This Jobs for the Future report highlights the findings from a Breaking Through partnership facilitated by Jobs for the Future, the National Council for Workforce Education, and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. This eighteen-month initiative focused on piloting workforce and education strategies to better serve low-skilled students at Tribal colleges and universities.

The National Telecommunications & Information Administration released a report based on data from the Census Bureau's July 2011 Current Population Survey (CPS) Computer and Internet Use Supplement. This study presents data collected from 53,000 households, reporting on Americans' online activities from job searching and training to other research. The report shows that widespread Internet use benefits society.

MDRC released a policy brief that discusses the issue of low-income, college-ready students "undermatching" – enrolling in colleges for which they are academically overqualified or not going to college at all. Early results from the College Match Program in three Chicago high schools suggest that it's possible to help students navigate the college application process and make more informed decisions.

MDRC released a new policy brief that discusses a new skills-building model designed to help low-income adults prepare for, enter, and succeed in quality jobs in high-demand fields with opportunities for career growth. WorkAdvance uses strategies found in sector-based employment programs, combined with career coaching after participants are placed into jobs.

The U.S. Census Bureau has improved the variety of online courses it offers, as well as the process for learning about them and registering. Two of their more popular offerings for the workforce community include "Using Census Data for Grant Applications" and "How to Navigate American FactFinder."

In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act expanded investment in States' labor market information (LMI) systems to help create new jobs, save existing ones, spur economic activity, and invest in long-term growth. As part of the Recovery Act funding for green jobs, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded $50 million in State LMI improvement grants to 30 grantees, including 24 individual State workforce agencies and six consortia. The "Investing in Labor-Market Information (LMI): Insights from the Recovery Act LMI Grants" report describes experiences of nine selected grantees and presents lessons that may inform future efforts, while the "Investing in Labor-Market Information (LMI): A Summary of the State LMI Improvement Grants" summary offers information about grantees' goals, definitions of green jobs, partners and stakeholders, activities, products, and dissemination strategies.

Mathematica released a report on the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), the nation's largest source of training and employment services, in which they conducted a study of States' and local areas' use of eight WIA policy waivers. This final report provides descriptive analysis of the findings from each phase of data collection, discussing the reasons for waiver requests and implementation of waivers at the State and local levels, the successes and challenges of these efforts, and lessons that can be learned from these States' and local areas' waiver use.

The Office of Family Assistance hosted a Webinar, "Integrating Comprehensive Case Management Strategies into TANF Programs." The Webinar provided an overview of various methods for creating an efficient and integrated approach to providing case management services with TANF populations. This Webinar also offered TANF-serving organizations information on program models and strategies that address intensive case management, service integration, and barriers to service. Program representatives presented information on their program design and implementation, population served, partnerships, challenges to service delivery, and lessons learned.

This report displays and discusses some of the data related to the poverty of children and their living arrangements and data on male employment and earnings, educational attainment, and incarceration. It then provides information on federal programs that could play a greater role in addressing poverty of children through the fathers of these children (nearly all noncustodial parents are fathers). These programs provide economic assistance, family support, and job training and employment to eligible participants. The report also examines federal programs that have the purposes of preventing teen pregnancy and helping disadvantaged youth obtain the skills and support they need to make the transition to adulthood. The underlying premise of these programs generally is that the aid or services received from these programs by low-income noncustodial fathers can help them in meeting their financial commitments to their children (or future children) and providing emotional support to their children. The report concludes by presenting several public policy approaches proposed by the policy community that might improve the lives of low-income noncustodial fathers and their children. For example, social policy could play a role by expanding economic assistance programs to noncustodial fathers, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); and implementing strategies to prevent the build-up of unpaid child support through early intervention. (author abstract)

Department of Labor's Workforce3One recently posted 20 Innovation in Action write-ups that were gathered from successful reemployment practices shared by States with the Employment and Training Administration. They include processes, procedures or systems implemented by States that have resulted in process improvements and/or resource or cost savings. The successful practices were identified either through objective measures or subjective methods such as expert opinions, and include a detailed description, contact information and related attachments.