Green Jobs and Health Care Implementation Study Final Report

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Release Date

Green Jobs and Health Care Implementation Study Final Report

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Issue
2013-16

Publication Info

In July 2010, Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration tasked IMPAQ International, LLC with conducting an implementation evaluation of four grant programs awarded in early 2010 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA): Energy Training Partnerships, Pathways Out of Poverty, State Energy Sector Partnership and Training, and Health Care Sector and Other High Growth and Emerging Industries. Collectively, these grants are known as the ARRA High Growth and Emerging Industries training grants. The objective of this two-year implementation evaluation was to develop an in-depth understanding of key differences and similarities across the four ARRA-funded training grant programs and across grantees, and identify promising practices and lessons learned from these grants. The primary objectives of the study were to: 1) understand in-depth the implementation of the 152 grants, and 2) explore the extent to which grantees used promising practices that could be replicated in future programs. To address these objectives, the study examined: 1) the economic and community context in which each program operated, 2) the service delivery strategy and components of the program, 3) partnerships with employers and other organizations, and 4) program management and sustainability. Sources of data included interviews with key stakeholders during site visits to 36 selected grantees, focus groups with program participants, observations of program activities, and a Web-based survey of grant administrators. The final report presents implementation findings by each of the four grant programs. Conclusions, promising practices, and lessons learned for future grant programs are provided across all four programs. For example, some grantees had specific individuals assigned to manage the grant and facilitate the administration of several facets of the program, an approach seen by many as a promising practice. Another promising practice was the ability to link participants with the right types of certificates or credentials as a result of the communication and partnerships between the programs and the employers. Some of the lessons learned include recognizing the need to align grant-training goals with state/local initiatives to improve efficiency and reduce duplication across a range of implementation aspects, including program design, and communicating program concepts to stakeholders.