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.

Back to Work (B2W) [as compared with Independent Job Search (IJS)]

B2W provided participants with 35 hours per week of mandatory, in-person services that included group and individual job search classes, case management, job development and job search support, job interview support, and soft-skills training. B2W also provided supportive services that included transportation and work clothes. Participants typically received services for 6 to 8 weeks, and job search support activities were limited to 12 weeks. After attaining employment, participants were

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

Atlanta’s HCD program stressed that participants should spend time receiving education or training to prepare for good jobs. At the start of the program, case managers assigned participants to adult basic education courses or vocational training programs. Participants were assigned to adult basic education courses more often than training programs because many vocational programs required GEDs or certificates that the participants did not have when starting the HCD program.

St Nick’s Alliance WorkAdvance Program

Intervention (standard name)

The WorkAdvance model includes five key elements: (1) intensive screening before enrollment; (2) preemployment and work-readiness services, including career coaching, supportive services, and labor market information, all tailored to a specific occupational sector; (3) occupational skills training focused on current job openings; (4) job development and placement; and (5) provision of follow-up retention and advancement services in collaboration with employers. It is a versatile model that organizations implement in various ways.

Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Manufacturing Pathway

Participants in the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership—Manufacturing Pathway received services and training to prepare for and advance in a career in the manufacturing sector. Training included job readiness training to improve personal and professional skills, occupational training that provided certificates in specific trades, and apprenticeships. Services included tutoring, job search assistance, and job referrals to partner employers in the manufacturing industry. Participants were individuals who were unemployed and who expressed interest in careers in manufacturing.

Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Construction Pathway

Participants in the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership—Construction Pathway received services and training to prepare for a career in the construction sector. Training included pre-apprenticeship programs to help them gain construction skills occupational training that provided certificates in specific trades, and apprenticeships. Services included tutoring, job search assistance, and job referrals to partner employers in the construction industry. Participants were unemployed individuals who expressed interest in careers in construction.

Partners for a Competitive Workforce: Construction Sector Partnership

The Construction Sector Partnership offered pre-apprenticeship programs with employer partners. These programs provided workers with on-the-job training that helped them prepare for entry-level construction jobs, such as carpentry, plumbing and pipe-fitting, or heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration. The program also offered participants work-readiness training and job search assistance. The Construction Sector Partnership was offered to individuals who were unemployed and who were interested in construction careers in Greater Cincinnati, OH.

Milwaukee Safe Street Prisoner Release Initiative (PRI)

Six months before justice-involved adults were scheduled for release from prison, individuals were transferred to one of two facilities in Racine, WI. In these facilities, social workers would provide case management workups, which included an assessment of needs; risks; child support; credit; and personal documentation issues, such as a lack of driver’s license or Social Security number.