SINCE THE REFORM OF THE FEDERAL welfare and workforce systems, more people have left welfare for work. But five years after leaving welfare, the majority are still not steadily employed and have not substantially increased their income (Hamilton et al 2001*). Other studies have found that while employment programs often increase total income, participants remain poor (Orr et al. 1996*). Effective workforce development services are critical to ensure that entry-level workers become steadily employed and earn a living wage.

The spectrum of workforce development services includes the following components:

Employment assessment and preparation:

	client outreach/recruitment
	employment assessment
	job readiness/soft skills training (including job search skills and workplace norms)
	remedial education (e.g. GED preparation, basic education, and computer training)
	career planning including developing individualized plans for addressing barriers and achieving employment goals (individualized employment plans)

Job training and placement:

	job training (teaching skills for specific jobs, including skills training provided by community colleges) and sectoral training (training for specific jobs and creating additional living-wage-paying jobs with benefits in specific industries)
	job development/placement including placement in temporary jobs

Employment retention, support and advancement:

	ongoing assistance addressing employment barriers, usually by referring to other services, including childcare, transportation, domestic violence, and substance abuse services
	employment support, retention, and replacement services
	advancement services including continuing education and skill training
	work supports including budget/financial management, income enhancement, and asset accumulation assistance

Not every employment program includes each component; the combination of components varies according to the program’s goals, resources and target population. A more comprehensive approach is needed if the goal is to help people out of poverty. Some practitioners and policy makers argue that quick entry into jobs is best (Riccio et al. 1994*) while others contend that providing adults with a foundation of skills before they enter a job leads to better and more long lasting outcomes (Orr et al. 1996*) for low-income adults. Programs that mix job search with education and training do better than programs that provide one or the other (Hamilton et al 2001*; Fishman et al 1998*). Many successful programs provide clients with a flexible, individualized array of services, especially job search, work-focused education, life skills training, and job training (Strawn and Martinson 2001*). Studies have also found that a combination of pre-employment preparation and intensive post-employment support, especially during the first months of employment, may improve outcomes (Strawn and Martinson 2001*). Workforce strategies that can help workers obtain and retain employment and increase income are described below.

Employment assessment and preparation:

	Programs should assess clients’ skills, background, and especially interests (Strawn and Martinson 2001*) and develop and regularly revise individualized employment plans. Don’t hesitate to refer workers to another program if your program is not equipped to train them (Seavey 1998*).
	Formal assessment tools can be used to identify training and service needs and to test basic skills. Many training programs have specific literacy and math competency requirements and referrals cannot be made to these programs without first assessing (and in some cases, helping clients to acquire) basic math and literacy skills.
	The length of training programs varies enormously. Some job readiness programs like STRIVE, which has been widely replicated, are three or four weeks long, while some sectoral training programs take two years to complete. Attrition in long-term training programs can be minimized by selecting clients carefully and by securing grants so that clients can be paid to participate in the training (Elliott et al. 2001*).

Job training and placement:

	Job training programs should research the local and regional job market (Ranghilli 2003*) to tailor training to specific jobs that have a demand for workers (Hicks, Olins and Prince 2000*), pay a living wage (Bloom et al. 2002*), provide benefits, and have advancement opportunities (Hamilton 2002, Strawn and Martinson 2001*, Harrison and Weiss 1998*).
	To develop job training programs, collaborate with local employers and private and nonprofit organizations, including community economic development agencies (Bloom et al. 2002*) and community colleges. When working with employers to tailor training to specific jobs and to place participants in jobs, establish relationships with supervisors as well as human resource personnel (Freeman and Taylor 2002*).
	Job training program instructors should be experienced in the field (Bloom et al. 2002*).
	Some programs help clients obtain temporary jobs as a first step into the world of work by partnering with private or nonprofit temp agencies (Bloom et al. 2002*).
	Sectoral programs are more likely to lead to jobs with health insurance and other benefits than other job training programs (Clark and Dawson 1995* and Rademacher 2001*).
	Keep job placement expectations realistic, particularly for hard-to-serve populations (Bloom et al. 2002*).

Employment retention, support and advancement:

