This month Capital IDEA, a local workforce intermediary operating in Central Texas, released its 2011 Annual Report. The report (page 10) discusses findings from the Ray Marshall Center’s multiyear study to evaluate outcomes and impacts of local investments in workforce development. Additionally, the annual report also highlighted the return-on-investment analysis to participants, taxpayers, and society for each dollar invested in Capital IDEA. 

The 2011 Capital IDEA Annual Report is available for download and viewing at this link: 2011 Capital IDEA Annual Report.

In the April 16 issue of the Employment and Training Reporter (ETR), executive editor Cecilio Morales discusses research findings from the Center’s local workforce development evaluations in the article “Long-term Efforts Beat Quick Fix Outcomes, Yields ROI Payoff.” Click here to read the ETR article.  

The article discusses findings from “Local Investments in Workforce Development: 2012 Evaluation Update” in which Center researchers found mixed results for shorter term interventions but longer-term interventions showed positive statistically signficant employment and earnings outcomes. In addition to improved, sustained outcomes for participants, longer term interventions also have significant returns to the taxpayer. Capital IDEA, an Austin-based workforce intermediary implemented the demonstration project for longer-term interventions. In the report “Exploratory Returns-on-Investment Analysis of Local Workforce Investments,” researchers found that for every dollar invested in Capital IDEA, taypayers received $5.01 over a 20-year period. 

Travis County makes numerous investments in workforce development services earch year. Since 2006, the County has engaged the Ray Marshall Center to conduct  evaluations for the workforce development demonstration projects that it funds. Evaluations include outcomes evaluation and exploratory impacts analysis based on a quasi-experimental research design. To learn more about the Center’s work on this project, click here. 

Drs. Aletha Huston and Anjali Gupta and senior research scientist Deanna Schexnayer present findings from an exploratory analysis of the relationship between participation in pre-kindergarten and success in the early school years in the new report, “Study of Early Education in Texas: The Relationship of Pre-K Attendance to 3rd Grade Test Results.”

Philanthropist and education champion Bernard “B” Rapoport passed away Thursday, April 6 at the age of 94. 

Dr. Ray Marshall, former U.S. Secretary of Labor and founder of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs’s Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources released the following statement on the passing of Bernard Rapoport:

“Bernard Rapoport was a truly remarkable man who made not only Texas, but the world, a much better place. He was born into an economically poor, values-rich immigrant family and accumulated considerable material wealth through intelligence, hard work, and supplying valuable services, especially to workers. Stewardship was one of B’s strongest attributes: he used his wealth to improve the conditions of people who needed help, as well as to strengthen democratic values and institutions. B was extremely loyal to those people and institutions who had helped him and who shared his values, especially his family, the University of Texas, America, Israel, a host of friends, and democrats everywhere. He celebrated the distance America had come in promoting democracy and justice for all, but regretted the distance we still had to travel. B Rapoport was also very good company: he combined stimulating conversation with a well-developed sense of humor. He will be sorely missed but the results of his personal example and financial stewardship will live on forever.”

— Ray Marshall, Audre and Bernard Rapoport Centennial Chair (Emeritus) of Economics and Public Affairs, LBJ School of Public Affairs

Center director Dr. Chris King and research associate Tara Smith met with members of the Travis County Commissioner’s Court to present research findings from evaluations of two sets of local workforce investments, county-funded workforce development demonstration projects and county funded workforce services providers. Travis County is a national leader in workforce investments, pursuing both short-term and longer-term workforce development programs for the county’s low-income and disadvantaged residents. Outcomes evaluation and impact analysis for these programs are presented in the presentation. Short-term workforce investment projects focused on adult basic education and occupational skills development. Six local organizations provided the services. Short-term training investments typically show the largest outcomes in the immediate post-service period but do not typically change the participants’ earnings trajectories over time.

Longer-term workforce training can extend over several years and generally includes occupational training for jobs in high-skill, high-wage sectors (primarily nursing and allied health professions), postsecondary education, and regular peer support sessions. Travis county organization Capital IDEA provided these services. Researchers found longer-term training significantly improves participants’ employment and earnings over time. Furthermore, an analysis of the return-on-investment of Capital IDEA’s services shows total returns were estimated at 165% over ten years and 501% over twenty years, with returns to taxpayers, in the form of reduced welfare payments and food stamps payments and increased tax receipts, at $1.65 for each dollar invested over the first 10 years, and $5.01 over twenty years.

The Ray Marshall Center has been working with Travis County since 2006 to evaluate its workforce investment programs. Additional information about the projects as well as links to past reports are accessible here.