Structured Customer Choice participants received intensive, mandatory weekly counseling from program staff, in which the counselors directed participants to training programs with high returns on investment (that is, programs anticipated to lead to high earnings gains over participants’ lifetimes relative to the training cost). Participants selected the training program in which they wished to participate, but counselors could deny participants’ selections. Participants also received an ITA of up to $8,000 to cover the cost of training.

Six employment and training organizations implemented the Fathers at Work Initiative. All sites offered three strategies: employment services, fatherhood workshops, and child support services. Each site had flexibility to determine how services were provided and diverged in how they provided skills training, the intensity of available fatherhood services, and the way they worked with child support agencies.

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.