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project IMPACT Innovative Multi-Industry Partnership and Career Training Project Gateway Community & Technical College TAACCCT Round III Grant FINAL EVALUATION REPORT FALL 2017 Third Party Evaluators Jane Jensen, PhD Jessica Horohov, PhD, Joseph Waddington, PhD University of Kentucky College of Education Educational Policy Studies & Evaluation 859.257.1929 [email protected]

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Page 1: IMPACT Final Evaluation Report 6.0 - SkillsCommons

projectIMPACTInnovativeMulti-IndustryPartnershipandCareerTrainingProjectGatewayCommunity&TechnicalCollegeTAACCCTRoundIIIGrantFINALEVALUATIONREPORTFALL2017

ThirdPartyEvaluatorsJaneJensen,PhDJessicaHorohov,PhD,JosephWaddington,PhD

UniversityofKentuckyCollegeofEducationEducationalPolicyStudies&Evaluation859.257.1929 [email protected]

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Executive Summary TheUniversityofKentuckyCollegeofDepartmentofEducationalPolicyStudies&

Evaluation(EPE)servedasthird-partyevaluatorforGatewayCommunityandTechnicalCollege’s(GCTC)IMPACTprogram,fundedbyaTradeAdjustment

AssistanceCommunityCollegeCareerTraining(TAACCCT)grantthroughtheUnited

StatesDepartmentofLabor.InOctoberof2013,GatewayCommunityandTechnicalCollege,aSACS-accreditedcollegewithintheKentuckyCommunityand

TechnicalCollegeSystem,wasawardedaRound3TAACCCTGrantunderOption2

to“DeveloporEnhanceaprogramofStudywithinnovativeStrategies.”Theproject,namedtheInnovativeMulti-IndustryPartnershipandCareerTraining

(IMPACT)receivedapprovalforitsrevisedStatementofWorkinthefallof2013.

TheprimarygoalsoftheIMPACTprogramweretoenhanceandacceleratecareer

pathwaypreparationinlogistics,manufacturing,heating&coolingandenergyfields.Theprogramprovidedacombinationofintensiveacademicandcareer

coachingincooperationwithworkforcedevelopmentpartners,community

agencies,andindustryemployers.

TheIMPACTprogramincludedthreestrategiestosupportstudentsuccess:

TheIMPACTprogramstrategiesincludedthreemainparticipantgroups:GCTC

institutionalpartnersandIMPACTstaff;targetedstudentsincludingTAACCCTeligiblestudents,Veterans,and“otherbusyadults”;aswellaslabormarket

partners.

EPEworkedcollaborativelywiththegranteecollegefundedbyTAACCCTtoconduct

arigorousevaluationtomeasuretheimpactofthecorestrategiesimplementedbythegranteecollege.Theevaluationteamfollowedrecommendationsofthe

TAACCCTnationalevaluationresearchersandtechnicaladvisorsindevelopmentoftheevaluationplan,incorporatingquantitativeandqualitativeapproachessuchas

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casestudies,surveys,andinterviews,alongwithnon-randomizedexperimental

designfocusingoncohortcomparisonsusingapropensityscorematchingdesigncomparingIMPACTparticipantswithahistoriccomparisongroupofstudentsinthe

sameprogramtwoyearsprior.

Resultsoftheevaluationindicatethatthegranteewassuccessfulinimplementing

alloftheproposedstrategies.Inaddition,theprogramestablishedanumberofnewpartnershipswithemployerandcommunitystakeholdersandinfluencedchangesto

referralsforwork-basedlearningopportunities&careercounseling.TheIMPACT

programsetgoalsofserving300uniqueparticipantsoverthethreeyeargrantperiod.Inall,theIMPACTprogramhad379totalparticipants,251ofwhichwerenewstudents(non-incumbenttoGateway).Aspartofthegrantstrategies,fournewstackablecertificatesandanewAASdegreeprogramwereapproved,and

fifteencourseswereredesignedforonlineorhybriddelivery.Inall,138program

participantstookcoursesthatwerenewlydevelopedthroughtheIMPACTgrant,24tookcoursesthatwereupdatedusinggrantfunding,and104tookcoursesthatwere

providedwithnewequipmentthroughgrantfunds.Ninety-four(94)participants

tookatleastoneneweLearningcourseaspartoftheirprogram.Ninety-six(96)tookcoursesthatwerepartoftheacceleratedcredentialscurriculum.866non-

programparticipantsalsotookatleastoneofthesecoursesthatwereimprovedthroughtheIMPACTgrant.Inaddition,theIMPACTstudentsupportmodelwas

fullydevelopedwithtrainingmaterialsandbestpracticeguidelinesincludingboth

internalandexternaloutreachactivities.

