The Local Investments in Workforce Development Evaluation: Travis County - Funded 2009/2010...

“Since 2006, [an] evaluation has tracked outcomes and impacts for community-based workforce programs as well as pilot demonstration projects operated by Workforce Solutions–Capital Area.... This report, the twelfth in the series, only examines outcomes…from each of the seven providers….Six of the providers offer short-term training and basic skills development [and]…the seventh provider, Capital IDEA, is the only one to offer long-term training for higher-skilled occupations…. All findings examine results in the post-service period through March 2012. It is important to note that this time frame spans the Great Recession and the following period, which has been marked for its 'jobless recovery' and lingering high unemployment.... Impacts will be the focus of a subsequent report” (p.1-2). (Abstractor: Author and Website Staff)

Full publication title: The Local Investments in Workforce Development Evaluation: Travis County - funded 2009/2010 Participants Plus Longer - Term Outcomes for Capital IDEA

Outcomes are presented for each of the seven providers. Outcomes highlighted in the report's conclusion are: • “The two largest programs...served approximately 75% of American YouthWorks participants in 2009-2010” (p.5). • For American YouthWorks participants, “[t]he share employed grew for both cohorts in the second post-service quarter. However, while the share of 2009 participants who were employed in the 6th quarter post-service continued to rise, there was a significant decline in employment by the 10th post-service quarter (2.5 years after training). It is important to note that these employment levels were likely affected by the Great Recession, which hit youth employment particularly hard. Across all post-service quarters through March 2012, more than one-third of 2009-2010 participants were employed” (p.7). • “Participation in short-term skill building appears to have a greater effect on immediate and near-term outcomes, with employment and earnings peaking between the 2nd and 6th quarters after service. Participation in short-term skill building also appears to have some effect on increasing employment stability, as evidenced by higher shares of participants in many programs meeting the monetary eligibility requirements for Unemployment Insurance benefits” (p.32). • “Participants of Capital IDEA, the long-term training provider in the evaluation, appear to have stronger post-service outcomes than participants of shorter-term programs” (p.32). • For participants of Capital IDEA, “Earnings in the pre-service period averaged $4,489 for employed participants. In the 18th quarter post-service (4.5 years after leaving training), employed participants earned an average of $7,942. Approximately 61% of…participants met the monetary eligibility requirements for UI benefits in the four quarters prior to entry. Across all post-service quarters, that share rose to 70%. Few participants filed a claim for UI benefits in either the pre-service or post-service period” (p.30). (Abstractor: Author and Website Staff)

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2012
• Author(s): Smith, Tara; Christensen, Kristin; King, Christopher T.; Schroeder, Daniel G.
• Organizational Author(s): The Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources at the University of Texas at Austin
• Funding Source: Travis County Health and Human Services Department
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Wesley Peterson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies