Study Details | Pathways to Work

23407-Study of Young Adult

Study quality: High

High

Reason for the rating: This study received a high study quality rating because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition, suggesting the findings can be attributed to the program.

Program: Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP)

Characteristics of study participants:

Young adults (age 16-24)

Services provided:

Case management, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Peer mentoring, Stipends, Subsidized employment/transitional jobs

Setting: Urban only

Methods and Standards Protocol version used for review: Version 1.0

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Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

Each YAIP provider recruited youth independently for the evaluation, focusing on young people from high-need areas in their communities. A total of 2,678 participants, ages 16 to 24, who were neither in school nor working, and who had been out of school for at least one semester, were enrolled into the YAIP evaluation in three cohorts. The first cohort was enrolled in July 2013, the second in November 2013, and the third in March 2014. The program excluded youth with reading skills below the sixth-grade level, and those with a postsecondary degree. After completing program applications and assessments, youth were randomly assigned to the program group, which was offered the chance to participate in YAIP, or the comparison group, which was not offered YAIP services.

Time period of study:

Individuals were enrolled in the study from July 2013 to March 2014 and were followed for 30 months thereafter.

Primary outcome domains examined:

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

Other outcome domains examined:

Financial hardship, Health insurance, Personal well-being, Psychosocial outcomes, Criminal justice

Study funded by:

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	Program group mean	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase short-term earnings	Quarterly earnings	Quarter 6	High	1,620.00	1,861.00	241.00	2014 dollars	2,678
Increase long-term earnings	Annual earnings	Quarters 6–9	High	7,637.00	8,131.00	494.00	2015 dollars	2,678
Increase short-term employment	Currently employed	12 months	High	51.50	53.90	2.40	percentage points	2,122
Increase short-term employment	Employed for four consecutive quarters	Quarters 0–3	High	13.70	28.10	14.40	percentage points	2,678
Increase short-term employment	Ever employed, quarterly	Quarter 6	High				percentage points	2,678
Increase short-term employment	Number of quarters employed, annual	Quarters 0–3	High	1.60	2.60	1.00	quarters	2,678
Increase long-term employment	Currently employed	30 months	High	60.50	65.00	4.50	percentage points	2,031
Increase long-term employment	Employed for four consecutive quarters	Quarters 6–9	High	36.90	38.80	1.90	percentage points	2,678
Increase long-term employment	Ever employed, quarterly	Quarter 9	High				percentage points	2,678
Increase long-term employment	Number of quarters employed, annual	Quarters 6–9	High	2.40	2.40	0.00	quarters	2,678
Increase education and training	Earned a license or certificate	12 months	High	12.40	13.20	0.80	percentage points	2,127
Increase education and training	Earned postsecondary degree	30 months	High	2.00	2.70	0.70	percentage points	2,678
Increase education and training	Received high school diploma or GED	30 months	High	21.70	22.00	0.30	percentage points	2,031

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.

Means are not displayed when not reported or not aligned with the impact estimates. For example, if the impact estimate is regression-adjusted but only unadjusted means are reported in the study, the unadjusted means are not displayed as they are not aligned with the adjusted impact estimate.

Impact estimates are not shown when the estimate units cannot be converted to natural units.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

The findings quality describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is because of the program. 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 program, rather than due to chance. Findings are described as moderate-to-large if the program 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

All study participants were ages 16 to 24 and were not working or in school; the median participant had been disengaged from work and school for 9 months. The average participant age was between 20 and 21 years old, and about half (49 percent) of participants were male. The majority of participants were either Hispanic (36 percent) or Black and non-Hispanic (58 percent). Thirty-eight percent lacked a high school diploma or equivalent certificate, and 72 percent had ever been employed. About one-quarter (26 percent) of participants had ever been arrested. Twenty percent were parents.

Age

Mean age	21 years
Young adults (age 16-24)	100%

Sex

Female	51%
Male	49%

Race and ethnicity

Black or African American	58%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	36%
Unknown, not reported, or other	6%

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

20%

Employment and public benefit status

Public benefits recipients

26%

Education

Had some postsecondary education	22%
Had a high school diploma or GED	62%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	38%

Specific employment barriers

Had a disability

Program implementation

Implementing organization:

The Mayor's Office for Economic Opportunity and the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development oversaw the program. During the study, services were provided by 12 organizations, including nonprofits, community-based organizations, a faith-based organization, a construction company, community centers, and a community college.

Program history:

The YAIP program began in 2007, several years before the evaluation.

Program services:

YAIP is delivered by 12 independent providers that each serve cohorts of about 30 youth in three phases. During the first phase, youth attend work-readiness workshops for about five hours per day, five days per week, for two to four weeks, during which time they are paid minimum wage. After this, youth are placed in internships for about 20 hours per week for 10 to 12 weeks, during which their earnings are fully subsidized and they earn minimum wage. During this second phase, youth also continue to attend educational workshops (covering work, financial literacy, and life skills) for five hours per week. After the internships, individuals can receive follow-up services for nine months, including assistance finding and keeping a work, educational, or military placement. During each phase, youth can also receive case management and supportive services.

Mandatory services:

None.

Comparison services:

Individuals in the comparison group were not offered services provided by the YAIP but could access other services in the community, including some non-YAIP services offered by YAIP provider agencies.

Service receipt duration:

The YAIP program takes place in three phases over about one year. The first phase includes 2 to 4 weeks of orientation and job-readiness workshops, the second phase includes 10 to 12 weeks of subsidized employment and continued learning, and the third phase includes 9 months of follow-up support.

Program funding:

The Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity; the New York City Young Men’s Initiative

Cost information:

The average cost of providing the intervention was $5,517 per participant. The average cost of providing comparison group services was $0 per person. The net intervention cost, or difference between the two, was $5,517 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 to Work converted that information to a single amount expressed in 2024 dollars; for details, see the FAQ. This information is not an official price tag or guarantee.

Study publications

Cummings, Danielle, Mary Farrell, and Melanie Skemer (2018). Forging a path: Final impacts and costs of New York Cit's Young Adult Internship Program, OPRE Report #2018-75, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at https://eric.ed.gov/?q=%22%22&ff1=subProgram+Costs&ff2=pubReports+-+Research&id=ED588364.

Skemer, Melanie, Arielle Sherman, Sonya Williams, and Danielle Cummings (2017). Reengaging New York City's disconnected youth through work: Implementation and early impacts of the Young Adult Internship Program, OPRE Report #2017-22, 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.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/STED_YAIP_Final_FR-Web.pdf.

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Study of Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP)