Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Mabe, W. (2016). Camden County College’s Trade Adjustment Assistance for Community College Career Training grant: Training outcomes final evaluation report. New Brunswick, NJ: Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
Highlights
- The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the Camden County College (CCC) workforce development program on earnings and employment outcomes.
- Using the New Jersey Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage record data system., the author conducted a nonexperimental design to compare earnings and employment outcomes of students enrolled in the workforce development program to a matched comparison group.
- The study found that participation in the workforce development program was associated with higher levels of employment and higher wages in the first two quarters after graduation. However, the study did not include tests of significance.
- The quality of the causal evidence presented in this report is low because the author did not ensure that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the CCC workforce development program; other factors are likely to have contributed.
Intervention Examined
The Camden County College Workforce Development Program
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.
In 2012, Camden County College (CCC) received a TAACCCT grant to develop and implement flexible workforce programs in advanced manufacturing, utilities, and transportation and logistics. The goal of CCC’s workforce development program was to meet job seeker and employer needs throughout the state of New Jersey. CCC used labor market information and discussions with employers to identify demand for jobs and common skill and credential requirements. Next, they developed a customized curriculum resulting in industry-recognized credentials, and used staff from the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development to place graduates into jobs.
Features of the Study
The study used a nonexperimental design to compare the outcomes of students who participated in the CCC workforce development program to students who completed comparable training programs at other institutions in New Jersey. The author matched workforce development students to similar students on one earnings variable and one employment variable. Study participants included 264 students in the treatment group and 152 students in the comparison group. Data were drawn from the New Jersey Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage record data system. The author examined employment status change three quarters before and three quarters after training. The author also compared the treatment and comparison groups on the differences in average earnings before and after the training programs. However, the study did not include tests of significance.
Findings
Earnings and wages
- The study found that program participation was associated with higher wages, with CCC workforce development program students having higher wages than students in the comparison group in the first two quarters after graduation. However, the two groups had similar wages in quarters 3 and 4.
Employment
- The study found that program participation was associated with higher employment rates, with CCC workforce development program students having higher employment rates than students in the comparison group in the first two quarters after graduation. However, the two groups had similar employment rates in quarters 3 and 4.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The author did not account for preexisting differences between the groups before the CCC workforce development program, such as race/ethnicity, age, or gender. These preexisting differences between the groups—and not the program—could explain the observed differences in outcomes. 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 the causal evidence presented in this report is low because the author did not ensure that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the CCC workforce development program; other factors are likely to have contributed.
Additional Sources
Cleary, J. M. (2015). An evaluation of Camden County College’s Trade Adjustment Assistance for Community College Career Training grant: Year 1 program implementation. New Brunswick, NJ: Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.