Career Pathways Intermediate Outcomes (CPIO) Study

2014-2021

PACE and HPOG 1 Logo

The Career Pathways Intermediate Outcomes (CPIO) Study rigorously evaluated the intermediate impact of career pathways programs first studied in the federally-sponsored Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Impact Study and Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) Project. CPIO used administrative data and survey responses to examine intermediate impacts on educational progress, labor market outcomes, and family well-being approximately three years after participants were randomly assigned into either a treatment group that could access the career pathways program or to a control group that could not. Long-term program impacts were assessed at approximately six years after enrollment into the study through the Career Pathways Long-term Outcomes (CPLO) Study.

Key evaluation questions addressed in these studies include:

  • What are the intermediate effects of the PACE and HPOG programs on their populations of interest?
  • How do effects of career pathways programs vary over time, across outcomes or domains, by occupational sector, by program model, and by participant characteristics?
  • How can career pathways models be adjusted to promote longer-term outcomes for participants?

The project released analysis plans for the PACE and HPOG Impact follow-up studies, which supplement earlier published analysis plans and provide more information about how the intermediate impact analyses were conducted. Reports for each of the nine PACE programs and the HPOG Impact Study were released in 2020 and 2021. The project also published a three-year cross-site report summarizing the findings from all ten programs. The study also conducted cost benefit analyses for selected PACE programs.

This work was conducted by Abt Associates and its partners MEF Associates and The Urban Institute.

Points of contact: Nicole Constance and Amelia Popham.

This study has registered the following impact evaluations on the Open Science Framework:

Information collections related to this project were reviewed and approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs under OMB #0970-0394 (HPOG 1.0) and #0970-0397 (PACE). Related materials are available at the HPOG 1.0 and PACE Information collection pages on RegInfo.gov.

The most currently approved documents are accessible by clicking on the ICR Ref. No. with the most recent conclusion date. To access the information collections (E.g. interviews, surveys, protocols), click on View Information Collection (IC) List. Click on View Supporting Statement and Other Documents to access other supplementary documents.

Data from PACE and many of the HPOG 1.0 and HPOG 2.0 evaluations are archived through the Child and Family Data Archive. See OPRE’s Archived Data page for more information.

 

Related Resources

Out of the 10 evaluations (9 PACE evaluations plus the HPOG 1.0 Impact Study), most programs had large impacts on credential receipt and more modest impacts on training duration but only one had earnings impacts.

VIDA increased receipt of a college credential requiring a year or more of college, the confirmatory outcome in the education domain for this report but did not have a detectable impact on earnings in quarters 12-13, the confirmatory outcome in the employment domain.

I-BEST had a large impact on receipt of any college credential but had no impact on receipt of credentials requiring a year or more of college study—the confirmatory outcome in the education domain and no detectable impact on average quarterly earnings in follow-up quarters 12-13, using administrative data—the confirmatory outcome in the employment domain.

Carreras increased receipt of a college credential requiring a year or more of training but not earnings at the three-year follow-up, the two confirmatory outcomes in this report.

After 3 years, WTA Connect modestly increased the receipt of exam-based credentials, but had no detectable impact on average quarterly earnings in follow-up quarters 12 and 13 (the study’s confirmatory outcome) or on employment.

This report presents further evidence on the impacts of Year Up, a national training program for young adults aged 18-24 with high school credentials. Specifically, it extends earlier analyses to cover a three to five-year follow-up period and provides a cost-benefit analysis.

This report documents the impacts of the Patient Care Pathway Program (PCPP) three years after random assignment. Operated between 2011 and 2014 by Madison Area Technical College (hereafter referred to as “Madison College”) in Madison, Wisconsin, PCPP aimed to help low-skilled adults access and complete occupational training in the growing healthcare sector.

The Workforce Development Council of Seattle—King County’s Health Careers for All program aimed to help low-income adults, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients, access and complete healthcare occupational training that could lead to increased employment and higher earnings. It is one of nine programs being evaluated under the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) project sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the...

This report documents the impacts three years after random assignment for the Bridge to Employment in the Healthcare Industry program, operated between 2010 and 2015 by the San Diego Workforce Partnership in San Diego, California. Bridge to Employment aims to help low-income adults, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients, enroll in and complete occupational healthcare training and find healthcare employment...

This report documents the impacts three years after random assignment for the Pathways to Healthcare program, operated by Pima Community College and Pima County One Stop in Tucson, Arizona. The program aimed to help low-income, low-skilled adults access and complete occupational training that could lead to increased employment and higher earnings. Pathways to Healthcare consisted of five elements...

In 2010, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the first round of five-year Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG 1.0) to 32 organizations in 23 states; five were tribal organizations. The purpose of the HPOG Program is to provide education and training to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low-income individuals for occupations in the healthcare field...

In 2010, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the first round of five-year grants for the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG 1.0) Program to 32 organizations in 23 states, including five tribal organizations. The purpose of the HPOG Program...

The Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) evaluation is a study of nine promising programs that use a “career pathways” framework for increasing education, employment, and self-sufficiency among low-income individuals and families. Funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF)...

This document lays out a plan for the cost-benefit analyses (CBAs) that will be conducted for up to six of the nine Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) programs. The Career Pathways Intermediate Outcomes (CPIO) study is evaluating the intermediate impacts and outcomes of the PACE programs. The CBAs cover the three-year period after study enrollment...