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All customers who were eligible to receive training funded by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) during the study intake period were randomly assigned by study staff as their names were submitted by site staff on a rolling basis. (To be eligible for services, clients first had to consent to participate in the study.) They were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the Maximum Customer Choice group (considered the treatment group in this review), the Structured Customer Choice group (considered in other reviews on this site), or the Guided Customer Choice group (considered the comparison group in this review). For this study, researchers randomly selected a sample of cases for a follow-up survey that was conducted seven years, on average, after random assignment. The survey sample included 1,590 cases in the Maximum Customer Choice group (which had a 67.8 percent response rate), 1,612 cases in the Structured Customer Choice group (which had a 68.6 percent response rate), and 1,598 cases in the Guided Customer Choice group (which had a 67.7 percent response rate).
Enrollment in the study sample took place from December 2001 to March 2004. The long-term follow-up survey was conducted between August 2009 and May 2010 (on average, seven years after random assignment).
The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Local workforce agencies provided services and funding for training. Individuals could obtain training from multiple public and private locations.
Dislocated workers and adults (18 years and older) eligible for WIA training who were assigned to the Maximum Customer Choice group did not automatically receive counseling (from counselors in local workforce agencies) but could request it to guide them to appropriate training selections given their skills and experience. They received a fixed Individual Training Account (ITA) established for their area ($3,000 to $5,000). Customers were not required to participate in any additional activities, but counseling was available if requested.
Dislocated workers and adults (18 years of age and older) eligible for funding for training through WIA and assigned to the Structured Customer Choice group received intensive, mandatory weekly counseling. Counselors directed clients to training selections that maximized return on investment and could reject client selections that did not do so. Individuals in this group could also use an ITA to cover the full cost of training (up to $8,000). Counseling sessions covered high-return training, high-wage occupations that were in demand, training options in customer’s selected occupation, returns-to-training for prospective programs, and the feasibility of customer’s training selection.
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About 73 percent of Structured Customer Choice sample members and 77 percent of Maximum Customer Choice sample members participated in a training program within three years after random assignment. Of those who entered a training program, members of the Structured Customer Choice group received counseling and arranged training for an average of 20 weeks after random assignment, and then they participated in their selected training program for an average of 31 weeks. Those in the Maximum Customer Choice group who participated in training received counseling and arranged training for an average of 18 weeks after random assignment and then participated in training for an average of 29 weeks.
The evaluation was conducted in eight sites (Phoenix, AZ; Maricopa County, AZ; Bridgeport, CT; Jacksonville, FL; Atlanta, GA; northeast Georgia; North Cook County, IL; and Charlotte, NC). Regional workforce boards and human services departments provided program services.