Implementation Analysis of High Growth Job Training Initiative (HGJTI) Programs

"The High Growth Job Training Initiative (HGJTI) is a national grants program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA). Between 2001 and 2006, more than 150 grants were awarded to establish demand-driven job training and related projects designed to meet employer-defined workforce challenges. This report is one of a series from the national evaluation of the HGJTI being conducted by the Urban Institute, the Institute for Policy Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and Capital Research Corporation. This report documents the national initiative and describes the structure and implementation of projects implemented by selected grantees. The information presented is based on reviews of grantee applications and quarterly reports submitted to ETA, and on field-based site visits to six grantees purposively selected to represent a variety of organizations, industry sectors, and geographic regions" (p.iv). (Abstractor:  Author)

• "Employers are important partners in implementing all aspects of an industry-driven project." They helped by securing “additional resources, advising and providing feedback on curriculum and training program development, recruiting participants, developing career awareness in a particular industry, hiring trainees, and/or providing on-the-job training or internships. The earlier employers were engaged in project activities, the more invested they became in the project" (p.vii). • "New training technologies should be explored and used to provide better training delivery mechanisms" (p.vii). • "Instructors from industry are needed, but they can be difficult to retain. Some grantees were able to entice experienced workers and supervisors to become instructors, but some had difficulty hiring enough instructors because the wages provided by employers were much higher than the training programs or colleges could offer" (p.viii). • "Resource and cash contributions, especially from employers, are difficult to secure. Grantees often had to seek other sources or rely more heavily on others when some partners that promised cash and in-kind contributions as a part of their required match in the grant application were then unable to fully live up to that commitment" (p.viii). • "Having hands-on training components is as important as classroom training" (p.viii). (Abstractor: Author)

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2008
• Author(s): Smith Nightengale, Demetra; Eyster, Lauren; Trutko, John, et al.
• Organizational Author(s): The Urban Institute: Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population
• Funding Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
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• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies