Study Details | Pathways to Work

26712.03-Partners for a Compe

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 intervention and comparison groups are similar at baseline and adjusts impact estimates to account for any minor differences in the groups.

Intervention: Partners for a Competitive Workforce: Construction Sector Partnership

Population and employment barriers:

Employment status and income level (Unemployed)

Services provided:

Education, Training (Occupational or sectoral training), Work and work-based learning (On-the-job training, Work experience), Work readiness activities (Job search assistance)

Setting: Tested in multiple settings

Study design

Design:

Quasi-experimental design

Study group formation:

Unemployed workers and new labor force entrants interested in construction 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 379 unemployed participants, and 36,859 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 from the Social Innovation Fund funded the study.

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	Quarterly earnings	Quarter 6	Moderate	1,524.00	1,617.00	93.00	2013 dollars	32,881
Increase short-term employment	Employed for four consecutive quarters	Quarters 1–4	Moderate	21.10	20.00	-1.10	percentage points	37,238
Increase short-term employment	Ever employed, quarterly	Quarter 6	Moderate	41.40	45.30	3.90	percentage points	32,881

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 majority of the participants in the study were Black (78 percent) and had at least a high school diploma or a GED (83 percent). Almost half of the participants were female (48 percent), and about one third (31 percent) were younger than age 25 and one third (29 percent) between age 25 and 34. All participants were unemployed at the time of program entry.

Sex

Female	48%
Male	52%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	78%
White, not Hispanic	19%
Another race	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.

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were unemployed

100%

Participant education

Had some postsecondary education	28%
Had a high school diploma or GED	83%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	17%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

Partners for a Competitive Workforce collaborative, a regional partnership of Workforce Investment Boards, employers, community colleges, vocational schools, the Associated Builder and Contractors, the Independent Electrical Contractors, and the Greater Cincinnati Apprenticeship Council.

Program history:

The program was established in 2009.

Intervention services:

Unemployed workers with low skills, including new labor market entrants and inexperienced workers, were recruited into the program and prepared to enter a construction career such as carpentry; electrical; plumbing and pipefitting; or heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration. The program aimed to enroll workers who were female or non-White. The Construction Sector Partnership was formed to create and improve construction career pathways in the region, with an emphasis on developing educational pathways. The program offered pre-apprenticeship programs with its employer partners, through which workers received on-the-job training to prepare them for entry-level construction jobs. The program also offered work-readiness training and job search assistance to participants.

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.

Intervention 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

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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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 Partners for a Competitive Workforce: Construction Sector Partnership