Citation
Maguire, S., Freely, J., Clymer, C., Conway, M. & Schwartz, D. (2010). Tuning in to local labor markets: Findings from the Sectoral Employment impact study. Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures. [Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership]
Highlights
- The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership’s (WRTP) sectoral employment program on earnings and employment.
- The study was based on a randomized controlled trial and it estimated the effect of offering eligible WRTP applicants the program by using survey data to compare average outcomes among those offered access to the program against the average outcomes of those excluded, after adjusting for differences between the groups.
- The study found that being offered access to the WRTP’s sectoral employment program increased earnings by $6,255, on average, over the two years after acceptance to the program.
- The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is high because it was based on a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. This means we are confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the WRTP’s sectoral employment program, and not to other factors.
Intervention Examined
Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership’s (WRTP) Sectoral Employment Program
Features of the Intervention
The WRTP provided short-term training programs, typically lasting two to eight weeks, to address employers’ needs in the construction, manufacturing, and health care sectors. The WRTP also provided case management and job placement assistance.
Features of the Study
This study was based on a randomized controlled experiment conducted in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Analyses were based on 335 eligible applicants for the WRTP sectoral employment program who were randomly assigned to a treatment group that was allowed to participate in the program or to a control group that was not allowed to participate, but could access services at other providers. The authors estimated the impact of the program by comparing average outcomes among those offered access to the program against the average outcomes of those excluded, after adjusting for chance differences between the groups.
Findings
- The study found that being offered access to the WRTP’s sectoral employment program increased earnings by $6,255, on average, over the two years after acceptance to the program.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The authors did not provide analytical sample sizes by treatment and control group, but attrition was rated low under a worst-case scenario of all attrition occurring in one group.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is high because it was based on a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. This means we are confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the WRTP’s sectoral employment program, and not to other factors.