About the Report

Download Report

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided funding for skills training in green jobs and healthcare jobs via four Solicitations for Grant Applications (SGA): Healthcare and Other High Growth and Emerging Industries (HHG); Pathways Out of Poverty (POP); State Energy Sector Partnerships and Training (SESP); and Energy Training Partnerships (ETP). In early 2010, 152 grantees were awarded an average of $4 million to $5 million for two- or three-year grants. The report presents a descriptive analysis of eight of the 152 sites that implemented these grants, based on in-person site visits. The eight sites were selected purposively and are not representative of the overall grant program. Detailed summaries of the findings obtained from each of the eight site visits are presented in the Appendix.

Key Takeaways

• It is important for grantees to understand labor market information and employer needs. Active use of Labor Market Information (LMI) and/or information gathered through other local/regional data sources in designing and tailoring their design and delivery strategies will likely yield more successful outcomes.
• Grantees with workforce or economic development experience and partnerships established prior to the grant appear to be more successful compared to those that do not, as this previous experience appears to help speed grant start-up and implementation during the early stages.
• Programs with fewer administrative layers are likely to experience fewer delays in program start-up and operate with greater flexibility and efficiency.
• Aligning training programs with local, state, and/or Federal policies and programs related to the areas targeted by the grant program may provide good opportunities for developing partners and leveraging resources.
• Strong assessments and screenings prior to program enrollment appear to be an important factor related to achieving positive program outcomes.
• The involvement of employers, industry, and chambers of commerce to provide active feedback in the development or adaptation of curricula, and providing classroom sessions, seems to help ensure that the skills developed and the credentials received as the result of training reflect the skills required by targeted occupations.
• Leveraging resources by developing strong informal partnerships with government, businesses, and local workforce investment boards is an efficient and effective way to provide support and wraparound services and to enhance other program offerings.
• Partnerships which facilitate a collaborative environment among partners and a shared vision for the project may achieve greater success than programs that do not.
• Sites that created clear roles and responsibilities for each partner, which typically allowed each partner to focus on its area of expertise, seemed to have been more efficient during the grant start up and implementation phases.
• Requiring accountability and productivity of partner members through data-driven and monitored case management and reporting systems which provide information on program participation on a real-time basis will likely influence program success.
• In rural communities (especially isolated rural communities with no public transportation), it is important to bring the training to convenient sites in order to maximize participation.

Research Gaps

• Further exploration in future data collection efforts will help determine how industry-wide credentials compare to employer-specific credentials in terms of training-related employment and subsequent retention. We will also examine, to the extent possible, whether the credentials provided by these programs enable participants to obtain even more substantial and recognized degrees in the future. (page 16)

Citation

Shen, T., Poe-Yamagata, E., Dodkowitz, A., Bill, N., Mbwana, K., Johnson, L., Davison, S. (2012). IMPAQ International. Green Jobs and Healthcare Implementation Study: Interim Report. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

Download Report

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.