This report details findings of the Intergovernmental Relations and Human Resources Subcommittee concerning the strengths and weaknesses of current and proposed Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) work programs for promoting self-sufficiency among poor women; the role of support services such as day care; successful innovations in State…

The Employment Training Panel (ETP) contracted with California State University-Northridge to review the fixed fee structure ETP used to pay contractors for training provided under ETP. Three research questions were investigated: what other institutions use the fixed fee and what they pay for; whether ETP's fixed-fee rates were reasonable in…

Information was collected on three issues related to the extent to which states use welfare dollars to provide work support and other services to welfare recipients and other low-income families. They were: extent of caseload decline since welfare reform was implemented and status of families who have left welfare; extent to which states spend…

This paper presents an overall approach, statistical techniques, and a public-use database that can be used for understanding state welfare policies and measuring their relationship with key outcomes of interest, all while learning helpful statistical techniques. We use descriptive statistics and correlations to describe state policies. We find…

In May 2006, the National Poverty Center (NPC) at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan hosted a meeting--"Research on Prisoner Reentry: What Do We Know and What Do We Want to Know?"--to discuss the state of research on employment-focused prisoner reentry programs. This paper, written as background for…

Research on the results of welfare-to-work programs is both encouraging and sobering. On the one hand, it provides evidence that states can effectively implement various work-oriented programs to encourage large percentages of the welfare caseload to prepare for and enter the labor market. These programs range from rather low-intensity programs…

The Western Job Training Partnership Association (WJTPA) supports the periodic evaluation of the scope and effectiveness of national, state, and local work force preparation and work force education programs. The WJTPA believes that future programs must correct the problems inherited from earlier work force preparation programs, such as the…

A study in Georgia evaluated the pre-program to post-program changes in employment, earnings, and welfare dependency for the 6,693 Title II-A adults that occurred between application and participant follow-up 13 weeks after leaving the state's Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) program during the 1989-90 program year. Findings revealed…

Since 1983, Michigan has addressed youth unemployment through the Michigan Youth Corps (MYC), a state-supported summer jobs program. Administered by the Michigan Department of Labor and funded by general appropriation of the Michigan legislature, MYC is the nation's largest state-funded youth employment program. The service delivery area (SDA)…

A study analyzed the implementation, impact, and cost-effectiveness of an on-the-job training (OJT) program for recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in New Jersey, operated as part of the state's Work Incentive (WIN) Demonstration system. Enrollees in the program, mostly female single heads of household, were placed with…

The booklet describes the accomplishments of Project Skill, an approach to providing employment in Wisconsin civil service positions for mildly mentally retarded or restored emotionally disturbed persons. In addition to an historical review of the project, the report focuses on the following aspects (subtopics in parentheses): job development…

This report presents the rationale, methodology, findings, and conclusions of a state-initiated program to assist disadvantaged persons in finding and maintaining stable jobs. Conducted under the direction of the California State Department of Human Resources Development (HRD), this incentive-based system utilizes job agents who are rewarded…

Describes California's Employment Training Panel, which with the assistance of progressive community colleges, has established unusual partnerships with business and workers to help foster job training and a more competitive and productive economy. Looks at program qualifications and activities at the participating colleges. (CBC)

This report describes the programs provided by the Illinois Department of Public Aid and the initiatives that the department has begun to help welfare recipients find work and get off welfare rolls. Programs described include the following: (1) AFDC (Aid for Families with Dependent Children) Job Opportunities and Basic Skills program (JOBS), which…

In anticipation of federal welfare reform, the Texas Department of Human Services developed and implemented the REFOCUS program, designed to enhance the economic self-sufficiency of English-as-a-Second-Language recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) through better use of existing education, job training, employment, and…