In 2016 the Department of Labor (DOL) launched a Job Corps pilot program, the Cascades College and Career Academy Job Corps (CCCA) pilot demonstration, to provide intensive academic instruction, career pathways technical training, and non-cognitive skills training in healthcare and information technology (IT) for at-risk youth, ages 16 to 21. From 2016 to 2020, the evaluation examined the implementation of the CCCA pilot program and its impacts on students' outcomes.

This detailed implementation analysis report provides an overview of program implementation and explains the challenges and emerging promising practices observed in the CCCA pilot as well as the differences between the pilot and other Job Corps centers. The pilot implemented career and technical training (CTT) pathways in the IT and healthcare fields, gave students additional time in the program along with opportunities to earn advanced and stackable credentials and college credits, and provided considerable academic and non-academic support to students. Lastly, the pilot provided only limited career readiness and employment-related services due to delays and challenges.

While there were some barriers and challenges to the implementation of the CCCA pilot, the study identified four differences between conventional Job Corps centers and the CCCA pilot:

• The pilot focused on coaching students and offering more opportunities for students to take responsibility and learn from their mistakes; and incorporated student input that led to a somewhat less structured center culture compared to a conventional Job Corps center. However, the CCCA was still highly restrictive when compared to a typical college environment.
• The pilot offered education and training services at the center, and gave students the opportunity to attend college, earn college credits, and obtain advanced credentials. In comparison, only a limited number of conventional Job Corps students attended college or continued participating in Job Corps for a third year to earn advanced credentials through specialized Job Corps programs.
• The CTT career pathways enabled students to earn stackable credentials and ensured that students acquired some level of CTT credentialing before leaving the program. However, conventional Job Corps students were more likely to earn postsecondary credentials but not necessarily to earn any CTT credentials.
• The pilot provided substantial academic and non-academic preparation and support before and during college enrollment through its unique formal College Readiness module. In comparison, the limited number of conventional Job Corps centers that offer college programs do not provide this level of support.