Training and Employment for Correctional Populations

Education and employment are both moderate risk factors for recidivism. There is a well-documented relationship between low educational achievement and antisocial behaviors. Education programming in correctional facilities is crucial for improving the educational attainment of incarcerated and re-integrating populations. A brief discussion situates policy reform efforts against a backdrop of extensive research that has documented the interaction between employment and increased educational attainment as pivotal to reducing an individual’s propensity to recidivate. The policies then focus on three pillars that reduce employment barriers for returning citizens: workforce training, educational upgrading, and regulatory employment barriers. In the short-term, policymakers should study and address systemic remedial educational needs in tandem with increasing access to and occupational skills-based training that builds a skill base congruent with the current labor market for incarcerated students. In the mid-term, it is essential to match policy support with the intersecting barriers faced by returning citizens. As an example of federal policies that can help center the public workforce development system around the need to improve quality employment outcomes for returning citizens, the DOL’s dormant pilot Linking to Employment Activities Pre-Release (LEAP). Finally, policymakers should target other consequential screening barriers, such as the accuracy of criminal records that employers can check and have been shown to adversely affect employment prospects.

Vocational identity of veterans with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders

BACKGROUND: No studies have examined vocational identity among individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. OBJECTIVE: Influenced by Blustein’s relational theory of working (2011), this study examined the relationships between several social-environmental variables (external/relational conflicts, employment barriers, substance abuse stigma) and vocational identity. METHODS: Eighty-four veterans receiving treatment from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders participated in this survey study. RESULTS: Education, employment, clinical, disability, and substance abuse factors were not associated with vocational identity, but external/relational conflicts, employment barriers, and substance abuse stigma were. Multiple regression analysis found that these variables accounted for 34%of the variance in vocational identity and that external/relational conflicts was the only significant predictor. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that more conflictual messages about work from external/relational sources is related to less clarity around one’s vocational interests, goals, and talents.

Associations of internalized and anticipated HIV stigma with returning to work for persons living with HIV

Introduction Employment is particularly beneficial for persons living with HIV (PLWH). However, PLWH experiencing internalized stigma or anticipating that they may experience stigma may be less likely to seek employment due to additional barriers associated with HIV. The purpose of this study was to understand the associations between internalized and anticipated stigma and employment barriers for PLWH. Methods Participants (N = 712) from 12 sites across the United States were recruited and interviewed about barriers to employment, HIV stigma, and several other factors related to health. A series of unadjusted and adjusted linear regression models were conducted using cross-sectional data. Results Adjusted models suggest that greater anticipated stigma was related to increased employment barriers (β = 0.12, p = 0.04). Mental and physical health functioning also positively predicted employment barriers (β = -0.18, p <0.001; β = -0.40, p <0.001, respectively). Discussion Employment among PLWH has beneficial impacts on HIV-related health outcomes. This study suggests that anticipated stigma may limit and individual’s willingness to seek out employment, or may cause them to leave employment. Internalized stigma may not play as large of a role in employment as anticipated stigma for PLWH. HIV-related stigma reduction interventions focused on community-level and employers are essential to improve employment opportunities for PLWH.

Covid-19 and The Gender Gap in Employment Among Parents of Young Children in Canada

Economic and social disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic have important implications for gender and class inequality. Drawing on Statistics Canada’s monthly Labour Force Survey, we document trends in gender gaps in employment and work hours over the pandemic (February–October 2020). Our findings highlight the importance of care provisions for gender equity, with gaps larger among parents than people without children, and most pronounced when care and employment were more difficult to reconcile. When employment barriers eased, so did the gender–employment gap. The pandemic could not undo longer-standing cultural and structural shifts motivating contemporary mothers’ employment. The pandemic also exacerbated educational inequalities among women, highlighting the importance of assessing gendered impacts through an intersectional lens.

Dual-qualified teachers and speech-language therapists reflect on preparation and practice in school-based language and literacy

Internationally, professional bodies are increasingly recognizing a role for speech-language therapists (SLTs) in identifying and supporting students who struggle with literacy. Although some guidelines have been developed to support this work, little is understood about the overlapping, but distinctive knowledge bases claimed by SLTs and teachers with respect to reading instruction and provision of additional support to struggling readers. In this article, we report on a qualitative exploration of the experiences and perspectives of 25 professionals in Australia who are dually qualified as teachers and SLTs. The aim of this study was to understand the views from both professional perspectives about pre-service training and barriers and facilitators pertaining to literacy instruction and intervention. Paradigm differences in conceptualizing reading instruction and support, bi-directional knowledge of scope of practice, and employment barriers and enablers emerged as themes and are discussed with reference to implications for pre-service training and interprofessional practice in school settings.

A Tracer Study on the Employability of Information Technology Graduates of Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College, Tagudin Campus

The purpose of the study was to examine the employability of the Information Technology graduates of Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College - Tagudin Campus in the Philippines. A survey questionnaire was administered to the graduates from the year 2012 to 2016 (n = 152). In general, about 53 percent of those who participated in the survey were employed while the rest were employed but stopped (26 percent) and never employed (21 percent). Although most of the graduates were employed, many of them are in jobs that are not related to their course. The main reasons identified for those who stopped from their work include end-of-contract, starting pay is too low, and plans to seek jobs abroad. The graduates' employment barriers include lack of work experience, professional eligibility, and intent to seek employment abroad. More than 50 percent recommended that the computer facilities used by the IT students should be upgraded to improve the employability of the IT graduates.

Exiting poverty: a systematic review of U.S. postsecondary education and job skills training programs in the post-welfare reform era

PurposeThis study aimed to (1) systematically identify evaluation studies of U.S. active labor market programs (ALMPs) focusing on postsecondary education and job skills training for low-income individuals with employment barriers (hereinafter, Human Capital Development [HCD] programs) since the U.S. federal welfare reform of 1996, and (2) provide a synthesis of common strategies used by programs that reported post-program earnings higher than poverty thresholds.Design/methodology/approachUsing Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcomes (PICO) criteria endorsed by the Cochrane Collaboration, we identified evaluation studies of HCD programs from seven electronic databases and experts' suggestions. Using data (e.g., post-program earnings, main types of services) extracted from the included studies, we describe common strategies used by the programs reporting earnings above the poverty level.FindingsOf 877 studies identified from an initial search, 10 studies met our inclusion/exclusion criteria and thus were included in the final sample. Findings showed that HCD programs reporting earnings above the poverty level for a family of three were characterized by (1) curriculums targeting specific job sectors and occupations, (2) local employers' involvement in developing curriulums and providing work opportunities and (3) post-program job retention and career advancement services.Originality/valueThe present study used a systematic review approach to fill gaps in research regarding HCD-focused ALMPs in the U.S. post-welfare reform era by identifying common strategies the effective programs used to help participants obtain employment and exit poverty. Findings may inform the design and implementation of employment programs that will help low-income individuals with employment barriers acquire marketable knowledge and job skills, and thus increase their economic self-sufficiency via improved employment outcomes.