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Ongoing research and evaluation that produce actionable, widely disseminated evidence are central to the continuous improvement of U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) programs. In addition, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA) requires DOL to conduct periodic, independent evaluations to inform the effective operation of WIOA programs and services. To support the development of DOL’s research portfolio, this scan examines existing evidence on key topics related to WIOA programs and services.

The report focuses on four main topic areas, selected through a series of discussions with DOL’s Chief Evaluation Office (CEO), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), and other DOL staff: case management, integrated service delivery, training programs, and youth services. Although the first three sections on service strategies focus on evidence from studies on adults or general populations, these services also relate to programs serving youth. However, because of the policy importance of identifying effective strategies for disconnected youth ages 16 to 24, the final section is devoted to research on youth, focusing on the many strategies offered by the WIOA Youth program.

These topic areas were selected because they are viewed as critical to the success of job seekers and employers, and because they include interventions that offer the potential to be rigorously evaluated. This report describes strategies associated with each of the four topic areas, discusses existing evidence on the effectiveness of those strategies and evaluations currently under way, and summarizes the knowledge gaps in the existing evidence base. The scan prioritizes studies of strategies used in WIOA and by partner programs, but it also incorporates studies on related programs to increase the pool of studies from which to draw evidence.

Key Takeaways

• Existing evidence suggests that the receipt of case management can improve employment and earnings in a workforce development setting, with promising models including coaching, intrusive advising, navigators, and strength-based approaches.
• Evidence on the extent of integration across WIOA programs highlights a small number of states with robust integration (i.e., Texas, Florida, Utah).
• Evidence on the effectiveness of training suggests specific types of programs, including work-based and sector-based training, whereas transitional jobs have generally not been found to have long-term impacts.
• Studies of training models provided to youth demonstrated some positive impacts, particularly those that included some combination of work experience or supportive services in addition to training.

Research Gaps

• Some of the gaps that could be examined in future studies include the following: What are the impacts of work-based learning strategies such as apprenticeship and on-the-job training implemented under WIOA? What aspects of work-based learning models and career pathways and sector models can be adapted under WIOA? What types of employer partnerships help make work-based learning successful? How much do employer partnerships contribute to impacts? What initiatives help increase training completion, obtaining credentials, and obtaining jobs in the field of training? What are the impacts of including additional supportive services along with employment training models? Do these services help different types of job seekers participate in and complete training? What types of strategies could make the impacts of transitional and subsidized employment programs persist in years following program completion? (page 17)

Citation

Deutsch, J., Allison-Clark, K., Yañez, A. (2021). Mathematica. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Research Portfolio: A Research Evidence Scan of Key Strategies Related to WIOA. 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.