Food News

The majority of individuals participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and who are capable of working are already employed. These individuals heavily rely on SNAP’s food assistance benefits to ensure they can provide meals for themselves and their families. The jobs they hold often pay low wages, offer unpredictable work hours, and do not provide benefits such as paid sick leave. Access to reliable and well-paying employment is crucial in breaking the cycle of poverty, and the USDA’s SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) program plays a crucial role in equipping participants with professional skills and facilitating connections to better job opportunities.

Although the responsibility of operating SNAP E&T programs lies with SNAP state agencies, they also need to collaborate closely with various partners who possess expertise in developing effective employment programs. These partners include the Department of Labor, local job centers, and professionals specializing in SNAP E&T.

The National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) was granted a SNAP E&T National Partnership Grant by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service in 2020. The primary objective of this grant was to offer technical assistance to state and local workforce development boards, facilitating their transformation into SNAP E&T providers. Since then, the NAWB has been actively working to expand the reach and impact of SNAP E&T.

The most common goal of USDA is to connect job seekers with sustainable employment opportunities and showcase everyone’s strengths. While discussions about SNAP E&T and its connection to the broader workforce development system often focus on differentiating it from other workforce programs, our collaboration with the NAWB has revealed numerous possibilities for partnership.

These crucial conversations bring to light the ways USDA is trying to connect SNAP participants to the relevant jobs and careers that take them out of poverty.