Exiting poverty: a systematic review of U.S. postsecondary education and job skills training programs in the post-welfare reform era

PurposeThis study aimed to (1) systematically identify evaluation studies of U.S. active labor market programs (ALMPs) focusing on postsecondary education and job skills training for low-income individuals with employment barriers (hereinafter, Human Capital Development [HCD] programs) since the U.S. federal welfare reform of 1996, and (2) provide a synthesis of common strategies used by programs that reported post-program earnings higher than poverty thresholds.Design/methodology/approachUsing Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcomes (PICO) criteria endorsed by the Cochrane Collaboration, we identified evaluation studies of HCD programs from seven electronic databases and experts' suggestions. Using data (e.g., post-program earnings, main types of services) extracted from the included studies, we describe common strategies used by the programs reporting earnings above the poverty level.FindingsOf 877 studies identified from an initial search, 10 studies met our inclusion/exclusion criteria and thus were included in the final sample. Findings showed that HCD programs reporting earnings above the poverty level for a family of three were characterized by (1) curriculums targeting specific job sectors and occupations, (2) local employers' involvement in developing curriulums and providing work opportunities and (3) post-program job retention and career advancement services.Originality/valueThe present study used a systematic review approach to fill gaps in research regarding HCD-focused ALMPs in the U.S. post-welfare reform era by identifying common strategies the effective programs used to help participants obtain employment and exit poverty. Findings may inform the design and implementation of employment programs that will help low-income individuals with employment barriers acquire marketable knowledge and job skills, and thus increase their economic self-sufficiency via improved employment outcomes.

[1]  D. DiNitto,et al.  A longitudinal evaluation of government-sponsored job skills training and basic employment services among U.S. baby boomers with economic disadvantages. , 2020, Evaluation and program planning.

[2]  D. DiNitto,et al.  Spillover Effects of Job Skills Training on Substance Misuse Among Low-Income Youths With Employment Barriers: A Longitudinal Cohort Study. , 2020, American Journal of Public Health.

[3]  P. Burke,et al.  Neoliberalism and curriculum in higher education: a post-colonial analyses , 2018 .

[4]  David Card,et al.  What Works? A Meta Analysis of Recent Active Labor Market Program Evaluations , 2015, SSRN Electronic Journal.

[5]  Irma L. Perez-Johnson,et al.  Providing Disadvantaged Workers with Skills to Succeed in the Labor Market , 2014 .

[6]  S. Preston,et al.  Resisting Neoliberalism from within the Academy: Subversion through an Activist Pedagogy , 2014 .

[7]  E. Nevels,et al.  Empowering Families in Difficult Times , 2014 .

[8]  Jochen Kluve.  The effectiveness of European active labor market programs , 2010 .

[9]  Peter Z. Schochet,et al.  Does Job Corps Work? Impact Findings from the National Job Corps Study , 2008 .

[10]  H. Yoshikawa,et al.  Working nonstandard schedules and variable shifts in low-income families: associations with parental psychological well-being, family functioning, and child well-being. , 2007, Developmental psychology.

[11]  D. Greenberg,et al.  Do Experimental and Nonexperimental Evaluations Give Different Answers about the Effectiveness of Government-Funded Training Programs?. , 2006 .

[12]  Sara Goldrick-Rab,et al.  Work-first federal policies: Eroding access to community colleges for Latinos and low-income populations , 2006 .

[13]  M. Stoll,et al.  Job Performance and Retention among Welfare Recipients , 2004, Social Service Review.

[14]  S. Pandey,et al.  Economic Well-being of Single Mothers: Work First or Postsecondary Education? , 2004, The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare.

[15]  S. Pandey,et al.  Postsecondary Education and Economic Well‐Being of Single Mothers and Single Fathers , 2004 .

[16]  Luisa S. Deprez,et al.  Education: “The One Factor that Can Keep Me from Sliding into Hopeless Poverty” , 2004 .

[17]  D. Smythe.  “Every Peasant Girl Knows How to Sweep!”: Sweeping Women Workers in Hefei, China , 2004 .

[18]  S. Bishop.  Work, Welfare and Case Management Services: An Analysis of the Missouri FUTURES Program , 2004 .

[19]  R. London.  The Role of Postsecondary Education in Welfare Recipients' Paths to Self-Sufficiency , 2004 .

[20]  D. Dannefer.  Cumulative advantage/disadvantage and the life course: cross-fertilizing age and social science theory. , 2003, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[21]  David H. Greenberg,et al.  A Meta-Analysis of Government-Sponsored Training Programs , 2003 .

[22]  M. Stoll,et al.  Employer Demand for Welfare Recipients by Race , 2003, Journal of Labor Economics.

[23]  Gayle Hamilton,et al.  How Effective Are Different Welfare-to-Work Approaches? Five-Year Adult and Child Impacts for Eleven Programs. National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies. , 2001 .

[24]  Luisa S. Deprez,et al.  In Defense of Women's Economic Security: Securing Access to Higher Education Under Welfare Reform , 2001 .

[25]  J. Rock,et al.  Evaluating Alternative Welfare-to-Work Approaches: Two-Year Impacts for Eleven Programs. National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies. , 2000 .

[26]  Greg J. Duncan,et al.  Time Limits and Welfare Reform: New Estimates of the Number and Characteristics of Affected Families , 2000, Social Service Review.

[27]  Winston T. Lin,et al.  The Benefits and Costs of JTPA Title II-A Programs: Key Findings from the National Job Training Partnership Act Study , 1997 .

[28]  A. O’Rand.  The precious and the precocious: understanding cumulative disadvantage and cumulative advantage over the life course. , 1996, The Gerontologist.

[29]  K. Harris.  Work and Welfare Among Single Mothers in Poverty , 1993, American Journal of Sociology.

[30]  G. Duncan,et al.  Early-childhood poverty and adult attainment, behavior, and health. , 2010, Child development.

[31]  Luisa S. Deprez,et al.  The Capability Approach and Women’s Economic Security: Access to Higher Education under Welfare Reform , 2007 .

[32]  Alan M. Hershey,et al.  Turning job finders into job keepers. , 1997, The Future of children.