The Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) seeks input on best practices to improve transition outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities. CAPE-Youth, with funding support from the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policies, is launching a national study on “Youth and Adult Systems Collaboration.” Research from this study will cover best practices, challenges, and strategies for improving interagency collaboration and service coordination to improve transition outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities. Input is sought from supervisors and direct service providers working on behalf of state and local-level government agencies. Lessons learned from the study will be used to develop technical assistance and professional development tools and resources supporting state-level interagency collaboration and best practices of service coordination. Please indicate interest in the study here. For more information on the project, please contact the CAPE-Youth team at info@capeyouth.org.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation brief reviews changes in the healthcare workforce, especially for Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) related occupations, during the first seven months of the COVID-19 pandemic from January through September 2020. More than half of HPOG participants train for Certified Nursing Assistant, Home Health and Personal Care Aide, Licensed Practical Nurse/Licensed Vocational Nurse, or Registered Nurse occupations. During the first four months of the pandemic, healthcare sector employment decreased over 9 percent but recovered about 60 percent of the losses through September 2020. The brief can support HPOG and healthcare workforce stakeholders when interpreting future impact evaluation analyses results or investing in future healthcare workforce programs.

As part of its Leading with Evidence series, the Annie E. Casey Foundation will host a webinar on September 9, 2021 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to discuss how youth programs strive to improve by engaging their participants. The webinar examines data collection in the Latinos in Action (LIA) program, an initiative which builds college and career skills for youth, and how this data is used for continuous improvement. Representatives from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Latinos in Action, and Hello Insight (a data platform used by LIA) will present.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA) will host a webinar on August 19, 2021 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss the top ten tools available on CareerOneStop. The webinar will provide guidance on job searching and finding job openings, navigating career options for job seekers returning back to a previous career or changing careers, and connecting job seekers to specialized resources they may need when returning to work. Representatives from the ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development will present and moderate this webinar.

This report presents interim findings of a national random assignment evaluation of the Family-Self Sufficiency (FSS) program which is implemented in households receiving Housing Choice Vouchers through 700 public housing agencies. FSS consists of two elements: case managers who work with participants to develop individualized self-sufficiency plans, and the creation of an interest-bearing escrow account to support participants’ asset development. The report reviews implementation of the FSS program, program participants’ engagement, and the impacts on labor force participation and government benefits receipt.

The Mathematica Center for Studying Disability Policy will host a webinar on August 24, 2021 from noon to 1:30 p.m. ET, focusing on lessons learned from Vermont’s Linking Learning to Careers initiative. This initiative creates evidence-based practices on work-based learning for youth – a crucial strategy to improve career readiness. A discussion will be held with program leaders, transition team members, technical assistance providers, and evaluators. Additionally, youth program participants will share their experiences.

The American Public Human Services Association and the National Association of Welfare Research Statistics will host a hybrid (in-person and virtual learning) conference from August 22 to August 25, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The conference will bring together policy, practice, research, and various programs to advance the collective goal of achieving economic mobility and well-being for everyone. Workshops are being developed to help health and human service leaders, policymakers, and researchers in developing human services programs through collaboration, integration, modernization, and guidance on effectively monitoring quality control and performance management. A registration fee is required.

This report documents the first phase of a multiphase initiative to identify and invest in California’s “high road employers,” whose business models emphasize worker power, job quality, and career advancement. It includes the worker-led development of a new framework for assessing job quality and an interactive tool to help employers design rewarding and fulfilling jobs that reflect worker experiences and perspectives.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) report presents evaluation findings of Washington State’s Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) program. I-Best increases access to and completion of college-level occupational training for adults with low skills. The OPRE report examines the I-BEST program’s impacts on education, earnings, and other life outcomes. I-BEST is one of nine programs examined under the Administration for Children and Families’ Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education project.

The U.S. Department of Education seeks applications for the Performance Partnerships Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3). The FY 2021 P3 authorization allows pilot programs to utilize waivers of requirements that hinder service delivery or impede a holistic approach. These waivers include, for example, blending and use of other federal funds, flexibility in age or income eligibility requirements, use of alternative outcome measures, and others requested in a submitted application. P3 pilots are required to include at least two Federal programs which target disconnected youth or are designed to prevent youth from disconnecting with educational, workforce, or social services supports. Applications are due by August 23, 2021.