The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act WIOA Research Portfolio A Research Evidence Scan

The four main topic areas were selected because they are viewed as critical to the success of job seekers and employers, and they include interventions that offer the potential to be rigorously evaluated. The brief describes strategies associated with each area; discusses existing evidence on the effectiveness of those strategies and evaluations currently underway; and summarizes the knowledge gaps in the existing evidence base.

Case Management: This is one-on-one assistance or individual counseling focused on providing supports and information to assist individuals with immediate and long-term goal achievement. Under WIOA, this type of individualized assistance includes activities such as career planning, skills and needs assessments, job search assistance, and referrals for supportive services. Case management services are also a critical component of programs funded by WIOA Youth, but the services offered by these programs generally differ from those provided to adults and are discussed in the youth services section.

Integrated Service Delivery: Creating more closely integrated services across programs has been an important principle of WIOA. It can impact all areas of operations, including case management approaches, training, staffing, funding, and administration Conceptually, integrated service delivery applies to all WIOA programs and populations, including WIOA Youth programs.

Training Models: Work-based learning program models provide participants with opportunities to apply general skills related to holding a job in a real-world setting. Career pathways programs allow participants to progress through education and training in multiple discrete, stackable components in particular sectors by offering a clear sequence of education coursework or training credentials aligned with employer-validated work readiness standards and competencies.

Youth Services: Because the WIOA Youth funding stream supports many different programs and services, there is not a single WIOA Youth program that could be rigorously evaluated. However, there have been several evaluations of programs serving youth populations, many of which include components similar to those funded through WIOA Youth, or have used WIOA Youth funds to support their services.

(This report is 40 pages long.)

Selected examples of the knowledge gaps that the researchers found in each topic area follow:

Case Management

• What are the most effective case management models, and in what settings?
• How does the administration of case management models vary by state and locality, such as the availability of one-on-one services, time spent with counselors, level of intensity of counseling sessions, and specific types of services?
• Could navigator, coaching, intrusive advising, strengths-based, or trauma-informed models developed in contexts outside of WIOA be effective for WIOA participants?
• In terms of post-employment, does the level of coordination between counseling staff and employers impact the effectiveness of post-employment counseling.

Integrated Service Delivery

• Is service integration an effective strategy for improving outcomes of program participants? Which aspects of integration are effective at meeting the goals of an integrated approach, such as reducing barriers for participants or increasing access to partner programs?
• What is the level and type of integration seen at the state and local levels among WIOA programs? Does state-level coordination impact local-level service delivery, and if so, how?
• Which aspects of WIOA, including service delivery strategies, would benefit most from integrating services? Are certain aspects or strategies more challenging or costly to integrate?

Training Models

• What are the impacts of work-based learning strategies such as apprenticeship and on-the-job training implemented under WIOA?
• What types of employer partnerships help make work-based learning successful?
• What initiatives help increase training completion, obtaining credentials, and obtaining jobs in the field of training?
• What are the impacts of including additional supportive services along with employment training models?

Youth Services:

• What combination of training, case management, supportive services, follow-up services, and other youth program elements contribute to positive impacts for youth?
• How do models that provide comprehensive, sector-based education and training compare to models that provide more limited work experience?
• What are the impacts of programs directed specifically toward those out of school and those with barriers to employment?
• How do impacts on youth served by programs supported by WIOA Youth compare to impacts on similar youth participating in programs serving broader populations?

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2021
• Author(s): Deutsch, J., Allison-Clark, K., Yañez, A.
• Funding Source: U.S. Department of Labor
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Wesley Peterson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies