In Simple Words
WorkAdvance operates like a customized bridge between job seekers and high-growth local businesses. Instead of placing workers in any available job, the program screens candidates for basic skills, delivers targeted technical training alongside workplace soft skills, and connects trainees directly to employers in sectors like IT, manufacturing, and healthcare. Afterwards, career coaches remain attached to participants post-hire to resolve workplace hurdles and foster long-term career growth.
Job seekers in four WorkAdvance sites
- Without WorkAdvance
- Group used for comparison
- With WorkAdvance
- Earnings about $1,945 higher in year two
Across the four WorkAdvance providers, year-two earnings were about $1,945, or 14%, higher than the control group’s. This is a whole-program pooled result; it does not imply that every provider had the same effect.
See source →Research question
Non-college educated workers face severe wage stagnation and structural hurdles when attempting to transition into high-paying occupations. Traditional employment programs often focus on rapid job placement without targeting high-growth sectors, failing to produce durable wage increases.
Participants
Human adult job seekers across four operating providers: Towards Employment (Ohio), Madison Strategies (Oklahoma), St. Nick's Alliance (Brooklyn, NY), and Per Scholas (Bronx, NY).
Study Design
Multi-site Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) evaluated by Hendra et al. (2016) and Schaberg and Greenberg (2020), measuring participant outcomes at 2-year, 5-year, and 6-year post-enrollment intervals.
Results
Pooled earnings across all four providers increased by $1,945 (a 14% increase, p < 0.01) in Year 2 and $2,716 (a 11.5% increase, p < 0.01) in Year 5. Mature providers yielded higher impacts; Per Scholas participants achieved a 41 percentage point increase in IT sector employment in Year 2 (61% vs. 20%, p < 0.01) and a 19.6% long-term earnings gain in Year 6 (p < 0.01).
Takeaway
Establish a multi-site sectoral training initiative that mandates pre-enrollment skill screening, industry-aligned technical certifications, and dedicated post-placement retention coaching.
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 →- Randomized controlled trial
A study that uses chance, like drawing lots, to decide who receives each option being compared. Researchers compare the groups’ outcomes to estimate the effect of those options.
ExampleA lottery assigns volunteers to a training programme or a comparison group. Researchers then compare their outcomes.
GET-IT glossary · Randomized study ↗Read more about randomized controlled trial →