Study Details | Pathways to Work

101018-Study of New Orleans

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: New Orleans Career Pathway Training

Services provided:

Case management, Job development, Job search assistance, Occupational or sectoral training, Tuition assistance/financial aid

Setting: Urban only

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

Eligible participants were randomly assigned with 50 percent probability to have access to the New Orleans Career Pathway program and 50 percent to the control group. Randomization was done using random numbers within strata defined by gender, annual income in the prior year being above or below $5000, employment status, and being age 35 years or older.

Time period of study:

2014-2019

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase short-term employment, Increase short-term earnings

Study funded by:

New Orleans Office of Workforce Development via a U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation Fund grant

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Impact	Units	Findings	Sample size
Increase short-term earnings	Average quarterly earnings over the followup period	1 to 7 quarters after the end of traning - average of 4 quarters (doc 03, p.4, sec 3.3 on data)	High	435.99	2018 Dollars		1,901
Increase short-term employment	Quarterly employment	1 to 7 quarters after the end of traning - average of 4 quarters (doc 03, p.4, sec 3.3 on data)	High	3.50	percentage points		1,901

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

Participants consisted of unemployed and under-employed adult workers, on average about 40 years old. Most (90 percent) were Black, and about 54 percent were male.

Age

Mean age

40 years

Sex

Female	45%
Male	55%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	90%
Unknown, not reported, or other	10%

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.

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were employed	51%
Were unemployed	49%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

New Orleans Office of Workforce Development

Program history:

The program did not exist prior to the study. The initial pilot cohorts were enrolled in 2016, and cohorts included in the study were enrolled in 2017 and 2018.

Intervention services:

Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Workforce Innovation Fund, the New Orleans Office of Workforce Development's Career Pathway Training provided job-specific training in high-demand occupations, including advanced manufacturing, information technology, and healthcare. Training providers included community colleges and other professional training providers, who coordinated with local firms to develop curriculum and connect participants with employers. Participants received $6,000 worth of training credits to cover costs associated with attendance. Eligible participants included unemployed and under-employed workers who met various screening criteria, including attainment of minimum scores on tests of basic skills, drug testing, attendance at a mandatory orientation meeting, and completion of a structured interview to assess work and training readiness.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

The control group could not receive services from New Orleans Career Pathway, but could receive other training or employment services in the community.

Service receipt duration:

2-4 months

Intervention funding:

U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation Fund grant

Study publications

Baird, Matthew B., John Engberg, and Italo A. Gutierrez (2022). RCT Evidence on Differential Impact of US Job Training Programmes by Pre-training Employment Status. Labour Economics, 75, Article 102140. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2022.102140

Baird, Matthew D., John Engberg, Gabriella C. Gonzalez, Thomas Goughnour, Italo A. Gutierrez, and Rita Karam (2019). Effectiveness of Screened, Demand-Driven Job Training Programs for Disadvantaged Workers: An Evaluation of the New Orleans Career Pathway Training. Appendix. Research Report RR-2980. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. Available at: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2980.html.

Baird, Matthew D., John Engberg, Gabriella C. Gonzalez, Thomas Goughnour, Italo A. Gutierrez, and Rita Karam (2019). Effectiveness of Screened, Demand-Driven Job Training Programs for Disadvantaged Workers: An Evaluation of the New Orleans Career Pathway Training. Research Report RR-2980. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. Available at: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2980.html.

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Study of New Orleans Career Pathway Training