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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

The Ready to Work Partnership Grant evaluation: Final report of the impact study of four employment services programs for the long-term unemployed (Klerman et al., 2022)

Review Guidelines

Causal Evidence Guidelines

This study was conducted by staff from Abt Associates, which co-administers CLEAR. The review of this study was conducted by ICF, which co-administers CLEAR and is trained in applying the CLEAR causal evidence guidelines. 

Citation

Klerman, J.A., Herr, J.L., & Martinson. K. (2022). The Ready to Work Partnership Grant evaluation: Final report of the impact study of four employment services programs for the long-term unemployed. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor. Rockville, MD: Abt Associates. [FLH Program]

Highlights

  • The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the Ready to Work (RTW) Partnership Grant Program on earnings and employment outcomes. This profile focuses on the Finger Lakes Hired (FLH) program. The authors investigated similar research questions for other sites, the profiles can be found here:
  • The study used a randomized controlled trial to assign participants to the FLH program or the control group. The primary data source was the National Directory of New Hires. The authors used statistical models to compare outcomes between treatment and control group participants. 
  • The study found no statistically significant effects of the Finger Lakes Hired program on average quarterly earnings or employment outcomes.  
  • This study receives a high evidence rating. This means we are confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to the Finger Lakes Hired (FLH) program and not to other factors. However, the study did not find any statistically significant effects. 

Intervention Examined

Finger Lakes Hired (FLH) Program

Features of the Intervention

In 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor funded the Ready to Work (RTW) Partnership Grant Program that provided $180 million in grants to deliver customized employment services to long-term unemployed workers (those who have been out of work for at least 27 consecutive weeks). RTW focused on employment preparation for high-growth industries and occupations, particularly those being filled by H1-B foreign workers. 

One RTW grantee was RochesterWorks!, a Workforce Investment Board for Monroe County in New York state. The grantee implemented the Finger Lakes Hired (FLH) program from January 2015 to June 2019. The FLH program operated out of three Career Centers in Monroe County and provided employment readiness courses, occupational training, and worked-based training to help individuals find employment in advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and information technology. To be eligible for the FLH program, individuals had to be unemployed for 27 consecutive weeks, have a high school degree or GED, and have an interest in seeking employment from one of the three targeted industries of the program. 

Features of the Study

The study used a randomized controlled trial to examine the impact of the FLH program on earnings and employment outcomes. Upon completion of a baseline survey at study enrollment, 610 individuals were randomly assigned to the treatment or control group. Study authors assigned 307 individuals to participate in the FLH program (treatment) and 303 individuals to the control group. Treatment participants received FLH program services. Control group participants were referred to the Career Center to meet with staff to discuss job search processes, participate in non-RTW funded workshops, and complete employment-related assessments. The study sample were primarily women (55%), White (61%), age 55 or older (31%), and had a bachelor’s degree (31%). The National Directory of New Hires was the primary data source. The authors used statistical models to compare outcomes between treatment and control group participants. 

Findings

Earnings and wages

  • The study found no significant impact of participation in the FLH program on average earnings during quarters 5 through 10 after random assignment. 

Employment

  • The study found no significant impact of participation in the FLH program on employment during quarters 5 through 10 after random assignment.  

Causal Evidence Rating

The quality of causal evidence presented in this study is high because it was based on a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. This means we are confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to Finger Lakes Hired (FLH) and not to other factors. However, the study did not find any statistically significant effects. 

Additional Sources

Herr, J. L., Klerman, J. A., & Martinson, K. (2022). The Ready to Work Partnership Grant evaluation: Technical appendix for the final report of the impact study of four employment services programs for the long-term unemployed. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor. Rockville, MD: Abt Associates. Klerman, J.A., Herr, J.L., Martinson, K., & Copson, E. (2022). The Ready to Work Partnership Grant evaluation: Findings from the interim impact study of four employment services programs for the long-term unemployed. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor. Rockville, MD: Abt Associates.

Reviewed by CLEAR

April 2024

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