Study Details | Pathways to Work

3051.03-Wisconsin Regional T

Study quality: High

High

Reason for the rating: This study received a high study quality rating because it is a low-attrition randomized controlled trial with no known issues that suggest the findings cannot be attributed to the intervention.

Intervention: Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership (WRTP) Sectoral Employment Program

Services provided:

Case management, Education, Employment retention services, Soft skills training, Supportive services, Training (Occupational or sectoral training), Work readiness activities (Job development/job placement)

Setting: Urban only

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

This randomized controlled trial assigned and analyzed individual people. The recruitment process included two other training programs (included in separate reviews on this site). At each training program, recent applicants who consented to participate in the study were randomly assigned to a sector-focused employment program or to a comparison condition after completing a baseline survey. About two years later, people in both conditions completed a follow-up survey.

Time period of study:

The evaluation began in 2003, and participants were followed for about two years after random assignment.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase long-term earnings, Increase long-term employment

Other outcome domains examined:

None

Study funded by:

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation funded the evaluation.

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Comparison group mean	Intervention group mean	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 2	High	13,614.00	17,349.00	3,735.00	2005 dollars	335
Increase long-term employment	Ever employed, annual	Year 2	High	88.00	90.00	2.00	percentage points	341
Increase long-term employment	Months employed, follow-up period	Years 1–2	High	15.90	17.00	1.10	months	341

Short-term outcomes are those measured 18 months or fewer after participants are first offered services. Long-term outcomes are those measured between 18 months and 5 years after participants are first offered services. Very long-term outcomes are those measured 5 years or more after participants are first offered services.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

The findings quality describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is because of the intervention. We do not display findings that rate low.

Findings key:

A moderate-to-large favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large favorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that might be due to chance
A favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A favorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that might be due to chance
An unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
An unfavorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size or direction
A finding of no effect that might be due to chance

Favorable findings are impacts in a direction that is socially desirable. Statistical significance indicates the likelihood that a study finding is due to the intervention, rather than due to chance. Findings are described as moderate-to-large if the intervention produced a sufficiently large change in the outcome. An impact receives this designation if the standardized effect size is equal to or greater than 0.25 or equal to or less than -0.25.

Sample characteristics

The study sample was evenly balanced between males and females. The sample was 78 percent African American, and 70 percent were ages 25 to 54. Twelve percent did not have a high school diploma or GED. Participants had worked an average of four and a half months and had earned an average of $11,592 in the year before the study.

Age

Mean age	33 years
Young adults	28%

Sex

Female	48%
Male	52%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	78%
White, not Hispanic	16%
Another race	2%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	4%

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

Married

14%

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were employed	50%
Were eligible for or receiving cash assistance	14%
Had low incomes	100%

Participant education

Had some postsecondary education	8%
Had a high school diploma or GED	88%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	12%

Specific employment barriers

Were involved with the justice system	44%
Were formerly incarcerated	37%
Were immigrants	4%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership

Program history:

WRTP was founded in the 1990s, more than a decade before the evaluation, with the goal of revitalizing the Milwaukee area’s industrial base. Area employers and unions worked together to develop trainings that met specific business needs. In the 2000s, WRTP expanded to include the construction and health care sectors.

Intervention services:

The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership (WRTP) provided short-term training programs, typically lasting between two and eight weeks, resulting in nursing assistant, medical assistant, and construction certifications. Participants received training in essential skills such as timeliness, attendance, and interpersonal relationships. WRTP also provided remedial education, case management and job placement assistance, post-employment services, and child care and transportation assistance for families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Mandatory services:

None.

Comparison services:

No access to WRTP services.

Service receipt duration:

Training lasted between two and eight weeks.

Intervention funding:

Not known

Study publications

Maguire, Sheila, Joshua Freely, Carol Clymer, Maureen Conway, and Deena Schwartz (2010). Tuning in to local labor markets: Findings from the sectoral employment impact study, Philadelphia, PA: Public/Private Ventures. Available at http://ppv.issuelab.org/resource/tuning-in-to-local-labor-markets-findings-from-the-sectoral-employment-impact-study.html.

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 Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership (WRTP) Sectoral Employment Program