An Evaluation of Travis County Investments in Workforce Development: 2025 Update
An Evaluation of Travis County Investments in Workforce Development: 2025 Update Report Appendices
Authors: Cynthia Juniper, Patty Rodriguez, David McCoy, Thomas Boswell, and Heath Prince (Principal Investigator)
Date: December 2025
Publication Type: Report, 123 pp.
INTRODUCTION
Each year, Travis County (the “County”) invests in a range of workforce development activities and social services to support low-income residents who tend to face challenges to steady employment with sufficient earnings to support themselves and their families economically. In 2023, Travis County issued a request for proposals for a five-year funding period, FY 2024 – FY 2028. The County contracted with eight providers to deliver workforce development services. These services span basic ESL/ABE/GED preparation, job search, and job readiness training through postsecondary vocational training, certification, and degree attainment, as well as follow-up and supportive services.
To understand program participant outcomes and the impact of these services, the county has contracted with the Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources (RMC), an organized research unit in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas, to conduct a longitudinal evaluation of its investments.
The following report section presents an overview of the evaluation questions and research methods, followed by separate sections for each of the education/training providers examined. Each provider section includes a brief profile of the provider and its workforce development program(s), and support services, a summary of participant demographic characteristics reported at the time of program entry, employment and earnings outcomes for participants and program impacts for those who exited the program during FY 2016–FY 2024 with social security numbers (SSNs) appearing in the data. Participant outcomes and program impacts are also reported for each program subgroup of program completers. The findings include Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Unemployment Insurance (UI) earnings data from four quarters prior to program entry, the quarter the participant exited services, and up to 26 quarters post-exit (through March 31, 2024, the latest quarter for which earnings data are available). Two programs, LifeWorks and Goodwill of Central Texas’ Supportive Training and Employment Program (STEP), provide intensive workforce support and therefore participant outcomes are reported from one year prior to program entry, at program entry, and the quarters following program entry. This report also describes two programs that did not provide participant data for this evaluation: Todos Juntos and Foundation Communities. An analysis of participant outcomes and program impacts for identified program subgroups is also presented in this report. The last section summarizes evaluation findings.