Study Details | Pathways to Work

26712.04-Study of Wisconsin R

Study quality:

Moderate

Reason for the rating: This study received a moderate study quality rating because it is a quasi-experimental design that establishes that the intervention and comparison groups are similar at baseline and adjusts impact estimates to account for any minor differences in the groups.

Intervention: Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Manufacturing Pathway

Population and employment barriers:

Age (Adults (age 25+)), Educational attainment (At least a high school diploma or equivalent), Employment status (Unemployed)

Services provided:

Basic skills/bridge programs, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Occupational or sectoral training, Pre-apprenticeship training

Setting: Tested in multiple settings

Study design

Design:

Quasi-experimental design

Study group formation:

Unemployed workers and other job seekers interested in manufacturing careers were enrolled in the program; however, workers who were employed at enrollment were excluded from the study. Participants enrolled from January 2010 to February 2012. 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. Individuals in the two study conditions were matched on individual characteristics and employment history. The program enrolled 88 unemployed participants, who were matched with 35,482 possible comparison group members. The analysis excluded 2 participants who did not have a match in the comparison group, for a total of 86 participants and 19,844 comparison group members.

Time period of study:

Participants enrolled from January 2010 to February 2012. Their outcomes were analyzed through the end of 2012.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase short-term earnings, Increase short-term employment

Other outcome domains examined:

None

Study funded by:

A National Fund for Workforce Solutions grant from the Social Innovation Fund funded the study.

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase short-term earnings	Quarterly earnings	Six quarters	Moderate	2,212.00	2013 dollars	19,930
Increase short-term employment	Employed for four consecutive quarters	Six quarters	Moderate	24.50	percentage points	19,930
Increase short-term employment	Ever employed, quarterly	Six quarters	Moderate	11.50	percentage points	19,930

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

The majority of the participants in the study were male (84 percent), Black (58 percent), and had at least a high school diploma or higher education (79 percent). About 41 percent of the participants were younger than age 35. All participants were unemployed at the time of program entry.

Age

Young adults	13%
Adults (age 25+)	87%
Older adults (age 50+)	13%

Sex

Female	16%
Male	84%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	57%
White	31%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	8%
Unknown, not reported, or other	13%

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 unemployed

100%

Participant education

Had some postsecondary education	2%
Had a high school diploma or GED	80%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	20%

Specific employment barriers

Were military veterans

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, a regional partnership of employers, unions, and workers, as well as government organizations, community organizations, and training providers.

Program history:

The program was established in 1992.

Intervention services:

Unemployed workers interested in manufacturing careers could receive a variety of trainings and services based on a needs assessment. The program offered tutoring, pre-apprenticeship training, occupational training (certificates in trades such as machinists, operating engineers, sheet metal workers, steamfitters, and welders), and apprenticeships, as well as job search assistance and referrals to partner employers.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

Unemployed workers in the comparison group could receive state employment and training services from the Wisconsin employment exchange agency.

Service receipt duration:

The study does not specify the duration of service receipt.

Intervention funding:

The program was funded through a National Fund for Workforce Solutions grant from the Social Innovation Fund in addition to other public and private sources.

Study publications

Michaelides, Marios, Peter Mueser, Scott Davis, and Kassim Mbwana (2016). Quasi-Experimental Impact Study of NFWS/SIF Workforce Partnership Programs: Evidence on the Effectiveness of Workforce Partnership Programs in Ohio and Wisconsin. Columbia, MD: IMPAQ International, LLC. Available at https://americorps.gov/sites/default/files/evidenceexchange/JFF_Final%20Report_3.10.17_1.pdf.

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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.

Study of Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Manufacturing Pathway