Helping youth transition to adulthood

A new report by Cynthia Miller and colleagues at MDRC examines four-year results from a national evaluation of YouthBuild. The report describes YouthBuild as a program that attempts to improve prospects for less-educated young people, serving over 10,000 individuals each year at over 250 organizations nationwide. Each organization provides hands-on, construction-related or other vocational training, educational services, case management, counseling, service to the community, and leadership-development opportunities, to low-income young people ages 16 to 24 who did not complete high school.

MDRC evaluated the YouthBuild program using a randomized controlled trial. Study participants were either invited to enroll in YouthBuild (the intervention group) or referred to other services in the community (the control group). A total of 75 programs across the country were included, with a sample of nearly 4,000 young people who enrolled in the study between 2011 and 2013. Data included in-person observations, survey data, and administrative records.

Key findings of the evaluation included:

• YouthBuild increased the receipt of high school equivalency credentials.
• YouthBuild increased enrollment in college, largely during the first two years. Very few young people had earned a degree after four years, and the program had a very small effect on degree receipt.
• YouthBuild increased survey-reported employment rates, wages, and earnings, but did not increase employment as measured with employer-provided administrative records, which might not include certain kinds of employment and other types of informal work.
• YouthBuild increased civic engagement, largely via participation in YouthBuild services. It had no effects on other measures of positive youth development.

Overall, the authors say the effects observed through four years indicate that the program provides a starting point for redirecting otherwise disconnected young people.

Some college education better than none

In April 2013, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the unemployment rate for individuals age twenty-five and older without a high school diploma was 11.4 percent; for high school graduates, 7.2 percent; for individuals with an associate’s degree, 5.0 percent; and for graduates with a bachelor’s degree or higher, unemployment was only 3.6 percent. But what about those who start college and don’t finish? That is the topic of a new report from The Hamilton Project that examines whether starting college is worth it for students who fail to complete a degree. According to the report, this group’s unemployment rate was below the national average at 6.6 percent.

The report also finds that these students’ lifetime earnings are roughly $100,000 higher (in present value) than that of their peers who ended their education after high school. In conclusion, the authors say that while some people currently question whether the cost of college is worth the investment, the evidence suggests that rate of return is much higher than many alternative investments, even for students who don’t ultimately finish a degree.

Employer engagement in schools

The NFER (the UK’s National Foundation for Educational Research) has released this report that explores the best available evidence on ways employers engage with schools, the features and principles of successful employer involvement, and the impact of employers’ involvement on young peoples’ progression. Overall, the involvement of employers with schools is considered to be beneficial to all involved; however, there is a lack of evidence on the impact employer involvement has on students’ achievement and progression. Some keys findings of the report are:

• There are ten key features to successful employer involvement, which include good communication, commitment, flexibility, and a focus on the curriculum.
• There is some evidence of a positive impact on students’ vocational skills, knowledge, and understanding; academic and learning outcomes; health and well-being; and enjoyment and engagement, but a lack of robust evidence on the impact on harder outcomes such as achievement and continuing education.
• There is little evidence of the impact on specific groups of young people who might be at risk of becoming “NEET” (not in education, employment, or training).