TheIMPACTprogramhadasignificantpositiveimpactonstudenteducationalachievement.Participantsintheprogramalsoexperiencedamodestbutsignificant

changeinemploymentorwageincreasesfromthecomparisongroup.Thiswastrue

forbothincumbentstudentsalreadymatriculatedinaKCTCScollegeandstudentswhollyservedbyIMPACT.Theprojectstrategiesweremostinfluentialonhelping

studentscompletetheireducationalgoals:IMPACTstudentstookandpassedmore

classesandwereawardedmorecredentialsthatsimilarstudentsinthesameprogrampriortothegrantactivities.

Lessonslearnedfromfinalexitinterviewswithstaffandfacultysaswellasareview

oftheevaluationfindingswithregardtoimpactandinstitutionalchangeareas

follows:

• Theprojectstrategytocollaboratewithindustrypartnerstocreateclear

pathwaysthroughasequentialsetofcourseswithenhancedclassroom

resources,flexibledeliverywithonlineandhybridcoursesections,and

opportunitiesforwork-basedexperiencesallowedstudentsintheIMPACT

programsofstudytocompletecredentialsatahigherratethantheir

historicalpeers.Thisstrategy,requiringfocusedattentiontothepurposeful

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designofcredentialsanddirectandconsistentcollaborationwithemployers,

holdspromiseforotherareasoftheKCTCStechnicaleducation.

• Qualitativedatadescribingthepositiveeffectsoftheacademicadvisingand

careercounselingweresupportedbyourquantitativeanalysisofstudent

outcomesinIMPACTrelativetothatofstudentsenrolledinthesame

programsinprioryears.Whilerequiringinstitutionalresourcestoprovide

thispersonalizedattention,theresultsindicatethatstudents’success

improveswhentheyhave“someonetotalkto”insupplementtothe

instructionalsupports,especiallyifthatassistanceisofferedinconjunction

withwork-basedopportunities.

• Duetotheshorttimespanofthegrantactivity,thefullimpactofthe

redesignedpathways,courseimprovements,andadvisingonemployment

andwageearningsislikelyunderstated.Furtherresearchisneededto

explorethewaysinwhichindustrypartnershipsmightfurtherincrease

employmentandwageincreasesforunemployed,under-employed,andbusy

adultsinKentucky.

• AlthoughtheIMPACTprogrammetitsrecruitmentandenrollmentgoals,

recruitmentofnewstudentswasoftenmetwithdifficultiesduetolocal

attitudestowardworkinginwhatiscommonlymisunderstoodas

“manufacturing”.Thiswasmitigatedbybuildingrelationshipswithlocal

employersanddevelopingabi-directionalcommunicationflowsbetweenthe

classroomandtheworkplace.

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ExecutiveSummary.............................................................................................................................ii

AbbreviationGlossary........................................................................................................................6

1.Introduction.......................................................................................................................................8

2.EvaluationDesign.........................................................................................................................10ImplementationAnalysisDesign.............................................................................................................10Outcome/ImpactAnalysisDesign...........................................................................................................14Limitations......................................................................................................................................................15

3.BackgroundandImplementation...........................................................................................16ThePolicyEnvironmentinKentucky....................................................................................................16SelectionofIMPACTStrategies................................................................................................................17Installation......................................................................................................................................................19InstallationofStrategy#1:CreatingCareerPathways&Curriculum........................................22InstallationofStrategy#2:ProgramEnhancements........................................................................26InstallationofStrategy#3:Outreach,Completion&CareerSupport.........................................28

4.OutcomeAnalysis..........................................................................................................................30DescriptiveStatisticsofStudentParticipants.....................................................................................30EnrollmentinIMPACTProgramsofStudyandNewCourses........................................................31CompletionofAcademicCredentials(Associates,Diplomas,&Certificates)..........................33

5.ImpactAnalysis..............................................................................................................................35ComparisonGroups.....................................................................................................................................35DataDescription...........................................................................................................................................36SampleDescription......................................................................................................................................37PropensityScoreMatching........................................................................................................................38EducationalOutcomes.................................................................................................................................41EmploymentOutcomes...............................................................................................................................41

