This Urban Institute brief presents findings of the Accelerating Opportunity (AO) initiative evaluation as a model and practice of integrated career pathways for adult basic education and skills training. The evaluation covers ways that programs in Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, and Louisiana aimed to help adults with basic skills deficiencies earn occupational credentials. The evaluation identifies impacts on earnings and job opportunities for AO initiative participants.

This research to practice brief illustrates the Washington State Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) program. I-BEST incorporates adult basic education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESL) courses with technical training aligned with state career pathways. This program is considered a best practice model that has been studied and replicated elsewhere to accelerate learning of ESL students and help them achieve economic self-sufficiency.

This Jobs for the Future report reviews the core features of career pathway programs and findings of career pathway evaluations involving entry and access to the labor market for adults lacking basic reading, writing, and math skills, as well as the integration of these basic skills with industry-specific technical skills at the post-secondary education level. This report presents evidence of how this approach can lead to career progression with improved educational and economic opportunities for participants in the 16 career pathways programs studied.

This RAND Corporation brief reviews the New Orleans’ Career Pathways Training Program and its three stages for opportunities within the advanced manufacturing, health care, and information technology industries. The three stages under review include recruitment, training, and coordination with employers. The brief identifies some of the program’s successes and challenges in the implementation of the initiative and provides recommendations for lessons learned in applying the program to other communities.

This Urban Institute webinar from November 8, 2019 identifies insights from the U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty on developing a comprehensive definition of mobility from poverty that includes not only economic success, but also increases in power, autonomy, and community presence. The webinar offered opportunities for state and government leaders, philanthropy representatives, and non-profit organizations to provide feedback on these mobility metrics and a prototype dashboard to move the metrics into actionable intelligence.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) issued a policy memo to share resources and tools that can help state agencies improve and expand their respective Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) E&T programs. These resources include: SNAP E&T policy guidance and clarifications on ways to partner with the public workforce investment system and implement certain 2018 Farm Bill provisions; interactive directives on how to use career pathways across all Federal agencies to deliver services for able-bodied adults without dependents; resources on the SNAP to Skills Project including policy briefs; and a SNAP E&T Operations Handbook on how to grow programs with third-party providers. The memo also noted that FNS will convene a SNAP E&T conference (details upcoming).