Study Details | Pathways to Work

24989.06-Carreras en Salud (C

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: Carreras en Salud (Careers in Health) Program

Population and employment barriers:

Employment status and income level (Very low income)

Services provided:

Case management, Education, Financial education, Supportive services, Training (Occupational or sectoral training), Work readiness activities (Job development/job placement, Job search assistance)

Setting: Urban only

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

Carreras en Salud (Careers in Health) focused on Hispanic job seekers with low incomes in the Chicago, IL, area. Recruited people attended an orientation, during which staff assessed their eligibility. Eligibility requirements included having an annual family income below $35,000; knowing English and Spanish, with English literacy skills at or above a fourth-grade level; and having an interest in a career in health care. Applicants then took an assessment to measure their skill levels, discussed the assessment results with a Carreras academic advisor, and met with a Carreras case manager to finalize their eligibility. Eligible people completed a consent form and baseline surveys and were randomly assigned with equal probability to the intervention and comparison groups. Random assignment occurred from November 2011 to September 2014, with 402 people assigned to the intervention group and 398 to the comparison group.

Time period of study:

People were randomly assigned from November 2011 to September 2014. The study presents findings for Years 1 to 6 after random assignment.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase short-term earnings, Increase long-term earnings, Increase very long-term earnings, Increase short-term employment, Increase long-term employment, Increase very long-term employment, Increase education and training

Other outcome domains examined:

Financial well-being, family structure and parenting, and job characteristics

Study funded by:

The Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education evaluation was funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in ACF, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Comparison group mean	Intervention group mean	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase short-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 1	High	11,515.00	10,465.00	-1,050.00	2019 dollars	775
Increase long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 5	High	23,169.00	22,026.00	-1,143.00	2019 dollars	775
Increase very long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Year 6	High	24,087.00	24,935.00	848.00	2019 dollars	775
Increase short-term employment	Currently employed	Quarter 6	High	71.40	71.60	0.20	Percentage points	775
Increase long-term employment	Currently employed	Quarter 20	High	74.20	77.80	3.60	Percentage points	775
Increase very long-term employment	Currently employed	Quarter 24	High	73.20	75.50	2.30	Percentage points	775
Increase education and training	Received any college credential	Year 3	High	17.00	29.00	12.00	Percentage points	640
Increase education and training	Received exam-based certification or license	Year 3	High	17.60	40.20	22.60	Percentage points	640

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

Almost all the participants were Hispanic (99 percent) and female (93 percent), and most were younger than age 35 (79 percent). Most had a high school diploma or equivalent (90 percent), and 41 percent had some college experience. Participants' average annual household income was $21,051. In the 12 months leading up to the study, 42 percent received benefits from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Sex

Female

93%

Participant race and ethnicity

White	1%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	99%

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.

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were employed	51%
Were classified by authors as having very low incomes	100%

Participant education

Had a high school diploma or GED	90%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	10%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

Instituto del Progreso Latino

Program history:

The program launched in 2005, several years before the start of the study.

Intervention services:

Carreras en Salud (Careers in Health) used a career pathways model to assist participants in obtaining employment in health care occupations. The model included seven courses. The program directly provided people with instruction in English as a second language (ESL), with a focus on language skills for the health care industry. The program also provided a 32-week course designed to (1) improve reading and math skills to prepare participants for a licensed practical nursing (LPN) program and (2) develop basic vocational skills for the health care industry. Carreras also helped people apply to and secure funding for certified nursing assistant courses, LPN prerequisites, and LPN courses at local colleges. For people enrolled in educational courses provided in-house rather than through local colleges, the program also provided assistance accessing public benefits and community resources, supportive services (such as child care or transportation assistance), and tutoring. Finally, all Carreras participants could also access academic advising, job search assistance, a one-week job-readiness workshop (including financial literacy instruction), case management, and job development and placement assistance.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

People assigned to the comparison group could not access the Carreras program but could access similar services in their community. A large number of English-as-a-second-language, adult education, and vocational programs were available, although there were no other career pathways programs in health care focusing on the same population in the community.

Service receipt duration:

Participants' enrollment time varied based on the courses they enrolled in; programs' duration varied from eight weeks to two years, though most participants enrolled in courses part time. On average, participants were expected to take more than three years to complete the LPN course.

Intervention funding:

ACF, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Cost information:

The average cost of providing the intervention was $4,804 per participant. The average cost of providing comparison group services was $837 per person. The net intervention cost, or difference between the two, was $3,967 per person. This represents how much more it cost to provide intervention services compared to comparison services.

These figures are based on cost information reported by study authors. The Pathways Clearinghouse converted that information to a single amount expressed in 2018 dollars; for details, see the FAQ. This information is not an official price tag or guarantee.

Study publications

Gardiner, Karen, and Amanda Grittner (2022). Instituto del Progreso Latino’s Carreras en Salud program: Six-year impact report, OPRE Report #2022-47, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/opre-carreras%206-year%20impact%20report%20january%202022.pdf.

Gardiner, Karen, and Randall Juras (2019). Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE): Cross-program implementation and impact study findings, OPRE Report #2019-32, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/pathways-advancing-careers-and-education-pace-cross-program-implementation-and-impact.

Gardiner, Karen, Karin Martinson, and Samuel Dastrup (2021). Instituto del Progreso Latino’s Carreras en Salud program: Three-year impact report, OPRE Report #2021-97, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/instituto-del-progreso-latinos-carreras-en-salud-program-three-year-impact-report.

Judkins, David, Emily Roessel, and Gabriel Durham (2022). Appendices for PACE six-year impact reports, OPRE Report #2022-69, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/pace%20six-year%20impact%20report%20technical%20appendix%2003-2022.pdf

Martinson, Karin, Elizabeth Copson, Karen Gardiner, and Daniel Kitrosser (2018). Instituto del Progreso Latino's Carreras en Salud Program: Implementation and early impact report, OPRE Report #2018-06, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/instituto-del-progreso-latinos-carreras-en-salud-program-implementation-and-early.

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 Carreras en Salud (Careers in Health) Program