6.Conclusion:PartneringforSuccess.........................................................................................47CurricularAlignment&Delivery.............................................................................................................48StudentDevelopment..................................................................................................................................48Work-BasedLearning..................................................................................................................................49MaximizingPartnerships...........................................................................................................................50CredentialsandCertifications..................................................................................................................51Sustainability.................................................................................................................................................51

References...........................................................................................................................................52AppendixA:PathwaysMaps....................................................................................................................54AppendixB:EmployerEngagementSurvey.........................................................................................59AppendixC:NewSupplyChainManagementCredentials..............................................................66

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Abbreviation Glossary

AA/AS–AssociateinArts/AssociateinScience,generaleducationtransferdegreeAAS–AssociateinAppliedScience,terminaldegreeforcommunitycollegetechnicalprogram

ACT–AmericanCollegeTesting,developerofjobprofilesandWorkKeystestACR–HVAC(AirConditioning)courseprefixAO–AcceleratingOpportunities,short-termtraininggrantpreexistingatGatewayAWS–AmericanWeldingSociety,professionalorganizationBAS–BachelorsinAppliedScience,oftdegreetowhichtotransferAASBICSI–BuildingIndustryConsultingServiceInternational,assoc.forcablingdesignandinstallationBPI–BuildingPerformanceInstitute,Inc.,certificationforresidentialenergyefficiencyretrofit

BRX–BlueprintReadingcourseprefixCDL–CommercialDriver’sLicense,requiredtooperatetowtrucks,buses,andtractortrailersCEM–CertificatedEnergyManager,certificateofferedthroughIMPACTCIT–ComputerInformationTechnology/ComputerLiteracycourseprefixCLA–CertifiedLogisticsAssociateCLT–CertifiedLogisticsTechnicianCMM–ComputerManufacturing&MachiningcourseprefixCoEEC–UniversityofKentuckyCollegeofEducationEvaluationCenter,third-partyevaluator

CPT–CertifiedProductionTechnician,RTFprogramturnedintocreditprogramforIMPACT

CRC–KCTCSCurriculumReviewCommitteeDOL–DepartmentofLaborEASY–EarlyAccessSkillsforYou,LibraryScienceandTechnologyskillscourseeDDI–eLearningDesignandDevelopmentInstitute,Gatewayfacultytrainingforonlinecourses

EET–Electrical&EngineeringTechnologycourseprefixEGY–EnergyTechnologycourseprefixELT–ElectricalTechnologycourseprefixFAM–FundamentalsofAdvancedManufacturing(usedinRTFprogram)FOA–FiberOpticAssociation,professionalsocietyforenergytechnologyFPX–FluidPowercourseprefixGCTC–GatewayCommunity&TechnicalCollege(Gateway)HPOG–HealthProfessionsOpportunityGrants,partoftheAffordableCareActHVAC–Heating,Ventilation,&AirConditioningIMPACT–InnovativeMulti-IndustryPartnershipandCareerTraining,projectnameIMT–IndustrialMaintenanceTechnologycourseprefixISX–IndustrialSafetycourseprefixITS–InformationTechnologySystems,asincablinginstallation,seeBICSIKCTCS–KentuckyCommunity&TechnicalCollegeSystem

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LIS–LibraryandInformationSciencecourseprefixLOM–LogisticscourseprefixMFG–ManufacturingcourseprefixMOA–MemorandumofAgreementMSSC–ManufacturingSkillStandardsCouncil,industrycertificationsystemNAICS–NorthAmericanIndustryClassificationSystem,FederalbusinessclassificationsystemNCRC–NationalCareerReadinessCertificate,ACTcertificationforemployabilityNKIP–NorthernKentuckyIndustryPartnershipNKYOET–NorthernKentuckyOfficeofEmploymentandTrainingNKYWIB–NorthernKentuckyWorkforceInvestmentBoardNOCTI–NationalOccupationalCompetencyTestingInstituteOSHA–OccupationalSafetyandHealthAdministrationPI–PrincipalInvestigatorPLA–PriorLearningAssessment,portfolioforawardingcreditforlifeandworkexperiences

