Study Details | Pathways to Work

28396-Final Evaluation of

Study quality: Low

Low

Reason for the rating: This study received a low study quality rating because it is a quasi-experimental design that does not demonstrate that the intervention and comparison groups were sufficiently similar before the intervention.

Intervention: Design It-Build It-Ship It

Services provided:

Case management, Education, Soft skills training, Training (Occupational or sectoral training), Work and work-based learning, Work readiness activities (Job development/job placement, Job search assistance)

Setting: Tested in multiple settings

Study design

Design:

Quasi-experimental design

Study group formation:

The evaluation employed a quasi-experimental design to compare the outcomes of intervention participants with the outcomes of students in non-DBS-funded career training and technical education (CTE) courses. Students self-selected into DBS-funded and non-DBS-funded CTE courses at each study site. Comparison CTE courses at a given site were selected if they provided education and training on skills in comparable occupational sectors as that site's DBS-funded program, and if they served students who were expected to be demographically similar to intervention participants. Students were not further matched across intervention and comparison conditions within sites on observable characteristics.

Time period of study:

The intervention was delivered from the spring 2013 semester through the spring 2016 semester. Participants were interviewed up to 12 months after study enrollment, and administrative data were examined up to 4 semesters (24 months) after study enrollment.

Pathways only reports results from studies with a study quality rating of high or moderate.

Sample characteristics

Age

Mean age

28 years

Sex

Male

73%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	13%
White, not Hispanic	32%
Asian	19%
More than one race	11%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	25%

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.

Family status

Parents

29%

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were employed	52%
Were unemployed	48%
Were eligible for or receiving cash assistance	12%
Had low incomes	52%

Participant education

Had some postsecondary education	70%
Had a high school diploma or GED	28%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	3%

Specific employment barriers

Had a disability	7%
Were military veterans	7%
Were disconnected workers	15%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

DBS and Contra Costa Community College District, with Los Medanos College as the lead agency.

Intervention services:

The DBS intervention provided workforce development services to 2,516 students across 11 community college sites in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2013 to 2016. Intervention participants received a combination of site-specific services intended to better facilitate career pathways. Services common to all sites included enhanced student support services through case managers, basic academic skill development, student peer cohorts, and job search and placement assistance. Site-specific services varied based on the targeted job sector, as did the content of services the intervention provided. For instance, participants in DBS-funded transportation and logistics sites received boot-camp services to accelerate completion of vocational certificates in forklift operations with nontechnical training; these services helped participants build soft skills relevant to warehouse operations and project management. Similarly, participants in DBS-funded advanced manufacturing programs received more intensive training in software and machine technology. By contrast, those in colleges implementing biosciences programs received services that were more integrated with traditional coursework, including enhanced tutoring, subsidized lab equipment, and peer cohort supports.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

Community college students in the non-experimental comparison group were selected based on their enrollment in qualitatively similar coursework in each of the 11 participating colleges. For instance, participants in the comparison condition from intervention sites that focused on advanced manufacturing might have self-enrolled in welding or automotive technology. Comparison group participants did not participate in the DBS-funded program at their site. A total of 1,321 students were selected for the comparison condition.

Study publications

Rayyes, Nada, Yasuyo Abe, Raquel Sanchez, Fang Lai, Kelley Akiya, Vincent Chan, and Ilana Barach (2016). Contra Costa Community College District Design It-Build It-Ship It (DBS) final evaluation report, Oakland, CA: Impaq International. Available at http://www.skillscommons.org/bitstream/handle/taaccct/15612/Los%20Medanos%20College%20-%20Final%20Evaluation%20-%202016.11.15.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.

View the glossary for more information about these and other terms used on this page.

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 Design It-Build It-Ship It (DBS)