On Wednesday, September 17, USDA Secretary, Tom Vilsack, testified before the House Committee on Agriculture regarding SNAP E&T projects. The SNAP E&T pilot projects will provided funding for programs that to address barriers SNAP participants face to obtaining secure employment with a living wage. According to Secretary Vilsack, they are looking for programs that utilize effective approaches such as, work-based learning strategies like pre-apprenticeships, career pathway systems, and the integrations of basic education with on-the-job-training. He also mentioned that effective programs will require collaboration across multiple state agencies and noted that USDA has aligned with other federal agencies to move “towards [their] mutual goal of helping Americans find jobs and increase their earnings.”
