Here you will find recent research and other resources that do not have SNAP E&T has their primary focus, but that may provide States and other SNAP E&T stakeholders with valuable information for building robust, job-driven SNAP E&T programs. This may include resources related generally to workforce development (particularly as it pertains to serving low-income or low-skill adults), as well as topics such as career pathways, sector strategies, adult education, labor market, and more.
Delivering SNAP Employment and Training Program (E&T) Components through the Statewide Workforce Development System (United States Department of Agriculture, 2019)
This memorandum is pursuant to the President's Executive Order, Reducing Poverty in America by Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility, which instructed the Department to review regulations and guidance documents to ensure they are consistent with promoting economic opportunity and ensuring the most efficient use of taxpayer funds.
Counting Registered Apprenticeship Completions (Workforce Data Quality Campaign, 2019)
States are facing a skills gap, whereby not enough workers are adequately trained for available jobs. In order to meet this demand, many states are establishing statewide post-secondary attainment goals for the number of people with post-secondary credentials. Achieving these goals can help states ensure they have a well-trained workforce and can improve living standards for residents.
SNAP Section 4005 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 - Informational Memorandum (United States Department of Agriculture, 2019)
On December 20, 2018, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was reauthorized as part of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the Act) (P.L. 115-334). Attached is an informational memorandum describing section 4005 of the Act and implementation dates. Regulations reflecting revisions to SNAP made by the Act will be published as soon as possible. Please forward the attached memorandum to your State commissioners.
Broadening the Apprenticeship Pipeline (National Skills Coalition, 2018)
Apprenticeship and other forms of work-based learning are important tools for helping workers acquire skills employers need. To reach the most workers and businesses, more work needs to be done to diversify the apprenticeship pipeline to include more women, low-wage workers, and parents of young children.
Building a Skilled Workforce for a Stronger Southern Economy (National Skills Coalition, 2018)
Building a Skilled Workforce for a Stronger Southern Economy explores how southern States can close the “middle-skill gap” that exists because there are not enough workers trained to fill middle-skill jobs. It includes an overview of the state of skills policies in the South and a roadmap for southern skill building. SNAP E&T is an essential partner supporting a number of skills-based training programs in southern States.
A Major Step: What Adults without Degrees Say About Going (Back) to College (Public Agenda, 2018)
Public Agenda surveyed and conducted focus groups of low-income adults who are considering attending college to learn about their perspectives on: the connection between education and career goals; how they plan to pay and prepare for college; the types of information that can help them make decisions about college; the different types of educational options available (e.g., online, guided pathways); approaches to making higher education more affordable and increasing student success. This type of information should be useful to SNAP E&T programs and State agencies as they design SNAP E&T programs that help participants gain access to further education and training.
National Implementation Evaluation of the First Round Health Profession Opportunity Grants (Health Profession Opportunity Grants, 2018)
In just over 5 years, the first round of HPOG provided more than 36,000 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low-income individuals with education and training for occupations in the healthcare field. The recently published implementation report shows that 72% percent of those employed after HPOG enrollment were employed in healthcare jobs, which had generally higher wages and better benefits than jobs in other sectors. In addition, the results show higher earnings and employment rates for those who completed training than those who did not. The majority of HPOG participants receive SNAP.
Low-Income Working Families: Rising Inequality Despite Economic Recovery (Working Poor Families Project, 2018)
The Working Poor Families Project is a national initiative supported by the Annie E. Casey, Joyce and W.K. Kellogg Foundations to strengthen policies to assist families striving to work their way into the middle class and achieve economic security. The report shows that while job growth has been strong since the end of the Great Recession, many working families are worse off than they were before the Recession began. According to the report, while most low-income families today are working, they are not earning enough to pay for basic living expenses because they often find themselves in low-paying jobs, part-time jobs, and/or jobs with limited advancement opportunity. One of the primary recommendations made by the report is to increase access to education and skills training for these working families. SNAP E&T can help to support this recommendation.
A Research Analysis of the Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative (CPI) (College Counts, 2018)
This College Counts report shows that the low-income parents in the CPI are earning college certificates and degrees at twice the rate of regular community college students. The Arkansas CPI began in 2007 and utilizes Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to provide academic and career counseling plus financial assistance for key supports, including transportation, childcare, books and supplies. CPI has enrolled nearly 30,000 low-income, mostly single parents since its inception.
