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The report focuses on the implementation and short-term impacts of TechHire and Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) — capturing between 7 and 14 months of follow-up—in the five programs that participated in a randomized control trial. The implementation analysis explored broad research questions about how the programs were implemented and what factors facilitated or inhibited implementation.

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Research Questions

• The implementation analysis explored broad research questions about how the programs were implemented and what factors facilitated or inhibited implementation.
• The impact analysis is exploring the effects of TechHire and SWFI on participation in and completion of training, receipt of credentials, and use of child care and other services, as well as on longer-term outcomes such as employment and earnings, advancement and job quality, and other, secondary outcomes such as overall well-being, health, and housing status.

Key Takeaways

• Differences in how eligibility was defined and in the level of pre-screening resulted in notable variation across the programs in program participants’ characteristics.
• Three programs struggled to meet recruitment targets; thus, the sample for the RCT was one third smaller than intended.
• Individuals with relatively low baseline skills, such as that of the target population for these programs, would likely need considerably more support—possibly in the form of tutoring or a preparatory bridge program—to be successful in training that required a higher level of skill.
• One program director said that the assumption of those who designed the local program was that placing graduates into even entry-level jobs in high-tech industries would at least set them on a pathway to a better-paying job.
• One program that did train people for middle- and high-skilled jobs heavily screened applicants before accepting them into the program to ensure they had the skills necessary to be successful in training.
• There was considerable variation in the extent to which the occupational skills training offered under the TechHire and SWFI programs differed from training that individuals could receive from other available training programs in the community.
• Across all the programs, TechHire and SWFI staff reported that the provision of case management support was a distinguishing feature relative to training programs available in the broader community.
• One notable difference between TechHire or SWFI and other similar training programs was that there was no cost to participants for TechHire and SWFI training.
• The Wave 1 survey showed that the TechHire and SWFI programs produced statistically significant impacts on outcomes related to the provision of case management support.
• The TechHire and SWFI programs increased participation in occupational skills training relative to the control group.
• SWFI increased the likelihood of participants receiving help to find or access child care by a statistically significant amount, including receiving help to find child care that is more convenient.
• Employer partnerships and engagement fell short of program leadership’s expectations, especially in the provision of work-based learning and/or providing jobs for training graduates.
• Career awareness, job development, and job placement services were not fully developed or integrated with other components of the TechHire and SWFI programs.
• As expected, given the short follow-up period captured by the Wave 1 survey (7 to 14 months), there is no evidence yet that TechHire/SWFI affected labor market outcomes.

Citation

Tessler, B., Schaberg, K., Fink, B., Gasper, J., Metz, R., Rock, A., Jones, D., Kanengiser, H. (2021). Westat. Training for High-Tech Jobs: Implementation and Early Impacts from the TechHire and Strengthening Working Families Initiative Randomized Controlled Trial. 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.