National Guard Youth Challenge and Job Challenge Program Evaluation
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About the Study
In 2015, the Chief Evaluation Office partnered with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to fund contractors Mathematica, Social Policy Research Associates, and MDRC to design and conduct an evaluation to better understand the implementation and outcomes of the National Guard Youth Challenge (YC) and Job Challenge (JC) program. The implementation study and outcome evaluation of three Job Challenge grants includes an analysis of post-JC outcomes between 2016 and 2018 for justice-involved graduates. The analysis drew on quantitative and qualitative data including interviews, observations, program and survey data, focus groups, and administrative data from state education and criminal justice agencies.
The National Guard YC program is an initiative that aimed to assist high school dropouts aged 16-18 in obtaining their high school diploma or GED through a 20-week, community-based residential course followed by a year of mentoring. ETA’s Reentry Employment Opportunities program funded YC programs in Georgia, Michigan, and South Carolina to include more court-involved youth and add a follow-on 20-week residential occupational training program called Job Challenge (JC). JC grantee programs recruited and enrolled 905 youth from January 2016 to December 2018.
This Department of Labor-funded study includes a final report and an issue brief and was a result of the annual learning agenda process. It contributes to the growing labor evidence-base to inform employment and training programs and policies and addresses Department strategic goals and priorities.
- How was the Youth Challenge program implemented under the Job Challenge grant?
- How was the Job Challenge program implemented?
- How did the programs recruit and select youth for Job Challenge?
- How did youth experience the post-residential phase?
- What were the outcomes of Youth Challenge and Job Challenge participants?
- What expectations did youth have for the future?
- What can we learn from these grants about possible program models to serve court-involved and other at-risk youth?
- What can we learn from this implementation and outcomes study about the conditions that would be necessary to have a future impact study evaluation of Job Challenge?
- Evaluation of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe /Job ChalleNGe Program (Final Report, February 2021)
- Building on an Evidence-Based Program Model to Serve Court-involved Youth (Issue Brief, February 2021)
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.