The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) prepared a toolkit with findings from a multi-year research project covering 28 main ways that the Federal Government supports tribal innovation within workforce development. Also included are four case studies of approaches that some tribes use to address workforce development.

This report from MDRC presents the interim impact findings from an ongoing evaluation of YouthBuild, a program that employs at-risk youth in the construction field, teaching them marketable skills while also supporting them to earn their high school diploma or GED. Many of the reported impacts from this randomized control trial were positive, and each is examined in the report.

This report from the Urban Institute highlights the work of three community-based organizations taking part in the JPMorgan Chase’s New Skills at Work Initiative. It showcases promising approaches and strategies to engage employers to fill their employment needs and train workers to meet these needs.

This report from ICF for the Baltimore County Department of Economic and Workforce Development summarizes the implementation and evaluation of the Accelerating Connections to Employment (ACE) program. The ACE program is designed to improve workforce and employment outcomes for low-skilled workers with partnerships between Workforce Investment Boards and community colleges. The results of the evaluations found positive outcomes for low-skilled workers and fidelity to the program model between various sites.

This blog by Lane Schonour, Goodwill Vice President of Learning and Development, looks at the challenges faced by many non-profits related to talent management in today’s economy. Mr. Schonour shares insights and lessons learned by Goodwill as a result of their work in this area and how Goodwill has had success with managing the talent pipeline by ensuring they have the right mix of skills and competencies to meet current and future business requirements.

This Aspen Institute report looks at five workforce organizations that were funded through Capital One Foundation’s Human Capital Innovation Fund (HCIF) to test new strategies and approaches to enhance the placement of low-income individuals for employment. Each program serves a different population and targets different industries. The objective of the report is to encourage, promote, and share lessons learned on the ways that grantees can leverage HCIF funds to build effective workforce approaches. The report also highlights areas which U.S. workforce development organizations typically find the most challenging, including developing and maintaining strategic partnerships with other organizations, engaging with employers, and delivering support service strategies tailored to the needs of training participants.

Community colleges have the potential to provide low-cost, high-quality training to students if they partner with local business and industry leaders. This toolkit from the Brookings Institution provides practical strategies for community colleges to use to build and maintain partnerships with local business leaders. The toolkit has three sections: creating a navigator for industry partners, key characteristics of productive partnerships, and practical steps for building relationships. Each section has recommendations that are based on research and conversations with business and industry leaders, community college leaders, and intermediaries.

This journal article estimates how three large sectoral employment programs in New York City affected the employment and earnings of participants. These Sector-Focused Career Centers (SFCCs) target occupations that offer competitive wages of at least $10 per hour, full-time jobs, advancement opportunities for workers, and high growth potential for businesses. Participants receive a variety of services, including resume review, interview skills development, job search assistance, and career advice. Results showed gains in employment levels and earnings for participants, and participants who received industry-specific training had the greatest earnings gains.

This report from the Department of Labor provides an overview of the evidence behind effective job training programs for youth and adults. For adults, the evidence supports post-secondary education related to an in-demand field, employer engagement, and job training that is closely related to a real job or occupation. There is less evidence on what works for youth, but early experience to career and higher education information and work experience can be beneficial. The report concludes with next steps to expand what works and fill the gaps in evidence.

This brief from the Urban Institute provides a framework for why workforce programs and employers must engage with one another. First, the brief presents the challenges that workforce programs may face when engaging employers. Employers may not see the value in partnering with workforce programs or may be wary of working with the government or nonprofits. Then, the brief discusses why employers become involved in workforce programs, why workforce programs engage employers, and how employers are involved in workforce programs. Employers can play a variety of roles in a workforce program, such as oversight, program design, program delivery, recruitment and hiring, and financial or in-kind resources. The report concludes by describing how employers can become partners with workforce programs under WIOA.