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The report includes findings from a 2-year implementation study of the Urban Employment Demonstration Grants for Youth and Young Adults, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Chief Evaluation Office (CEO). In 2015, DOL’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) awarded seven urban cities with 2-year grants to develop projects to address the workforce needs of disconnected youth and young adults (ages 16–29) in U.S. cities and communities experiencing high unemployment, crime, and poverty rates, and low high school graduation rates: Baltimore, MD ($5 million); Camden, NJ ($1.99 million); Detroit, MI ($5 million); Houston, TX ($1.74 million); Long Beach, CA ($2 million); North Charleston, SC ($1.6 million); and St. Louis, MO ($5 million). There was no uniform program model for sites to implement or test—grantees were given considerable autonomy in building the elements to be incorporated into their programs. The focus of the project was to provide an opportunity for innovation using the grant funds to enhance existing activities or develop new programs to improve workforce development services for disconnected youth with notable barriers. Communities identified their own plans and strategies on which to focus. No site implemented the same model for their program, although many of the same types of services were offered. Sites also had opportunities to develop approaches that were more tailored to the experiences and contextual barriers encountered by youth in their specific communities. The grant provided the opportunity for sites to develop program models and incorporate new services, or test additional ways of providing services to disconnected youth populations. Most sites developed program models that supported services beyond what typical Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs are able to offer.

In October 2015, DOL’s CEO contracted with 2M Research Services, LLC (2M) to conduct an implementation evaluation of the seven Urban Employment Demonstration Grants for Youth and Young Adults to document how the programs were implemented, perceived challenges and successes, and emerging lessons. The implementation evaluation explored how each site utilized the grant to develop a program model and execute their respective programs providing workforce development services to disconnected youth.

This evaluation examined the processes of implementing the demonstration programs over a period of approximately 12 months, from January 2016 to January 2017. The implementation evaluation utilized a series of site visits, semi-structured conversations with the programs’ principal leaders, and observations, along with limited quantitative data provided by programs on enrollment and job placement data to develop the study’s key findings.

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Key Takeaways

• Six of the seven sites developed new program models to provide workforce development services to disconnected youth. These programs differed significantly from standard WIOA models. The six sites rearranged the order of services to their participants or introduced new models, such as allowing participants to “shop” for only those services they want and offering individualized psycho-social services.
• All project sites experienced challenges with recruitment and engagement due to barriers faced by the disconnected youth or lack of trust, and staff noted that a combination of strategies was more effective in meeting their goals. For example, projects hired youth connectors with local community knowledge to recruit participants and established neighborhood-based, youth-focused community service centers for both recruitment and program activities.
• Project sites leveraged new and existing community partnerships to provide education, training, and employment. Most core partnerships came from preexisting relationships. Six of the seven sites developed new partnerships to provide additional support or wraparound services, such as occupational training and mentoring, respectively.
• Establishing relationships with employers was one of the most challenging areas of implementation. Site visit data indicated that it could take between six months and one year of engagement with an employer before a job was offered. Sites with successful employer relationships often used more than one strategy to develop those relationships, such as holding industry career fairs and developing hiring agreements with employers.

Citation

2M Research Services. (2017). Urban Employment for Youth And Young Adults Demonstration Grants Implementation Evaluation: Final Report. 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.