ECONOMIC MOBILITY CORPORATION

THE ORGANIZATION CONDUCTS RESEARCH ON PROMISING STRATEGIES AND EVALUATES PROGRAMS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE A MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES BY HELPING ADULTS WITH LOW INCOMES TO ACQUIRE THE EDUCATION, SKILLS, AND NETWORKS NEEDED TO SUCCEED IN THE LABOR MARKET. IN 2025, THE ORGANIZATION WORKED WITH LEADING PRACTITIONERS TO CONDUCT RIGOROUS EVALUATIONS THAT WILL PROVIDE HIGHLY CREDIBLE EVIDENCE TO THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION FIELDS ON EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR HELPING WORKERS ACCESS WELL-PAYING CAREERS. PROJECTS INCLUDED EVALUATIONS OF THE REPLICATION OF PER SCHOLAS' IT SUPPORT TRAINING IN COLUMBUS AND SILVER SPRING, THE REPLICATION OF ASAP AT TWO WEST VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES, AND VALLEY INITIATIVE FOR DEVELOPMENT AND ADVANCEMENT (VIDA), A SISTER ORGANIZATION TO PROJECT QUEST THAT HELPS RESIDENTS OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY IN TEXAS PREPARE FOR WELL-PAYING CAREERS IN HIGH-DEMAND SECTORS OF THE LOCAL ECONOMY. EVALUATION OF THE REPLICATION OF PER SCHOLAS: PER SCHOLAS WAS FOUNDED IN 1995 IN NEW YORK CITY'S SOUTH BRONX WITH A MISSION TO HELP LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS ACCESS WELL-PAYING CAREERS IN THE TECHNOLOGY FIELD. PER SCHOLAS' IT SUPPORT PROGRAM PROVIDES 15 WEEKS OF OCCUPATIONAL SKILLS TRAINING IN PREPARATION FOR PASSING THE COMPTIA A+ CERTIFICATION EXAM AS WELL AS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING, JOB PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE, AND TWO YEARS OF JOB RETENTION AND ADVANCEMENT SUPPORT. TWO RIGOROUS STUDIES OF PER SCHOLAS' PROGRAM IN THE SOUTH BRONX DEMONSTRATED THAT IT HAD LARGE, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON PARTICIPANTS' EARNINGS. WITH GRANTS FROM ARNOLD VENTURES AND ASCENDIUM EDUCATION GROUP, MOBILITY IS CONDUCTING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL EVALUATION TO ASSESS WHETHER THE EARNINGS IMPACTS FOUND IN THE EARLIER STUDIES CAN BE REPLICATED BEYOND THE BRONX IN PER SCHOLAS' NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION (NCR) AND COLUMBUS, OHIO LOCATIONS. STUDY ENROLLMENT BEGAN IN 2021 AND CONTINUED THROUGH 2024. A TOTAL OF 1,390 INDIVIDUALS ENROLLED IN THE STUDY, HALF OF WHOM WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THE TREATMENT GROUP AND HALF TO THE CONTROL GROUP. THE STUDY'S PRIMARY OUTCOME IS AVERAGE ANNUAL EARNINGS IN THE THIRD YEAR AFTER STUDY ENROLLMENT. THE STUDY WILL RELY ON ADMINISTRATIVE DATA ON EARNINGS AND A FOLLOW-UP SURVEY, CONDUCTED THREE YEARS AFTER STUDY ENROLLMENT, THAT WILL PROVIDE A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PER SCHOLAS AFFECTS PARTICIPANTS' EMPLOYMENT, TRAINING RECEIPT, ATTAINMENT OF INDUSTRY CREDENTIALS, AND FINANCIAL WELL-BEING. MOBILITY WILL PUBLISH MULTIPLE REPORTS ON THE STUDY'S FINDINGS REGARDING PROGRAM IMPACTS, THE PER SCHOLAS MODEL, VARIATIONS IN IMPLEMENTATION ACROSS SITES, AND PROGRAM COSTS. REPORTS WILL ADDRESS THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS FOR POLICY AND PROGRAMMING IN THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FIELD.VIDA EVALUATION: LAUNCHED IN 1995, VALLEY INITIATIVE FOR DEVELOPMENT AND ADVANCEMENT (VIDA) IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, LOCATED IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF TEXAS, WITH A MISSION TO PREPARE UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED RESIDENTS FOR HIGH-SKILL, HIGH-WAGE JOBS WHILE ADDRESSING EMPLOYERS' NEEDS FOR SKILLED WORKERS. VIDA SUPPORTS ADULTS SEEKING TO COMPLETE OCCUPATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS, PRIMARILY AT AREA COLLEGES. VIDA'S SERVICES INCLUDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO COVER THE COSTS OF COLLEGE, INDIVIDUALIZED COUNSELING TO ADDRESS PERSONAL, FINANCIAL, AND ACADEMIC CONCERNS, REFERRALS TO OUTSIDE AGENCIES FOR SUPPORT, EMERGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, MANDATORY GROUP MEETINGS FOCUSED ON SOFT SKILLS, AND JOB PLACEMENT SUPPORT. VIDA IS A SISTER ORGANIZATION TO PROJECT QUEST IN SAN ANTONIO, WHICH HAS DEMONSTRATED LARGE POSITIVE IMPACTS ON CREDENTIAL ATTAINMENT AND EARNINGS. WITH A GRANT FROM ARNOLD VENTURES, MOBILITY IS CONDUCTING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL EVALUATION OF VIDA TO ASSESS THE PROGRAM'S IMPACTS ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION AND EARNINGS. THE STUDY'S PRIMARY OUTCOMES ARE EARNING A COLLEGE CREDENTIAL FOUR YEARS AFTER STUDY ENROLLMENT AND AVERAGE ANNUAL EARNINGS IN THE SEVENTH YEAR AFTER STUDY ENROLLMENT, MEASURED WITH ADMINISTRATIVE DATA. WITH SUPPORT FROM ASCENDIUM EDUCATION GROUP, MOBILITY IS STUDYING THE PROGRAM'S IMPLEMENTATION, THROUGH PROGRAM OBSERVATION AND SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS WITH A SAMPLE OF PARTICIPANTS, TO LEARN ABOUT PARTICIPANTS' PAST EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCES, THEIR DECISION TO TAKE PART IN THE PROGRAM, THE CHALLENGES THEY HAVE FACED, AND THEIR ASSESSMENT OF THE PROGRAM SERVICES. MOBILITY HAS ALSO CONTRACTED WITH A SURVEY FIRM TO CONDUCT INTERIM TRACKING ACTIVITIES TO PREPARE FOR CONDUCTING FOLLOW-UP SURVEYS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW VIDA AFFECTS PARTICIPANTS' EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION, RECEIPT OF INDUSTRY CREDENTIALS, AND FINANCIAL WELL-BEING. ENROLLMENT IN THE VIDA STUDY BEGAN IN 2024 AND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE SUMMER OF 2028. MOBILITY WILL PUBLISH MULTIPLE REPORTS ON THE STUDY'S FINDINGS REGARDING PROGRAM IMPACTS, THE VIDA MODEL, PROGRAM COSTS, AND THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS FOR POLICY AND PROGRAMMING. THE STUDY WILL PROVIDE STRONG EVIDENCE TO THE POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FIELDS ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMPREHENSIVE EFFORTS TO INCREASE LOW-INCOME ADULTS' COLLEGE COMPLETION AND ACCESS TO WELL-PAYING CAREERS.