The Grand Rapids HCD program stressed that participants should spend time receiving education or training to prepare for good jobs. The program began with a 15-hour, weeklong formal assessment component, during which public school staff assessed participants’ achievement, aptitude, and career interests. Participants then usually completed either high school completion programs (distinct from GED classes) or vocational training.

Florida Back to Work was a subsidized employment program that reimbursed employers who hired program participants. Employers were required to put the individuals on their payroll and were then reimbursed for 80 to 95 percent of the costs associated with employing the program participant. Employers included nonprofits, for-profits, and public agencies. For-profit organizations were required to commit to keeping an employee on their payroll for the duration of the program, whereas nonprofits were encouraged to do so.

The Bridges program offered a multi-phase program focused on four main service areas: academic enrichment, socio-emotional learning (SEL), workforce readiness training, and mentorship and case management services. Participants began the program by attending a group orientation session and taking the Test of Adult Basic Education and an online financial training. Following the financial training, participants began the first of three phases of Bridges services.

Breaking Barriers followed the IPS model by assigning employment specialists to help participants set career goals and search for a job. Employment specialists maintained relationships with local employers, which they used to connect participants to potential job opportunities. After participants found employment, specialists provided as-needed, customized support (such as counseling or transportation assistance). This follow-along support did not have a time limit. Participants were involved in the program for an average of 10 months.

Atlanta’s HCD program stressed that participants should spend time receiving education or training to prepare for good jobs. At the start of the program, case managers assigned participants to adult basic education courses or vocational training programs. Participants were assigned to adult basic education courses more often than training programs because many vocational programs required GEDs or certificates that the participants did not have when starting the HCD program.

PTC program applicants applied to both the Year Up program and the partner college. Once accepted to both, participants took part in a full-day program for five days a week that included structured college courses, professional skills courses, and technical skills courses. The college courses were provided by the partner college and participants earned up to 15 college credits during this time period. Many of these courses were either geared toward an occupational path or were meant to prepare the participant for college-level courses.

Participants in the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership—Manufacturing Pathway received services and training to prepare for and advance in a career in the manufacturing sector. Training included job readiness training to improve personal and professional skills, occupational training that provided certificates in specific trades, and apprenticeships. Services included tutoring, job search assistance, and job referrals to partner employers in the manufacturing industry. Participants were individuals who were unemployed and who expressed interest in careers in manufacturing.

Participants in the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership—Construction Pathway received services and training to prepare for a career in the construction sector. Training included pre-apprenticeship programs to help them gain construction skills occupational training that provided certificates in specific trades, and apprenticeships. Services included tutoring, job search assistance, and job referrals to partner employers in the construction industry. Participants were unemployed individuals who expressed interest in careers in construction.

The Construction Sector Partnership offered pre-apprenticeship programs with employer partners. These programs provided workers with on-the-job training that helped them prepare for entry-level construction jobs, such as carpentry, plumbing and pipe-fitting, or heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration. The program also offered participants work-readiness training and job search assistance. The Construction Sector Partnership was offered to individuals who were unemployed and who were interested in construction careers in Greater Cincinnati, OH.

To prepare people for employment, Chrysalis provided a core curriculum on job preparation and related skills, short-term mental health counseling, and mentorship. Employment specialists referred individuals they believed to have the highest employment barriers to the social enterprise program. These individuals participated in an orientation and assessment before entering Chrysalis’s labor pool to work in one of its social enterprises related to street cleaning or a temporary staffing position.