This Lumina Foundation brief offers a synthesis of third-party evaluations that measure and assess the impact of strategies used by two-year colleges to improve adult completion of non-degree credential programs. Strategies include the use of academic and non-academic student supports, the creation and implementation of career pathways, and the deployment of prior learning assessments. The brief also offers data pointing to the limited labor market opportunities for the more than half of Americans ages 25 to 64 who do not hold a postsecondary credential.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report is a feasibility evaluation of the Bridges to Pathways (Bridges) program. The Bridges program addressed youth ages 17 to 21 exiting the criminal or juvenile justice system. Through the program, participants who did not have a high school diploma earned this credential. They also engaged in social-emotional learning workshops, and participated in a subsidized internship. The Bridges evaluation is included in OPRE’s Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration and assessed the Bridges program’s impact on 480 participants and their outcomes for employment, earnings, and decreased criminal activity.

This Child Trends report evaluates Nebraska’s Bridge to Independence (b2i) program for young adults who have recently exited from the foster care system. The program offers supportive services such as medical care, housing, and case management and assists participants as they attain education and employment in coordination with an assigned independence coordinator. This report’s assessment of qualitative and quantitative impacts of b2i are incorporated as part of the Nebraska Children’s Commission 2018-2019 Annual Report and will be used to set future priorities on the b2i program expansion.

This Urban Institute report explores the scope and range of apprenticeship programs and the application of the apprenticeship model in different countries. The report examines how to scale up apprenticeships for small, medium, and large-size businesses, the steps needed to build talent pipelines, the role of apprenticeships in stimulating local economies, and options for adult career changers; it also identifies how to engage students in work-based learning.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration will host a webinar on December 18, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to discuss current and future competency model initiatives. Speakers from the Competency Model Peer Learning Group will share real-time examples and program innovations. The interactive webinar will also provide opportunities for participants to offer their own experiences, raise questions, and share feedback on future initiatives.

This RAND Corporation brief reviews the New Orleans’ Career Pathways Training Program and its three stages for opportunities within the advanced manufacturing, health care, and information technology industries. The three stages under review include recruitment, training, and coordination with employers. The brief identifies some of the program’s successes and challenges in the implementation of the initiative and provides recommendations for lessons learned in applying the program to other communities.

This Urban Institute webinar from November 8, 2019 identifies insights from the U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty on developing a comprehensive definition of mobility from poverty that includes not only economic success, but also increases in power, autonomy, and community presence. The webinar offered opportunities for state and government leaders, philanthropy representatives, and non-profit organizations to provide feedback on these mobility metrics and a prototype dashboard to move the metrics into actionable intelligence.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) issued a policy memo to share resources and tools that can help state agencies improve and expand their respective Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) E&T programs. These resources include: SNAP E&T policy guidance and clarifications on ways to partner with the public workforce investment system and implement certain 2018 Farm Bill provisions; interactive directives on how to use career pathways across all Federal agencies to deliver services for able-bodied adults without dependents; resources on the SNAP to Skills Project including policy briefs; and a SNAP E&T Operations Handbook on how to grow programs with third-party providers. The memo also noted that FNS will convene a SNAP E&T conference (details upcoming).