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##  Welfare to Work: Considerations for Adult and Vocational Education              Programs. ERIC Digest No. 216.                                               

The passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity                 Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in 1996 ushered in a new era of welfare             reform that emphasizes economic self-sufficiency through                        a "work-first" approach designed to move welfare recipients into the            work force as quickly as possible (Hayes 1999). Known as a                      rapid-employment strategy (General Accounting Office [GAO] 1999),               the work-first approach assumes that "the best preparation for work             is work itself and that welfare recipients will gain experience in              entry-level jobs and move on to better work" (Castellano 1998, p.               284). Education and training for welfare recipients now consists                primarily of short-term training programs for welfare recipients and            limited training sessions after work for those who have found                   jobs (Hayes 1999). The work-first philosophy has created challenges             for adult and vocational educators who provide education and                    training for welfare recipients. This Digest presents some                      considerations for developing welfare-to-work programs in the                   current context. Issues related to the welfare-to-work programs and             characteristics of successful programs are reviewed. Recommendations            for program development based on the literature conclude the                    Digest. RELATED ISSUESA number of issues are related to the               current context of welfare-to-work programming. Two discussed here              are legislation/policy and the role of education in the work-first              environment. LEGISLATION AND POLICYPRWORA, the primary federal            legislation driving welfare reform, created Temporary Assistance for            Needy Families (TANF) for providing block grants to states. Compared            to its predecessors, TANF established greater work requirements for             all parents, regardless of the ages of their children and also                  placed a 5-year lifetime limit on receiving aid (GAO 1999). Although            states must meet minimum federal requirements for the work                      participation rates of their welfare recipients, they are given                 latitude in what can be counted as work (Hayes 1999). An additional             piece of federal legislation affecting the development of programs              for welfare recipients is the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Passed            in 1998, it consolidates over 70 work force programs and gives                  states the flexibility to partner with local governments to develop             streamlined services that provide universal access to education and             training (Imel 2000). 
The flexibility offered states by these                 pieces of federal legislation has led to great variation in both                state legislation and policies related to TANF recipients (Grubb et             al. 1999; Hayes 1999).  Some states--for example, Illinois--are                 using their own funds to support welfare recipients and therefore               setting back the clock on the time limits imposed by PRWORA (Hayes              1999). Others, such as Wisconsin, have developed creative approaches            that combine work first with a human capital strategy (Grubb et al.             1999). Unfortunately, innovative and creative approaches have not               been the norm so that "in the push to move people into work, many               states have made education within welfare reform a secondary                    consideration" (Hayes 1999, p. 7). 
States with clear policies                 related to work force development have emphasized local control of              education and training through the development of local work force              development boards (Grubb et al. 1999). One drawback to this                    development is the fact that at the local level educational options             available to TANF clients are often ignored or misunderstood (Hayes             1999). 
Assumptions underlying the legislation present another set             of issues. The words personal responsibility in the title of PRWORA             imply that somehow poverty and joblessness result from individuals'             failure to act on opportunities. Also, an assumption exists that a              lack of literacy and basic skills leads to unemployment. These                  assumptions ignore underlying social and economic structural                    problems as causes of poverty and joblessness (D'Amico 1999).  The              legislation is geared toward ending welfare, not the underlying                 causes that create the need for it (Hayes 1999). EDUCATION AND                TRAINING IN THE WORK-FIRST ENVIRONMENTIn the current                        welfare-to-work environment, the role of education and training has             been sharply curtailed, and its focus shifted from preparing people             for jobs to providing training concurrent with jobs (Hayes 1999).               Work, rather than lifelong learning or education, is                            stressed (Sheared, McCabe, and Umeki 2000). In addition, the type of            education and training conducted under PRWORA focuses on individual             instrumental growth and economic development rather than on                     fostering social change or action (Sparks 1999). Thus programs                  rarely encourage participants to engage in analysis of the system               that has created the need for welfare. 
