Evaluation of Travis County Investments in Workforce Development 2019 Update

This evaluation examines outcomes and impacts for participants in the Travis County-funded community-based workforce programs exiting services in FY 2016–FY 2018. To understand the impact of these services, the county has contracted with the Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources (RMC) at the University of Texas at Austin to conduct a longitudinal evaluation of its investments. This workforce development evaluation report presents the analysis of outcomes and estimated net impacts of these investments in the programs funded the first three years of a five year on-going evaluation (FY 2016–FY 2020). The first section presents an overview of the evaluation questions and research methods, followed by separate sections for each of the providers examined. Each provider section includes a brief profile of the provider and its workforce development program(s), a summary of participant demographic characteristics obtained at the time of program entry, and details outcomes and impacts for participants who exited the program during FY 2016–FY 2018. Findings examine Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage data for the quarter the client exited services, four quarters prior to entering the program, and up to 12 quarters post-exit. Findings examine results in the post-service period through March 31, 2019, the latest quarter for which UI wage data are available. The final section summarizes evaluation findings from FY 2016–FY 2018. Outcomes and impacts vary across the spectrum of grantees as would be expected given their varying services regimes, and the unique barriers to training and employment experienced by the target populations each organization serves.Travis County Health and Human ServicesRay Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resource