About the Study

In 2023, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to fund contractor Abt Global (Abt) and its subcontractors, MDRC, Social Policy Research Associates (SPR), and Trewon Technologies, to conduct the Sectoral Strategies and Employer Engagement Portfolio Services Project (SSEEP). This Portfolio’s objectives are to build evidence on how sectoral strategies can engage employers, promote job quality, and diversify and support the workforce, especially from populations that have historically been excluded from high quality jobs. This project includes: (1) an initial knowledge building task with a literature scan and formative study to provide an understanding of the current state of the evidence, help identify promising approaches, and identify priorities for research based on evidence gaps; (2) implementation studies that will provide a broad and deep understanding of the services grantees’ programs offer, coordination across partners including with employers, and participant experiences; and (3)  preliminary evaluability assessments that will identify promising research options and candidate sites for impact and cost-benefit analyses.

SSEEP includes three grant programs. The Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program (BPIJG) includes 34 grantees implementing sectoral strategies in renewable energy, transportation, and broadband infrastructure. The Nursing Expansion Grant Program (NEG) includes 25 grantees implementing strategies in the healthcare sector. The Critical Sector Job Quality Grant Program (CSJQ) includes 12 grantees piloting strategies in the care, climate resiliency, and hospitality sectors.

This Department of Labor-funded project was a result of the annual process to determine the department’s research priorities for the upcoming year. It contributes to the labor evidence-base to inform employment and training programs and policies and addresses Departmental strategic goals and priorities.

Project Duration: 60 months
Contract End Date: September 2028
Contractors: Abt Global
For More Information: ChiefEvaluationOffice@dol.gov

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.