	Consider continuing to work with entry-level workers and their employers to build skills that will help them advance after job placement by providing advancement training on-the-job or after work hours (Bloom et al. 2002*).
	Job loss is likely for all entry level workers who move frequently from one job to another, often leaving a job after only four to six months (Herr, Wagner, and Halpern 1996* and Strawn and Martinson 2001*). For this reason, programs should seek to retain employees in the workforce rather than in a particular job. Employment programs should be prepared to provide re-placement assistance when clients lose a job, avoiding long gaps (i.e. more than thirty days) in employment whenever possible (Giloth and Gewirtz 1999*).
	Programs should be prepared to address the employment barriers that the target population is likely to possess (Quint et al. 1994*). The barriers that most frequently cause former welfare participants to lose jobs include difficulties with childcare, transportation, and physical, chronic, and mental health conditions. Those with formal childcare arrangements have fewer problems than those who rely on relatives (Holzer, Harry J. and Wissoker, Douglas, 2001*). Other employment barriers faced by low-income workers include substance and domestic abuse, criminal records, very low basic skills and learning disabilities, and language barriers (Brown 2001*). The experience of some programs suggests that while barriers may need to be addressed, employment programs should continue to focus on employment and do not need to attempt to solve all of their clients’ personal problems (Strawn and Martinson 2001*).
	While caseworker support has been found to be useful to address employment barriers (Bartl et al 2001*, and Hoeltke 1994*), many participants only need access to work supports like childcare and a staffed resource room where they can conduct a job search (Rangarajan 1996* and Wagner 2003*). Some programs have found retention support groups to be helpful (Johnson and Doolittle 1996*).
	Too often, newly placed workers quit or are fired because of a problem that an employment program could have helped solve if the staff had been aware of the problem. Some successful programs follow up with newly placed workers weekly until they have successfully transitioned, and then monthly (Herr, Wagner, and Halpern 1996*) in order to proactively address problems that arise. The path to steady employment has many alternate routes, including multiple job, education, and training placements. Post-placement retention support is best provided by program staff who establish and maintain trusting, long-term relationships with program participants, staying in close and regular contact, and documenting progress and program activity so that they can continually revise the individual employment plan (Herr et al 1991*).
	Education pays. Welfare recipients who receive a degree from a community college or a vocational degree increase earnings significantly and those who obtain a bachelors degree increase their income even more. Even those who enroll in a community college and then drop out before obtaining a degree increase their earnings by eight percent (Gittell 2003*).
	Work supports, including wage supplements and other financial incentives like the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit, and benefits like health insurance and childcare increase both employment and income (Patel et al. 2002*) and decrease the rate of return to welfare (Loprest 2002*). Programs that combine financial incentives with employment services and increase access to financial supplements and other available benefits produce larger impacts (Berlin 2000*). Studies have found that asset accumulation strategies like homeownership and Individual Development Accounts (which encourage savings by providing matching funds) increase employment (Scanlon and Page-Adams 2001*). One study found that single mothers who were saving money in savings accounts were more likely to have incomes above the poverty level than those who were not saving (Rocha 1997*).

PUBLICATION FINDER

	Connecting Families to Jobs: A Guide to Key Ideas, Effective Approaches, and Technical Assistance Approaches for Making Connections Cities and Site Teams Annie E. Casey Foundation Download Publication (PDF) A useful synopsis of current job training research. Sections include sectoral job strategies, job retention, and involving employers. The “Resources” section is an excellent collection of links to other organizations, programs, and publications. Baltimore, MD: Annie E. Casey Foundation.
	What’s Next After Work First: Workforce Development Report to the Field Mark Elliott, Don Spangler, and Kathy Yorkievitz Download Publication (PDF) A concise report on post-welfare reform job training efforts, stressing education and training, employer engagement, and post-employment supports. Philadelphia, PA: Public/Private Ventures, 1998.
	Responding to a Changing Labor Market: Challenges for Community–Based Organizations Peter Plastrik Download Publication (PDF) A good introduction to the changing requirements of community-based organizations that are involved in workforce development. For example, organizations need to collaborate with their peers in sharing ideas and respond more effectively to employer needs. Boston, MA: Jobs For The Future, 2001.
	Beyond Work First: How to Help Hard-To-Employ Individuals Get Jobs and Succeed in the Workforce Amy Brown Download Publication (PDF) Published by the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, this guide for practitioners operating welfare-to-work programs and other job training programs for the hard-to-employ describes the particular challenges facing these workers. It includes models of successful programs and distills lessons for practitioners, such as ways to work closely with employers and how to address common barriers to employment such as work inexperience and substance abuse. The section entitled “Best Practices” in the second chapter is very useful. New York: Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, 2001.
	Beyond Job Search or Basic Education: Rethinking The Role of Skills In Welfare Reform Julie Strawn More Information This executive summary of Strawn’s larger work includes links to several projects that successfully combine a strong focus on employment with an intensive education and skills training component. Washington, DC: Center for Law and Social Policy, 1998.
	Making Ends Meet: Six Programs That Help Working Families and Employers Nisha Patel, Mark Greenberg, Steve Savner, and Vicki Turetsky. The report highlights research findings on financial security, job retention, and program participation for six work support programs including the Earned Income Tax Credit, child care, Food Stamps, health care, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and child support. Washington, D.C.: Center for Law and Social Policy, 2002.

WEB SITE FINDER

	Jobs for the Future Jobs for the Future (JFF) is a nonprofit research, consulting, and advocacy organization that helps create and evaluate job training and advancement opportunities for youth and adults. JFF seeks to promote workforce development strategies that meet the needs of both unemployed and low-income workers and employers. The web site includes information on and links to innovative programs and has links to over one hundred related publications.
	Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation MDRC is a nonprofit and nonpartisan social policy research organization. The Workers and Communities section contains several “how-to” guides related to job retention and advancement. The InPractice page contains a question and answer section on effective strategies for workforce development and support.
	Public/Private Ventures P/PV is a nonprofit organization dedicated to initiating and evaluating best practices in workforce development and other issues that affect low-income youth and young adults.