Comparison conditions
The study used propensity score matching to construct a comparison group from the population of employment service participants, which included people without jobs who sought employment and training services from the Ohio employment exchange agency during the study period. The study estimated propensity scores based on gender, race, education, the Local Workforce Investment Area, quarter during which the participant entered the program, employment in prior quarters, and interaction terms between several characteristics. The matched comparison group consisted of people who had socioeconomic characteristics and prior employment outcomes similar to those of participants in the intervention group.
Cost information
The study did not discuss a cost per participant or a comparison of costs and benefits.
Dates covered by study
The Health Careers Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati was created in 2003. Participants entered the program between January 2010 and February 2012. Their outcomes were analyzed through the end of 2012.
Description of services implemented
The Health Careers Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati used a career pathways framework—a series of training programs and support services that progressively lead to higher credentials and more advanced employment opportunities—focused on preparing participants for health careers. Participants worked with a career pathways advisor to select appropriate services based on their employment goals. Services included the following:
- Work-readiness activities, financial education, and soft-skills training. Participants were offered work-readiness training focused on soft skills and the skills needed to obtain and retain a health care career. Trainings covered workplace professionalism, computer literacy, and help accessing public benefits and public services. Participants could also receive financial and life-skills training as part of work-readiness activities.
- Education. Participants were offered help obtaining National Career Readiness Certificates and enrolling in courses to receive a GED and prepare for postsecondary education. They could also take a health care-focused course on career and academic readiness called School at Work.
- Job-search assistance. Participants received personalized job-search assistance from advisors and staff from OhioMeansJobs Centers, the state’s American Job Centers. These services included skills assessments, résumé assistance, job application and interview help, and referrals to job openings.
- Employer-developed occupational training. Participants could attend trainings that the program developed with employers to further develop participants’ skills and knowledge. Once they completed the training, participants received a credential that they could use to obtain employment with the partner employer. To boost employee retention and help with recruitment, employers prepaid or reimbursed participants for tuition for taking part in these trainings.
Fidelity measures
The study did not discuss any tools to measure fidelity to the intervention model.
Funding source
Funding was provided mainly by the National Fund for Workforce Solutions. The U.S. Department of Labor and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provided additional funding.
Intervention (standard name)
Local context
The Health Careers Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati was established in 2003 and delivered in the Greater Cincinnati area of southwest Ohio. One-half of the 50,000 new jobs projected by 2014 in the region were in the rapidly growing health care sector.
Organization(s) implementing intervention
The Partners for a Competitive Workforce collaborative, a regional partnership of Workforce Investment Boards, employers, community colleges, and service providers, implemented the intervention. The Health Careers Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati was a partnership between the Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Great Oaks Institute of Technology, and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Greater Cincinnati.
Partnerships
The Health Careers Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati was a partnership between the Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Greater Cincinnati, and the Great Oaks Institute of Technology. The program grew over time to involve several health care employers; community-based organizations; educators; and training providers, including OhioMeansJobs Centers.
Population served
The Health Careers Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati focused on individuals who were unemployed and interested in gaining the skills needed to work in the health care industry, as well as entry-level health care workers interested in accessing mid-level jobs. The program served 992 participants, 90 percent of whom were women. Most participants had a high school diploma or GED (92 percent), and about half (54 percent) had more than a high school diploma. Two-thirds of participants were under 35 years old (65 percent), and one-third had worked during the year before enrollment in the program (31 percent). Half of the participants were White (50 percent), and 40 percent were Black. One of the objectives of the program was to recruit people from racial and ethnic minority groups to increase diversity in the health care field.
Service intensity
More than two-thirds of participants (68 percent) received occupational training or education services to improve their employability in the health care field. Smaller shares of participants received work-readiness training (27 percent) and job-search assistance (35 percent). Nearly two-thirds of participants (64 percent) earned a credential.
Staffing
Partners for a Competitive Workforce (formerly the Greater Cincinnati Workforce Network) directly hired a career pathways leader to recruit employers and education and training organizations. The program worked with those partners to develop goals, career pathways, and plans for recruitment and training. It also hired a part-time career planning coach to help the career pathways leader with planning, implementation, and coordination of peer learning and professional development for partnership members. One full-time manager and the career pathways leader helped develop career pathways in health care for the Health Careers Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati. The study authors did not include information on the number staff delivering services through the program, or their training, degrees, or certifications.