Filling in the Missing Pieces for Job Training Programs

When it comes to employment, low-skilled workers in America face many challenges: flat wages, unsteady employment, and little career advancement prospects, to name a few. Before even facing these, many struggle just to find a job. Training programs, while abundant, often fail to equip the participants with the right skills for the right jobs. In her article entitled “WorkAdvance: Testing a New Approach to Increase Employment Advancement for Low-Skilled Adults,” Betsy Tessler from Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC) presents these facts as context for her overview of WorkAdvance, a training program designed to help low-skilled adults prepare for and succeed in the workplace.

The WorkAdvance model is developed by the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) and MDRC. It is operated by four providers in four different locations. Each provider is focusing on occupations in just one or two industry sectors. For example, Per Scholas in New York City focuses only on the IT sector, while St. Nicks Alliance in New York City focuses on environmental remediation. This approach brings several benefits. The providers bring with them deep expertise regarding employers and jobs in a particular sector. This expertise enables them to tailor pre-employment services and occupational skills training to match the requirements of prospective employers. The strong relationships with employers also make the job placement process easier for the program participants.

Two other factors distinguish the WorkAdvance model from other training programs. First, WorkAdvance provides postemployment retention and advancement services with the understanding that a job placement does not guarantee future success. Ongoing coaching and contacts with employers as well as guidance on next-step job opportunities are some of the services provided to ensure good career prospects for participants. Second, applicants to the program are screened intensively. Eligible participants are at least 18 years of age, unemployed or employed but earning a low wage (less than $15 an hour), and have a family income of less than 200 percent of the federal poverty line. Intensive screening increases not only the chance that participants complete the training, but also the likelihood that they will meet employers’ requirements.

As WorkAdvance only started in 2011, the program’s evaluation process is still in the early stage. However, there has been a rigorous framework in place to test the program’s three different aspects: implementation, impact, and cost. In terms of impact, individuals eligible for the program are randomly allocated to either the program group or the control group, allowing researchers to compare the differences in outcome between the two groups in the future.

Early evaluation suggests several important findings. Participants’ profiles reveal that they are better educated (two-thirds have a high school diploma or some college) and have more work experience (98 percent had work experience) than participants in earlier training programs. But they are still classified as low-income and include ex-offenders or people with serious employment barriers. This suggests that this is the group of people who can significantly benefit from job training programs. Another finding is that providers tailor their approaches to incorporate the new trends in the labor market, and take extra steps to support participants such as informing their family members of the job training process. This is an indicator of the providers’ efforts to go beyond what is offered in regular job training programs.

While it is still early to tell whether WorkAdvance will be a success, it is a clear attempt to bridge the skills mismatch in the job market for low-skilled workers and support them in their future career advancement. If this formula works, thousands of our low-skilled workers could greatly benefit from it.

Feature Photo: cc/(Washington State Dept)