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The report, the second of the Youth CareerConnect (YCC) project’s implementation study, examines the evolution of YCC program implementation, and focuses on the third and fourth years of the grant, when grant funding was scheduled to end. It also examines grantee approaches to sustainability of YCC activities and services as they approached the end of grant funding. Analyses drew data from three distinct sources: (1) a survey of all 24 YCC grantees that gathered information about YCC activities and services offered in one of each grantee’s high schools and was fielded from May to September 2015, between the first and second years of the grant, and June to July 2017, between the third and fourth years of the grant; (2) discussions with YCC program, school, and partner staff for 10 grantees during three rounds of site visits and telephone interviews from 2015-16 through 2017-18; and (3) data from a participant-tracking system (PTS) that captured characteristics and service receipt for students enrolled in the YCC program across 23 of the 24 YCC grantees in Spring 2016, the end of the second year of the grant, and Spring 2018, the end of the fourth year of the grant 1.

Key Takeaways

• YCC enrollment grew throughout the grant period, with more than 27,000 students receiving services across 23 grantees by spring 2018.
• Strong employer and IHE partnerships were critical for implementation, and cultivating them required the help of a dedicated partner liaison.
• YCC program services evolved to meet changing needs as youth aged.
• Most grantees anticipated challenges with sustainability, but many had begun to implement strategies to support ongoing partnerships and services.

Citation

Geckeler, C., Dillon, E., González, R., Maxwell, N., Folsom, L. (2019). Social Policy Research. Youth CareerConnect: Evolution of Implementation over Time. 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.