Introduction
Research Questions
- What was the career progress of participants enrolled in HPOG 2.0 with respect to training completion and license or certification attainment?
- Was obtaining multiple entry-level credentials or completing multiple healthcare trainings associated with higher wages?
Between 2010 and 2021, the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program funded two rounds of grants (referred to as HPOG 1.0 and HPOG 2.0) for education, training, support services, and employment assistance to prepare Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other adults with low incomes for occupations in the healthcare field. Funded by the Office of Family Assistance of the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, HPOG supported a total of 59 grants to local programs nationwide to provide education, training, and support services (including financial and other assistance) to eligible participants. From a participant’s perspective, the goal of the HPOG Program was to increase their employment opportunities through training for healthcare professions.
An analysis of program data shows that most HPOG trainings were short-term or entry-level, and for low wage jobs. Moreover, emerging evidence from HPOG suggests that such trainings have so far not had substantial impacts on earnings among participants, compared to a control group that did not have access to HPOG trainings. That emerging evidence also suggests that longer-term trainings for mid- or higher-level jobs would substantially increase earnings. However, challenges related to academic preparation and funding living expenses during training make it difficult for many HPOG participants to enroll in longer training for jobs that would earn them higher wages.
This brief uses data from the HPOG 2.0 Program to examine the intermediate strategy of completing several shorter entry-level trainings, and the implications of doing so on participant wages. Specifically, whether participants who completed multiple entry-level trainings or certifications earned higher wages than those who completed none or just one entry-level training or obtained only one entry-level credential.
Purpose
In reporting on the career progress and wage outcomes of participants in HPOG 2.0, we provide information on the value of completing multiple entry-level trainings or obtaining multiple entry-level credentials, compared to completing one entry-level training or obtaining one entry-level credential. We provide information that can help future program operators consider whether the time and cost for participants to take multiple entry-level trainings or obtain multiple credentials will lead to improved employment opportunities.
Key Findings and Highlights
- In HPOG 2.0, far more participants completed one or more entry-level healthcare trainings than completed the mid- or high-level healthcare trainings that often lead to higher paying jobs.
- Participants who completed multiple entry-level trainings were far more likely to obtain multiple credentials than participants who completed one entry-level training.
- By a large margin, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Home Health Aide (HHA) credentials were the most common among entry-level training completers in HPOG 2.0.
- Among entry-level completers in HPOG 2.0, the top-seven most common combinations of credentials involved participants obtaining a CNA credential and at least one other entry-level credential.
- We find no evidence that participants with multiple entry-level credentials earn more than those with one entry-level credential or no credentials.
- Findings suggest that those completing multiple entry-level trainings may earn only slightly more ($0.23 per hour) than those completing one entry-level training.
Methods
The analysis in this brief was based on a subset of the 36,781 participants who were enrolled in local programs of 27 non-Tribal grantees in the HPOG 2.0 Program (from September 2016 through March 2021). The analysis relies on two linked data sources that contain information about HPOG participants: the HPOG 2.0 administrative data system called the Participant Accomplishment and Grant Evaluation System (PAGES); and the Short-term Follow-up Survey that was administered to participants who had been randomly assigned into the Impact Evaluation of the ongoing HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation conducted by Abt Associates.
For our analysis of participant wages, we use a subset of data from PAGES on 15,631 participants who completed one or more entry-level trainings and who did not complete a mid- or high-level training. To identify who completed entry-level training, we categorized the level of each occupational training by the average wages of occupation the training targeted: less than $15 per hour was entry-level, $15 to $25 was mid-level, and $25 or more was high-level. We calculate regression-adjusted wages in both PAGES and the Short-term Follow-up Survey, controlling for participant intake characteristics.
Citation
Nathan Sick. (2022). Multiple Entry-Level Trainings and Certifications for Career Progress. Results from the Health Profession Opportunity Grants Program (HPOG 2.0). OPRE Report 2022-209. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.