Career coaching strategy of the Virginia RETHINKS Health Sciences Education TAACCCT program¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 4 claims (4 for) · 2 studies (1 associational, 1 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Career coaches were hired as one of the seven strategies of the RETHINKS program, which the U.S. Department of Labor funded through a $24 million Round 1 TAACCCT grant to Tidewater Community College. The report states coaches were hired to "close gaps in training, capacity, and supportive activities that existed between the workforce development and community college system so that Virginia workers are better prepared for employment." The outcomes study drew on case management data, registrar data, workforce system records, and state unemployment insurance records.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Career coaches embedded to bridge workforce development and community college systems

Constraints¶

• Findings are associations from administrative data for one state system's health sciences program, not causal impact estimates

Target Learners¶

• Dislocated and low-skilled adult workers in Virginia community colleges

Target Learning Goals¶

• Career pathway navigation and completion of community college credentials

Claims¶

• Coaches appeared to expand exposure to and completion of community college programs, consistent with the strategy's goals [+W]
• Coaching participants were more likely than nonparticipants to obtain career studies certificates and associate degrees despite higher-risk characteristics [+W]
• The outcomes study estimated associations between specific coaching activity types and student outcomes using multiple administrative data sources [+W]
• Career coaches strengthened collaboration between colleges and the workforce development system, but sustaining these connections requires additional resources after the grant period [+W]

Related Elements¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Cecilia Speroni, Nan Maxwell. (2015). Bridging the Gap in Workforce and Education Services: Career Coaching in the Virginia RETHINKS Health Sciences Education TAACCCT Program. Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/bridging-the-gap-in-workforce-and-education-services-career-coaching-in-the-virginia-rethinks-health