Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Highlights
- The study's objective was to examine the net impact of 12 workforce development programs in Washington state on employment, earnings, and public benefits receipt outcomes. This profile focuses on Registered Apprenticeships. The author investigated similar research questions for the net impact of other programs, the profiles can be found here:
- WIA/WIOA Adult Program
- WIA/WIOA Dislocated Worker Program
- WIA/WIOA Youth Program
- Professional-Technical Education Programs
- Worker Retraining Program
- Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) Programs
- Private Career School Programs
- Basic Education for Adults Programs
- Aerospace Training Programs
- WorkFirst Program
- Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) Program
- The study used a difference-in-differences design with a matched comparison group. Using administrative data, the author conducted statistical models to compare the outcomes of the program participants and the comparison group members one and three years after program exit.
- The study found that Registered Apprenticeship participants were significantly more likely to be employed, have higher earnings, and earn more in public benefits than comparison group members.
- This study receives a moderate evidence rating. This means we are somewhat confident that the estimated effects are attributable to Registered Apprenticeships, but other factors might also have contributed.
Intervention Examined
Registered Apprenticeship (RA)
Features of the Intervention
Registered Apprenticeships are workforce development programs that provide individuals with both classroom instruction and on-the-job training from a journey-level trade professional. Apprentices receive progressively increasing wages in these paid learning experiences as they gain more knowledge and skills related to their occupation of interest. Registered Apprenticeship programs require that participants be at least 16 years old and often require at least a high school diploma or GED. Registered Apprenticeship programs in Washington State are governed by the Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council and administered by Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries.
Features of the Study
The study used a difference-in-differences design to examine the impact of Registered Apprenticeships programs in Washington state on employment, earnings, and public benefits receipt outcomes. The author matched Registered Apprenticeship participants to similar nonparticipants using propensity scores developed from socio-demographic information. The comparison group members included individuals who registered to use Washington’s WorkSource employment centers and online job-search portals as part of the Wagner-Peyser federal program, but did not participate in the Registered Apprenticeships program. The study sample included two cohorts. The 2014-2015 cohort included 4,958 individuals (2,583 intervention and 2,375 comparison) and was predominantly male (87%), White (75%), with an average age of 31. The 2016-2017 cohort included 5,763 individuals (3,153 intervention and 2,610 comparison) and was predominantly male (87%), White (70%), with an average age of 31.
The primary data sources were administrative data from the Registered Apprenticeship programs and Washington's WorkSource employment centers and online job-search portals. The author conducted statistical models to examine differences in outcomes between the intervention and comparison groups at one year and three years after program exit. Outcomes included employment rate, quarterly hours worked, hourly wage, quarterly earnings, and quarterly Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits received.
Findings
Employment
- The study found that Registered Apprenticeship participants had significantly higher employment rates than comparison group members one year after program exit, but found no significant differences three years after exit. The program participants also had significantly more quarterly hours worked at both one year and three years after program exit.
Earnings and wages
- The study found that Registered Apprenticeship participants had significantly higher hourly wages and higher quarterly earnings than comparison group members at both one year and three years after program exit.
Public benefits receipt
- The study found that Registered Apprenticeship participants received significantly more in quarterly UI benefits than comparison group members three years after program exit, but did not find a statistically significant difference one year after program exit.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The study reports a less stringent statistical significance level, considering p-values of less than 0.10 to be significant, though it is standard practice to consider statistical significance if the p-value is less than 0.05. Only results that demonstrate a p-value of less than 0.05 are considered statistically significant in this profile.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is moderate because it was based on a well-implemented nonexperimental design. This means we are somewhat confident that the estimated effects are attributable to Registered Apprenticeships, but other factors might also have contributed.