- Log in to post comments
Unemployed workers and new labor force entrants interested in advanced manufacturing jobs were enrolled in the program. Participants enrolled from January 2010 to February 2012. Workers who were employed at enrollment were excluded from the study. Using propensity score matching, evaluators found a comparison group of similar unemployed workers who were located in the same area and pursued state employment and training services during the same period. Job seekers in the two study conditions were matched on individual characteristics and employment history. The program enrolled 684 unemployed participants, and 42,293 comparison group members were selected as matches out of 55,754 possible comparison group members.
Participants enrolled from January 2010 to February 2012. Their outcomes were analyzed through the end of 2012.
A National Fund for Workforce Solutions grant through the Social Innovation Fund funded the study.
The majority of the participants in the study were Black (75 percent), male (66 percent), and had at least a high school diploma or a GED (71 percent), and about half were younger than age 35 (51 percent). All the participants were unemployed at the time of program entry.
Partners for a Competitive Workforce collaborative, a regional partnership of Workforce Investment Boards, employers, community colleges, and service providers, including about 40 employers, 8 educational institutions, and 8 community-based organizations.
The program was established in 2009.
The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership offered a career pathways framework to help unemployed workers with low skills prepare for and secure in-demand advanced manufacturing jobs. Participants interested in advanced manufacturing jobs—such as team assembler, electromechanical maintenance technician, welder, computer numerical control operator, or bioscience/pharmaceutical technician—worked with a case manager to complete short-term training aligned with their employment and education goals. The program offered work-readiness training focused on soft skills and offered participants the opportunity to gain manufacturing work experience through entry-level internships or part-time jobs. Participants could also receive assistance obtaining a National Career Readiness Certificate and enrolling in a Certified Production Technician program. Participants who earned certificates could enroll in an associate's degree program and participate in an apprenticeship with a partner employer. The program also offered job search assistance to participants regardless of whether they earned a credential.
Unemployed workers in the comparison group could receive state employment and training services from the Ohio employment exchange agency.
None
The study does not specify the duration of service receipt.
The program was funded through a National Fund for Workforce Solutions grant from the Social Innovation Fund in addition to sources including the U.S. Department of Labor and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Greater Cincinnati, OH
None