TANF recipients participating in the Transitional Community Jobs Program worked with staff at program intake to assess employment barriers and completed a drug test and basic education assessment. Those with substance use disorders were referred for substance use treatment before resuming the program. After intake, participants attended mandatory job-skills classes, which addressed work-appropriate soft skills. They also participated in weekly meetings with program staff to develop a plan to obtain employment and pursue opportunities identified by job developers.

Child support and workforce staff were co-located and communicated regularly to quickly connect noncustodial parents to employment services and to modify child support orders. These staff also worked closely with the court system to require noncustodial parents to participate in Parents to Work, review participation, and impose incentives and sanctions when appropriate.

CET’s MFSP program provided out-of-school youth with full-time basic education and skills training in a work-like setting to provide participants with hands-on training experience. The program worked with local employers to develop and teach training curriculum and focused on improving the participants’ practical skills to meet the employment demands of the local labor market. Individualized job placement services were also provided to assist participants in securing jobs after the training program.

Course participants learned job search and basic work skills, identified promising careers, and created a career development strategy. As part of the course, youth met weekly with the program’s employment coordinator to discuss entry-level opportunities in the individual’s field of interest. After job placement, Hire Up coordinators continued to support the former program member and provided support to the employer to ensure job retention after job placement.

FTP was one of the demonstration projects made possible by Section 1115 waivers to the rules in effect at the time for the AFDC program. These Section 1115 waivers allowed states to test new approaches to advance the objectives of the AFDC program.