Re-Integration of Ex-Offenders (RExO) Program

Intervention (standard name)

Twenty-four grantees offered the RExO program, including national nonprofits, faith-based community organizations, community health organizations, and local or regional nonprofits. The exact bundle of services each grantee provided varied significantly. In all programs, case managers coordinated service delivery and supported participants. Most grantees offered group mentoring for participants, and a smaller subset offered individual mentoring.

Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) 2.0

HPOG aimed to prepare participants for careers in health care occupations that paid well and were expected to experience labor shortages or increased demand. HPOG 2.0 refers to the second round of five-year HPOG grants that the Administration for Children and Families awarded in 2010. HPOG 2.0 used a career pathways framework with three core components: basic skills training, health care occupational training, and wraparound supports and services. Local HPOG 2.0 programs varied in how they implemented the career pathways framework.

Transitional Employment Training

Intervention (standard name)

Transitional Employment Training program participants first completed an intensive training with a job coach on tasks for a specific, competitive job and appropriate behavior in the workplace. Program staff placed participants into competitive, integrated employment with the potential to become permanent. Participants were placed into the jobs for which they received training or similar positions, accompanied by additional training with the job coach. Participants also received job retention services to help them resolve difficulties that emerged in the workplace.

Portland Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS)

Although some participants were first referred to short-term training and education programs, most were initially assigned to a job club for 30 hours a week, followed by a job search during which they were required to contact 20 employers a week. Participants also had access to a job developer, life skills and vocational training, secondary and postsecondary education, and supportive services such as child care and transportation. Case managers intensively monitored participants’ activities and could sanction them by reducing their benefits.

Second Chance Act (SCA) Adult Demonstration

Intervention (standard name)

The SCA Adult Demonstration Program provided a range of reentry services to adults who were recently incarcerated. Although the provision of services varied by location, all participants received individualized case management. Employment services were offered in all but one program location and included job-search and placement assistance; mentoring; and training that developed résumé writing, interviewing, and soft skills.

Career Builders

Intervention (standard name)

Career Builders began with two weeks of daily three-hour classes designed to help individuals understand why they had not succeeded previously in the labor market. In addition, to guide their job search, participants underwent extensive screening that identified barriers to employment and their strengths and interests.

Progress Towards Retention, Opportunities, Growth, Enhancement and Self-Sufficiency (PROGRESS)

PROGRESS assigned participants to a team of one case manager and one career development specialist. Case managers checked in with participants monthly and helped them obtain access to health care through Medicaid and assistance with child care and transportation. They also helped participants with housing, substance abuse, or other personal issues by providing counseling and connecting them to community resources.

Valuing Individual Success and Increasing Opportunities Now (VISION)

A local public human services agency and a community college collaborated to provide VISION services, which included job search assistance and post-employment services in a One-Stop Career Center. Job search assistance included job placement and workshops on job retention and career paths. To help participants prepare for a job that interested them, staff met with participants two to three times a week to help develop a Personal Development Plan (PDP), which described the participants’ career goals and necessary tasks to achieve those goals.

Transition, Advancement, and Growth (TAAG) Program

TAAG is a model from the Employment Retention and Advancement study. The TAAG program provided job retention and career advancement services customized to participants’ career interests and personal circumstances. A collaboration of four agencies provided TAAG services; the agencies included a local public human services agency, workforce organizations, and a community college.

YouthBuild

Intervention (standard name)

YouthBuild programs provided four main categories of services: (1) a combination of educational services designed to lead to a high school diploma or an equivalent credential such as a GED; (2) vocational training in construction or another in-demand industry; (3) youth development services focused on leadership training and community service; and (4) supportive services to help individuals participate in training and employment, including case management, workforce preparation, life skills training, counseling, and stipends for participation.