Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
WorkED Consulting. (2017). North Dakota State College of Science TAACCCT Project: North Dakota Advanced Manufacturing Skills Training Initiative (NDAMSTI) final evaluation report. Burke, VA: WorkED Consulting
Highlights
- The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the North Dakota Advanced Manufacturing Skills Training Initiative (NDAMSTI) on earnings and employment outcomes.
- The authors used an interrupted time series design to examine employment and earnings outcomes associated with the completion of the NDAMSTI program.
- The study found that participation in the NDAMSTI program was associated with higher hourly wages, on average. However, the study did not include tests of statistical significance.
- The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the authors did not account for trends in outcomes before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the NDAMSTI program; other factors are likely to have contributed.
Intervention Examined
The North Dakota Advanced Manufacturing Skills Training Initiative (NDAMSTI)
Features of the Intervention
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Trade Adjustment Assistance for Community Colleges 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.
North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) was awarded a TAACCCT grant to establish the North Dakota Advanced Manufacturing Skills Training Initiative (NDAMSTI). The main goal of the NDAMSTI program was to upgrade skills for trade impacted workers, other dislocated workers, and veterans to pursue jobs and careers in the high-demanding fields of welding, manufacturing, and mechatronics. Features of the program included developing and expanding online learning options, developing new curriculum tailored to adult learners, building stackable programs and credentials, expanding hours and locations for classes and access to programming, promoting degree completion options, and enhancing transfer and articulation to four-year universities.
Features of the Study
The study took place at North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) in Wahpeton, North Dakota. The authors used an interrupted time series to evaluate differences in outcomes before and after participation in the NDAMSTI program. Study participants included 80 students participating in the NDAMSTI program who completed both the baseline survey (administered at the beginning of the program) and exit survey (administered the semester that the student completed the program). Using survey, NDSCS administrative, and state employment and education data, the authors conducted statistical tests to estimate the NDAMSTI program completion impact on earnings and wages, and employment status. However, the study did not include tests of statistical significance.
Findings
Earnings and wages
- The study found that NDASMTI program completion was associated with improved wages, where participants who were employed at completion had a higher hourly wage on average ($13.82) compared to baseline wages ($10.79).
Employment
- The study did not find an association between employment status and completion of the NDASMTI program.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The authors compared the employment and earnings outcomes of participants measured once before and once after they participated in the NDASMTI 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. 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 report is low because the authors did not account for trends in outcomes before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the NDAMSTI program; other factors are likely to have contributed.