Describes Massachusetts' Employment and Training Choices Program that seeks to move people from welfare dependency to economic self-sufficiency. Program components are career assessment and planning, training and job placement, educational services, and support services. (JOW)

Since 1990, all states must implement a Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS) for welfare recipients. The 1986 aggregated data indicate a job-placement rate of 60 percent. Estimates of unemployment suggest that JOBS participants would face stiff competition for employment, particularly in the South and nonmetro states. (SV)

Findings are reported from the evaluation of the Work Incentive Program which trains women welfare recipients as electronic technicians. The participants completed the training in numbers consistent with expectations, and most graduates were placed in training-related jobs. The importance of support services is noted. (TJH)

An evaluation addressed whether Project Independence, Florida's Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Program, had reduced welfare costs and increased the employment, earnings, and income of welfare recipients. It examined the experiences of more than 18,000 Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) applicants and recipients from 9 randomly…

This report describes a congressional hearing on implementation of the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Training Program enacted by the Family Support Act of 1988. Focus is on the progress being made. Testimony includes statements and prepared statements from U.S. senators, and individuals representing the Administration for Children and…

In 1987, Florida anticipated the federal Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Program with Project Independence, a statewide welfare-to-work program. It was structured to increase employment among Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients as quickly as possible, primarily through job search activities. An evaluation was begun in 9…

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) with block grants to states, called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Consistent with TANF's philosophy and goals, Los Angeles Jobs-First GAIN (Greater Avenues for Independence) emphasized job search…

Under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), states face steadily increasing work participation requirements. The TANF structure presents one new option: the ability to use TANF funds for community service employment in wage-paying, publicly funded jobs designed to provide work for individuals and to address unmet community needs. A…

A study of Hawaii's JOBS WORKS! waiver demonstration project determined its influence on participant self-sufficiency and receipt of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Hawaii received a waiver to lift the 8-week federal limitation on upfront job search, operate on less than a statewide basis, require 18 hours of work, and secure…

This report focuses on an effort by Los Angeles County to transform its welfare-to-work program, Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN), from one that emphasized basic education to one focused on speedy entry into the work force. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the original program; reasons for a shift to a work-first model and description of…

A study used data on the characteristics, Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) program activities, and quarterly earnings of about 6,500 adult female Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients who enrolled in JTPA programs in 11 states during Program Year 1986. The study tracked the experiences of the women in the JTPA programs and…

Describes the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Program (JOBS) which creates education, training, and employment opportunities for those who receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Questions the effectiveness for rural areas resulting from: (1) limited employment opportunities; (2) characteristics of the eligible rural population; and…

The 2-year evaluation of the Displaced Homemaker Program in Washington focused on the primary purpose of the program--to assist displaced homemakers in attaining independence and economic security. Approximately 2,042 eligible displaced homemakers completed the intensive instructional services component; the program served a total of 34,659…

A study obtained information on examples of county or local Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) or JOBS-like programs that emphasize job placement, subsidized employment, or work experience positions for welfare recipients. It also identified the extent to which county JOBS programs nationwide used these employment-focused activities and…

Recent reforms assume that welfare recipients can achieve employment if welfare agencies just give them a "push". Over the next ten years, the "employment solution" to welfare faces the following three challenges: (1) employing all employable welfare recipients; (2) helping them get and keep good jobs; and (3) reconstructing a…