PM–ProjectManagementmodel,usedbyGatewayforIMPACTPOS–ProgramofStudy,courseplanforcertificate,diploma,ordegreePPE–PersonalProtectiveEquipment,moduledevelopedthroughIMPACTPR–PublicRelations,GatewaymarketingofficePV–Photovoltaics,solarenergyconversionmethodQA–QualityAssurance,KCTCScoursequalityreviewprocessQMS–QualityManagementSystemscourseprefixRTF–RaisetheFloor,Gatewaygrantpromotingwomeninmanufacturing.Followssamecurriculumascertifiedproductiontechnician,plussupportservices.STEP–Gatewaydepartmentalexamsforcoursecredit,partofPLAdevelopmentTAACCCT–TradeAdjustmentAssistanceCommunityCollegeandCareerTrainingTAA-eligible–TradeAdjustmentAssistance-eligible,studenteligibilityforfederalfundsUK–theUniversityofKentucky,third-partyevaluatorinstitutionVA–UnitedStatesDepartmentofVeteransAffairs(Vets)WBL/WBE–Work-BasedLearning/ExperienceWIA–WorkforceInvestmentAct,providesjobtrainingfundingforeligibleunemployedpersons

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1. Introduction

TheInnovativeMulti-IndustryPartnershipandCareerTraining(IMPACT)programatGatewayCommunityandTechnicalCollege(GCTC),oneofsixteencollegesintheKentucky

CommunityandTechnicalCollegeSystem(KCTCS),wasdesignedtomeettheRound3

TAACCCTGrantunderOption2:“DeveloporEnhanceaProgramofStudywithInnovativeStrategies”.Basedonareviewoflabormarketneedsandcollegestrengths,theKCTCS

administrationchoseasetofindustryspecificprogramsofstudyforenhancement

includinganewAASdegreeinSupplyChainManagementandfournewcertificatesinEnhancedMachineOperation,CertifiedDriversLicense(CDL),andLogisticsaswellas

improvementstoexistingprogramsofstudy.

TheinterventionbeingevaluatedforIMPACTatGatewayCTCinvolvestheimplementation

ofthreedifferentstrategiesthataddressthetrainingandeducationneedsofTAA-eligibleandotheradultworkers,withanemphasisonveterans.Thesestrategiesare:

TheIMPACTprojectinvolvesfourkeyevidence-basedelementsinitsprojectdesignwhich

include:1)work-basedtrainingopportunities,2)careerpathways,3)onlineandtechnology-enabledlearning,and4)strengthenedstudentsupportservices.Theprojectis

designedtoincreaseGateway’scapacitytodevelopandexpandprogramofferings,enhance

courseinstruction,andreducethegapbetweentrainingandjobsthatareunfilledduetoalackofskilledapplicants.Buildingcapacityinprogramareasisprojectedtoresultinan

increasednumberofstudentswhobecomeindustrycertified,completetheiracademic

program,andbecomeemployable.TheevaluationdesignfocusesonsummativeandformativeexaminationoftheIMPACTprojectsuccessinmeetingitsprogramgoalsandthe

impacttheprogramhadonitsparticipants.

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TheIMPACTprogramsetgoalsofserving300uniqueparticipantsoverthethreeyeargrant

period.Inall,theIMPACTprogramhad379totalparticipants,251ofwhichwerenewstudents(non-incumbenttoGateway).Theprogramproduced125exitersand175completers.Completersaredefinedasthosewhohavebothgraduatedandexitedtheprogram,whiletheexiterswithdrewfromtheprogramwithoutcompletingacredential.

Aspartofthegrantstrategies,fournewstackablecertificatesandanewAASdegree

programwereapproved,andfifteencourseswereredesignedforonlineorhybriddelivery.Inall,138programparticipantstookcoursesthatwerenewlydevelopedthroughthe

IMPACTgrant,24tookcoursesthatwereupdatedusinggrantfunding,and104took

coursesthatwereprovidedwithnewequipmentthroughgrantfunds.Ninety-four(94)participantstookatleastoneneweLearningcourseaspartoftheirprogram.Ninety-six

(96)tookcoursesthatwerepartoftheacceleratedcredentialscurriculum.866non-programparticipantsalsotookatleastoneofthesecoursesthatwereimprovedthrough

theIMPACTgrant.Inaddition,theIMPACTstudentsupportmodelwasfullydeveloped

withtrainingmaterialsandbestpracticeguidelinesincludingbothinternalandexternaloutreachactivities.

