives, and vocational rehabilitation best practices will be showcased.

Workforce Communities of Inquiry (WCI) is a flexible, replicable model that provides workforce development practitioners with the training, tools, and support needed to engage in community-driven research. The asset-based approach is designed to uncover specific behaviors, practices, and solutions that improve outcomes for a specific population or geography. Conversations held during the WCI pilot provides a better understanding of how occupational segregation is occurring across the Deep South and its impact on Black communities. The research also identifies immediate actions workforce organizations can take to improve the outcomes of Black learners and workers who utilize the public workforce system. This Jobs for the Future resource highlights key research insights and conversational themes that emerged during the pilot.

Child support programs across the country serve millions of families with low incomes. They establish paternity and child support orders, and they collect child support payments that can help increase family financial stability and contribute to positive long-term outcomes for children. However, many parents with child support obligations struggle to make regular payments. This can result in less financial support for their children, strained parenting relationships, and a potentially substantial accumulation of debt. This Building Evidence on Employment Strategies brief describes the efforts of two county child support agencies in Ohio to increase the availability of supportive services to parents who owe child support, with the goals of improving their employment outcomes, increasing their ability to meet their child support obligations, and improving their relationships with their children. This brief is a part of the BEES Project, which is studying a range of approaches to improve economic mobility and stability for families.

Sector-focused employment programs aim to improve the economic mobility of people with low incomes by training them for quality jobs in sectors that have strong local demand and opportunities for advancement. By partnering with local employers, these programs provide them with a skilled and able workforce. In this Evidence First podcast episode, MDRC talks with Per Scholas, a national nonprofit offering training and employment services.

The first-ever Youth Apprenticeship Week started May 5, 2024 and is a nationwide effort to spotlight the ben­e­fits of Reg­is­tered Appren­tice­ship pro­grams for youth and young adults. This Annie E. Casey Foundation resource highlights resources and data on the ben­e­fits of youth appren­tice­ship for both young peo­ple and employers.

People with low incomes may face various challenges to improving their financial situations. Employment and training (E&T) and financial capability services can help improve people's financial circumstances by providing them with useful skills, knowledge, and access to resources and opportunities. The Integrating Financial Capability and Employment Services (InFin) study, funded by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE), was designed to learn about ways in which organizations provide E&T and financial capability services in an integrated manner. This OPRE report summarizes the study’s key findings about the approaches that organizations use to integrate these services, their motivations for doing so, details on the types of financial capability services involved, and participant perspectives on integrated services. It also discusses considerations for future research on the effectiveness of integrated models.