What’s Known About the Effects of Publicly-Funded Employment and Training Programs

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Release Date

What’s Known About the Effects of Publicly-Funded Employment and Training Programs

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Issue
2006-10

Publication Info

This report was requested by the House Committee on Appropriations (House Report 108-188), which expressed interest in "the long-term effects of job training programs at the Department of Labor."  The report presents findings from an extensive body of literature that focuses on the effects of publicly-funded employment and training programs in the U.S., primarily targeted to economically disadvantaged out-of-school youth and adults.  The effects of interest throughout the report are program impacts on annual earnings.  The report begins by discussing some of the methodological issues encountered when estimating program impacts.  The report then looks at estimated program impacts for various target populations and service strategies, the persistence of program impacts in the post-program period, and whether short-term performance indicators provide any indication of a program’s effectiveness in the longer-term.  The report concludes by providing recommendations for a more fine-grained approach to future research in the area of publicly-funded employment and training programs.