ThefollowingsectiondescribesfindingsfromimplementationanalysisofthethreeinnovativestrategiesusedinIMPACTandresultsoftheimpactanalysis.Section2details

theevaluationdesign.Section3providesbackgroundontheIMPACTprogramandthewaysinwhichIMPACTbuiltuponthisprograminthedevelopmentofthedegreepathways

andexpandedadvisingmodel.Section4detailsthedescriptivestatisticsoftheprogram

outcomes.Section5reviewstheresultsfromtwonon-randomizedanalysesofa)impactoneducationaloutcomesandb)changesinemploymentstatusandwagesrelativetoa

historicalcomparisoncohortofstudentsparticipatinginthesamecurricularpathwaysinthetwoyearspriortotheproject.Section6concludeswithadiscussionoftheintegration

ofprogrampathways,work-basedexperiences,andemployerengagementhighlightedby

theevaluationresults.

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2. Evaluation Design Implementation Analysis Design Theprimarygoalofthisimplementationevaluationwastomeasurehowwellthecollege’s

ProgramofStudy(POS)deliveryandstudentsupportstrategiesmettheprioritiesreflected

intheDOLgrantandcontributedtothevisionandgoalsofthegranteecollege.Themixedmethoddesignusedtoassessimplementationwaslongitudinalandcomprehensive,

includingqualitativedatathatsupplementedthequantitativedatatolinkdataonprogramimplementationtostudentoutcomes.Buildingfromtoolsandtemplatesrecommendedby

theTAACCCTnationalevaluatorsandtechnicaladvisors,wecustomizedtemplatestomeet

theneedsofTAACCCTthegranteecolleges,includingtoolsthattracktheinventorygrant-fundedPOSandcorestrategies,partnerengagement,andpartnerships.

The delivery system proposed for the project required extensive organizational change and staff development, therefore a qualitative approach using ethnographic methods of generating data was used to determine the ways that implementation unfolded within the college.Curriculaandinstructionaltechniquesweredocumentedthroughanalysisofprogrammaterialsand

interviewswithcurriculumdevelopersandinstructors.Successesandbarrierstoimplementationthatoccurredintheprocesswerenotedincludingwaysinwhichthe

programaddresseddifferencesinstudentpreparationasevidencedbylow-testscores.The

casestudydesignincludedfielddatathatwascollectedfrommultiplestakeholdersonsite.Thesestakeholderinterviewsallowedtheevaluationteamtohighlightpotentialobstacles

toimplementation,andtoprovideplace-basedinterpretationsofoperationsinthevaried

contextsoftheproject,aswellascontributingtotheformalreviewofdataproducedbytheproject(Yin,2013).ThelogicmodelinFigure2servedasaguidefortheevaluationteam.

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Figure2:IMPACTLogicModel

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Fieldworkwascompletedusingtheimplementationquestionsinbelowasaguideforstudy.Themethodsofdatacollectionincludedinterviews,artifactanalysis,participantobservation,andananalysisoftheonlineenvironmentsprovidedbythesite,includingprogramdeliverablessuchaswork-basedcurricularexperiences,IMPACTstaffandcoachtrainingmaterials,anddocumentedBestPracticespolicies(Patton,2002).Documentanalysisincludedcurricularpathwaysregardingstackedcredentials,jobdescriptionsforhiringpersonnel,syllabi,lessonplans,studentintakeforms,andwrittenrecordsofcommunicationbetweenprogramstaff,students,andexternalstakeholders.Changestocurriculumandcourserequirementsorpathwaysweredocumented.

ImplementationQuestions

Curriculum:Howwastheparticularcurriculumselected,used,and/orcreatedwithinthehistoryoftheprogramsofstudyandinstitutionalcapacityofthecollegeandhowdoesthiscomparetosimilarprogramsofstudyofferedbyotherKCTCScolleges?

Delivery:HowweretheprogramsofstudyimprovedorexpandedaspartoftheIMPACTprogram,howdidthisdifferfromthepast,andhowwasthiscurriculumadministered,especiallywithregardtosupportservices,recruitment,andplacement?

RecruitmentandAssessmentofParticipants:Whatsourcesandsystemswereusedtorecruitparticipants(especiallyunder-representedpopulationsandwomenasthesearehistoricallymalefieldsofwork)andassesstheirabilities,skills,andinterestsrelativetootherprograms?

Acceleration:Whatproceduresforassignmentofcreditforpriorexperiencewereimplementedandwhatobstacleswereexperiencedinawardingcreditforpriorexperiencefortheseprogramsofstudy?

