1. TECHHIRE GRANTS MANAGEMENT PLENARY SESSION: EVALUATION OVERVIEW & UPDATE

2. TECHHIRE GRANTS MANAGEMENT PLENARY SESSION: EVALUATION UPDATE
Speakers
Molly Irwin, Chief Evaluation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor
Christina Yancey, Evaluation Team Manager, U.S. Department of Labor

3. Why the Focus on Evidence
Increased emphasis on evidence-based policymaking at all levels of government and in the private sector, for example:
The President’s FY18 budget, “An effective and efficient Federal government requires evidence—evidence about where needs are greatest, what works and what does not work, where and how programs could be improved...”
The Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking
Evidence reviews and tiered-evidence funding initiatives (including TechHire!)
Private philanthropic organizations calling for evaluation and the use of evidence
Increased emphasis on learning and program improvement on the ground

4. Why the Focus on Evidence
Plan
Use Evaluation
to Improve
Implement
Evaluate

5. What we know now
Grantees based some programs on promising practices, such as direct employer relationships, sector-based strategies, and career pathways.
Grantees are also exploring new and innovative practices, such as IT bootcamps and other rapid, rigorous training strategies.
TechHire is building new evidence across all of these strategies, partnership approaches, and target population engagement.

6. How the TechHire evaluation will build evidence
It will answer these questions:
How are the programs implemented? What factors influence implementation?
What is the impact on employment, earnings, and other outcomes?
How do effects vary by program and participant characteristics?
By implementing the following design:
Implementation study involving all TechHire programs
Impact evaluation
Random assignment with a subset of grantees
Quasi-experiment with all TechHire programs

7. Where you fit in
As partners in building evidence about workforce programs for youth so we can continue to improve the programs and outcomes for the youth we serve.

8. Overview of Evaluation Activities
Type of Information
Target Date
All Grantees
DOL WIPS data, QPRs
Quarterly
Grantee web survey
Sept 2018
Partner Information Form
July 2018
Partner web survey
Telephone interviews (Grantees and Partners)
Feb 2019
Only RCT-Grantees
Random assignment
Beginning Jan 2018
Grantee site visits
April 2018, Oct 2019
Participant surveys (6 & 18 months follow-up)
July 2018 thru June 2020

9. Grantee Responsibilities
Ongoing: Regularly update WIOA WIPS
In 2018: Complete a grantee survey on the web
Program context, partnerships, training strategies, supportive services, implementation successes and challenges, etc.
In 2019: Participate in a telephone discussion to follow-up on survey responses
In 2019: Provide contact information for key partners so the evaluation team can contact them for a survey

10. Evaluation Team Responsibilities
Keep you informed and provide updates on the research progress.
Provide technical support to ensure research is minimally burdensome.
Share research findings in a wide array of formats (brief, key takeaways + technical reports) as soon as we can.
Be available.

11. Upcoming Next Steps
Complete site visits to short list of grantees for RCT (late July 2017)
RCT sites announced (late July/August 2017)

12. Contacts Molly Irwin, Ph.D., DOL Chief Evaluation Officer
Christina Yancey, Ph.D., DOL Evaluation Lead
Joseph Gasper, Ph.D., Westat, Project Director,

13. Thank you!