The Office of Family Assistance hosted a Webinar on Providing Mental Health Services for TANF and Other Low-Income Participants on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 from 12:30-2:00 p.m. ET. In this facilitated webinar, presenters provided an overview of the challenges programs face in providing mental health services; progress made in states since welfare reform in 1996; and newer implications and opportunities for collaboration in the context of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Presenters provided examples from programs that have taken different approaches to addressing the mental health needs of TANF and other low-income participants, through work opportunities coupled with supportive services, partnerships with outside mental health services, and connection to Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Presenters included: Dr. Mary Spooner, Senior Manager, ICF International; Miranda Gray, Reach Up Administrator, Economic Services Division, Vermont Department for Children and Families; and Timothy Cantrell, Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Rehabilitative Services, Human Resources Administration, New York City Department of Social Services.

This paper from RTI International outlines key considerations for implementing career pathways strategies and provides a checklist of action items that states or local communities can use to assess the status of their sustainability efforts. It draws from research on change management theory, which has produced strategies for sustaining organizational shifts, and presents lessons learned from states participating in the Advancing Career and Technical Education in State and Local Career Pathways Systems project, a three-year initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education..

This report from the U.S. Departments of Education, Transportation, and Labor indicates that there are likely to be a large number of job openings for high-skill and middle-skill workers across the transportation industry over the next 10 years. The report emphasizes the need for skills training and highlights future growth areas and employment “hot spots” by industry subsectors, occupations, career areas, and geographic areas.

Employers often partner with community colleges in Learn and Earn models of talent development, which integrate important aspects of employment and education to help working learners move along education and career pathways to earning family sustaining wages. This resource from Corporate Voices for Working Families provides resources for business and community college leaders interested in forming similar partnerships. The resource describes different types of partnerships, the keys for successful partnerships, and what both parties have to gain from the partnership.

This report, released by the Workforce Data Quality Campaign, assesses the current landscape of employment data. It proposes technical enhancements to help agencies and institutions more effectively collect and share information, and provides policy recommendations to better inform students and other key stakeholders.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) recently launched WorkforceGPS, an interactive online communication and learning technical assistance platform. Users will find resources, learning opportunities, and space to connect with peers on topics of mutual interest. WorkforceGPS replaces Workforce3One.