Participants first met with a counselor who helped them select an accredited training program in a patient care, technical, or administrative health care occupation. The counselor also identified any barriers participants might face and connected participants with supportive services such as transportation or child care assistance, Individual Training Accounts to cover the cost of training, and employment services and job search assistance. Supportive services could be funded up to $1,000, and Individual Training Accounts could cover between $7,000 and $10,000 for training, depending on the chosen occupation. The program focused on individuals who were at least 18 years old, received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or were low income (as defined by the program; before the study, participants had an average annual income of about $17,000), had a high school diploma or GED, were eligible to work in the United States, and scored above the sixth- to eighth-grade level on a basic-skills assessment. BTH was implemented in San Diego County, CA.
BTH was part of the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education study which also evaluated the following career pathways programs: Carreras en Salud, Health Careers for All, Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training, Pathways to Healthcare, Patient Care Pathway Program, Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement, Workforce Training Academy Connect, and Year Up.
BTH provided health care training in patient care, technical, or administrative occupations to individuals with low incomes interested in a career in health care.