The Work Incentive Program was designed to motivate welfare recipients to upgrade their academic and vocational skills so that they become independent from welfare rolls. (Author/RK)

Assesses the major claims and counterclaims in the debate on the desirability of attaching work-related obligations to the receipt of welfare benefits. Attempts to reach a balanced judgment on whether labor policy should continue moving in that direction. (JOW)

A study was conducted to determine what was happening in literacy programs as a result of the major welfare reform law passed in 1996, and whether basic skills instruction was part of the solution. A nationwide search for exemplary programs that are using basic skills instruction as a fundamental component of assisting welfare recipients in moving…

The National Women's Employment and Education project (NWEE), sponsored by the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor, was a fast-paced effort designed to serve 20 women each month, 240 each year. The training concept was quite different from traditional programs in that NWEE's thrust was to move women quickly into jobs. The program…

As states implement new strategies to help more families make the transition from welfare to work, they will be faced with the challenge of designing programs that address the needs of an extremely diverse population of families. Some families will be able to make the transition to work with limited assistance, especially in a strong economy.…

Demographic and educational data were gathered from July 1986 through April 1989 for approximately 121,504 participants in Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) from all 58 counties in California that have implemented GAIN. Instrumentation was the GAIN Appraisal Program, three tests developed to provide an initial appraisal of participants'…

Vermont's Welfare Restructuring Project (WRP), which was implemented in 1994-2001, required that single-parent welfare recipients who could not find wage-paying jobs after receiving cash assistance for 30 months accept work in subsidized, minimum-wage community service employment (CSE) positions to satisfy their work requirement and improve their…

Transforming the welfare system presents governors with unique opportunities, hard choices, and creative challenges. Change will require continued commitment to welfare, educational reform, and economic development. Governors can improve the status of private citizens and private businesses. The Family Support Act of 1988 signaled major changes in…

The National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies was conducted to explore whether programs examined in the evaluation have helped welfare recipients move into the labor force and remain employed over the long term. As part of the evaluation, a study was conducted to identify the 4-year impacts that 10 programs in 6 sites have had on former…

The impacts of 20 welfare-to-work programs across the United States were evaluated to determine which clients derive the greatest benefits from different approaches to moving individuals from welfare to work. Of the 20 programs examined, 7 were characterized as employment focused, 5 provided a mix of first activities without an employment focus, 4…

This guide gives educational service providers materials and resources to increase motivation and address other barriers that hinder the progress toward self-sufficiency of participants in Job Opportunities and Basic Skills/Greater Avenues for Independence (JOBS/GAIN) programs. Section 1 contains an explanation and sample of the Comprehensive…

The effects of adult education in welfare-to-work programs were examined in a national evaluation of welfare-to-work strategies. The evaluation used a random research design to estimate the overall effects of welfare-to-work programs in the following states: Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, and California. The study focused on the…

The Learning Enrichment Foundation (LEF) in Toronto, Ontario (Canada) offers 12 targeted training programs that have successfully helped "hard-to-serve" clients return to the workforce. Compared with traditional training, targeted training has a much narrower focus and adapts quickly to industry trends to meet employers' changing…

The 2-year impacts of 11 welfare-to-work programs across the United States were evaluated to determine the relative effectiveness of different approaches to moving individuals from welfare to work. All 11 programs operated under the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Program. Four programs were employment focused (three low-enforcement and one…