Rethinking Job Search Final Report

The aim of the Rethinking workshops was to enhance job seeker motivation and self-efficacy related to job search activities, which would ultimately improve employment outcomes. The Rethinking curriculum consisted of 12 two-hour workshops held three days a week for four consecutive weeks. By the end of the grant period, Rethinking offered 157 workshop series. A total of 1,215 individuals enrolled in the workshops, which exceeded the enrollment target by 218 participants. Most participants completed the program.

The evaluation of this program consisted of an implementation study, outcomes study, and cost study. Data sources included key stakeholder interviews, participant focus groups, participant surveys, program data, and administrative data.

(The report is 102 pages long including attachments.)

Findings reported by the researchers included the following:

• Facilitator turnover in six of the eleven Rethinking sites led to delays while new facilitators were brought on board and trained. Possible explanations for the turnover included: personal reasons, staffing shifts related to funding, and low compensation.
• Workshops were implemented with fidelity to the program standards and curriculum, with little variation across sites.
• Participants’ self-ratings of their socioemotional skills, confidence, and motivation were high in both the post-workshop survey and the six-month follow-up survey.
• Rethinking participants had a 12% greater chance of being employed in the third quarter after completion and an 8% greater chance of being employed in the fourth quarter after exit compared to individuals in a matched comparison group.
• Attending more than one workshop did not increase the likelihood of employment.

The evaluator offered several recommendations for implementing similar projects in the future. These included:

1. Offer robust training of local workforce board staff regarding the workings of the program to facilitate staff knowledge of and buy-in to the program;
2. Plan for initial investment in hiring and training of facilitators;
3. Provide ongoing technical assistance to facilitators; and
4. Pay attention to the cultural relevance of the training so that it is tailored to suit the target audiences served (race, class, gender, age, and neuro-typical status).

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2019
• Author(s): McCrohan, N.; Winans, N.; Colby, A.; Burroughs, N.; Graber, C.; Corteville, L.; Price, S.
• Funding Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Wesley Peterson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies