Population in Focus: What Works for Young Adults?

Population in focus: what works for young adults?

For more information about the programs covered in this proﬁle, use the hyperlinks in Exhibit 1 below.

Overview

Are you looking for the best ways to support the young adults you serve? Young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 can face unique challenges and opportunities as they transition into the labor market. This Population in Focus page summarizes what we know about how labor market outcomes for young adults experiencing economic hardship are affected by programs that aim to improve their education, employment, and economic self-sufﬁciency.

What works?

As of April 2026, the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse identified 17 programs that served young adults and had at least one study with evidence rated high or moderate. These 17 programs were described in 21 studies. Across all programs measuring impacts on a given outcome domain—earnings, employment, public beneﬁt receipt, and education and training—the programs with the largest long-term effects and a supported rating were the following:

Earnings

Year Up had the largest effects on long-term annual earnings (an average of $12,466 per year). Year Up offered training and work experience in the information technology and investment operations fields to young adults to help them access careers with good pay and advancement opportunities.

Employment

National Guard Youth ChalleNGe had the largest effects on long-term employment (an average of 6 percentage points). The ChalleNGe Program aimed to improve the lives of youth who were out of school and under- or unemployed by providing education, positive youth development, and mentorship.

Public benefit receipt

Teenage Parent Demonstration had the largest effects on long-term benefit receipt (decreasing the amount of public benefits received by $282 per year). The Teenage Parent Demonstration provided education, training, and supportive services to teenage first-time parents who were recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC).

Effects on long-term benefit receipt

Teenage Parent Demonstration

$282

Decrease long-term benefit receipt

Education and training

Transition WORKS had the largest effects on education and training (increasing the attainment of a degree or credential by an average of 28 percentage points). Transition WORKS aimed to empower youth receiving disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and improve their economic self-sufficiency through a series of workshops focused on self-determination, education and employment services, case management, financial incentives, work-based experience, and job development.

Programs serving young adults: implementation and outcomes

Understanding the way a program is implemented can help practitioners decide whether it is likely to have similar effects if implemented in a new setting. Exhibit 1 lists 17 programs for young adults including their primary services, settings, populations, and their effectiveness by outcome domain.

Exhibit 1. Programs serving young adults: characteristics and effectiveness.