More than a little irony               surrounds the move to deemphasize the role of education and training            in welfare-to-work programs. Although the welfare rolls have dropped            significantly since the introduction of TANF, this reduction may be             attributed in part to the current booming economy. Many welfare                 recipients have been placed in entry-level, low-wage jobs with                  little or no opportunity for advancement so they can avoid using                part of their 5-year eligibility or so that agencies can address the            pressure to remove welfare recipients from the rolls (Grubb et al.              1999). This type of work is limiting and only serves to perpetuate              the marginal status of individuals on welfare (Sheared, McCabe, and             Umeki 2000). CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMSResearch on            welfare-to-work programs developed under the PRWORA is limited.                 However, a review of research (GAO 1999) conducted on previous                  generations of welfare-to-work programs suggests that programs that             combine job-search assistance with some education and training tend             to be more effective over a 5-year period than programs focusing on             either job placement or basic skills training. Programs that used a             combined approach were more successful in helping participants                  obtain employment and increase their earnings, while reducing                   welfare payments. 
Studies (Grubb et al. 1999; Murphy and Johnson              1998) of welfare-to-work programs support the effectiveness of a                combined approach. Among the characteristics identified by both                 studies were a focus on employment-related goals through instruction            that integrated basic and occupational skills training with                     work-based learning, collaboration with other agencies to provide               support services, and attention to instruction. Grubb et al. also               found that effective programs collected and used information on                 program outcomes to improve programs as well as to satisfy funding              requirements for outcome measures. 
The review of research on                  welfare-to-work programs (GAO) conducted during the past 2 decades              shows that an approach with a strong employment focus can have                  positive effects. However, "more needs to be known about how well               different approaches are performing in the current environment                  created by the enactment of welfare reform in 1996, which none of               the evaluations cover" (ibid., p. 2). GUIDELINES FOR PROGRAM                  DEVELOPMENTThe current work-first environment does present                  challenges for adult and vocational educators wishing to serve                  welfare recipients. The following guidelines based on the literature            can be used in developing welfare-to-work programs: 
* Collaborate             with local agencies. Interagency collaboration is a necessary                   ingredient of successful programs. It can provide a forum for                   interpreting and implementing state and local policies in ways that             are favorable to education (Hayes 1999) and also serve as the medium            for providing essential support services such as transportation and             child care. Interagency collaboration promotes service integration              that in turn enhances the retention of participants (McIntire and               Robins 1999). 
* Focus on training for jobs that have potential in             the local labor market.  Program developers must understand the                 local labor market so that they can target training for jobs that               have relatively high earnings, opportunity for advancement, and                 potential for growth in the local market (Grubb et al. 1999).                   Unfortunately, the availability of low-skill, entry-level jobs in               the current job market plus the narrow scope of funding for                     education and training in most states' welfare reform policies have             resulted in the placement of many welfare-to-work participants in               occupations with limited opportunity (McIntire and Robins 1999).                Educators should strive to overcome these limitations by working                with local employers and officials responsible for economic                     development. 
* Include a combination of academic and occupational             learning experiences designed to lead to further education and                  training. Evaluations of welfare-to-work programs conducted during              the past 2 decades show clearly that the most effective programs are            those that mix job search, basic skills education, job training                 through the development of occupational skills, and paid and unpaid             work experience (GAO 1999). These elements should be integrated with            one another, with the intensity of academic and occupational                    training tailored to the jobs targeted (Grubb et al. 1999).                     Furthermore, these programs should be structured so that they lead              to opportunities for further education and training when                        participants are ready (ibid.). 
* Attend to instruction.                      Instruction should be linked to the workplace and to further                    education and training (Castellano 1998). Unfortunately, instruction            in many programs is delivered by inexperienced instructors or those             who have no training in linking instruction to work (Grubb et al.               1999). Therefore, professional development of instructors must be a             priority (ibid.; Murphy and Johnson 1998). 
