Implementing the WorkAdvance Model Lessons for Practitioners

”WorkAdvance, a sectoral-focused advancement program,….provides occupational skills training in targeted sectors that have good-quality job openings and opportunities for upward mobility. For employers in those sectors, WorkAdvance identifies and trains workers who are prepared to meet technical skill and work readiness expectations and grow into second and third jobs” (p.1).

“The WorkAdvance model combines elements of sector-based initiatives with postemployment retention and advancement support. It has five components:

1. Intensive screening of program applicants for motivation and readiness.

2. Sector-appropriate preemployment and career readiness services, including orientation to the sector and career advancement coaching.

3. Sector-specific occupational skills training aligned with employer needs and leading to certifications that are in demand in the regional labor market.

4. Sector-specific job development and placement services based on strong relationships with employers.

5. Postemployment retention and advancement services, including ongoing contact, coaching, skills training, and rapid reemployment help if needed” (p.1).

“WorkAdvance is one of five evidence-based programs that were implemented as part of the 2010 Social Innovation Fund…grant to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity in collaboration with [the author]” (p.1).

“WorkAdvance targeted unemployed and low-wage workers with a family income below 200 percent of the federal poverty line. Almost all participants entered with a high school diploma or equivalent; roughly 20 percent had earned a college credential. Yet participants had significant barriers to employment: Only one in five was working; over a third had been unemployed for at least seven months before enrolling in WorkAdvance; and one in four had a criminal conviction”(p.3).

“Four providers [spanning several sectors] were part of [a] randomized controlled trial of WorkAdvance”:  Madison Strategies Group in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Per Scholas and St. Nicks Alliance in New York City, and Towards Employment in Northeast Ohio (p.3). “This brief offers lessons from [the author’s] experience evaluating WorkAdvance and advice from leaders and staff members at the four providers involved in the study” (p.2).

(Abstractor: Author and Website Staff)

The authors provide the following recommendations for “organizations and partnerships that aim to build on the best of sector-based training and postemployment retention and advancement support” (p.10). “How Should Providers Identify Industry Sectors to Target? • Look for sectors where employer demand is strong for entry-level or middle-skill employees and relatively short-term training is needed” (p.2). • “Combine real-time labor market data and deep employer knowledge to generate the most useful demand information” (p.2). • “Consider the current state of training programs, population characteristics, and the interests of local stakeholders” (p.3). Align training with employer needs: • “Engage employers early, on their terms, and consult with them regularly on key aspects of design and delivery” (p.3). • “Incorporate both technical and work readiness skills into training” (p.4). • “Decide case by case whether to keep training in-house or rely on third parties” (p.4). Recruitment strategies: • “Tap new recruitment sources so that the applicant pipeline is robust and reaches potential participants who are a good fit for training” (p.5). • “Sharpen recruitment messages so that motivated individuals apply and know that the program is legitimate” (p.5). Promising assessment and enrollment strategies: • “Use screening criteria that balance objective and subjective assessments of readiness” (p.6). • “Be alert to screens that may inadvertently eliminate qualified candidates” (p.6). Promising retention strategies: • Once enrolled, providers should “engage and motivate participants through family-friendly and informative orientations, early and regular contact, and conveying the sense that they are on an important path forward” to reduce attrition (p.6). • “Offer incentives to reengage struggling participants” (p.7). Job placement promising practices include: • “Plan for steady, ongoing postplacement contact” (p.9). • “Stress planning for advancement, not just for keeping the first job” (p.9). • “Help employers and partners create and expand advancement opportunities” (p.9). Finally, the authors provide several recommendations for successful program implementation: • “Recognize from the outset that sectoral programs take time to get up and running (p.9). • “Prepare staff for the complexity of the work (p.10). • “Develop a system for using data regularly for program monitoring and improvement” (p.10).

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2016
• Author(s): Kazis, Richard and Molina, Frieda.
• Organizational Author(s): MDRC
• Funding Source: Ford Foundation, Funding source not identified
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Wesley Peterson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies