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Tuning In to Local Labor Markets: Findings From the Sectoral Employment Impact Study
by Sheila Maguire, Joshua Freely, Carol Clymer, Maureen Conway, and Deena Schwartz
August 2010, 78 pages

This study, the first random assignment evaluation of sector-focused training efforts, finds strong impacts for participants, including higher earnings and better jobs (as measured by hourly wages and access to benefits). Click here to view the full report; click here for an accompanying executive summary. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which funded the evaluation, has compiled a number of resources that highlight the importance of the report's findings. To read a letter from P/PV President Nadya K. Shmavonian about the significance of the study, click here.



P/PV's Sheila Maguire Featured on WNYC
P/PV's Senior Vice President for Program Effectiveness, Sheila Maguire, was a guest on WNYC's Brian Lehrer radio show. She spoke about the effectiveness of sector-focused job training programs and detailed the methods and findings of P/PV's recent study, Tuning In to Local Labor Markets. To listen to the show, click here.



P/PV Research Cited, as SECTORS Act Passes House
The SECTORS Act, which will fund sector-based training efforts, passed the House on July 19, following a discussion of P/PV's new report, Tuning In to Local Labor Markets: Findings from the Sectoral Employment Impact Study. P/PV's random assignment study finds that participants of three sector-based programs, run by experienced nonprofit organizations, earned significantly more, worked more and had better access to benefits than the control group. The study also identifies key ingredients that likely contributed to these programs' success. To watch a video of Representative Dave Loebsack (D-IA) discussing the bill, click here.



P/PV Elects New Board Chair
P/PV has chosen Cay Stratton as the new Chair of its Board of Directors. Ms. Stratton has held a number of senior leadership positions in workforce development policy and is currently a Senior Fellow at the Chapel Hill, NC-based nonprofit MDC. To read a press release about Ms. Stratton's background and her new role, click here.



P/PV Experts Speak at Social Impact Exchange Conference
Earlier this month, several P/PV staff members played an integral role at a first-of-its-kind conference on innovative methods for scaling effective social programs. P/PV President Nadya Shmavonian served on a panel focused on "Lessons Learned in Scaling" along with James Shelton from the US Department of Education and Jed Emerson of Blended Value (to watch their presentation, click here). Replication expert Geri Summerville, employment expert Sheila Maguire and evaluation specialist Joshua Freely also made presentations to this group of philanthropists, foundation officers, wealth advisors and social sector leaders from around the country.



Publications

Employment, Crime Reduction and Reentry, Mentoring, Out-of-School Time, In-School Initiatives, Community Health, Community Change, Scaling and Replication, Tools and Guides, Resources for Practitioners, Resources for Funders, Resources for Policymakers

How We Work

P/PV is a national leader in creating and strengthening programs that improve lives in low-income communities. We do this in three ways:

  • Innovation: We work with leaders in the field to identify promising existing programs or develop ones.
  • Research: We rigorously evaluate these programs to determine what is effective and what is not.
  • Action: We reproduce proven models in new locations, provide technical assistance where needed and inform policymakers and practitioners about what works.

Resources for:

Practitioners, Policymakers, Funders, Media

Message from the President

"When I joined P/PV in January of this year, I was fascinated to learn that we were completing the first ever random assignment study of sector-based job training, at a time when our nation was facing significant employment challenges and struggling toward economic recovery. Six months later, I am even more convinced of the relevance of this new study, Tuning In to Local Labor Markets: Findings From the Sectoral Employment Impact Study, and its positive findings. I have been particularly heartened to see these results referenced to help advance the SECTORS Act through the House of Representatives on July 19."

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Videos

Click here to view the introduction of the SECTORS Act in the House of Representatives, including a discussion of P/PV's study, Tuning In to Local Labor Markets. Click here to view several pieces from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation reflecting on the importance of the report's findings, including a commentary by Jack A. Litzenberg, Senior Program Officer, and a video Q&A with Harry Holzer, professor of public policy at Georgetown University.

Click below to view clips from an April 2009 Sectoral Employment Impact Study Congressional briefing. For additional clips and information about the briefing, click here.

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