New Insights on Career Pathways: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis Summary Brief

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Release Date: January 01, 2022

New Insights on Career Pathways: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis Summary Brief

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About the Brief

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The brief summarizes findings of the Career Pathways Descriptive and Analytical Project’s meta-analysis study, which analyzes research on the impacts of 46 career pathways programs, based on evaluation findings published between 2008 and 2021. The brief first describes the programs and participants in the evaluations included in the meta-analysis. It then discusses the study’s overall impact findings and the findings about which program characteristics were associated with impacts, as well as the implications of each for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. It concludes with ideas for ways to improve future meta-analyses of career pathways and other workforce development approaches.

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Key Takeaways

  • Findings that can be interpreted as causal (a high degree of confidence). The study found career pathways programs overall:
    • Greatly increased educational progress as measured by credential receipt (by 155 percent).
    • Increased employment in targeted industries substantially (by 72 percent) but raised overall employment by much less (9 percent).
    • Did not have a meaningful effect on earnings.
  • Findings best interpreted as suggestive (not causal and do not lend themselves to simple interpretations). The study examined which characteristics associated with impacts and found:
    • Larger educational progress impacts for programs where employers provide input on curricula or program design, or where staffing agencies are partners.
    • Larger labor market impacts for programs that serve a larger share of Black participants.
    • Smaller educational progress impacts (though still positive ones) for programs where community colleges are the lead agencies or partners.
    • Smaller labor market impacts for programs that offer flexible sequencing of courses or offer tuition or other financial assistance.

Citation

Strawn, J., Peck, L. R., Schwartz, D. (2021). Abt Associates. New Insights on Career Pathways: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis. 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.