CEO Library

In 2022, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) funded contractor Westat Insight to conduct the Vulnerable Populations Study to highlight examples of analyses that researchers and policymakers can conduct using publicly available population surveys. This report underscores the value of leveraging publicly available survey data to analyze the changing demographic landscapes of populations impacted by labor policies and programs.

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.

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.

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 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 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 brief is part of the State Apprenticeship Systems Capacity Assessment Study funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, which is aimed at understanding how state apprenticeship systems operate to achieve goals. This brief discusses how states use incentives to promote and expand apprenticeship, the benefits of incentives, and the challenges in the administration and implementation of incentives.

The brief is part of the State Apprenticeship Systems Capacity Assessment Study funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, which is aimed at understanding how state apprenticeship systems operate to achieve goals.

Literature review that seeks to document evidence on Black Veterans’ experience transitioning from military to civilian employment. The review synthesizes findings from recent research on employment outcomes, highlights factors associated with employment outcomes, describes best practices and interventions, services, and support needs, and identifies gaps in the existing body of literature that prevent the current state and needs of Black Veterans from being fully understood.

The report examines the early implementation of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) Employment Navigator and Partnership Pilot (ENPP), which launched April 1, 2021, and variations in implementation by site. Data collection for this study includes interviews and focus groups with pilot staff and transitioning Service members at the 13 pilot sites, as well as with national Veteran employment partners. Interim findings were shared with Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) leadership to inform pilot enhancement and expansion.

The report describes the quasi-experimental study using administrative data from the U.S. Army and the National Directory of New Hires that examined the impact of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) on the employment and wages of recently separated Veterans. The study used a matched comparison group design to compare the outcomes of Veterans who participated in TAP to similar Veterans who did not participate. It presents the estimated impacts of participating in TAP up to 36 months post-separation.

Technical supplement to the Evaluation of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) Impact Study Report that provides study details on propensity score matching, study sample, data elements and sources, data analyses, labor market context, outcomes of the overall sample, main impact analyses, subgroup analyses, associational analyses, and references.

In 2019, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to fund contractors Urban Institute, Mathematica Policy Research, and Capital Research Corporation to design and conduct analysis to build and expand the evidence portfolio on apprenticeships, including models, components, partnerships, and strategies that often include the work of community colleges. 

The environmental scan sets the stage for a series of briefs that will be published under the State Apprenticeship Systems Capacity Assessment study. The study will conduct a deep dive into state-level Registered Apprenticeship systems in the United States, exploring how the public sector and its partners are supporting and implementing Registered Apprenticeship programs, including the use of more inclusive and equitable strategies and models.

The report provides a snapshot of how Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) grantees adapted or expanded strategies to serve older workers in response to challenges faced during the pandemic. Strategies include (1) adopting new recruitment outreach, intake, and engagement activities; (2) promoting digital access and technology loaner programs; (3) providing training remotely; (4) adopting new host agency and employer strategies; and (5) implementing staffing strategies to support SCSEP participants’ needs.

The brief uses implementation study data from the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) Evaluation to discuss four main areas of HVRP with potential gaps and opportunities for improvement. The four areas, which emerged from an analysis of qualitative and grantee survey data, are (1) coordination with other public workforce development programs, (2) expansion of HVRP eligibility to other veterans, (3) emphasis on veterans’ skills and interests for employment opportunities, and (4) coordination with the homeless response system.

The report presents the findings from the implementation evaluation of the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) Apprenticeship Pilot. The results of this descriptive study are intended to inform future efforts by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the U.S. Department of Defense to provide effective support to assist transitioning service members (TSMs) as they leave the military and move into civilian-sector jobs.

The report provides findings from the implementation study for the Evaluation of the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP), which relied on data from (1) a survey of all program year 2020 HVRP grantees, (2) semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from eight deliberately selected grantees and their community partners, and (3) in-depth interviews with veterans who received services from one of those eight grantees.

The brief describes the experiences of 54 veterans in Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP), the services they most appreciated, and gaps they perceived in the services. It describes veterans’ pathways to HVRP and their perceptions about the accessibility and responsiveness of HVRP grant staff, the helpfulness of the services, and how they were treated (such as whether they were treated respectfully). It concludes with their suggestions for improving HVRP.

Using data from the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) grantee survey administered to grantees from program year 2020 and supplemented with interviews with staff from eight site visit grantees and their American Job Center (AJC) partners, the brief addresses three topics: (1) the AJC program in which a majority of HVRP participants were co-enrolled; (2) the percentage of participants receiving services at the AJC; and (3) the processes grantees used to co-enroll participants.

The brief describes the types of services Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) participants received at America's Job Centers and compares the service receipt of HVRP participants with other veterans experiencing homelessness who were not participating in HVRP. The data are from the Workforce Integrated Performance System (WIPS) and include all HVRP participants and other veterans experiencing homelessness across the United States who enrolled in the Wagner-Peyser Employment Service at AJCs during program year 2019 or 2020.

The purpose of the Older Workers Implementation and Descriptive Study is to build evidence about the implementation of the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) and other U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) workforce programs serving older workers to inform the continuous improvement of SCSEP. To inform evaluation activities, the report reviews the literature and identifies the state of the evidence on workforce programs, including those that serve older workers and populations with similar employment barriers.

View Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program Evaluation Addendum to this plan published in March 2024.

In 2020, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and funded contractor Mathematica Policy Research to conduct the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Research Portfolio Project.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) workforce system serves veterans both through the dedicated Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) program, as well as through resources available to the broader population—most notably the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Adult and Dislocated Worker programs and the Wagner-Peyser Employment Services (ES).