JOBPro evaluations
The Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire was contracted to conduct an ongoing evaluation of the Job Opportunity Basics Program.
The following is some of what they learned:
Who Enrolls
The program has enrolled males and females in about equal numbers, ranging in age from 18 to 55 – although most are in their prime working years (average age is 36). About 2/3 of the people who participate in JOBPro are long-term residents of the Berlin-Gorham area (6+ years), and almost 90% indicate their intention to be living in the area five years in the future.
The majority of enrollees (67%) have a high school diploma or GED. 28% have some college, but no degree. 5% have a BA or BS degree.
74% of JOBPro enrollees were not working at the time of their enrollment. When asked about the barriers to their being able to find and/or keep a job 49% cited lack of skills as critical; 24% cited health problems; 38% cited lack of education; 36% said a lack of transportation was a critical barrier; and 70% indicated that the jobs that are available offer very low pay - another barrier to work.
Does It Work?
When Carsey followed-up with graduates of the program, this is what they learned:
71% of JOBPro graduates were employed, and over half indicated that JOBPro helped them find the job.
A whopping 91 percent of people who participated in the program indicated they use what they learned in JOBPro at work.
What the participants thought
In response to the question, “What did you like most about JOBPro?” graduates said the following (verbatim responses):
“The variety of classes offered…”
“Meeting new people. Learning new ways to keep a job.”
“The thing I liked most about JOBPro is the variety of skills it taught in such a short time such as customer service skills, [writing] resumes, computer skills, math skills… and another strong aspect of the program was after graduating you are not left hanging: [the coordinator] carries through with helping you find a job that suits you.”
“The high quality and commitment of class instructors to helping students learn.”
“The coordinator was awesome – he knew who was serious about finding a job and really worked with them. I also enjoyed going to some of the work sites to see the job.”
