Study Details | Pathways to Work

24989.08-Study of Workforce T

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: Workforce Training Academy (WTA) Connect

Services provided:

Basic skills/bridge programs, Case management, Employment coaching, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Occupational or sectoral training, Soft skills training, Transportation assistance

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:

Between April 2012 and December 2014, researchers randomly assigned 943 adults with low incomes and low skills to an program (470) or comparison condition (473). Applicants were eligible if they had math and reading skills at the sixth- to eighth-grade level, and had income at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level.

Time period of study:

WTA Connect operated from 2012 to 2015. Participants were followed for 18 months after random assignment.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase education and training

Other outcome domains examined:

Psycho-social skills; Life stressors; Career knowledge; Availability of career supports; Parental engagement and child outcomes

Study funded by:

The Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education evaluation was funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation within 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 long-term earnings	Annual earnings	3 years	High	14,535.00	14,785.00	250.00	2018 dollars	920
Increase long-term employment	Currently employed	3 years	High	64.50	65.20	0.70	percentage points	618
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received Food Stamps/SNAP, follow-up period	3 years	High	47.20	45.80	-1.40	percentage points	695
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Received Medicaid during follow-up period	3 years	High	56.60	53.40	-3.20	percentage points	689
Increase education and training	Earned a certificate or degree from a training program	3 years	High	13.00	18.20	5.20	percentage points	668
Increase education and training	Received a credential from any source	3 years	High	16.60	22.50	5.90	percentage points	668

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

Participants were adults with low skills and low incomes. Most participants were female (65 percent in the program group and 60 percent in the comparison group). Roughly half of participants in each group were Black, not Hispanic (50 percent in the program group and 45 percent in the comparison group) and about one-third of participants in each group were White, not Hispanic. Most participants did not have education beyond a high school degree. Approximately 40 percent in each group lacked a high school diploma or equivalent certificate.

Age

Young adults (age 16-24)	31%
Adults (age 25+)	69%

Sex

Female	63%
Male	37%

Race and ethnicity

Black or African American	47%
White, not Hispanic	34%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	15%
Unknown, not reported, or other	7%

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.

Employment and public benefit status

Were employed	38%
Were unemployed	62%
Had low incomes	100%

Education

Had some postsecondary education	23%
Had a high school diploma or GED	60%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	40%

Program implementation

Implementing organization:

Des Moines Area Community College

Program history:

WTA Connect began with the start of the study, though a key program goal was to prepare participants for an existing program, the WTA. WTA had been operating for 12 years before the start of WTA Connect.

Program services:

WTA Connect offered no-cost occupational training, academic advising, and employment services to adults with low incomes who had math and reading skills at the sixth- to eighth-grade level. The program provided internet-based instruction designed to improve math and reading skills to the ninth-grade level and a life-skills course. The goal of the initial education was to prepare participants for enrollment in an occupational training program, the WTA. After completing the initial education, participants could enroll in occupational training in certificate courses, including administrative support, health care, and manufacturing fields. Participants also received supportive services, including transportation assistance, and academic support, including coaches and tutors. Upon completing occupational training, participants received job-readiness courses and employment coaching.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

The comparison group could not access WTA Connect services and did not have access to free tuition for remediation courses. They did have access to tuition-free occupational training courses but had to first achieve a passing score on an assessment. Before enrolling in occupational training courses, the program group and the comparison group took a life-skills course.

Service receipt duration:

Participation length varied. The program began with a life-skills course that lasted 17 hours. Occupational training courses lasted between 2.5 and 16 weeks. After completing occupational training, participants spent 24 hours in career-readiness training.

Program funding:

The state of Iowa (including the Iowa GAP Tuition Assistance Program and the Iowa Pathways for Academic Career and Employment fund), Open Society Foundations, and private funders

Study publications

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.

Hamadyk, Jill and Randall Juras (2021). Des Moines Area Community College's Workforce Training Academy Connect Program: Three-Year Impact Report, OPRE Report #2021-98, 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/des-moines-area-community-colleges-workforce-training-academy-connect-program-three.

Judkins, David, Douglas Walton, Gabriel Durham, and Daniel Litwok (2021). Des Moines Area Community College’s Workforce Training Academy Connect Program: Appendices for Three-Year Impact Report, OPRE Report #2021-98, 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/des-moines-area-community-colleges-workforce-training-academy-connect-program-three.

Hamadyk, Jill, and Matthew Zeidenberg (2018). Des Moines Area Community College Workforce Training Academy Connect program: Implementation and early impact report, OPRE Report #2018-82, 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/images/opre/dmacc_implementation_and_early_impact_report_es_10_17_18.pdf

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Study of Workforce Training Academy (WTA) Connect