This study was conducted by staff from Abt Associates, which co-administers CLEAR. The review of this study was conducted by ICF, which co-administers CLEAR and is trained in applying the CLEAR implementation study guidelines.
Citation
Highlights
- The study’s objective was to examine the implementation of the Ready to Work Partnership Grant program which provides grants to local organizations to enhance job opportunities in their communities and lower unemployment rates. This profile focuses on the Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) program.
- The study authors conducted an implementation evaluation using administrative data from the JVS program and qualitative data obtained through interviews with program staff and partners/employers collaborating with the JVS program.
- The study found that each JVS program funded by the Ready to Work grant had high participation and completion rates and that staffing agencies played an important role in helping participants secure employment.
- The authors did not provide detailed information about steps taken to ensure data quality and their approach to data analysis.
- The companion impact study was reviewed by CLEAR in April 2024 and can be found here: The Ready to Work Partnership Grant evaluation: Final report of the impact study of four employment services programs for the long-term unemployed (Klerman et al., 2022)
Intervention Examined
Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) Program
Features of the Intervention
- Type of organization: Nonprofit organization
- Location/setting: Multi-site in California
- Population served and scale: Long-term Unemployed or Underemployed; 1,006 participants served
- Industry focus: Information Technology (IT)
- Intervention activities: Employment training courses and job search assistance
- Organizational partnerships: Local employers
- Cost: Not Included
- Fidelity: Not Included
The Ready to Work (RTW) grant program, funded and administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), awarded grants to local organizations to improve the long-term employment prospects of their local community and to reduce unemployment. In response to the 2008-2009 recession and rise in long-term unemployment, the DOL awarded $180 million in grants in 2014 to offer tailored employment services to individuals who had been out of work for 27 weeks or more. The grants focused on employment in high-growth industries and occupations, specifically those being filled by H1-B foreign workers.
One RTW grantee was Jewish Vocational Services (JVS), a nonprofit workforce development organization in the San Francisco Bay area. The grantee implemented two programs, Skills to Work in Technology and Job Search Accelerator, for long-term unemployed workers. The Skills to Work in Technology program offered training courses for information technology (IT) employment, while the Job Search Accelerator program offered a two-week program dedicated to job search and readiness skills. To be eligible for the JVS programs, individuals had to be at least 18 years old, legally permitted to work in the United States, residents of the counties served by JVS, possess a high school diploma, and have experienced long-term unemployment. JVS also targeted individuals who had experience or related college education in the IT industry.
Features of the Study
The study authors conducted an implementation evaluation of the JVS program and collected data through site visits and three rounds of in-person interviews with grantee program administrators, line staff, and organizational partners between 2016 and 2018. Additionally, to examine participation patterns, the study analyzed program administrative data. The study primarily intended to examine how the program evolved over the four-year grant period and analyze participation patterns. Study authors did not provide specific details regarding the qualitative and administrative data methods of analysis.
Findings
Intervention Activities/Services
- The study found that IT training programs, especially the Salesforce Administration course, were beneficial to both participants and employers as they addressed a specific demand in the local job market.
Implementation Challenges and Solutions
- The study found that amid a competitive IT job market in the Bay Area, working with staffing agencies assisted participants in securing temporary, permanent, and contractor roles. This partnership helped mitigate employers' reluctance to hire individuals who had experienced prolonged unemployment.
- As the labor market improved over the grant period, JVS adjusted their screening processes and support services to assist the long-term unemployed with greater barriers to employment in the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding counties.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
While the implementation evaluation of the JVS program mainly relied on site visits and interviews with program staff, the study authors did not provide details of how they analyzed the data or ensured the quality of the site visits and interviews.