Description: The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals will be hosting a four-part Summer Learning on Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Enhance Workforce Organizations, Productivity and Programs. Each session will feature practical knowledge, step-by-step implementation strategies, case studies, guest speakers and breakout room sessions.

1. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality in Workforce Development will take place on June 27, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. CT;
2. Enhancing Workforce Productivity with Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality will take place on July 25, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. CT;
3. Using Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality for Immersive Customer and Employee Experiences will take place on August 29, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. CT; and
4. Strategies for Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality Into Career Development will take place on September 26, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. CT.

There is a fee for participation for each session.

MDRC partnered with JPMorgan Chase to promote continual improvement among their Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) grantee organizations through research. SYEPs are a workforce development model predicated on promoting socioeconomic advancement for young people ages 14 to 24 who are disconnected from school or the labor market. MDRC collected data in the form of interviews and metrics aggregated and interviewed six SYEP providers to share specific insights about a particular program component—soft-skills training. “Soft skills” refer to the general habits and competencies that make for an effective employee, such as arriving at work on time, cooperating with coworkers, taking and giving direction, communicating clearly, dressing appropriately for the workplace, and so forth. This MDRC brief presents findings that showcase ways that soft-skills training, as a workforce development intervention, can put young people on the path to high-paying jobs and socioeconomic advancement.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report presents the plan for evaluating the impacts of the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education project and the first round of Health Profession Opportunity Grants on key outcomes nine years after random assignment into the program.

The purpose of this resource is to document the study approach and publicly commit to specified outcomes in hypothesis testing and an estimation approach prior to inspecting treatment-control differences on newly collected data. It describes the operationalization of outcome measures, including their source data. It refers to prior documents for data, measures, and methods previously established for the evaluation.

As part of the Building Evidence on Employment Strategies project, researchers conducted virtual interviews from November 2021 to April 2022 with staff members at ten workforce programs to learn how they were using technology to adapt their services during the pandemic. Most of the organizations used a hybrid model to blend in-person and virtual service delivery. This MDRC publication examines five key adaptations of the programs made to accommodate the new hiring context.

The Department of Labor announced up to $40 million in grants available for national out-of-school time organizations to expand local work-based learning opportunities, job training and career pathways for underserved youth during non-school hours. The Workforce Pathways for Youth demonstration grants will help these organizations partner with state or locally operated affiliate organizations that serve historically marginalized and underserved youth, ages 14 to 21. Priority will be given to organizations serving Native American youth.

Through the partnerships, out-of-school time organizations will introduce youth to career-related services, and provide work-based learning experiences and occupational skills training. They will also offer unsubsidized employment placements to increase opportunities for youth to gain the skills they need to be successful in post-secondary education and employment. The program also encourages partners across the workforce system to provide supportive services to address the mental health needs of participating youth.

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.