Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Kelly-Smith, A., Smith, E., Bellville, J., & Hicks, B. (2018). USDOL TAACCCT: Final evaluation report. Indianapolis, IN: Thomas P. Miller & Associates.
Highlights
- The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the Accelerated Career and Education Pathway Program (ACEPP) on earnings outcomes.
- The authors used a nonexperimental design to compare earnings outcomes of students in ACEPP with a matched comparison group.
- The study found that students participating in ACEPP had significantly lower wages than students in the comparison group.
- MThe 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 the Accelerated Career and Education Pathway Program (ACEPP), but other factors might also have contributed.
Intervention Examined
The Accelerated Career and Education Pathway Program (ACEPP)
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.
Texas State Technical College of Waco received a TAACCCT grant to fund the Accelerated Career and Education Pathway Program (ACEPP), which was designed to address local manufacturers’ need for skilled workers. The training was offered at six community college campuses and focused on welding, computer numeric controls machining, and industrial maintenance. The program adapted an existing college curriculum to better align with industry certifications. In addition, the program encouraged students to take exams to earn industry certifications while covering some of the costs. To support student learning, the courses were revised to include online learning, lab-based, and hands-on instruction. ACEPP offered stacked credentials where students could leave the program after they completed individual modules, but then later receive more advanced credentials.
Features of the Study
The study used a nonexperimental design to compare the outcomes of welding students in the program to those in a matched comparison group. Data was collected from one college, Texas State Technical College, at six campuses (Waco, Red Oak, Marshall, Hutto, Fort Bend County, and Harlingen). Students in the comparison group were in welding programs that were similar to ACEPP but did not prepare students to earn an industry credential. The authors matched ACEPP participants to similar nonparticipants using propensity scores developed from demographic information. Study participants included 74 students in the treatment group and 78 in the comparison group. Using wage data from the Texas Workforce Commission, the authors compared wage outcomes between the groups using statistical models with controls for pre-program wage, quarters since completing the program, race, ethnicity, and the type of credential earned.
Findings
Earnings and wages
- The study found that ACEPP participants had significantly lower wages after completing the program than the comparison group (a difference of $2,920).
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
Although the authors used a well-implemented nonexperimental design, program participants self-selected into the treatment program. Students who self-selected into the program could differ in observable and unobservable ways, affecting the observed outcomes.
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 ACEPP, but other factors might also have contributed.