Maximum Customer Choice participants could request counseling from program staff to guide them to appropriate training selections, but they did not automatically receive counseling. Participants received an individual training account in the amount of $3,000 to $5,000, depending on the program site. Most Maximum Customer Choice participants requested counseling and completed counseling and training program selection in five sessions. Then, participants engaged in their selected training program for an average of 18 weeks.

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.

Chicago ERA matched participants with a career and income advisor (CIA) who counseled them about how to advance in their current jobs and apply for higher-paying jobs. Participants could receive other education and training services and financial incentives for maintaining contact with their case manager to verify their work hours. A30-hour work requirement was part of their TANF participation, and failure to work at this level could result in a sanction of their TANF benefits. The program served participants for up to  two years, even if they left TANF.

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.