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Summary

The Work Opportunity Networks to Develop Employment Readiness (WONDER) program provided industry-specific training and subsidized employment in one of four service tracks (construction, culinary arts, manufacturing, job placement services) in addition to job placement assistance, job readiness assistance, intensive case management, support services and existing state SNAP employment and training services.

The Work Opportunity Networks to Develop Employment Readiness (WONDER) program provided industry-specific training and subsidized employment in one of four service tracks (construction, culinary arts, manufacturing, job placement services) in addition to job placement assistance, job readiness assistance, intensive case management, support services and existing state SNAP employment and training services. Participants first met with an outreach specialist for an intensive intake and assessment process to develop an individualized career plan and select one of the four program tracks. Participants could also be referred to other providers for assistance with expunging criminal records or financial literacy education.

Participants received services for 4-5 months, on average, with at least weekly contact with a case manager. The construction track provided pre-apprenticeship training with 2-3 weeks of classroom training and 2-3 weeks of field training before entering employment or apprenticeship. The culinary arts training consisted of 12 weeks of classroom and hands-on training and 25 weeks of post-program wraparound services. The manufacturing track included self-directed certified production training followed by placement in an entry-level position for a 90-day trial period after completing certification. The job placement services track worked with job placement specialists to build job skills and readiness.

The program targeted all SNAP participants in the state of Delaware.

101036.03-Study of Work Opport
Populations and employment barriers: Public benefits recipients, Unemployed

Effectiveness rating and effect by outcome domain

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Outcome domain Term Effectiveness rating Effect in 2024 dollars and percentages Effect in standard deviations Sample size
Increase earnings Short-term Little evidence to assess support unfavorable $-693 per year -0.019 5344
Long-term Little evidence to assess support unfavorable $-146 per year -0.004 5344
Very long-term No evidence to assess support
Increase employment Short-term Little evidence to assess support favorable 0% (in percentage points) 0.002 5344
Long-term Little evidence to assess support unfavorable -1% (in percentage points) -0.014 5344
Very long-term No evidence to assess support
Decrease benefit receipt Short-term Not supported unfavorable $144 per year 0.042 5344
Long-term Little evidence to assess support unfavorable $72 per year 0.021 5344
Very long-term No evidence to assess support
Increase education and training All measurement periods No evidence to assess support
* This intervention was assessed as supported for this domain, meaning it achieved one or more statistically significant, favorable effects. However, the intervention has an average effect size that is unfavorable because the average includes all effects in this domain - both statistically significant and favorable effects and statistically insignificant but unfavorable effects.

Effectiveness rating key:

  • Well-supported Well-supported   
  • Supported  Supported   
  • Not supported  Not supported   
  • Mixed support  Mixed support   
  • Insufficient evidence  Insufficient evidence   
  • No evidence  No evidence
Effectiveness rating terms?

Studies of this intervention

Study quality rating Study counts per rating
High High 1
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Implementation details

Organizations implementing intervention

The program was administered by the Delaware Department of Social Services who contracted with six key providers for implementing the program—Eastside Rising, Food Bank of Delaware, Delaware Technical Community College, PolyTech Adult Education, KraftHeinz, and Career TEAM.

The information contained here reflects how the intervention was implemented at the time of the evaluation.

Local context

The providers and study site were located in Delaware.

Characteristics of research participants
Black or African American
50%
White, not Hispanic
39%
Asian
1%
Another race
1%
More than one race
3%
Hispanic or Latino of any race
8%

The race and ethnicity categories may sum to more than 100 percent if the authors reported race and ethnicity separately; in these cases, we report the category White, rather than White, not Hispanic.

State(s) where implemented

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY Canada

The Pathways Clearinghouse refers to interventions by the names used in study reports or manuscripts. Some intervention names may use language that is not consistent with our style guide, preferences, or the terminology we use to describe populations.