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Thirteen sites were selected for the evaluation. To qualify for the study, sites had to have the ability to implement and fund JOBSTART services and to recruit a sufficient number of eligible youth to yield 200 sample members (within the site). Eligible participants were youth ages 17 to 21 who had dropped out of high school and did not have a GED or high school diploma, read below the eighth-grade level on a standardized test, were classified as economically disadvantaged, and were eligible for public workforce services. Sites recruited youth and assessed youth interest in JOBSTART for program eligibility. After youth attended an informational interview, completed initial assessments, and provided informed consent, the research team randomly assigned youth who were eligible for JOBSTART to the intervention group or the comparison group.
Random assignment began in August 1985, and the last follow-up surveys were collected in 1990.
U.S. Department of Labor, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the National Commission for Employment Policy, AT&T Foundation, Exxon Corporation, ARCO Foundation, Aetna Foundation, the Chase Manhattan Bank, and Stuart Foundations
JOBSTART participants were youth ages 17 to 21 who had dropped out of high school and did not have a GED or high school diploma, read below the eighth-grade level on a standardized test, and were eligible for public workforce services. Participants were split about evenly by gender. A majority (88 percent) were Hispanic or Black, not Hispanic, and most (74 percent) were younger than 20. Just more than half (53 percent) reported employment in the year before random assignment, and 15 percent reported having been arrested since age 16.
JOBSTART was implemented locally by the following organizations: Allentown Youth Services Consortium, Atlanta Job Corps, Basic Skills Academy, Capitol Region Education Council, Center for Employment Training, Chicago Commons Association’s Industrial and Business Training Programs, Connelley Skill Learning Center, East Los Angeles Skills Center, El Centro Community College Job Training Center, Emily Griffith Opportunity School, Los Angeles Job Corps, Phoenix Job Corps, and SER/Jobs for Progress.
The evaluators developed the JOBSTART program model for the focus population, and recruited organizations across the country to implement the JOBSTART model.
Thirteen JOBSTART sites provided youth with instruction in basic academic skills, occupational skills training, support services, and job placement assistance. Basic academic skills instruction was individualized, and it commonly focused on developing skills needed to pass a GED examination. Occupational skills training was classroom based. Participants could choose from various occupational skills courses that generally prepared participants for jobs requiring moderate or higher skills. All sites offered child care and transportation assistance, and many offered additional support services such as life skills training and need-based payments. Job search assistance was also available at all sites. In addition, some sites offered financial incentives for meeting program milestones, completing paid or unpaid work experience, and attending job development and placement services. On average, youth spent 415 hours participating in program activities over 6.8 months, with most of this time in education and occupational training.
The comparison group could not receive JOBSTART services but could receive other services offered in the community.
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The JOBSTART program guidelines stated that sites were required to offer a basic education curriculum that was at least 200 hours in length and an occupational skills training curriculum that provided at least 500 hours of training. On average, youth spent 415 hours participating in program activities over 6.8 months, with most of this time in education and occupational training.
The demonstration awarded grants of $25,000 to each site. However, state and local public workforce agencies provided most of the operational funding for the JOBSTART sites.
JOBSTART was operated in 13 cities: Buffalo, NY; Atlanta, GA; New York, NY; Hartford, CT; San Jose, CA; Chicago, IL; Pittsburgh, PA; Monterey Park, CA; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Los Angeles, CA; Phoenix, AZ; and Corpus Christi, TX. The program was operated by a local organization in each city. These organizations included adult vocational schools, community-based organizations, Job Corps centers, and a community college.
Positive activity, criminal behavior, family formation, and substance use