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Subgroups
The evaluation team asked staff at each of three sector-focused employment training sites to recruit 450 potential trainees for the evaluation (analyses of the programs at each site were reviewed as separate studies by the Pathways Clearinghouse). At the Per Scholas site, staff recruited 459 eligible participants, of which 443 provided consent and completed a baseline study survey. The study team randomly assigned 442 of these 443 potential trainees (the remaining individual was dropped from the study). People assigned to the intervention group could participate in the Per Scholas sector-focused employment program and those assigned to the comparison group could not. Approximately two years later, 345 people (78 percent) across both conditions completed a follow-up survey. Study participants were required to hold a high school diploma or equivalent certificate and demonstrate math and English skills at or above the tenth grade level. This study is separate from the study of Per Scholas Sectoral Employment Program—WorkAdvance Model, which began in 2011 and is also included in the Pathways Clearinghouse.
The evaluation began in 2003 and participants were followed for approximately two years after random assignment.
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation funded the evaluation.
Within the sample of follow-up survey respondents, about three-quarters of participants (76 percent) were male, 50 percent were African American, 41 percent were Latino/a, 3 percent were White, and 6 percent were of another racial/ethnic background. About one-quarter (25 percent) of participants were ages 18 to 24 and 11 percent were 25 or 26. The average age was between 32 and 33. Seventeen percent of participants reported being married. Participants faced a range of employment barriers, with 17 percent having ever been convicted of a crime, 13 percent having ever been incarcerated, and 6 percent having experienced homelessness in the past year.
Per Scholas
Per Scholas was founded in 1995 and began its computer technician training program in 1998.
Per Scholas participants entered a 15-week, 500-hour-long computer technician training program. Training consisted of instruction and practice related to assembly, configuration, installation, upgrade, and repair of personal computers, printers, and copiers. Participants also took part in internships and were offered life skills and employability training. Services also included case management, mentoring, job placement, post-employment services, and assistance with work attire.
Participants in the comparison condition had no access to Per Scholas training.
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The training program lasted 15 weeks and included 500 hours of training.
Per Scholas is funded by foundations and private companies.
The study took place in the South Bronx, New York City.
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