View table definitions

Program	Services	Settings	Populations and employment barriers	State(s) where implemented	Term	Increase earnings	Increase employment	Decrease public beneﬁt receipt	Increase education and training
Adult Connections Team	Job readiness additional services: Case management, Peer mentoring, Soft skills training, Unpaid work experience/internships	Tested in multiple settings	Young adults (age 16-24), Unemployed	Illinois	Short-term	$10,644
Adult Connections Team		Tested in multiple settings	Young adults (age 16-24), Unemployed	Illinois	Long-term
Bridges to Pathways (Bridges)	Case management additional services: Assessment, Basic skills/bridge programs, Counseling/emotional support and relationship building, Employment experiences, Employment skills development, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Soft skills training, Subsidized employment/transitional jobs, Transportation assistance	Urban only	Justice involvement, Young adults (age 16-24), Less than a high school diploma or equivalent	East North Central, Illinois	Short-term	$36	16%		4%
Bridges to Pathways (Bridges)		Urban only		East North Central, Illinois	Long-term	$-2,661	-1%		4%
Broadened Horizons, Brighter Futures (BHBF)	Paid work experience/internships additional services: Case management, Employment coaching, Employment experiences, Financial education, Goal setting, Housing supports and subsidies, Job development, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Soft skills training	Urban only	Disability(ies), Public benefits recipients, Young adults (age 16-24)	South Atlantic, Florida	Short-term	$3,827	3%	$-100	1%
Broadened Horizons, Brighter Futures (BHBF)		Urban only		South Atlantic, Florida	Long-term	$3,900	3%	$698	1%
Ecologically-Based Treatment	Case management additional services: Assessment, Benefit navigation/access, Goal setting, Housing supports and subsidies, Mental health services, Treatment or recovery services for substance use disorder	Urban only	Young adults (age 16-24), Parents, Single parents, Homelessness, Substance use disorder	Ohio	Short-term		-5%
Ecologically-Based Treatment		Urban only		Ohio	Long-term
Job Corps	Occupational or sectoral training additional services: Basic skills/bridge programs, Case management, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Mental health services, Physical health services, Soft skills training	Tested in multiple settings	Young adults (age 16-24)	Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming	Short-term	$-1,385	4%	$-107	9%
Job Corps		Tested in multiple settings	Young adults (age 16-24)		Long-term	$1,239	1%	$-58	9%
JOBSTART	Occupational or sectoral training additional services: Basic skills/bridge programs, Integrated education and training, Job placement, Paid work experience/internships, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Stipends, Transportation assistance, Unpaid work experience/internships	Urban only	Young adults (age 16-24), At least a high school diploma or equivalent	Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, California	Short-term	$0	-1%	$62	6%
JOBSTART		Urban only			Long-term	$2,114	-1%	$24	6%
Los Angeles Reconnections Career Academy (LARCA) Program	Education and Training additional services: Action step development, Case management, Cash/Income Supports, Employment Retention and Advancement Services, Health-Related Services, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Peer mentoring, Soft skills training, Supportive services, Work and Work-Based Approaches	Urban only	Young adults (age 16-24), Less than a high school diploma or equivalent	Pacific, California	Short-term	$-1,859	-1%	$340	3%
Los Angeles Reconnections Career Academy (LARCA) Program		Urban only		Pacific, California	Long-term	$-4,775	-4%	$-34	3%
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe	Basic skills/bridge programs additional services: Job placement	Tested in multiple settings	Unemployed, Young adults (age 16-24), Less than a high school diploma or equivalent	East North Central, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, South Atlantic, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, East South Central, Mississippi, West South Central, Texas, Mountain, New Mexico, Pacific, California	Short-term				11%
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe		Tested in multiple settings			Long-term	$5,212	6%		11%
Teenage Parent Demonstration	Case management additional services: Childcare and/or early education, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Transportation assistance, Work supports	Urban only	Single parents, Parents, Young adults (age 16-24), Cash assistance recipients, Public benefits recipients	Middle Atlantic, New Jersey, East North Central, Illinois	Short-term
Teenage Parent Demonstration		Urban only		Middle Atlantic, New Jersey, East North Central, Illinois	Long-term			$-282
Transition WORKS	Job readiness additional services: Case management, Employment coaching, Job development, Job placement, Job search assistance, Paid work experience/internships, Post-employment participant follow-up, Unpaid work experience/internships	Tested in multiple settings	Disability(ies), Unemployed, Young adults (age 16-24), Public benefits recipients	Middle Atlantic, New York	Short-term	$328	3%	$-72	28%
Transition WORKS		Tested in multiple settings		Middle Atlantic, New York	Long-term	$2,916	1%	$216	28%
Urban Alliance’s High School Internship Program	Subsidized employment/transitional jobs additional services: Career planning, Case management, Counseling/emotional support and relationship building, Employment coaching, Employment experiences, Employment skills development, Financial education, Ongoing support, Paid work experience/internships, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Soft skills training	Urban only	Young adults (age 16-24), Less than a high school diploma or equivalent	East North Central, Illinois, Michigan, South Atlantic, District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia	Short-term		5%		1%
Urban Alliance’s High School Internship Program		Urban only			Long-term				1%
Vocational Coaches to Enhance Multisystemic Therapy for Emerging Adults (MST-EA)	Employment coaching additional services: Financial education, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Mental health services	Tested in multiple settings	Young adults (age 16-24)	East North Central	Short-term		12%
		Tested in multiple settings	Young adults (age 16-24)	East North Central	Long-term
Year Up	Job development additional services: Career planning, Case management, Employment coaching, Employment experiences, Employment skills development, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Occupational or sectoral training, Ongoing support, Paid work experience/internships, Peer mentoring, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Soft skills training, Stipends	Tested in multiple settings, Urban only	Young adults (age 16-24), At least a high school diploma or equivalent	New England, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Middle Atlantic, New York, East North Central, Illinois, South Atlantic, District of Columbia, Georgia, Pacific, California, Washington	Short-term	$-29,380	4%		5%
Year Up		Tested in multiple settings, Urban only			Long-term	$12,466	0%		5%
Year Up Professional Training Corps (PTC)	Unpaid work experience/internships additional services: Basic skills/bridge programs, Employment coaching, Employment experiences, Employment skills development, Job placement, Job search assistance, Occupational or sectoral training, Ongoing support, Peer mentoring, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Soft skills training, Stipends	Tested in multiple settings	Young adults (age 16-24), At least a high school diploma or equivalent	New England, Massachusetts, Middle Atlantic, New York, Pennsylvania, East North Central, Illinois, South Atlantic, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, West South Central, Texas, Mountain, Arizona, Pacific, California, Washington	Short-term	$-16,549	0%
Year Up Professional Training Corps (PTC)		Tested in multiple settings			Long-term
Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP)	Subsidized employment/transitional jobs additional services: Case management, Counseling/emotional support and relationship building, Employment experiences, Employment skills development, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Peer mentoring, Stipends	Urban only	Young adults (age 16-24)	Middle Atlantic, New York	Short-term	$2,552	8%		1%
Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP)		Urban only	Young adults (age 16-24)	Middle Atlantic, New York	Long-term	$911	2%		1%
YouthBuild	Pre-apprenticeship training additional services: Assessment, Basic skills/bridge programs, Career planning, Case management, Counseling/emotional support and relationship building, Employment experiences, Employment skills development, Financial education, Goal setting, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Occupational or sectoral training, Ongoing support, Post-employment participant follow-up, Soft skills training, Stipends, Transportation assistance, Unpaid work experience/internships, Work supports	Tested in multiple settings, Urban only	Young adults (age 16-24), At least a high school diploma or equivalent	New England, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Middle Atlantic, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, East North Central, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, West North Central, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, South Atlantic, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, East South Central, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, West South Central, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Pacific, California, Oregon, Washington, Puerto Rico and Island Areas, U.S. Virgin Islands	Short-term	$-219	1%	$131	2%
YouthBuild		Tested in multiple settings, Urban only			Long-term	$2,369	4%	$41	2%
YVLifeSet	Case management additional services: Action step development, Assessment, Benefit navigation/access, Counseling/emotional support and relationship building, Financial education, Housing supports and subsidies, Job placement, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Treatment or recovery services for substance use disorder, Work supports	Tested in multiple settings	Unemployed, Young adults (age 16-24)	East South Central, Tennessee	Short-term	$2,734	4%	$172	3%
YVLifeSet		Tested in multiple settings	Unemployed, Young adults (age 16-24)	East South Central, Tennessee	Long-term	$948	3%		3%