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Unemployed workers and new labor force entrants interested in construction 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 379 unemployed participants, and 36,859 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 from the Social Innovation Fund funded the study.
The majority of the participants in the study were Black (78 percent) and had at least a high school diploma or a GED (83 percent). Almost half of the participants were female (48 percent), and about one third (31 percent) were younger than age 25 and one third (29 percent) between age 25 and 34. All 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, vocational schools, the Associated Builder and Contractors, the Independent Electrical Contractors, and the Greater Cincinnati Apprenticeship Council.
The program was established in 2009.
Unemployed workers with low skills, including new labor market entrants and inexperienced workers, were recruited into the program and prepared to enter a construction career such as carpentry; electrical; plumbing and pipefitting; or heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration. The program aimed to enroll workers who were female or non-White. The Construction Sector Partnership was formed to create and improve construction career pathways in the region, with an emphasis on developing educational pathways. The program offered pre-apprenticeship programs with its employer partners, through which workers received on-the-job training to prepare them for entry-level construction jobs. The program also offered work-readiness training and job search assistance to participants.
Unemployed workers in the comparison group could receive state employment and training services from the Ohio employment exchange agency.
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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
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