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Or use our Google Service below to search our site or the entire World Wide Web. Search WWW Search www.workforce21.net WorkForce21 Briefs and Articles NEW! "LTC Challenges and Opportunities for Employee Recruitment and Retention" (National Version), Michael D. Van Stine [for read/print Word version, click here] NEW! "LTC Challenges and Opportunities for Employee Recruitment and Retention: Nebraska", Michael D. Van Stine [for read/print Word version, click here] "Putting Welfare Reform to Work", AHCA Provider Magazine, October, 2000, Michael D. Van Stine [for PDF version, click here] Health Care Trends: "Staffing Issues Critical", Michael D. Van Stine "The Impact of Welfare Reform to Employers", Michael D. Van Stine "Response to the DVRPC Regional Job Access and Reverse Commute Plan for the Philadelphia Region", Michael D. Van Stine and Bradley C. Brown Employer Tax Offset Opportunities Under the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21) General Workforce Development - Client Technical Assistance NEW! Philadelphia Region Specific. Regional Workforce Partnership releases Workforce 2001, an extensive study of the region's workforce composition. Excellent data and an excellent format for other regions to follow. PDF File. Auto download. NEW! DoL ETA H-1B Visa TA Page. Includes enabling legislation, CY2001 notice and project summaries by region. H-1B links section includes data on Technical Skills Training Grants, foreign labor certification information, and INS links. For a general introduction on foreign labor certification, click here. NEW! 2001 HHS Poverty Guidelines Poverty Guidelines are issued each year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The guidelines are a simplification of the poverty thresholds for use for administrative purposes — for instance, determining financial eligibility for certain federal programs. (The full text of the Federal Register notice with the 2001 poverty guidelines is available at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/01fedreg.htm.) NEW! 2001 DoL LLSIL Guidelines Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) guidelines are issued each year by the U.S. Department of Labor. The guidelines are a standardization of low-income thresholds for use for various administrative purposes and social service planning/evaluation. NEW! BLS National Compensation Survey (1998 - most recent) PDF File. Auto download. NEW! BLS Occupational Outlook Quarterly (Winter 1999-2000 - most recent) Projects top 20 growth occupations. PDF File. Auto download. NEW! BLS Occupational Employment Outlook 1998 to 2008 (most recent) Includes adjustment for net replacements for turnover by occupational category. PDF File. Auto download. NEW! "Sustained Employment and Earnings Growth: New Experimental Evidence on Financial Work Incentives and Pre-Employment Services" (2001) by Charles Michalopoulos, Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation. This paper is from a forthcoming book by Jobs for the Future, Low Wage Workers in the New Economy, to be published in spring 2001 by the Urban Institute Press. The U.S. DoL's Partner Resource Site for the Workforce Investment Act. Includes DoL WIA contact data, state governors, state WIA contacts and the national WIB database maintained under contract to NACo. SBA Hub Zone Program Site Rural Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities Resources The Federal Bonding Program. Work Opportunity Tax Credit Instructions and Forms CLASP Steady Work and Better Jobs: How to Help Low-Income Parents Sustain Employment and Advance in the Workforce (June, 2000) by Julie Strawn & Karin Martinson. Despite the success of many welfare recipients in finding jobs, their wages typically leave them below the poverty level and for many, the jobs do not last. This was written for MDRC and brings together best practices and up-to-date research findings to help staff working in TANF, WIA, and other programs to promote steady work and access to better jobs. PDF File. Auto download. CED "America's Work Force After the Baby Boomers: The Surprising Role that Immigration Will Play" (Summer, 2000)Word 97 file. Auto Download. CED "New Opportunities for Older Workers"(October, 1999) PDF file. Urban Institute "Career Advancement Prospects and Strategies for Low-Wage Minority Workers" (March, 2000) by Harry J. Holzer. PDF downloadable. CLASP "Key Implementation Decisions Affecting Low-Income Adults Under The Workforce Investment Act" (August, 1999) by Steve Savner. Provides a brief overview of some of the key elements of the new law and how they may affect access to services by low-income adults and describes how to become involved in the new decision making process