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The report of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) national evaluation synthesizes findings from 87 third-party evaluations of the Rounds 1 and 2 TAACCCT grants. The findings are based on the final evaluation reports that assess the implementation of the grant activities and estimate the impact of TAACCCT on the education and employment outcomes of participants. The goal of this synthesis is to summarize what has been learned from the first two rounds of the grants to support a growing body of evidence on strategies that encourage accelerated learning, college completion, and connections to employment.

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Research Questions

• What service delivery and/or system reform innovations resulted in improved employment outcomes and increased skills for participants?

Key Takeaways

• Nearly half the Rounds 1 and 2 TAACCCT colleges designed and implemented online courses and 62 percent designed and implemented hybrid courses to increase access to and accelerate completion of training.
• Two-thirds of Rounds 1 and 2 TAACCCT colleges developed new or used existing credentials – noncredit and credit certificates, industry certifications, and degrees – to build a stackable set of credentials as a part of career pathways programs to allow participant to accelerate learning with short-term credentials that allow for exit points into the workforce.
• Over 40 percent of Rounds 1 and 2 TAACCCT colleges developed new PLAs and improved existing ones.
• Rounds 1 and 2 TAACCCT colleges offered a range of supports for adult learners to support persistence and completion, with 55 percent offering academic support and tutoring.
• Over 40 percent of Rounds 1 and 2 TAACCCT colleges designed different types of articulation agreements, such as 2+2, reverse transfer, and dual enrollment, to support persistence and completion of career pathways for adult learners.
• Sixty percent of Rounds 1 and 2 TAACCCT colleges had partnerships with public workforce system organizations such as workforce development boards and American Job Centers to provide referrals, tuition assistance, data, and career advising.
• Seventy percent of Rounds 1 and 2 TAACCCT colleges saw career coaching and navigation approaches as promising for supporting adult learners’ connections to the workforce and for persistence and completion.
• Rounds 1 and 2 TAACCCT colleges provided a range of work-based learning opportunities, including internships, clinical placements, job shadowing, on-the-job training, work-study programs, and registered apprenticeships.

Citation

Eyster, L. (2019). Urban Institute. A Synthesis of Findings from the Rounds 1 and 2 Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Third-Party Evaluations. 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.