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Summary

VIDA supported full-time enrollment in educational programs in high-demand occupations—including health care, manufacturing, and technology—to individuals with low income.

VIDA supported full-time enrollment in educational programs, including certificate programs, associate’s degree programs, or the last two years of coursework to receive a bachelor’s degree related to occupations that pay a living wage and are in high demand in the program’s local area. Participants received intensive, mandatory weekly counseling services focused on developing life skills, such as time management and budgeting, as well as skills to support success in participants’ education programs. Individuals could also receive supportive services, including financial aid, connection to child care, transportation assistance, and emergency assistance, or could enroll in a 16-week basic skills remediation program. Most of the academic programs VIDA supports lasted one to two years. As of 2020, VIDA continues to offer similar services to eligible participants.

VIDA served individuals with a high school diploma or general education diploma who were low income, unemployed, underemployed, or who received public assistance. The program was implemented in five partnering colleges or universities in Lower Rio Grande Valley, TX. The Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education study also evaluated the following programs: Bridge to Employment in the Healthcare Industry, Carreras en Salud, Health Careers for All, Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST), Pathways to Healthcare, Patient Care Pathway Program, Workforce Training Academy Connect, and Year Up.

24989.03-Study of Valley Init
Populations and employment barriers:

Effectiveness rating and effect by outcome domain

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Outcome domain Term Effectiveness rating Effect in 2018 dollars and percentages Effect in standard deviations Sample size
Increase earnings Short-term Little evidence to assess support unfavorable $-2,029 per year -0.097 955
Long-term Little evidence to assess support favorable $523 per year 0.025 955
Very long-term Little evidence to assess support unfavorable $-230 per year -0.011 926
Increase employment Short-term Not supported unfavorable -5% (in percentage points) -0.128 955
Long-term Little evidence to assess support unfavorable 0% (in percentage points) -0.005 955
Very long-term Little evidence to assess support favorable 2% (in percentage points) 0.045 926
Decrease benefit receipt Short-term No evidence to assess support
Long-term No evidence to assess support
Very long-term No evidence to assess support
Increase education and training All measurement periods Little evidence to assess support favorable 4% (in percentage points) 0.075 958
* This intervention was assessed as supported for this domain, meaning it achieved one or more statistically significant, favorable effects. However, the intervention has an average effect size that is unfavorable because the average includes all effects in this domain - both statistically significant and favorable effects and statistically insignificant but unfavorable effects.

Effectiveness rating key:

  • Well-supported Well-supported   
  • Supported  Supported   
  • Not supported  Not supported   
  • Mixed support  Mixed support   
  • Insufficient evidence  Insufficient evidence   
  • No evidence  No evidence
Effectiveness rating terms?

Studies of this intervention

Study quality rating Study counts per rating
High High 1
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Implementation details

Cost information

The average cost per participant was $10,757 in 2018 dollars.

This figure is based on cost information reported by authors of the study or studies the Pathways Clearinghouse reviewed for this intervention. The Pathways Clearinghouse converted that information to a single amount expressed in 2018 dollars; for details, see the FAQ. Where there are multiple studies of an intervention rated high or moderate quality, the Pathways Clearinghouse computed the average of costs reported across those studies.

Cost information is not directly comparable across interventions due to differences in the categories of costs reported and the amount of time interventions lasted. Cost information is not an official price tag or guarantee.

The information contained here reflects how the intervention was implemented at the time of the evaluation.

Local context

Characteristics of research participants
Black or African American
1%
White, not Hispanic
3%
Hispanic or Latino of any race
96%

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.

State(s) where implemented

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY Canada

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.

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