Study Details | Pathways to Work

3168-Study of JOBSTART

Study quality: High

High

Reason for the rating: This study received a high study quality rating because it is a low-attrition randomized controlled trial with no known issues that suggest the findings cannot be attributed to the intervention.

Intervention: JOBSTART

Population and employment barriers:

Age (Young adults (age 16-24)), Educational attainment (At least a high school diploma or equivalent)

Services provided:

Basic skills/bridge programs, Integrated education and training, Job placement, Occupational or sectoral training, Paid work experience/internships, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Stipends, Transportation assistance, Unpaid work experience/internships

Setting: Urban only

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

Thirteen sites were selected for the evaluation. To qualify for the study, sites had to have the ability to implement and fund JOBSTART services and to recruit a sufficient number of eligible youth to yield 200 sample members (within the site). Eligible participants were youth ages 17 to 21 who had dropped out of high school and did not have a GED or high school diploma, read below the eighth-grade level on a standardized test, were classified as economically disadvantaged, and were eligible for public workforce services. Sites recruited youth and assessed youth interest in JOBSTART for program eligibility. After youth attended an informational interview, completed initial assessments, and provided informed consent, the research team randomly assigned youth who were eligible for JOBSTART to the intervention group or the comparison group.

Time period of study:

Random assignment began in August 1985, and the last follow-up surveys were collected in 1990.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase short-term earnings, Increase long-term earnings, Increase short-term employment, Increase long-term employment, Decrease short-term benefit receipt, Decrease long-term benefit receipt, Increase education and training

Other outcome domains examined:

Positive activity, criminal behavior, family formation, and substance use

Study funded by:

U.S. Department of Labor, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the National Commission for Employment Policy, AT&T Foundation, Exxon Corporation, ARCO Foundation, Aetna Foundation, the Chase Manhattan Bank, and Stuart Foundations

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Comparison group mean	Intervention group mean	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase short-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 1	High	2,596.00	2,097.00	-499.00	1987 dollars	1,941
Increase long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 4	High	5,182.00	5,592.00	410.00	1990 dollars	1,941
Increase short-term employment	Employed during month 18	Month 18	High	43.00	41.90	-1.10	Percentage points	1,941
Increase long-term employment	Employed during month 48	Month 48	High	46.20	45.40	-0.80	Percentage points	1,941
Increase long-term employment	Total weeks employed	Years 1–4	High	80.81	79.96	-0.85	Weeks	1,941
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Amount of AFDC/TANF benefits, annual	Year 1	High	624.00	687.00	63.00	1987 dollars	1,878
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Amount of Food Stamps/SNAP benefits, annual	Year 1	High	568.00	523.00	-45.00	1987 dollars	1,878
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Amount of General Assistance, annual	Year 1	High	107.00	131.00	24.00	1987 dollars	1,878
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Received AFDC/TANF, annual	Year 1	High	19.30	20.50	1.20	Percentage points	1,878
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Received Food Stamps/SNAP, annual	Year 1	High	38.50	36.90	-1.60	Percentage points	1,878
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Received General Assistance, annual	Year 1	High	5.20	6.50	1.30	Percentage points	1,878
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of AFDC/TANF benefits, annual	Year 4	High	1,136.00	1,125.00	-11.00	1990 dollars	1,878
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of Food Stamps/SNAP benefits, annual	Year 4	High	759.00	790.00	31.00	1990 dollars	1,878
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of General Assistance, annual	Year 4	High	104.00	107.00	3.00	1990 dollars	1,878
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received a Medicaid card, follow-up period	Years 1–4	High	55.50	57.20	1.70	Percentage points	0
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received AFDC/TANF, annual	Year 4	High	27.40	26.50	-0.90	Percentage points	1,878
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received Food Stamps/SNAP, annual	Year 4	High	43.10	43.40	0.30	Percentage points	1,878
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received General Assistance, annual	Year 4	High	4.60	5.00	0.40	Percentage points	1,878
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received Heat Assistance, follow-up period	Years 1–4	High	22.30	21.70	-0.60	Percentage points	0
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received public housing, follow-up period	Years 1–4	High	30.60	30.80	0.20	Percentage points	0
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received SSI, follow-up period	Years 1–4	High	2.60	1.80	-0.80	Percentage points	0
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received UI payments, follow-up period	Years 1–4	High	7.60	8.20	0.60	Percentage points	0
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received workers' compensation, follow-up period	Years 1–4	High	4.70	3.10	-1.60	Percentage points	0
Increase education and training	Received associate's or two-year degree	Year 4	High	0.30	0.50	0.20	Percentage points	1,941
Increase education and training	Received bachelor's or four-year degree	Year 4	High	0.10	0.01	-0.09	Percentage points	1,941
Increase education and training	Received GED	Year 4	High	21.10	37.60	16.50	Percentage points	1,941
Increase education and training	Received high school diploma or GED	Year 4	High	28.60	42.00	13.40	Percentage points	1,941
Increase education and training	Received trade certificate or license	Year 4	High	17.30	33.10	15.80	Percentage points	1,941

Short-term outcomes are those measured 18 months or fewer after participants are first offered services. Long-term outcomes are those measured between 18 months and 5 years after participants are first offered services. Very long-term outcomes are those measured 5 years or more after participants are first offered services.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

The findings quality describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is because of the intervention. We do not display findings that rate low.