at both the state and local levels. (Kellogg Devolution Initiative Paper). The full report is available as a PDF file. CLASP " Federal Funding Sources for Public Job Creation Initiatives" An overview of federal programs currently available for job creation projects, including the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant, the Welfare-to-Work (WtW) program, and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). " Private Interests, Shared Concerns: The Relationship Between Employers and the AECF Jobs Initiative" Lessons learned to date by the six Annie E. Casey Foundation's Jobs Initiative sites as expressed in a series of interviews with staff, employers, and other partners at each site. PDF file. Auto download. "Work-Related Learning Guide for Family Literacy and Adult Education Organizations" Assistance for family literacy and adult education organizations that are considering ways in which work and learning can be integrated into their learning programs. PDF file. Auto download. Assessing the new Federalism (1998) These reports are based on case studies conducted in thirteen states, home to half of the nation's population: Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. Two case studies were conducted in each state. One focused on health programs, the other on income support and social services, including employment and training programs. Each report describes the policies and programs in place in the base year of this project, 1996. A second set of case studies will describe how states have responded to increased freedom to design social welfare and health programs to fit the needs of their low-income populations. Each state report PFF file. Individually download. Welfare to Work NEW! "Poverty Amidst Plenty 2001: Unspent TANF Funds and Persistent Poverty" (2001), by the National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support. The press release includes a downloadable version of the report in Word and the attachments (which are excellent) in Excel. Updates on all state balances and current affect on economic outcomes. NEWLY ADDED! "Jobs for Welfare Recipients" (1997) Timothy J. Bartik. W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. A working paper identifying the jobs to which welfare recipients gravitate. NEW! NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE ELSEWHERE ! Philadelphia's Experience in Year Two of Welfare Reform: The Impact of TANF and Act 35. The 21st Century League. (The League ceased operations. This report, although slightly dated, contains a wealth of learned experiences highly relevant in PA and in the local Philadelphia area.) November, 1999 PDF file. Auto download. Most recent (3/2001) update of national TANF participation rates, July-September, 2000. The ETA WtW Resource Page and Links Page Welfare Reform State Links Page (Updated November, 2000) Welfare to Work Tax Credit Instructions and Forms The Welfare Information Network A clearinghouse for information, policy analysis & technical assistance on welfare reform SBA Welfare to Work Toolkit CBPP " Federal Housing Programs Provide Employment/Training Services to Current and Former Welfare Recipients" Information on HUD resources that can be used to provide employment and training opportunities and support services to families seeking to move from welfare to work. PDF file. Use of Americorps/VISTA Volunteers WIN State TANF Plan Summaries (Updated April 16, 2001) DHS/ACF Welfare to Work Homepage (Updated January 30, 2001) CED "Welfare Reform and Beyond: Making Work Work" (February, 2000) Jobs for The Future (JFF) Report: "Business Participation in Welfare to Work: Lessons From America" (1999) Executive Summary, Full Report and Case Studies. PDF files. DoL ETA Ideas That Work: "Promoting Job Advancement." (November, 1999) Many working former welfare recipients have trouble paying for basic needs such as food and housing. WtW programs can use various strategies to help these new workers progress into better jobs that make true self-sufficiency attainable. DoL ETA Ideas That Work: "Helping New Workers Keep Jobs." (September, 1999) Besides "internal" barriers, many welfare recipients face "external" barriers to employment that can often seem overwhelming. WtW programs must know how to connect their customers to a wide array of services to help them navigate these challenges and stay employed. Brookings Institute "Welfare to Work Block Grants: Are They Working?" (September 1999) This paper reviews the early implementation of WTW programs in Chicago, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. PDF file. Auto download. MDRC " Promoting Participation: How to Increase Involvement in Welfare to Work Activities" (September 1999) This guide shares lessons learned