This report examines the implementation of grants to six state workforce agencies to test innovative approaches in addressing the opioid crisis through employment and training services. The grants, which totaled $22 million, were awarded by the Employment and Training Administration (in the Department of Labor) to the states of Alaska, Maryland, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington.

Key findings include the following:

• Grantees provided employment services to almost 3,000 participants and made other investments to support individuals in recovery. All the participants received individualized career services, and 61 percent enrolled in training, including for some participants, preparation for careers as peer recovery specialists. Some grantees also conducted outreach to employers to promote "recovery-friendly" practices in the workplace.
• Strategies for delivering employment and training services to individuals involved two distinct models: a) providing employment services through American Job Centers (AJCs), with adaptations to better serve the population or b) having workforce professionals provide services on-site at behavioral health facilities.
• Aligning the expectations of workforce system and behavioral health partners was challenging due to differences in culture and operations. In particular, the partners had different conceptions of "work readiness."
• Frontline staff and administrators identified the need for intensive case management and noted that individuals in recovery recruited through behavioral health providers had complex needs and required more support than clients typically served at AJCs.
• Efforts to train AJC staff on how to interact with people in recovery appear promising. Two of the grantees offered training for AJC staff on topics such as substance use disorders, what it means to be in recovery, and how to interact with people with opioid use disorder in a sensitive manner (such as by using person-first language).

The report notes that research on employment and training services and opioid use disorder is still in its infancy and that there is a need to build knowledge about what works and for whom, and to understand effects on employment and earnings over time. Further, building evidence about the effectiveness of the different approaches may require exploring creative adaptations to funding, structure, and performance measurement so that the workforce system will be better able to help the affected population. Finally, testing models, such as the Individual Placement and Support approach, which have been shown to be effective with other subgroups, is another avenue for new research on how to serve individuals with substance use disorder and help them succeed in the labor market.