Introduction
To explore the potential of employment coaching for individuals with low incomes to help them get and retain jobs, OPRE contracted with Mathematica to conduct the Evaluation of Employment Coaching for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Related Populations. The evaluation assesses the implementation of four coaching interventions and their impacts on study participants’ self-regulation, employment, earnings, self-sufficiency, and other measures of well-being.
As part of the evaluation, the study team talked with participants to get a more complete picture of the interventions and to better understand how participants viewed the coaching, what they liked and did not like, and whether they thought it was effective. These conversations were held through in-person, in-depth interviews with 44 participants enrolled in the study who received coaching services from the studied interventions.
This brief summarizes findings from the participant interviews. Because the sample of interviewees is small, the findings might not represent the experience of all participants served by the interventions participating in the Evaluation of Employment Coaching. Instead, the findings provide a more detailed description of a select group of participants’ experiences with coaching, based on their own stories and accounts of their time in the interventions.
Purpose
This brief is intended to inform program developers, providers, and policymakers about how employment coaching is implemented from the participant perspective and to share lessons for how to improve coaching interventions.
Key Findings and Highlights
- Overall, participants reported developing strong relationships with their coaches as they worked toward achieving their goals.
- Participants thought coaching was helpful and valued the social support and the connection to resources they received.
- For improvements to the interventions, participants suggested offering additional resources and more concrete employment supports.
Methods
In spring 2019, the study team spoke with 44 program group study participants who received coaching. These participants were from all four interventions in six locations. All interviewed participants consented to being interviewed and having the discussion recorded. Interviews were held one-on-one, in-person, and lasted up to two hours. The interviews were conversational, guided by a protocol of open-ended questions and probes. This allowed interviewers to develop rapport with the participants, to help participants feel more comfortable sharing their perceptions and experiences. The participants were given $50 as a token of appreciation. The interviews were recorded and then transcribed. They were held in a community location instead of in the programs’ offices to ensure participants felt they could speak candidly about their experiences. Locations included libraries, mental health centers, Head Start centers, and community colleges.
Citation
Joyce, Kristen (2021). “Employment Coaching: What Do Participants Say?” OPRE Report #2021-172. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.