about participation patterns, where participation is likely to fall off, and how to increase participation, offering practical advice to policymakers and welfare-to-work program administrators and staff. PDF file. Auto download. Urban Institute "Families Who Left Welfare: Who Are They and How Are They Doing?" (1999) by Pamela Loprest. PDF downloadable. Urban Institute " Status of the Welfare-to-Work (WtW) Grants Program After One Year" (September 1999) by Demetra Smith Nightingale, John Trutko and Burt S. Barnow. DoL ETA Ideas That Work: "Getting Employers Involved" (July, 1999) "Employer involvement" means more than simply asking employers to hire welfare recipients and possibly offering subsidies. It requires making employers active participants in WtW program design. Urban Institute "Post-employment Education And Training Models in the Welfare-to-Work Grants Program" (June, 1999) How to provide services to the hardest-to-employ welfare recipients after they are employed and strategies for how to help WtW participants to continue to advance in their jobs. Urban Institute "How Well Can Urban Labor Markets Absorb Welfare Recipients?" (June, 1999) by Robert I. Lerman, Pamela Loprest and Caroline Ratcliffe NEW! "Improve Employment Outcomes under TANF" (February, 2001) by Julie Strawn, Mark Greenberg and Steve Savner. Prepared for the “New World of Welfare” Conference, held January 31-February 2, 2001, and organized by the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy and the Brookings Institution. PDF file. CLASP "Welfare-to-Work Programs: The Critical Role of Skills" (April, 1999) by Julie Strawn and Robert Echols. Describes the shift from basic education to job search and the benefits and limits of both approaches and then argues for a flexible balanced approach that offers job search, education, job training and work. CBPP Highlights of the Final TANF Regulations (April 29, 1999) by Liz Schott, Ed Lazere, Heidi Goldberg, and Eileen Sweeney CLASP Beyond Job Search or Basic Education: Rethinking the Role of Skills in Welfare Reform (April,1998) by Julie Strawn. Examines the research on WtW programs. Concludes neither job search nor basic education alone helps recipients work more or earn more over the long run. Most effective programs share a balanced approach with a central focus on employment but with room for skill development and other activities. Successful programs include comprehensive, individualized services, close ties to local employers, intensive schedules, and high expectations for participation. Welfare-to-work programs can help recipients earn higher wages if this goal is made a priority; job training in the classroom or workplace and access to postsecondary education are key components of a higher wage strategy. The full report is available as a PDF file. Transportation The Community Transportation Association of America's Resource Library (including Access to Jobs publications) GAO "Welfare Reform: Implementing DOT's Access to Jobs Program in It's First Year" (November, 1999) PDF file. Child Care Child Care Arrangements for Children Under Five:Variation Across States (March, 2000) by Jeffery Capizzano, Gina Adams, and Freya Sonenstein. PDF Downloadable. Kellogg Devolution Initiative Paper : "Beyoind Welfare: The Case for Child Support Assurance" (October, 1999) by Paula Roberts Guidance from the Federal Government on Implementation of the Child Support Related Provisions of PRWORA as Amended by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and the Child Support Performance and Incentive Act of 1998 (December,1998) by Paula Roberts describes most of the Action Transmittals and proposed/final regulations which have been issued through November 30, 1998 which are relevant to the child support sections of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA), and the Child Support Performance and Incentive Act of 1998. (It is an update of two earlier versions of this publication, one dated January 1998 and the other dated April 1998). Mentoring NEW!! The National Mentoring Partnership - A Best Site! NEW!! The Herts TEC UK Mentors Forum. A UK TEC site packed with universal mentoring tools, news and resources. Health Care (LTC) NEW! Pennsylvania's Frontline Workers in Long-Term Care: The Provider Organization Perspective, Executive Summary, prepared by the Polisher Research Institute at the Philadelphia Geriatric Center, describes the results of 900 interviews with administrators of long-term care provider organizations. The full report is available here. Also, In Their Own Words -- Pennsylvania's Frontline Workers in Long-Term Care, prepared by Dostalik ET AL, reports on the results of 15 focus groups with direct-care workers across the state. The reports outline