PATHS for Texas: Interim Descriptive Statistics, Outcomes, Impacts, and Survey Results
Author: Patty Rodriguez, Thomas Boswell, and Heath Prince
Date: June 2023
Publication Type: Report, 34pp.
Executive Summary
The data presented in this brief represent individuals who participated in PATHS for Texas from its start date in 2020 through April of 2023. As of April 2023, 1,824 individuals registered to participate in the PATHs for Texas program from four Texas Workforce Development Boards across the state (Coastal Bend, Gulf Coast, Rural Capital Area, and North Texas). Of the 1,824 individuals who enrolled in PATHS, 1,221 (67%) individuals completed training and earned one or more certificates. When compared to the reference quarter (four quarters prior to earning a certificate through PATHS), on average, PATHS 2020 and 2021 participants increased employment by 8 percentage points (from 72% to 80%), as well as increased their quarterly earnings by $2,332 (from $7,956 to $10,288) four quarters after earning their certificate. When examined by individual Board, three of the four demonstrated marked increases in employment, ranging from 8.2 to 22.5 percentage point increases, and three of the four boards achieved increases in earnings. Those who earned certificates in the Business, Hospitality, Medical, and Retail industries saw increases in employment and earnings compared to the reference period, while those earning certificates in Information Technology saw, on average, slight decreases in earnings.
When matched with a comparison group of demographically similar individuals with similar employment histories to determine the impact of program participation, and while there is some variation across the Boards and by outcome measure, it is generally the case that participation in PATHS is associated with a positive, and statistically significant, increase in both quarterly earnings ($1,022) and quarterly employment (4.9% percentage points) over the comparison group.
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