CEO Library

In 2016, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office, in partnership with the Employment and Training Administration, contracted with Westat and its partner MDRC (the evaluation team) to conduct an evaluation of the strategies used in the H-1B TechHire Partnership (TechHire) and Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) grant programs and measure the programs’ impacts on participants’ outcomes. DOL and the evaluation team selected five of the 53 TechHire and SWFI programs to participate in a randomized controlled trial, or impact study.

Program developers and program staff need to understand how participant characteristics relate to training completion so that they can identify strategies and services needed for success and design programs to encourage training completion. The H-1B TechHire Partnership Grants (TechHire) and the Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) were designed to provide funding for programs that would make training more accessible to individuals who might otherwise experience barriers to training and employment.

In 2016, the Chief Evaluation Office of the Department of Labor (DOL) contracted with Westat and its partner MDRC (the evaluation team) to conduct an evaluation of the strategies used in the H-1B TechHire Partnership (TechHire) and Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) grant programs and measure the programs’ impacts. This short paper describes the labor market outcomes of participants in the grant programs, combining data from two administrative sources.

Interest and participation in short-term training programs have increased in recent years, highlighting the need to understand how program participants’ employment and earnings change over time. Looking only at participants’ average outcomes at specific points in time overlooks the potential variation in people’s experiences over time.

This brief presents findings from the exploratory study to examine the feasibility of implementing a Unemployment Insurance (UI) program in Guam. It identifies factors relevant to UI program implementation in Guam and describes five potential UI program design options, specifying how the factors would work for Guam depending on program design option.

Technical appendix to Exploring Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program Options for Guam: Options Brief. The appendix describes the exploratory study in depth, identifying the research questions, methodology, and limitations as well presents the data analyzed that support the information provided in the brief it supplements.

In 2024, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Employment and Training Administration to fund Mathematica and its partners, American Institutes for Research and MEF Associates, to conduct the Evaluation of Wagner Peyser Act Employment Service Operations. The impact and implementation studies of the evaluation aim to provide critical information to DOL, state workforce agencies, and other stakeholders about how the Employment Service is implemented across the nation and the effectiveness of the state merit staffing model and alternate staffing arrangements.

Appendix to the Tracking Changes in Program Implementation: Findings from Multiple Rounds of the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) Implementation Survey Issue Brief.

A 2022 implementation study report drew on data from three waves of a web-based survey of all state RESEA directors. Since completion of that report, the study team conducted a fourth survey wave. Relying on these longitudinal data, this brief addresses the following research questions: 

In 2023, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to fund contractor Abt Global (Abt) and its subcontractors, MDRC, Social Policy Research Associates (SPR), and Trewon Technologies, to conduct the Sectoral Strategies and Employer Engagement Portfolio Services Project (SSEEP).

The report provides analysis of intermediate impacts on participation in and completion of TechHire and Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) programs training, receipt of credentials, and use of child care and other services, as well as on longer-term outcomes such as employment and earnings, advancement and job quality, and other, exploratory outcomes such as overall well-being, health, and housing status at about 2 years following random assignment. 

In 2023, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Employment and Training Administration, to contract with Abt Global and Needels Consulting, to conduct the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Administrative Costs Study under the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) Evidence Building Portfolio Project of studies.

The brief focuses on the 22 Pathway Home grants awarded in 2021 and describes the grantees’ experiences during their first year of implementation. This brief discusses the grants and describes the types of organizations funded, their locations, staffing structures, partnerships, and the services provided.

The brief focuses on the 22 Pathway Home grants awarded in 2021 and describes the grantees’ experiences during their first year of implementation. This brief details how the Pathway Home grantees implemented services and established community partnerships provide community-based services that address participant needs and help connect them to employment opportunities.

The brief focuses on the 22 Pathway Home grants awarded in 2021 and describes their experiences establishing the pre-release components of their programs during their first year of implementation. This brief describes how the Pathway Home grantees awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2021 established programs within correctional facilities, including the challenges they encountered and the solutions they identified to address those challenges.

In 2023, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO), partnering with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and the Guam Department of Labor, commissioned Summit Consulting, LLC, to understand the feasibility of implementing an unemployment insurance (UI) program in Guam under the Administrative Data Research and Analysis portfolio of studies.

In 2022, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Wage and Hour Division to fund contractor Westat to conduct the National Worker Survey project. This survey is intended to gather data to understand the prevalence and nature of violations of workers’ rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), with a focus on wages, pay, and hours worked, as well as other topics.

In 2016, the Chief Evaluation Office partnered with the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) to fund researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to understand the prevalence, nature, and possible consequences of working conditions on employment and health status of the Central American workforce, with a particular focus on work-related violence.

The report discusses and presents the outputs of a Cooperative Agreement between The University of Texas School Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health and the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) and the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

The brief examines one aspect of the Job ChalleNGe grants – the goal of serving more court-involved youth. It draws on findings from multiple data sources including two rounds of site visits, a background information form, a follow-up survey with Job ChalleNGe participants, program records, and postsecondary and criminal justice administrative records.

In 2016, the Chief Evaluation Office partnered with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to fund contractors Mathematica and Social Policy Research Associates to conduct the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Implementation Study.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 included multiple provisions to strengthen service quality, access, accountability, and coordination across many programs. The report focuses on implementation of WIOA’s changes to various aspects of performance accountability and in other data-driven areas under the law, as related to the “core” workforce programs for Titles I and III.

The technical appendix to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Implementation Study that focused on the core workforce programs authorized under WIOA Title I (Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Services) and Title III (Employment Services) and examined integration with programs under Titles II (Adult Education and Family Literacy) and IV (Vocational Rehabilitation), and other partners.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 included multiple provisions to strengthen service quality, access, accountability, and coordination across many programs. The report focuses on implementation of key changes to the Title I Adult and Dislocated Worker programs under WIOA. Discussed are the successes and challenges, promising practices, and possible areas for further technical assistance related to WIOA for these two programs.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 included multiple provisions to strengthen service quality, access, accountability, and coordination across many programs. The report focuses on implementation of WIOA’s changes to various aspects of the WIOA Title I Youth program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. The report covers changes regarding funding, service delivery approaches, performance accountability, and program elements.