Earnings

Earnings

Per Scholas Sectoral Employment Program had the largest effects on long-term annual earnings (an average of $7,509 per year). Per Scholas provided a computer technician training program, internships, soft skills training, and supportive services to participants with low incomes. The program aimed to help participants obtain computer certification and find jobs in the information technology sector.

Employment

Employment

Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) had the largest effects on long-term employment (an average of 7 percentage points). I-BEST helped workers with low skills develop basic skills and receive occupational credentials.

Public benefit receipt

Public benefit receipt

Portland Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS) had the largest effects on long-term benefit receipt (decreasing the amount of public benefits received by $653 per year). The Portland version of JOBS, a national program model enacted through the Family Support Act of 1988 to support recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in finding a job, focused on quickly moving participants into any employment, while also encouraging them to search for higher paying jobs with benefits.

Effects on long-term benefit receipt

Education and training

Education and training

Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) had the largest effects on education and training (increasing the attainment of a degree or credential by an average of 30 percentage points). I-BEST helped workers with low skills develop basic skills and receive occupational credentials.

Individualized Job Search Assistance (IJSA)

Intervention (standard name)

Six to seven weeks into unemployment, participants were required to report to a job service orientation session. At the orientation, participants received information about IJSA services and scheduled an assessment interview. During the assessment interview, staff developed an individual service plan for the participant. Individual service plans varied, but the services specified in the plan were mandatory.

Structured Job Search Assistance (SJSA)

Intervention (standard name)

Six to seven weeks after submitting a UI claim, participants were required to report to a job service orientation session. After orientation, they completed a one-on-one assessment of their aptitude and interests and participated in a 15-hour job-search workshop. Participants were required to have at least two additional contacts with staff after these initial activities to report on their job search progress.

Transition WORKS

Intervention (standard name)

Transition WORKS participants completed an initial assessment and then participated in two person-centered workshops focused on self-determination (referred to as "self-determination workshops") in which they set goals and began to plan for their transition to employment.

Los Angeles County Transitional Subsidized Employment Program—Paid Work Experience (PWE) (as compared with On-the-Job [OJT] Training)

At the time this evaluation occurred, two Transitional Subsidized Employment programs were active in Los Angeles County: PWE and an on-the-job (OJT) training program. PWE placed each participant in a fully subsidized, six-month position at a public-sector or nonprofit organization, where they were paid minimum wage by the local Workforce Investment Board.

Los Angeles County Transitional Subsidized Employment Program—On-the-Job Training (OJT)

At the time this evaluation occurred, two Transitional Subsidized Employment programs were active in Los Angeles County: OJT and a paid work experience (PWE) program. OJT placed participants in a partially subsidized, six-month position at a for-profit, private-sector organization, where they were paid $8 an hour by the local Workforce Investment Board for the first two months. The intervention aimed to have participants make the transition into unsubsidized positions with the same employer when the subsidy ended. The average placement lasted two and a half months.

Los Angeles County Transitional Subsidized Employment Program—Paid Work Experience (PWE)

At the time this evaluation occurred, two subsidized employment programs were active in Los Angeles County: PWE and an on-the-job training (OJT) program. PWE placed each participant in a fully subsidized, six-month position at a public-sector or nonprofit organization, where they were paid minimum wage by the local Workforce Investment Board. Case management was provided to assist participants in searching for unsubsidized employment, and in the final month of subsidized employment, participants also received 16 hours of paid time to engage in a job search.

STEP Forward

Intervention (standard name)

Participants volunteered for the program and received job counseling and help preparing for interviews from their case managers. Case managers then identified job opportunities with partner employers suited to the clients’ skills and interests and scheduled job interviews for participants at weekly job fairs.

Future Steps

Intervention (standard name)

Future Steps implemented an employment-focused case management model. Working with a career specialist, participants completed a career and skills assessment and then began an individualized job search. Services included informal counseling and referrals to specialized job training and other services such as child care and mental health services.

Atlanta Labor Force Attachment (LFA) Program (as compared with Atlanta Human Capital Development [HCD] Program)

Atlanta LFA encouraged clients to move quickly into work without being selective about which job to take. Participants first spent up to three weeks in a job club operated in Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program offices and led by a community action agency. Then, participants applied to jobs for 1 to 2 weeks and were required to make 6 in-person inquiries or send 15 inquiry letters to employers per week.