Education and Job Training
the Best Route to Employment
The new welfare system created by the State Welfare Reform Act of 1997 prevents many from pursuing education and job training programs by approving a narrow listing of work-related activites which will fulfill the Workfare obligation. Most hours of participation in the new program must involve activitites which exclude education and job training pursuits. The practical result is to strongly discourage workfare participants’ voluntary preparation for better-paying jobs. This undermines the welfare reform goals of promoting independence and financial security.
New York has a great deal of authority in deciding which activities are “countable.” The state could allow for vocational training, community service, and training for job skills to fullfill the participant’s Workfare obligation. Internships and work-study could also be incorporated into the range of allowable activities.
About half of New York’s welfare recipients lack a high school diploma. For this population, finding a job can be a difficult task, and finding one that pays a decent wage even more so. In 1994, the national average annual wage for women who did not complete high school and who worked full time was only $14, 613, far below the amount needed to support a family at even a modest standard.
But even high school graduates face a difficult labor market. The State Department of Labor reports that 75% of New York City’s major employers require college degrees or training beyond high school for entry-level jobs. Reseacrh shows that 87% of 4-year college graduates move off welfare permanently.
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Page Created February 1, 2000.
Page Last Updated February 1, 2000.