Findings key:

A moderate-to-large favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large favorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that might be due to chance
A favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A favorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that might be due to chance
An unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
An unfavorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size or direction
A finding of no effect that might be due to chance

Favorable findings are impacts in a direction that is socially desirable. Statistical significance indicates the likelihood that a study finding is due to the intervention, rather than due to chance. Findings are described as moderate-to-large if the intervention produced a sufficiently large change in the outcome. An impact receives this designation if the standardized effect size is equal to or greater than 0.25 or equal to or less than -0.25.

Sample characteristics

JOBSTART participants were youth ages 17 to 21 who had dropped out of high school and did not have a GED or high school diploma, read below the eighth-grade level on a standardized test, and were eligible for public workforce services. Participants were split about evenly by gender. A majority (88 percent) were Hispanic or Black, not Hispanic, and most (74 percent) were younger than 20. Just more than half (53 percent) reported employment in the year before random assignment, and 15 percent reported having been arrested since age 16.

Age

Young adults

100%

Sex

Female	54%
Male	46%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	44%
White, not Hispanic	9%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	44%
Unknown, not reported, or other	3%

The race and ethnicity categories may sum to more than 100 percent if the authors reported race and ethnicity separately; in these cases, we report the category White, rather than White, not Hispanic.

Family status

Married	10%
Parents	32%

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were employed	53%
Were unemployed	47%
Public benefits recipients	38%
Cash assistance recipients	27%

Participant education

Did not have a high school diploma or GED

100%

Specific employment barriers

Were involved with the justice system

15%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

JOBSTART was implemented locally by the following organizations: Allentown Youth Services Consortium, Atlanta Job Corps, Basic Skills Academy, Capitol Region Education Council, Center for Employment Training, Chicago Commons Association’s Industrial and Business Training Programs, Connelley Skill Learning Center, East Los Angeles Skills Center, El Centro Community College Job Training Center, Emily Griffith Opportunity School, Los Angeles Job Corps, Phoenix Job Corps, and SER/Jobs for Progress.

Program history:

The evaluators developed the JOBSTART program model for the focus population, and recruited organizations across the country to implement the JOBSTART model.

Intervention services:

Thirteen JOBSTART sites provided youth with instruction in basic academic skills, occupational skills training, support services, and job placement assistance. Basic academic skills instruction was individualized, and it commonly focused on developing skills needed to pass a GED examination. Occupational skills training was classroom based. Participants could choose from various occupational skills courses that generally prepared participants for jobs requiring moderate or higher skills. All sites offered child care and transportation assistance, and many offered additional support services such as life skills training and need-based payments. Job search assistance was also available at all sites. In addition, some sites offered financial incentives for meeting program milestones, completing paid or unpaid work experience, and attending job development and placement services. On average, youth spent 415 hours participating in program activities over 6.8 months, with most of this time in education and occupational training.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

The comparison group could not receive JOBSTART services but could receive other services offered in the community.

Service receipt duration:

The JOBSTART program guidelines stated that sites were required to offer a basic education curriculum that was at least 200 hours in length and an occupational skills training curriculum that provided at least 500 hours of training. On average, youth spent 415 hours participating in program activities over 6.8 months, with most of this time in education and occupational training.

Intervention funding:

The demonstration awarded grants of $25,000 to each site. However, state and local public workforce agencies provided most of the operational funding for the JOBSTART sites.

Cost information:

The average cost of providing the intervention was $9,258 per participant. The average cost of providing comparison group services was $0 per person. The net intervention cost, or difference between the two, was $9,258 per person. This represents how much more it cost to provide intervention services compared to comparison services.

These figures are based on cost information reported by study authors. The Pathways Clearinghouse converted that information to a single amount expressed in 2024 dollars; for details, see the FAQ. This information is not an official price tag or guarantee.

Study publications

Cave, George, and Fred Doolittle (1991). Assessing JOBSTART: Interim impacts of a program for school dropouts, New York, NY: MDRC. Available at https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED338923.pdf

Cave, George, Hans Bos, Fred Doolittle, and Cyril Toussaint (1993). JOBSTART: Final report on a program for school dropouts, New York, NY: MDRC. Available at https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED363774.pdf

View the glossary for more information about these and other terms used on this page.

The Pathways Clearinghouse refers to interventions by the names used in study reports or manuscripts. Some intervention names may use language that is not consistent with our style guide, preferences, or the terminology we use to describe populations.