Learning from the Existing Knowledge Base│ The PROMISE Center
Sectoral training programs aim to give workers the skills they need to secure good jobs in growing industries and occupations. This approach is notable. Despite decades of research demonstrating that most employment training programs have limited effects on participants’ employment and earnings, recent studies have identified a small set of sectoral programs that have significantly increased participants’ earnings, even multiple years after their participation.
Through the PROMISE Center, AIR is closely examining the evidence base on these programs—focusing initially on three of the most successful: Per Scholas, Project Quest, and Year Up—to understand how and why these programs have been able to effect such changes where so many others have failed.
Our Work
PROMISE Center researchers are conducting two important and critically needed studies to help identify the components, practices, and other factors that may help make some programs effective:
Implementation Evidence Review of Sectoral Programs
The PROMISE Center team is conducting a structured review and synthesis of the implementation evidence on sectoral programs to identify promising practices, challenges, and lessons learned, as well as to develop hypotheses that can be further tested in our meta-analysis. Three programs that have demonstrated long-term impacts on participants’ earnings—Project Quest, Year Up, and Per Scholas—will be at the center of the study.
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Rigorous Research Evidence on Sectoral Programs
In partnership with AIR’s Methods of Synthesis and Integration Center (MOSAIC), PROMISE Center researchers are conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence on sectoral and related workforce training approaches. In this study, we will identify effective models, key components, and other factors that contribute to program effectiveness.
