IRP Funds Research to Inform Programs and Policies to Boost Youth Employment

MADISON—The Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) awarded funding to four innovative projects for the 2020 extramural research funding program, which supports research that will inform policies and programs designed to improve employment outcomes for youths from low-income families. The program especially targets research to improve programs serving those who are neither in school nor working (“opportunity” or “disconnected” youth).

Although the number of opportunity youth has been decreasing, there remain approximately 4.6 million young people in America—about one in nine adolescents or young adults—who are considered disconnected.

The four funded projects noted below promote economic mobility among opportunity youth by improving their labor force participation. The program goal is to strengthen the U.S. economy by ensuring that young people grow up to have employment and careers that allow them to provide for themselves and their families.

Support for the extramural research funding program is provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s) and should not be construed as representing the opinions or policy of any agency of the Federal government.

Funded Proposals

Kyle Albert

An Exploration of the Relationship between Training Duration, Format, and Labor Market Outcomes for Young Workers Served by the Public Workforce System

Kyle Albert, George Washington Institute of Public Policy

Mary Elizabeth Collins

Understanding Implementation Processes to Effectively Serve Vulnerable Youth

Mary Elizabeth Collins, Boston University School of Social Work

Mathew Uretsky

Investigating Statewide Patterns of Youth Disconnection from School and Work

Mathew Uretsky, Portland State University School of Social Work

Jennifer Geiger and Nathanael J. Okpych

Connected After Care: The Roles of Child Welfare Policy and Programs in Postsecondary Education and Employment among Youth Formerly in Foster Care

Jennifer Geiger, University of Illinois at Chicago Jane Addams College of Social Work, and Nathanael J. Okpych, University of Connecticut School of Social Work