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Summary

Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (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:

Implementation at a glance

Primary service
Program services
Basic skills/bridge programs, Case management, Financial education, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Occupational or sectoral training, Soft skills training, Stipends
Review services terms
Setting(s)
Tested in multiple settings
Year evaluation began
2011
Implementing organization(s)VIDA

Effectiveness rating and effect by outcome domain

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Outcome domain Term Effectiveness rating Effect in 2024 dollars and percentages Effect in standard deviations Sample size
Increase earnings Short-term Little evidence to assess support unfavorable $-3,536 per year -0.097 955
Long-term Little evidence to assess support favorable $911 per year 0.025 955
Very long-term Little evidence to assess support unfavorable $-401 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 Cannot assess support
Long-term Cannot assess support
Very long-term Cannot assess support
Increase education and training All measurement periods Little evidence to assess support favorable 4% (in percentage points) 0.075 958

Effectiveness ratings

  • Well- supported
  • Supported
  • Mixed support
  • Not supported
  • Insufficient evidence
  • Cannot assess support

Studies of this program

Study quality rating Study counts per rating
High High 1
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Program cost

No cost information available.

Cost results

Estimate (in 2024 dollars) Quality of cost analysis that produced the estimate
Total program cost, per participant $14,280
Good quality

Cost information

How much did the program cost per participant? 

The average total program cost per participant was $14,280 in 2024 dollars. This figure is based on cost information for this program reported in one cost study reviewed by Pathways to Work (for details, see the FAQ). This study received a rating of Good quality for the cost analysis.

Cost information is not directly comparable across programs due to differences in the categories of costs reported and program length. Cost information is not an official price tag or guarantee.

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Implementation details

The information contained here reflects how the program 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

Pathways to Work refers to programs by the names used in study reports or manuscripts. Some program names may use language that is not consistent with our style guide, preferences, or the terminology we use to describe populations.