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The literature review updates and expands the findings of the Career Pathways Design Study that included the Career Pathways Research and Evaluation Synthesis, an analysis of career pathways research as of February 2017, that found a substantial amount of research and evaluation studies would be published in the near future. The findings from the updated scan will inform the project’s planned meta-analysis, which will examine the extent to which different career pathways program components drive impacts found in this body of evidence.

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Key Takeaways

• The growing evidence base continues to paint a largely favorable picture of the effectiveness of these programs. Of the 96 impact evaluations the scan identified, most found positive effects on outcomes, though some did not detect an impact (neither positive nor negative).
  • 83 percent of studies that measured education outcomes found positive impacts;16 percent found no impact
  • 62 percent of studies that measured employment outcomes found positive impacts; 33 percent found no impact
  • 63 percent of studies that examined earnings outcomes found positive impacts; 38 percent found no impact.
• A large body of new evidence has emerged on career pathways strategies since the 2017 analysis, with newly available impact findings. This updated scan includes 81 research projects, which included 123 separate evaluations.
• Most of the studies reviewed in the updated scan were focused on program versus system-level initiatives. Of the 81 research projects reviewed, nearly all examined program-level initiatives. About a fourth examined system-level initiatives.
• Studies examined programs in the healthcare and manufacturing sectors more frequently, with IT, business, and construction also commonly studied. The studies identified in the new scan provide greater evidence across a variety of sectors.
• Of the studies that reported demographic data, typical career pathways participants had a high school diploma, consisted of men and women in equal proportions, and were white or African American. Few studies included substantial percentages of Hispanics or lower-skilled adults.
• Just 21 percent of the research projects (that reported gender data) served genders equally. Instead, programs tended to attract more of one gender or the other, with women more often training in healthcare and men more often in manufacturing.

Citation

Sarna, M., Adam, T. (2020). Abt Associates. Evidence on Career Pathways Strategies: Highlights from a Scan of the Research. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

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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.