Public Policy and Methodological Issues in the Design and Evaluation of Employment and Training Programs at the Service Delivery Area Level: Dissertation Summary

Authors

Carolyn Heinrich, The University of ChicagoFollow

Award Type

First Prize, Co-winner

Dissertation Advisor

James Heckman

Abstract

In my dissertation research, I investigated concerns raised over the past decade about the characteristics of clients selected to participate in JTPA, the quality of job-training services provided, and the long-term benefits of these services. Earlier, state-level studies suggested that more "job-ready" clients were being enrolled, and that performance standards encouraged shorter-term services that were less likely to produce lasting program impacts for participants. The federal government made changes to JTPA in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the intention of encouraging the enrollment of more disadvantaged clients and the provision of more intensive training and supportive services.

Link to dissertation full text