VETS Employment Navigator and Partnership Pilot Evaluation
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About the Study
In 2022, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) and funded independent contractor Westat and its subcontractors Westat Insight, American Institutes for Research, and Manhattan Strategy Group to conduct an Evaluation of the VETS Employment Navigator and Partnership Pilot (ENPP). The implementation and outcomes study aims to understand and build evidence on the use of VETS employment navigators to improve outcomes for transitioning service members (TSMs) and military spouses.
This Department of Labor-funded project was a result of the annual process to determine the department’s research priorities for the upcoming year. It contributes to the labor evidence-base to inform employment and training programs and policies and addresses Departmental strategic goals and priorities.
- Implementation Study: To what extent is ENPP implemented as intended and what, if any, differences exist across sites? What barriers did participants face, and to what extent did employment navigators remove those barriers? What were opportunities and challenges in the relationship between navigators and the public workforce system? What do we need to know to be able to replicate ENPP?
- Outcomes Study: What are the characteristics of ENPP participants? What barriers do participants face? What increases in employment readiness do ENPP participants display compared to before they used a navigator? What outcomes are experienced by ENPP participants 6 months post-separation (such as employment, income, alignment with their desired goals)? Do employment outcomes differ for key subgroups of ENPP participants? How do employment navigators influence the trajectory of employment outcomes for TSMs who do not meet Career Readiness Standards (CRS)?
- Customer Experience: What are customer journeys through the program? What are participants' experiences at each service point? What contextual factors shape participants' experiences with the program? What are participants' perceptions of ENPP before enrolling in ENPP? During ENPP? After separation? Did participants feel prepared to transition into civilian life after engaging in ENPP?
- a rigorous implementation and outcomes evaluation of the ENPP;
- an evaluability assessment on the feasibility of an impact evaluation for ENPP;
- a study to understand the customer experience through the eyes of TSMs and military spouses
- collaboration with other DOL workforce navigator evaluations (such as those in ETA and WB) to synthesize findings on cross-cutting topic areas, such as equity to access of services. such as equity to access of services.
Project Duration: 60 Months
Contract End Date: September 2027
Contractor: Westat
For More Information: ChiefEvaluationOffice@dol.gov
The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.