Study Details | Pathways to Work

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Study quality:

Moderate

Reason for the rating: This study received a moderate study quality rating because it is a quasi-experimental design that establishes that the program and comparison groups are similar at baseline and adjusts impact estimates to account for any minor differences in the groups.

Program: Partners for a Competitive Workforce: Advanced Manufacturing Partnership

Characteristics of study participants:

Unemployed

Services provided:

Employment coaching, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Soft skills training

Setting: Tested in multiple settings

Methods and Standards Protocol version used for review: Version 1.0

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Study design

Design:

Quasi-experimental design

Study group formation:

Unemployed workers and new labor force entrants interested in advanced manufacturing jobs were enrolled in the program. Participants enrolled from January 2010 to February 2012. Workers who were employed at enrollment were excluded from the study. Using propensity score matching, evaluators found a comparison group of similar unemployed workers who were located in the same area and pursued state employment and training services during the same period. Job seekers in the two study conditions were matched on individual characteristics and employment history. The program enrolled 684 unemployed participants, and 42,293 comparison group members were selected as matches out of 55,754 possible comparison group members.

Time period of study:

Participants enrolled from January 2010 to February 2012. Their outcomes were analyzed through the end of 2012.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase short-term earnings, Increase short-term employment

Other outcome domains examined:

None

Study funded by:

A National Fund for Workforce Solutions grant through the Social Innovation Fund funded the study.

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	Six quarters	Moderate	1,780.00	2,442.00	662.00	2013 dollars	28,101
Increase short-term employment	Employed for four consecutive quarters	Quarters 1–4	Moderate	19.80	24.50	4.70	percentage points	42,975
Increase short-term employment	Ever employed, quarterly	Six quarters	Moderate	40.10	52.20	12.40	percentage points	28,101

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

The majority of the participants in the study were Black (75 percent), male (66 percent), and had at least a high school diploma or a GED (71 percent), and about half were younger than age 35 (51 percent). All the participants were unemployed at the time of program entry.

Age

Young adults (age 16-24)	21%
Adults (age 25+)	79%

Sex

Female	34%
Male	66%

Race and ethnicity

Black or African American	76%
White	21%
Unknown, not reported, or other	3%

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 unemployed

100%

Education

Had some postsecondary education	31%
Had a high school diploma or GED	71%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	29%

Program implementation

Implementing organization:

Partners for a Competitive Workforce collaborative, a regional partnership of Workforce Investment Boards, employers, community colleges, and service providers, including about 40 employers, 8 educational institutions, and 8 community-based organizations.

Program history:

The program was established in 2009.

Program services:

The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership offered a career pathways framework to help unemployed workers with low skills prepare for and secure in-demand advanced manufacturing jobs. Participants interested in advanced manufacturing jobs—such as team assembler, electromechanical maintenance technician, welder, computer numerical control operator, or bioscience/pharmaceutical technician—worked with a case manager to complete short-term training aligned with their employment and education goals. The program offered work-readiness training focused on soft skills and offered participants the opportunity to gain manufacturing work experience through entry-level internships or part-time jobs. Participants could also receive assistance obtaining a National Career Readiness Certificate and enrolling in a Certified Production Technician program. Participants who earned certificates could enroll in an associate's degree program and participate in an apprenticeship with a partner employer. The program also offered job search assistance to participants regardless of whether they earned a credential.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

Unemployed workers in the comparison group could receive state employment and training services from the Ohio employment exchange agency.

Service receipt duration:

The study does not specify the duration of service receipt.

Program funding:

The program was funded through a National Fund for Workforce Solutions grant from the Social Innovation Fund in addition to sources including the U.S. Department of Labor and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Study publications

Goldberg, Charles (2011). The Origins Of Regional Funding Collaboratives In The National Fund For Workforce Solutions: Case Studies. Boston, MA: National Fund for Workforce Solutions. Available at: https://jfforg-prod-new.s3.amazonaws.com/media/documents/NFWS_OriginsRegionalFundingCollab_011011.pdf.

Michaelides, Marios, Peter Mueser, Scott Davis, and Kassim Mbwana (2016). Quasi-Experimental Impact Study of NFWS/SIF Workforce Partnership Programs: Evidence on the Effectiveness of Workforce Partnership Programs in Ohio and Wisconsin. Columbia, MD: IMPAQ International, LLC. Available at https://americorps.gov/sites/default/files/evidenceexchange/JFF_Final%20Report_3.10.17_1.pdf.

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Pathways to Work refers to programs by the names used in study reports or manuscripts. Some program names may use language that is not consistent with our style guide, preferences, or the terminology we use to describe populations.

Study of Partners for a Competitive Workforce: Advanced Manufacturing Partnership