Early Outcomes Study Evaluation of the TechHire and Strengthening Working Families Initiative

The TechHire and Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) grant programs are designed to provide a range of training and supportive services that address the unique and varied challenges facing individuals who face barriers to employment while providing the skills to develop careers in H-1B industries. (H-1B visas allow employers to hire individuals from outside the United States to work in specialty occupations, such as science, engineering, and healthcare.)

The TechHire program provides accelerated skills training, whereas the SWFI initiative offers flexible training and childcare support to help adults obtain high-tech skills. The common element of these programs is an effort to help make training more accessible and connect disadvantaged populations to high-growth sectors of the labor market.

The analysis of Participant Individual Record Layout (PIRL) data provides a glimpse into the outcomes of participants. (Participant Individual Record Layout (PIRL): Data layout that provides a standardized set of data elements, definitions, and reporting instructions that will be used to describe the characteristics, activities, and outcomes of WIOA participants.) The data comes from the 11,584 TechHire and 3,101 SWFI participants who enrolled between July 2016 and December 2018. Outcomes were assessed through June 2020.

The outcomes study addresses the following research questions:

1. What are the characteristics of participants?
2. At what rates do participants engage in and complete training and receive credentials?
3. What are participants’ employment outcomes?
4. How do outcomes differ by participant characteristics?
5. What percentage of participants receive supportive services? How do supportive service participation patterns differ by participant characteristics?
6. How do outcomes differ by program strategies?

(This outcomes study is 60 pages long.)

The key findings from the outcomes study include the following:

1. TechHire participants tended to be male, younger than age 30, and White. SWFI participants were typically female, ages 30 and older, Black or Hispanic, and low income.
2. The programs achieved positive training outcomes for participants, but not all participants started training, completed training, or received credentials. TechHire participants who entered the program (received a grant-funded service), 89 percent began training, 68 percent completed training, and 50 percent received a credential. Of SWFI participants who entered the program, 75 percent began training, 57 percent completed training, and 44 percent received a credential.
3. Lower levels of education were negatively correlated with starting training, completing training, and receiving credentials.
4. In both programs, supportive service receipt was higher among females than males and among participants with low incomes than those without low incomes.
5. In both programs, higher levels of education were positively correlated with starting training, completing training, and receiving credentials. Three of four grantees offered basic skills instruction to participants, either directly or by referral. This discrepancy suggests that participants with lower levels of education may need bridge programs to increase the skills necessary to transition to training.
6. Program strategies positively correlated with training completion and/or credential receipt, including assessment for soft skills, use of multiple entry/exit points, and employer involvement in work-based learning. Program strategies negatively correlated with training completion and/or credential receipt included the use of online training, the use of accelerated training, and the provision of childcare assistance.

The authors suggest additional bridge programs to advance skills and increase support services to improve outcomes.

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2021
• Author(s): Baier, K.; Gasper, J.
• Funding Source: U.S. Department of Labor
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by:
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies