By Johnny Magdeleno
If you’re a mother of two and working a part-time job, finding the time to train for a better-paying, more demanding career can seem near impossible. But career training programs throughout the country are beginning to understand that offering support services that help women and families, like child care and emergency cash assistance, will help them graduate more people.
That’s according to a new study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, which interviewed 168 workforce program administrators in 41 states and the District of Columbia. Most of these participants said issues like child care, financial restraints and even mental health issues contribute to keeping students from getting certificates.
“Anecdotally in the field, there was clearly a sense that supportive services are being reported on and needed,” says Cynthia Hess, an associate director of research at the [IWPR]. “But not a lot of research has been done to see which supports make the biggest difference.”
