In Simple Words
Upfront applicant screening functions like an entry audit before training begins. Program operators evaluate candidates' basic reading and math skills—typically requiring 6th to 10th grade reading levels or a high school diploma/GED—alongside personal motivation assessments to ensure program resources concentrate on individuals equipped to complete rigorous certification courses.
Job seekers at Per Scholas in New York
- Without WorkAdvance
- 20% worked in IT in year two
- With WorkAdvance
- 61% worked in IT in year two
At Per Scholas, a screened sectoral program, 61% of trainees versus 20% of controls worked in IT in year two. The source does not compare screening with no screening, and calls wider eligibility an open question.
See source →Research question
Intensive workforce training programs often experience high dropout rates and sub-optimal impacts when enrolled candidates lack the foundational math, literacy, or baseline commitment required to master technical curricula. Untargeted enrollment can lead to misallocated training funds and lower completion rates.
Participants
Human adult job seekers screened across evaluated sectoral programs (e.g., Per Scholas requiring 10th-grade literacy/math and high school diploma/GED; JVS Boston requiring 6th-8th grade testing).
Study Design
Synthesis of screening practices across four randomized evaluations of nine sectoral training providers (Maguire et al. 2010; Hendra et al. 2016; Fein et al. 2018).
Results
Mandatory upfront screening ensures candidate readiness for technical training; programs utilizing strict screening achieved up to a 41 percentage point increase in targeted sector employment (61% vs. 20%, p < 0.01) and 19.6% long-term earnings increases (p < 0.01).
Takeaway
Incorporate mandatory pre-enrollment literacy and math assessments alongside motivational evaluations to select candidates most prepared for sector-specific technical training.
Source and citation
See source →Read alongside the research
Plain-English glossary
Original explanations, informed by the references below. Examples are illustrations, not data from the studies above. The research text stays unchanged.
- Percentage points
The difference between two percentages.
ExampleA rise from 40% to 50% is 10 percentage points. Relative to the starting value, that is a 25% increase.
Office for National Statistics · Percentages ↗Read more about percentage points →