Study Details | Pathways to Work

26712.05-Wisconsin Regional T

Study quality: Low

Low

Reason for the rating: This study received a low study quality rating because it is a quasi-experimental design that does not demonstrate that the intervention and comparison groups were sufficiently similar before the intervention.

Intervention: Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Construction Pathway

Population and employment barriers: Unemployed

Services provided: Education, Training, Occupational or sectoral training, Apprenticeships, Job search assistance

Setting: Tested in multiple settings

Study design

Design:

Quasi-experimental design

Study group formation:

Unemployed workers and other job seekers interested in construction careers were enrolled in the program; however, workers who were employed at enrollment were excluded from the study. Participants enrolled between January 2010 and February 2012. Using propensity score matching, evaluators found a comparison group of similar unemployed workers who were located in the same area and pursued state employment and training services during the same period. Individuals in the two study conditions were matched on individual characteristics and employment history. The program enrolled 1,103 unemployed participants, who were matched with 35,482 possible comparison group members. The analysis excluded 12 participants who did not have a match in the comparison group, for a total of 1,091 participants and 29,491 comparison group members.

Time period of study:

Participants enrolled from January 2010 to February 2012. Their outcomes were analyzed through the end of 2012.

Pathways only reports results from studies with a study quality rating of high or moderate.

Sample characteristics

The majority of participants were male (91 percent) and had a high school diploma or higher education (83 percent). About 52 percent were younger than age 35. Thirty-nine percent were Black and 36 percent were White. All participants were unemployed at the time of program entry.

Sex

Female	9%
Male	91%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	39%
White, not Hispanic	36%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	17%
Unknown, not reported, or other	8%

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were unemployed

100%

Participant education

Had some postsecondary education	3%
Had a high school diploma or GED	83%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	17%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, a regional partnership of employers, unions, and workers, as well as government organizations, community organizations, and training providers.

Intervention services:

Unemployed workers interested in construction careers could receive a variety of trainings and services based on a needs assessment. The program offered tutoring, pre-apprenticeship training, occupational training (certificates in trades such as bricklaying, carpentry, electrical work, labor, and painting), and apprenticeships, as well as job search assistance and referrals to partner employers.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

Unemployed workers in the comparison group could receive state employment and training services from the Wisconsin employment exchange agency.

Study publications

Michaelides, Marios, Peter Mueser, Scott Davis, and Kassim Mbwana (2016). Quasi-Experimental Impact Study of NFWS/SIF Workforce Partnership Programs: Evidence on the Effectiveness of Workforce Partnership Programs in Ohio and Wisconsin. Columbia, MD: IMPAQ International, LLC. Available at https://americorps.gov/sites/default/files/evidenceexchange/JFF_Final%20Report_3.10.17_1.pdf.

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Study of Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Construction Pathway