Workforce Development

Leung, Loh-Sze, and Margaret Miley. “Integrating Financial Stability Strategies into Workforce Development Programs: An Implementation Pilot in Boston,” SkillWorks and the Midas Collaborative, December 2013.
This report presents qualitative and quantitative findings of a successful pilot intervention that combines financial education and counseling with workforce development.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Time for the U.S. to Reskill? What the Survey of Adult Skills Says, Paris, OECD Publishing, 2013.
This report presents findings for the United States, relative to other countries surveyed, from the OECD Survey of Adult Skills and makes policy recommendations based on these findings.

“What Works in Job Training: A Synthesis of the Evidence,” U.S. Departments of Labor, Commerce, Education, and Health and Human Services, July 2014.
This report assesses a wide array of workforce development programs, policies, and studies to determine best practices and to inform continued innovation and policy implementation.

Youth and Young Adult Programs

Benus, Jacob, Terry Johnson, Michael P. Kirsch, et al. “Job Corps Process Study: Final Report,” U.S. Department of Labor and IMPAQ International, June 2014.
This report assesses the effectiveness of the Jobs Corps program and of particular program policies, such as the payment of stipends, guidance from mentors, and continued services after the primary program ends.

Bloom, Dan. “Programs and Policies to Assist High School Dropouts in the Transition to Adulthood,” Future of Children, 20 (Spring 2010), pp. 89–108.
This report reviews evaluated programs for high school dropouts and concludes with recommendations on strengthening current programs, innovating to create new programs, and engaging with youths who have the most need for training and education services.

Curnan, Susan P., Andrew B. Hahn, Lawrence N. Bailis, et al. Innovating Under Pressure: The Story of the 2009 Recovery Act Summer Youth Employment Initiative: Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis & Marion County, Phoenix & Maricopa County, The Center for Youth and Communities, Heller School of Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, June 2010.
This report takes an institutional perspective on summer youth workforce development and presents case studies focused on public and private partnerships and implementation of best practices.

Deschenes, Sarah N., Amy Arbreton, Priscilla M. Little, et al. “Engaging Older Youth: Program and City-Level Strategies to Support Sustained Participation in Out-of-School Time,” Harvard Family Research Project, Public/Private Ventures, and the Wallace Foundation, April 2010.
For this report, the authors studied programs with high participation and retention to determine what factors help foster engagement with older youths and how institutions and governmental agencies can encourage policies that lead to high participation.

Heinrich, Carolyn J., and Harry J. Holzer. “Improving Education and Employment for Disadvantaged Young Men: Proven and Promising Strategies,” Urban Institute Research Report, May 2010.
Programs for improving employment outcomes of different groups of disadvantaged youths are identified in this report that emphasizes process, results, and thorough evaluation.

Hossain, Farhana, and Dan Bloom. “Toward a Better Future: Evidence on Improving Employment Outcomes for Disadvantaged Youth in the United States,” MDRC, February 2015.
This paper presents factors that affect youth unemployment, provides evidence on programs that target different groups of youths, and emphasizes the importance of engaging and partnering with private employers.

Kemple, James J., and Cynthia J. Willner. “Career Academies: Long-Term Impacts on Labor Market Outcomes, Educational Attainment, and Transitions to Adulthood,” MDRC, June 2008.
This report presents findings from an in-depth study of Career Academies, a program that combines academics and career development opportunities for youths. The study used an experimental methodology that found significant differences in labor market outcomes between treatment and control groups.

Ross, Martha, Carolyn Gatz, Richard Kazis, et al. “Unemployment Among Young Adults: Exploring Employer-Led Solutions,” Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, July 2015.
This report analyzes youth unemployment through the lens of both supply and demand within the labor market and concludes that stakeholders from a diverse group of institutions must work together to address issues on both sides of the market.

“Youth and Work: Restoring Teen and Young Adult Connections to Opportunity,” The Annie E. Casey Foundation Policy Report, Kids Count, March 2012.
This report offers comprehensive national and historical perspectives on youth employment issues and concludes with a case study and recommendations for addressing these issues.