In order to move out of poverty, many SNAP participants need better access to training and the services that support it, like transportation, child care, and books and supplies. Seventy percent of long-term SNAP recipients have no education beyond high school and half have less than a high school education.
States must operate a SNAP E&T program, but can choose to offer a range of SNAP E&T activities, from job search and workfare to vocational training and postsecondary education. Few states offer a skills-based program. To utilize the program’s full potential, states should establish a policy directing their SNAP E&T agency to adopt a skills-based approach.
