Absence of conflict of interest
Citation
Hendricks, A., Mitran, A., & Ferroggiaro, E. (2018). University of the District of Columbia - Final annual evaluation report TAACCCT grant program, round 4 (Contract #: PO-GF-2015-C-0134-DJ). Fairfax, VA: ICF.
Highlights
- The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the University of the District of Columbia Community College (UDC-CC) grant-funded healthcare and hospitality programs on earnings and employment outcomes. This summary focuses on the hospitality program.
- The authors used a nonexperimental design to compare the earnings and employment outcomes of participants before and after they participated in the grant-funded hospitality program.
- The study found that program participation was significantly related to increased earnings.
- The quality of causal evidence presented in this study is low because the authors did not observe outcomes for multiple time points before the intervention nor account for selection into the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the UDC-CC grant-funded hospitality program; other factors are likely to have contributed.
Intervention Examined
The University of the District of Columbia Community College (UDC-CC) TAACCCT Hospitality program
Features of the Intervention
The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program provided $1.9 billion in grants to community colleges to improve skills and support employment in high-demand industries, notably manufacturing, health care, information technology, energy, and transportation. Through four rounds of funding, DOL awarded 256 TAACCCT grants to approximately 800 educational institutions across the United States and its territories.
The University of the District of Columbia Community College (UDC-CC) developed a program using TAACCCT grant funds to implement training pathways within the framework of the healthcare and hospitality industries. The goal was to develop a program in these high-growth, high-demand industries that addressed the needs of District employers. UDC-CC had previously received a TAACCCT grant that provided improved training pathways, focusing on low-skilled adults, both incumbent and new workers. The currently funded program expanded on the hospitality and healthcare programs by promoting lifelong learning and attainment of stackable credentials to assist participants in pursuing promising career pathways. Enhancements included contextualized and work-based learning, accelerated classes, technology-enabled classes, improved computer labs, staff and instructor development initiatives, and an improved student intake process.
Features of the Study
The study took place on the campus of the UDC-CC in Washington, District of Columbia. The authors compared the outcomes of participants before and after they participated in the hospitality program. Participants included 108 students that were enrolled in hospitality pathway program courses between Summer 2016 and Fall 2017. The four hospitality courses included (1) Guest Services—Hospitality, (2) Front Desk Representative, (3) Customer Service—Retail, and (4) Bring Your "A" Game. All participants completed the Comprehensive Adult Participant Assessment Systems exam prior to enrolling in program courses. The study used UDC-CC administrative records, follow-up surveys, and unemployment insurance data to examine the impact of the grant-funded hospitality training program on earnings and employment outcomes.
Findings
Earnings and wages
- The study found that hospitality program completion was significantly associated with increased earnings, where average quarterly wages increased from $985 to $2,197 three months after exiting the program.
Employment
- The study found no statistically significant relationships between hospitality program participation and full- or part-time employment.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The authors compared the outcomes of participants once before and once after they participated in the UDC-CC grant-funded hospitality program. CLEAR’s guidelines require that the authors observe outcomes for multiple periods before the intervention to rule out the possibility that participants had increasing or decreasing trends in the outcomes examined before enrollment in the program. Without knowing the trends before program enrollment, we cannot rule this out. Further, CLEAR’s guidelines require that the authors demonstrate that participants would not have selected into the intervention based on pre-intervention trends in the outcomes and/or their own characteristics. Because the hospitality program participants comprise only those students who applied for and were admitted to the program, they are likely different from eligible students who were not admitted or did not apply. It is possible that the characteristics of the participants led to the results, not the program itself. Therefore, the study is not eligible for a moderate causal evidence rating, the highest rating available for nonexperimental designs.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this study is low because the authors did not observe outcomes for multiple time points before the intervention nor account for selection into the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the UDC-CC grant-funded hospitality program; other factors are likely to have contributed.