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Between the critical ages of 16 and 24, many low-income youth are at risk of becoming disconnected from school and the labor market. Previous research suggests that more than 30 percent of high school dropouts in this age range are unemployed, partly because they lack postsecondary credentials, labor market experience, and other forms of human capital. Low-income and minority youth who obtain a high school degree and enroll in college are less likely than their peers to complete their degree, often lacking the guidance and resources needed to succeed in postsecondary education. Interventions that improve academic outcomes or connect youth with the labor market could potentially improve outcomes for these “opportunity youth.” However, many such programs have been shown to be ineffective in improving long-term employment outcomes. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) funded the Opportunities Youth (Opportunities) project to develop, pilot, and evaluate innovative interventions that aim to improve long-term employment outcomes for opportunity youth or those at risk of being disconnected from education or the labor market. DOL and the evaluation team selected Baltimore and Boston as pilot sites. Based on a review of the evidence and the feedback of an expert panel, the team identified three key features of promising programs for opportunity youth: 1) a caring adult to assist students in overcoming barriers to program participation, to provide guidance in setting academic and employment goals, and to provide connections to the labor market, 2) opportunities for education and job training that lead to degrees and certification, and 3) contextualized learning, in which basic academic skills, general workplace skills, and specific technical job skills are presented in a classroom context that provides job training. The report details findings of the study of the implementation phase of the two pilot programs.

Key Takeaways

• Both programs were nested within larger systems of resources, which helped students access a range of services they needed.
• Strong partnerships between community colleges and workforce development systems led to quick start-up and fully implemented programs.
• Programs were shaped by student needs and the different contexts within the cities.
• Both pilot sites were able to reach modified recruitment goals, demonstrating a need for the programs in these cities.
• Programs made a trade-offs between selectivity during recruitment, size of the program, and participation levels in the program.
• The programs were different, but caring adults were the linchpin of both.
• The integration of caring adults into pilot programs was successful according to both students and staff.
• Pilot sites aimed to connect opportunity youth to long-term employment by charting a clear course through their academic path and connecting them with employers in their field.
• Connections with employers took time and effort to build and were dependent on identifying skilled students that were a good fit for employers.

Research Gaps

• To determine whether these two pilot programs show promise in changing outcomes for opportunity youth, the next step is a descriptive and evaluative assessment of the short-term academic and employment outcomes for students in each program. (page XIII)

Citation

Koball, H., Dodkowitz, A., Schlecht, C., Guiltinan, S. (2016). Urban Institute. Opportunities Youth Demonstration and Evaluation Implementation Evaluation: Findings from Pilot Sites in Baltimore and Boston. 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.