* Work to change                   current policies. Finally, adult and vocational educators should                work to change current policies that focus on ending welfare to                 those that are oriented to ending poverty (D'Amico 1999; Hayes                  1999). Although a work-first approach might be a short-term solution            to reducing the current welfare rolls, it does not represent the                needs of learners and of educators nor does it address the                      underlying structural problems that lead to poverty and                         joblessness (D'Amico 1999; Sparks 1999). REFERENCESCastellano,            Marisa. "Teaching and Learning in a Job Training Program: An                    Interactional Sociolinguistic Analysis." JOURNAL OF VOCATIONAL                  EDUCATION RESEARCH 23, no. 4 (1998): 271-286. 
D'Amico, Deborah.               POLITICS, POLICY, PRACTICE AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY: ADULT                   EDUCATION IN AN ERA OF WELFARE REFORM. NCSALL REPORTS #10A. Boston,             MA: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy,               Harvard University and World Education, April 1999. 
General                   Accounting Office. WELFARE REFORM: ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF               VARIOUS WELFARE-TO-WORK APPROACHES. Washington, DC: GAO, September              1999. (ED 432 699) 
Grubb, W. N.; Badway, Norena; Bell, Denise; and            Castellano, Marisa. "Community Colleges Welfare Reform: Emerging                Practices, Enduring Problems." COMMUNITY COLLEGE JOURNAL 69, no.                6 (June-July 1999): 31-36. 
Hayes, Elisabeth. "Policy Issues that              Drive the Transformation of Adult Literacy." In THE WELFARE-TO-WORK             CHALLENGE FOR ADULT LITERACY EDUCATORS. NEW DIRECTIONS FOR ADULT AND            CONTINUING EDUCATION, NO. 83, edited by L. G. Martin and J. C.                  Fisher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1999. 
Imel, Susan. THE                    WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT: SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR ADULT AND VOCATIONAL            EDUCATION. TRENDS AND ISSUES ALERT NO. 11. Columbus: ERIC                       Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, Center on             Education and Training for Employment, College of Education, The                Ohio State University,                                                          2000. <http://ericacve.org/docgen.asp?tbl=tia&ID=133> 
McIntire,               James L., and Robins, Amy F. FIXING TO CHANGE: A BEST PRACTICES                 ASSESSMENT OF ONE-STOP JOB CENTERS WORKING WITH WELFARE RECIPIENTS.             Seattle: University of Washington, Fiscal Policy Center, March                  1999. <http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/fixing2change99/index.htm> 
Murphy,             Garrett, and Johnson, Alice. WHAT WORKS: INTEGRATING BASIC SKILLS               TRAINING INTO WELFARE-TO-WORK. Washington, DC: National Institute               for Literacy, 1998. (ED 424                                                     359) <http://www.nifl.gov/whatworks.htm> 
Sheared, Vanessa; McCabe,            Jennifer; Umeki, Donna. "Adult Literacy and Welfare Reform:                     Marginalization, Voice, and Control." EDUCATION AND URBAN SOCIETY               32, no. 2 (February 2000): 176-187. 
Sparks, Barbara. "Critical                Issues and Dilemmas for Adult Literacy Programs." In THE                        WELFARE-TO-WORK CHALLENGE FOR ADULT LITERACY EDUCATORS. NEW                     DIRECTIONS FOR ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION, NO. 83, edited by L.             G. Martin and J. C. Fisher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,                         1999. 
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This project has been funded at least in part with              Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under Contract              No. ED-99-CO-0013. The content of this publication does not                     necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of             Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or              organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Digests may             be freely reproduced and are available                                          at <http://ericacve.org/fulltext.asp>.                                       **Title:** Welfare to Work: Considerations for Adult and Vocational Education              Programs. ERIC Digest No. 216.                                               **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** For full text: http://www.ericacve.org/fulltext.asp.                         **Descriptors:** Adult Education, Economically Disadvantaged, Education Work                     Relationship, Educational Research,  Employment Programs, Federal               Legislation, Guidelines, Job Search Methods,  Job Training, Labor               Force Development, Outcomes of Education,  Program Development,                  Role of Education,  Welfare Recipients                                      **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests,  Personal Responsibility and Work Opp Recon Act,                  Temporary Assistance for Needy Families,  Welfare to Work Programs           
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