An Evaluation of Workforce Development Services in Travis County

Description

For more than nineteen years, Travis County has invested millions of dollars in workforce development programs for disadvantaged residents. The purpose of the evaluation is to examine outcomes and impacts for participants in Travis County-funded community-based workforce programs over time and to provide recommendations and support for County and provider staff based on data analysis and best practice research. Seven providers with long standing County contracts have been the focus of an ongoing evaluation of the outcomes and impacts of local workforce services investments led by the Ray Marshall Center since 2006:

• American YouthWorks
• Austin Academy
• Austin Area Urban League
• Goodwill Industries of Central Texas
• Skillpoint Alliance
• Workforce Solutions–Capital Area Workforce Board
• Capital IDEA

Researchers at the Ray Marshall Center have produced a series of reports documenting the employment outcomes and impacts for participants from these programs over time. Findings from this evaluation have also been presented to the local workforce board, the County Commissioners Court, and at Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) fall research conferences.

Other Social Services

Recently, the evaluation has expanded to include an analysis of other County-funded social services for disadvantaged residents.  The first phase of this evaluation component focuses on analysis of historical Family Support Services (FSS) program data.  Specifically, Travis County HHS has asked the RMC to review the evaluation design and methods implemented by BSS (Best Single Source), to create a parallel evaluation of the standard delivery of services (EACO or Emergency Assistance County Only), to help implement the evaluation, and to analyze and report on the results.  The second phase of the evaluation will benchmark Travis County’s program with support programs offered by similar counties in Texas and beyond.