Evaluation of the Career Advancement Account Demonstration Final Report

This final report begins with a discussion of the broad contextual factors that were in existence within the eight participating states - Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming - when the Career Advancement Account (CAA) Demonstration operated from July 2006 through June 2010 (and June 2011 for Indiana), including how the states formulated their initial visions of these self-managed accounts and what contributions these accounts would make to the states' own strategic plans. The report also describes how these implementation plans and visions evolved over time. The report next addresses how the state grantees and their local operators managed the demonstration, including the recruitment of target groups, outreach/marketing efforts, and eligibility requirements. The final report also documents the services provided to CAA recipients, including pre-training services, services to facilitate the training decision, supportive services, and placement in training. Participant data and reporting systems, financial systems, and leveraging of funds are also described. Based primarily on the grantees' quarterly activity reports and client-level records, recipient characteristics, services received, and outcomes are shared. The roles played by training providers and employers are also provided.

The report concludes with a summary of the lessons learned from the CAA demonstration project, which cover the challenges in implementation, the positive and negative effects of the CAA demonstration models, post-grant plans to adopt CAA strategies within the context of the Workforce Investment Act and American Job Centers, formerly known as One-Stop Career Centers, and the innovative practices that have been adopted by states as a result of the demonstration. Where possible, comparisons with Individual Training Accounts are included in the discussions of these sections. Note: The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) became law on July 22, 2014, and WIOA supersedes WIA and amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, the Wagner-Peyser Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Affiliation: Social Policy Research Associates

Authors: Salzman, Jeffrey; Wiegand, Andrew; Leufgen, Jillianne; Moazed, Tyler

Key words: Career Advancement Account; CAA; training vouchers; self-managed training accounts; Individual Training Accounts; Workforce Investment Act; American Job Centers; One-Stop Career Centers