Two recent programs funded through H-1B skills training grants are the TechHire and the Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) grants. The TechHire program provides accelerated skills training, and the SWFI initiative provides flexible training and childcare supports to help adults obtain high-tech skills. The common elements of these programs are an effort to help make training more accessible and an effort to connect disadvantaged populations to high-growth sectors of the labor market.

In June 2016, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) within DOL competitively awarded 39 TechHire grants and 14 SWFI grants. The funding opportunity announcement stipulated that grantees be a member of a partnership that included the following eligible entities: the public workforce investment system, education and training providers, and business-related nonprofit organizations. In September 2016, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) of DOL awarded a contract to conduct an evaluation of strategies used in the TechHire and SWFI grant programs. The evaluation includes three studies on implementation, outcomes, and impacts.

This report describes the characteristics, service receipt, training enrollment and completion, and outcomes for 11,584 TechHire and 3,101 SWFI participants who enrolled between July 2016 and December 2018. It also examines how outcomes vary by participant characteristics.

Some key findings include:

• TechHire participants tended to be male, younger than age 30, and White. SWFI participants were typically female, ages 30 and older, Black or Hispanic, and low income.
• Of TechHire participants who entered the program (received a grant-funded service), 89 percent began training, 68 percent completed training, and 50 percent received a credential. Of SWFI participants who entered the program, 75 percent began training, 57 percent completed training, and 44 percent received a credential.
• Of TechHire participants who were underemployed or not employed at entry and completed training, 56 percent entered employment, and 42 percent entered training-related employment. Of SWFI participants, 59 percent entered employment and 44 percent entered training-related employment.
• Program strategies positively correlated with training completion and/or credential receipt included assessment for soft skills, use of multiple entry/exit points, and employer involvement in work-based learning. Program strategies negatively correlated with training completion and/or credential receipt included use of on-line training, use of accelerated training, and provision of childcare assistance.
• Program strategies positively correlated with employment and/or training-related employment included employer involvement in curriculum development, assessment of social skills, use of multiple entry/exit points, and referral to childcare assistance. Use of accelerated training was negatively correlated with employment and training-related employment.