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 final report describes the context for the CCCA Pilot, presents the four research questions and corresponding analysis, explains the findings of the implementation analysis and the participant flow analysis, and shares the impacts of the pilot on service receipt, education, and employment.

Key findings were that impacts on training and college were much larger for students who were better prepared (having attained a GED or high school diploma); scored at a ninth-grade level equivalent or higher on the Star Math and Star Reading assessments; and were interested in pursuing IT jobs. There are no short-term impacts of the offer of CCCA on attainment of college credentials or degrees. Also, short-term impacts of the offer of CCCA on earnings are significantly negative, as expected in early follow-up which came 18 months after random assignment.

The evaluation can be viewed as a proof of concept. The pilot revealed substantial demand for a college-focused Job Corps model. Implementation was imperfect and disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, so further analysis is needed to assess the impacts of a fully implemented program. A longer follow-up period and likely larger samples are needed to detect impacts on earnings.