CEO Library

This report synthesizes findings from recent evaluations of employment-focused reentry programs to inform the Partners for Reentry Opportunities in Workforce Development (PROWD) Grants Evaluation. Building on a prior literature review of employment-focused reentry programs (Lacoe & Betesh, 2019), the PROWD Grants Evaluation synthesized recent evidence from rigorous research (randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs) published between 2018 and 2023 that examined impacts on recidivism, employment, and earnings.

In 2023, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and commissioned contractor Westat Insight to conduct a study to explore approaches to measure and increase equity in ETA’s discretionary grantmaking programs. This study sought to explore how grantmakers – such as Federal agencies, State and local government agencies, and philanthropic organizations – define, assess, and increase equity in their grantmaking process.

In 2023, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to fund contractor Westat Insight to explore approaches to measure and increase equity in ETA’s discretionary grantmaking programs under the Administrative Data Research and Analysis portfolio of studies.

The 2024 Veteran Employment Data Catalog is a document-based catalog of existing datasets that could be used to answer research questions related to veterans’ employment outcomes. The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) collaborated with the Veterans’ Employment and Training Services (VETS) to commission Insight Policy Research (now Westat) to identify both public and restricted datasets that align with topic areas derived from VETS’ mission.

In 2022, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Veteran Employment and Training Service (VETS) to fund contractor Westat to conduct the 2024 Veteran Employment Data Catalog under the Administrative Data Research and Analysis portfolio of studies. The data catalog aims to assist researchers by identifying existing public and restricted datasets related to the post-separation civilian transition, racial equity, and support for underserved veteran communities.

The report synthesizes findings from third-party evaluator (TPE)-conducted implementation evaluations and subsequent interim reports, supplemented by submitted quarterly narrative reports (QNRs) from March 2023. The synthesis aims to provide an overarching description of the first round of SCC (SCC1) grantees’ progress in implementing their workforce development and career pathways programming and highlight promising practices, implementation barriers, and lessons learned across the grantees.

The Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act, Pub. L. No. 117–210, enacted in October 2022, required the Department of Labor (DOL) to conduct a study about New Americans, defined as lawfully present immigrants and refugees admitted to the United States during the 5-year period prior to the law (October 2017– October 2022) with occupational and professional credentials and academic degrees obtained outside the United States.

The Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act, Pub. L. No. 117–210, enacted in October 2022, required the Department of Labor (DOL) to conduct a study about New Americans, defined as lawfully present immigrants and refugees admitted to the United States during the 5-year period prior to the law (October 2017– October 2022) with occupational and professional credentials and academic degrees obtained outside the United States.

The report presents the findings from a review of existing research to address topics identified in the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act,1 Pub. L. No. 117-210, enacted in October 2022. The Act asks the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to conduct a study about lawfully present immigrants and refugees admitted to the United States during the 5-year period prior to the law (October 2017–October 2022).

Employment in the construction industry continues to grow as legislation, such as the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act1 (IJA), and overall economic trends create increased demand for construction workers (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 2023). This anticipated growth and ongoing expansion of the construction industry may serve as an opportunity to build a more representative and equitable construction workforce.

This brief, produced under the Apprenticeship Evidence-Building and Administrative Data Research and Analysis portfolios of studies, examines the participation of women and people of color (i.e., people who are not white) in construction apprenticeships to understand whether the underrepresentation of these groups in construction is reproduced in the apprenticeship system.

Theses appendices to the Onsite Construction Workforce Utilization by Sex and Race/Ethnicity Research Brief, produced under the Apprenticeship Evidence-Building and Administrative Data Research and Analysis portfolios of studies, summarize the methodology the study team used to estimate the pro

This brief, produced under the Apprenticeship Evidence-Building and Administrative Data Research and Analysis portfolios of studies, examines how the rates of utilization for women and people of color differ between onsite construction (i.e., boilermakers, brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, carpenters, carpet installers, etc.), and similar occupations (i.e., forest and conservation technicians, landscaping and groundskeeping work

The discussion paper explores issues related to research on application or user fees in programs administered by U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Employment and Training Administration (ETA), based on a review of regulations, guidance, and selected research concerning such fees. The paper reviews available literature from those sources; briefly covers the purposes, general principles and practices related to application or user fees; summarizes possible factors related to research on such fees; and suggests some possible research activities on use of fees in an ETA program.

The brief documents the federal context—in particular within the U.S. Department of Labor—in which evidence-building activities for the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) program were developed. It also describes the evaluation technical assistance (EvalTA) provided to states from 2018 to 2023 that supported states in planning and implementing evaluations of their RESEA programs.

A 2022 implementation study report drew on data from three waves of a web-based survey of all state RESEA directors. Since completion of that report, the study team conducted a fourth survey wave. Relying on these longitudinal data, this brief addresses the following research questions: 

Appendix to the Tracking Changes in Program Implementation: Findings from Multiple Rounds of the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) Implementation Survey Issue Brief.

The handbook is a Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) Evaluation Technical Assistance product to help states and their evaluators to conduct cost-benefit analyses of their RESEA programs.

In 2023, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to fund contractor Abt Global (Abt) and its subcontractors, MDRC, Social Policy Research Associates (SPR), and Trewon Technologies, to conduct the Sectoral Strategies and Employer Engagement Portfolio Services Project (SSEEP).

This report describes the design for the implementation evaluation of the Scaling Apprenticeship through Sector-Based Strategies grants (referred to throughout the report as Scaling Apprenticeship grants) and the Apprenticeships: Closing the Skills Gap grants (referred to throughout the report as Closing the Skills Gap grants).

The report provides analysis of intermediate impacts on participation in and completion of TechHire and Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) programs training, receipt of credentials, and use of child care and other services, as well as on longer-term outcomes such as employment and earnings, advancement and job quality, and other, exploratory outcomes such as overall well-being, health, and housing status at about 2 years following random assignment. 

The America’s Promise Job Driven Grant Program Evaluation Design Pre-Specification Plan follows the template that evaluators must use to meet the pre-specification practices articulated in OMB Memo M-20-12 Phase 4 Implementation of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018: Program Evaluation Standards and Practices.

The brief focuses on the 22 Pathway Home grants awarded in 2021 and describes the grantees’ experiences during their first year of implementation. This brief discusses the grants and describes the types of organizations funded, their locations, staffing structures, partnerships, and the services provided.

The brief focuses on the 22 Pathway Home grants awarded in 2021 and describes the grantees’ experiences during their first year of implementation. This brief details how the Pathway Home grantees implemented services and established community partnerships provide community-based services that address participant needs and help connect them to employment opportunities.

In 2023, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Employment and Training Administration to fund contractor Westat Insight to conduct the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Study under the Administrative Data Research and Analysis portfolio of studies.