various concerns of direct-care workers and administrators of long-term care. Some of these issues include workplace environment, training, benefits, regulations and enforcement, wages, and society's perceptions. The reports also describe the extent and nature of recruitment and retention issues; a review of professional literature; and how other states have addressed this problem. All three reports are PDF Files, Auto download. NEW! Staffing of Nursing Services in Long Term Care: Present Issues and Prospects for the Future HTML File. (February 2001) Health Services Research and Evaluation Division, American Health Care Association. Excellent Research! HCFA Report to Congress: Appropriateness of Minimum Nurse Staffing Ratios In Nursing Homes (August 1, 2000) Senate Special Committee on the Aging - Testimony - Nursing Home Residents: Short-changed by Staff Shortages, Part II (July 27, 2000) by Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman, Iowa; Nancy-Ann Min DeParle, Administrator, HCFA; Andrew Kramer, M.D., University of Colorado Health Center on Aging, Division of Geriatric Medicine; John F. Schnelle, Ph.D., Borun Center for Gerontological Research, UCLA School of Medicine. Fatherhood "Broke But Not Deadbeat: Reconnecting Low Income Fathers and Children" (August 1999) Understanding the barriers that low-income fathers encounter, examples of program models and an evaluation of the Parents’ Fair Share Demonstration. PDF file. Auto download. The National Center for Strategic Nonprofit Planning and Community Leadership (NPCL) DoL ETA Ideas That Work: "Working with NCP's" (May, 1999) This issue examines strategies for targeting employment and training opportunities to meet the needs of these individuals. Urban Institute "Serving Non-Custodial Parents Through Welfare-to-Work Grants: Labor Market Characteristics, Employment Barriers, and Service Strategies" (October, 1998) by Karin Martinson. Great publication containing data and issues surrounding NCP population. The Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement Home Page. Links directly to state systems, quarterly updates, news and a host of related and relevant links. The National Center on Fathering.  National Center on Fathers and Families, U of PA - A Best Site! Note their "FatherLit Database", BAyFIDS and Fatherhood Indicators Framework Project! US DHHS Fatherhood Initiative Home Page NEW!! The National Fatherhood Initiative - A Best Site! Microenterprise CLASP Key State TANF Policies Affecting Microenterprise (December, 1999) by Lisa Plimpton and Mark Greenberg. Presents the finding from policy case studies of nine states: California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Oregon. The case studies describe policy decisions likely to affect microenterprise initiatives serving TANF families, such as work and participation requirements, treatment of income and assets, and supportive services. CLASP TANF Policies in Nine States: Implications for Microenterprise Initiatives (December, 1999) by Lisa Plimpton and Mark Greenberg. Describes the policies in place in nine states, focusing on key issues likely to affect microenterprise initiatives serving TANF families. The paper summarizes the relevant TANF law and compares state policies in six areas, including work and participation requirements, time limits, treatment of income and assets, and supportive servcies. Developing Policies to Support Microenterprise in the TANF Structure: A Guide to the Law (November, 1999) by Mark Greenberg. Describes how states can exercise discretion within the TANF block grant structure to provide support for microenterprise. The paper discusses TANF law in eight areas, including use of TANF and state maintenance of effort (MOE) funds, TANF work and participation requirements, and treatment of income and assets. Published by the Aspen Institute. PDF file. Auto download. Organizational Change The National Archives & Records Administration, The National Archives Library: "Organizational Change: An Annotated Bibliography" (1997), compiled by Lida H. Churchville. Select resources on benchmarking, Business Process Reengineering (BPR), the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), learning organizations, National Performance Review (NPR), performance measurement, strategic planning, Total Quality Management (TQM), and other organizational change tools. Serving the American Public: Best Practices in Performance Measurement: The Benchmarking Study Report (June, 1997) Renewal & Crisis Management is an organization dedicated to all areas of Corporate Renewal and Remediation. NEW!! Summary of Key Points: "The Spirit to Serve - Marriott's Way" (1997) by J.W. (Bill) Marriott, Jr. and Kathi Ann Brown, HarperBusiness, HarperCollins.