This report is Iowa's response to the four questions that the United States Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), requires of all states and territories receiving federal funding through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Title II, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). The overall goal of…

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)

This report presents the findings of a preliminary assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) programs, the welfare-to-work centerpiece of the Family Support Act, for moving Puerto Rican welfare recipients closer to self-sufficiency. Programs in Newark (New Jersey), New York City, and Philadelphia…

Using data from an evaluation of two welfare-to-work programs in Riverside, California, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, a study found that requirements to participate in mandatory welfare-to-work programs can increase employment and earnings and reduce welfare income, independent of actual participation in the welfare-to-work program. Usually, these…

This report explores how private sector employers are reacting to, responding to, and participating in welfare-to-work (WTW) efforts. Chapter 1 explains the study background and approach. Chapter 2 examines the environment, perspectives, experiences, and role of business in the WTW process and presents findings about employment patterns of welfare…

This report explores promising welfare-to-work programs and practices of states and localities as they balance supply- with demand-side strategies to help welfare recipients and low-wage workers work their way out of poverty while meeting employers' needs for reliable workers. Chapter 2 describes the new environment created by changes in the…

This report focuses on key findings, recommendations, and cross-site analysis of a study of vocational education practices that support welfare reform by preparing individuals for workforce entry. An introduction describes study methodology. Chapter 2 provides an overview of differences between vocational education under the Carl D. Perkins…

A study assessed the relevance of work-based learning approaches used in school-to-work efforts. Evidence indicated that employers were steadily raising the entry requirements into the low end of the labor market. Despite the serious skill deficiencies of welfare recipients, employers felt no responsibility to people who lacked the basic skills…

During summer 1991, a study reviewed efforts of local agencies to implement the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Program. Three local sites in each of 10 states were examined. The field research showed that formal client flowcharts designed by the states and local sites were not yet fully operational and often did not describe actual…

Today, many jobs that once could support a family barely suffice to keep that family out of poverty. The implied bargain America offers its citizens is supposed to be that anyone who works hard and plays by the rules can support his or her family and move onward and upward. But for millions of New Yorkers, that bargain is out of reach; the uphill…

This guide is for Neighborhood Networks center staff and volunteers who want to learn how centers across the country are helping adults meet work force demands. It provides resources to work force development programs so examples can be tailored to meet the needs of other communities. It focuses on challenges that integrating academics and job…

The first findings of an evaluation of California's welfare-to-work program, Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN), related to its impact on employment, earnings, and welfare payments. The impact results came from a study of applicants for and recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in six counties and were limited to the…

This brief reviews the key findings of the 1998 national survey conducted by the American Association of Community Colleges to examine the effect of welfare reform on community colleges, and compares them with a similar survey from fall 1997. It includes some background information on welfare policy, a profile of the welfare population served by…

A study reviewed the efforts of six states (California, Florida, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, and Washington) to create new policies and strategies to support low-income individuals as they work. The study found the following: (1) working steadily initially after leaving welfare is linked to being employed in later years but is not linked to higher…

As part of a 3-year study of the implementation of the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Program, front-line workers were surveyed in all 10 states and in 29 of 30 sites included in the overall study. Their perceptions of the agencies' organizational environments suggested a rather lukewarm agency context for implementing JOBS. Workers…