Progress, Campus Profiles, and Preliminary Lessons from the Working Students Success Network (Achieving the Dream, 2018)
Two years into the WSSN initiative, reports from the colleges involved and evaluations from our partners reveal that for campuses that have implemented the approach with the greatest fidelity, WSSN is a catalyst for culture change, an integrated hub of service delivery, and a data-driven approach leading to better monitoring and increased success for low- income students.While the WSSN initiative has led to essential services being provided to tens of thousands of low-income students, more important is its role as a catalyst for long-term institutional change and capacity building.
Legal Guide to Administrative Data Sharing for Economic and Workforce Development (State Data Sharing Initiative, 2018)
This resource is a product of the CREC’s State Data Sharing Initiative which seeks to improve public policy program outcomes by enabling evidence-based policy-making through the sharing of State administrative records. The Legal Guide to Administrative Data Sharing for Economic and Workforce Development, provides legal and regulatory context to this process.
Using Research and Evaluation to Support Programs that Promote Parents’ Economic Security and Children’s Well-being (Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation, 2018)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released a brief that discusses how to best invest in programs that serve low-income children and adults. The brief highlights the need to utilize research and evaluation findings for programs that combine services for children and adults. Program leaders can also use rapid-cycle testing and collaborate with researchers to quickly inform the field of promising outcomes.
Investing in America’s Workforce: Report on Workforce Development Needs and Opportunities (U.S. Federal Reserve System, 2017)
The Report analyzes information gathered from nearly 1,000 leaders who work at the intersection of workforce training, recruitment and finance. It provides a current snapshot of the workforce development sector and its key challenges, and offers strategies for improving the human capital of America’s labor force, expanding access to jobs, and innovating workforce development.
Sector Partnership Policy Scan (National Skills Coalition, 2017)
NSC’s updated scan examines which States have policies that support the establishment of workforce development partnerships within specific key industry sectors. The scan shows that 32 States now have such policies in place, 11 more States than were represented in a similar scan completed by NSC two years ago.
Adult Training and Education: Results from the National Household Education Surveys Program of 2016 (U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, 2017)
This report is based on responses from 47,744 adults to a 2016 survey. The goal of the survey was to learn more about the prevalence of non-degree credentials and gauge perceptions about their value in the job market. The data showed that more than a quarter of Americans hold a non-degree credential, with 21 percent completing a work experience program. These credentials are showing promising pay off in the job market.
The Good Jobs Project (Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, 2017)
The Good Jobs Project investigates the impact overarching structural economic change as had and is having on workers who do not have a bachelor's degree. The project recently published a report with state-by-state analysis of good jobs with median earnings of $55,000.
Sector Partnership Policy – 50-State Scan (National Skills Coalition, 2017)
This updated report scans sector partnership policies across the 50 states and finds that state policies supporting sector partnerships are rapidly growing. Sector partnerships are a proven strategy for helping workers prepare for middle-skill jobs and helping employers find skilled workers. States can support local sector partnerships through program initiatives, technical assistance, and funding.
State Strategies to Scale Quality Work-Based Learning (National Governors Association, 2016)
This brief highlights strategies that support high-quality, demand driven work-based learning programs and how Governors can use these strategies to support State industries and build a more economically competitive economy. The information gathered in the brief comes from best practices gleaned from a series of convenings and technical assistance initiatives supported through the National Governors Association.
Data Policy Toolkit: Implementing the State Blueprint (Workforce Data Quality Campaign, 2016)
The new Data Policy Toolkit is a useful tool for States and their partners to better understand State data policies, the steps needed to improve data infrastructure, and how to promote data use to align education with labor market demand and ensure that students have opportunities to gain job-driven skills and credentials.
College Counts - Educational Outcomes (Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative Evaluation, 2016)
Findings from a rigorous evaluation of the Arkansas Career Pathway Program—an initiative designed to target education and training to low-income individuals—demonstrate that participants in the initiative are more likely to gain valuable credentials and earn more money after the program ends than their non-participating peers. These findings provide evidence that education matched with occupationally-focused programs can be an effective means for low-income adults to work toward economic self-sufficiency.