This brief summarizes findings and recommendations from a study designed to measure and compare the added value of models used to predict participant success within career pathways programs in the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program. HPOG provided education and training in high-demand occupations in the health care field to TANF participants and other individuals with low incomes. As part of program enrollment and participation, workforce program providers have access to program data through their management information systems that has the potential to improve program outcomes through data analysis. In addition to improving program outcomes, analyzing the wealth of program data allows providers to identify participants at greater risk for program dropout and tailor the program accordingly to participants with an increased risk. From a provider perspective, predictive models vary in the level of program value, costs, and complexity. To help inform practitioner decision-making and explore differences using real-world program data, the brief explores the tradeoffs of using simple to complex data science methodology to analyze career pathways program data.

This report provides welfare dependence indicators through 2019 for most indicators and through 2020 for other indicators, reflecting changes that have taken place since enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act in 1996. Welfare dependence is defined in this report as the proportion of individuals who receive more than half of their total family income in one year from the TANF program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and/or the Supplemental Security Income program.

The issue of opportunity youths—young adults who are neither in school nor working—has been pervasive over the past few decades, although the problem grew more severe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first article in a two-part series from the Federal Reserve Bank noted how the rate of young adult disconnection ebbs and flows with business cycles as these adults choose to enroll in school or grapple with the realities of the labor market. This second article  illustrates how several demographic groups have differed in their response to business cycles over time and how their disconnection rates have changed in recent years. The inability to reengage these young adults may aggravate economic issues already gaining attention, such as declining enrollment in higher education and languishing labor force participation.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, 45% of rural adults say they have been impacted by the opioid epidemic, and 74% of farmers and farmworkers have been directly affected. Rural communities encounter unique challenges when combating substance misuse in the community and the workplace. Rural areas typically have a high poverty rate, are sparsely located, and lack access to healthcare, mental health, and recovery services. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workforce Investment (OWI), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Appalachian Regional Commission, and the First Tennessee Development District and its partners, will host a webinar on May 31, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET that will highlight how opioid addiction has impacted the rural workforce and the resources, promising practices, and grant opportunities available to support recovery through the workforce system.

State and local benefits agency staff are invited to join a training with Kristi Thornton of the Federal Communications Commission on May 26, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. ET to learn about relevant law concerning SMS messaging to engage with public benefits applicants and recipients. This training will describe a declaratory ruling issued by an FCC Bureau in January 2023, and other guidance public benefits programs should consider (including non-health and integrated delivery models).

After registering, registrants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

All along the journey from youth to young adulthood, there are critical junctures at which a change in pathway can have a tremendous impact on a young person’s future. This Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce report identifies 10 pathway changes with the greatest potential to improve employment outcomes for young adults. It uses the Pathways-to-Career policy simulation model to identify promising junctures at which strategic interventions could increase the likelihood of working in a good job.

It is estimated that 20 million youth are estimated to currently have a mental health disorder. Further, increasing rates of depression, obesity, gun violence, and sexual and emotional abuse are among the many factors harming children and having an impact on their mental health. Black, Hispanic, Native, American Indian, and LGBTQ+ children also experience disparities in many areas, including access to treatment. This National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation infographic explores these threats to child health as well as expert recommendations for improving child health and well-being.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration will host the third webinar in a series focused on trauma, healing-centered care, and the public workforce system on May 30, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. This webinar will provide an overview of healing-centered care and its importance for fostering a supportive and caring environment for youth program participants and workforce staff. Healing-centered care is a strengths-based approach to working with youth that acknowledges the trauma of an individual without defining them by their experiences. Webinar presenters will also share best practices for applying this knowledge to service delivery to better support youth program participants on their healing and their mental health.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation launched the Generation Work initiative in 2016 to connect more of America’s young adults—especially those of color from low-income families—with meaningful employment by changing the way public and private systems prepare them for and support them in jobs. Generation Work asked grantees to form partnerships of organizations in workforce development systems (such as training programs, government agencies, funders, employers, and trade unions) to better serve young people ages 18 to 29 years. The first phase of the initiative was implemented in five cities: Cleveland, Hartford, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and Seattle. MDRC was selected by the Casey Foundation to study the Generation Work initiative and investigate how it unfolded, uncover challenges, and identify best practices. This Issue Focus explores some of the ways Generation Work partnerships sought to change their local workforce development systems and previews some of the study’s findings.

Case management is a common component of healthy marriage and relationship education (HMRE) services. Many social service programs are beginning to explore a motivation-driven approach to case management that prioritizes identifying the goals that participants want to achieve and the steps they can take to achieve those goals. Two HMRE grant recipients, Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara County (FSA-SB) and More Than Conquerors, Inc. (MTCI), implemented motivation-driven case management through the Strengthening the Implementation of Marriage and Relationship Programs (SIMR) project, which aims to strengthen the capacity of HMRE grant recipients to improve their services. This brief provides practical tips for implementing motivation-driven case management as part of HMRE services based on the experiences of FSA-SB and MTCI.