Placement:WhatkindsofcareerguidancewereprovidedandthroughwhatmethodsrelativetopasteffortsatGCTCandotherKCTCSinstitutions?

Partnerships:Whatcontributionsdideachofthepartners(employers,workforcesystem,othertrainingprovidersandeducators,philanthropicorganizations,andothersasapplicable)maketotheprogramandwhatfactorscontributedtopartners’involvementorlackofinvolvementintheprogramwithwhatimpact?InstitutionalCapacity:TowhatextenthastheIMPACTprogramincreasedthecapacityofGatewayCommunity&TechnicalCollegetooffernewcourses,programs,and/oraccelerationofstudymechanismsandhasthisresultedinIMPACTprograminfluencedpoliciesandpracticesinotherKCTCScolleges?

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Interviewswereconductedwithprojectstaff,instructors,partnerorganizationstaff,andapurposefulsampleofparticipants(Miles&Huberman,1994).Allprojectstaffandinstructorswereinterviewed.Interviewguidesforinitialinterviewswerebasedupontheaboveimplementationanalysisquestionsasappropriate.Subsequentinformalinterviewsalsofollowedthequestionguideswithadditionalquestionsderivedfromiterativeanalysisofthefirstroundofinterviews,sitevisitdata,anddocumentanalysis(Creswell,2012).Anemployerengagementsurveywasalsoconductedwithindustrypartnersattheendofthegrant(seeAppendixB). Sitevisitsincludedattendingstaffmeetingswithprojectstaffandinterviewappointmentsalongwithparticipantobservationsinclassroomsettings.Fieldsettingsalsoincluded“placesofpublictalk”inwhichparticipatingstudents,instructors,andothermembersofthecollegeenvironmentinteractsuchasbreakroomsandstudentlounges.Thisallowedtheevaluationteamtogainan“emic”perspectiveoftheeducationalenvironmentandledtothedevelopmentoffurtherquestionstoaskinformalinterviews(Creswell,2012). Finally,inanefforttoexploretheinfluenceoftheIMPACTprogramonotherprogramswithinthecollegeandonprogramsofferedbyotherKCTCScolleges,informalinterviewswereconductedwithGatewayCommunity&TechnicalCollegeadministratorsresponsibleforacademicandstudentaffairsingeneral(suchastheChiefAcademicOfficerandChiefStudentAffairsofficer)aswellaskeyinformantsatKCTCSsystemofficeandotherKCTCScollegesthatoffersimilardegreeprograms.Thegoaloftheseinterviewswastounderstandthewaysinwhichtheprojecthasaffectedinstitutionalcapacitybothatthecollegeandsystemlevels.Thisqualitativestudyofthedevelopmentanddeliveryoftheprogramallowedtheevaluationteamtoidentifywaysthattheimplementationofthegrant-fundedtrainingmodelpresentedchallengestotheinstitution,waysthatlocalemployersandworkforcedevelopmentpractitionersunderstoodandinteractedwiththetrainingmodel,andtosolicitfeedbackfromallstakeholders(workforcedevelopment,employers,collegestaff)onpotentialissuesthatmightaffectthesuccessoftheproposedprogram.TheevaluationteamparticipatedinaTAACCCTWebinarinJune,2015toshareourimplementationevaluationdesignanditsimplicationsforimpactanalysis(Jensen,2015).

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Outcome/Impact Analysis Design QuantitativeevaluationfocusedonseveralmainoutcomesestablishedfortheTAACCCTprogram.Amongthesewemeasuredandevaluatedtheimpactoftheprojectstrategiesonprogramcompletion,credentialattainment,placementintoemploymentandemploymentretention,aswellaschangesinearningsforthosewhoretainedemployment.Becausetheprogramprimarilyinvolvesthedeliverysystemofexistingprograms,weperformedanon-randomizedanalysisoftheoutcomes.Theexistenceofpriorprogramsallowedforcomparisontoahistoricalcohort.Thehistoricalcontrolgroupwasdesirablesincestudentsobtainedthesametypeoftraining,fromsimilarinstitutionsandinsimilarlocation,howeverthetreatmentgroupparticipatedincoursesthathadbeenenhancedbytechnologyandalsoreceivedmoretargetedacademicandcareersupport.AconcurrentcomparisongroupwasnotpossibleastheprogramsatGCTCwereallpartofthetreatmentandtherewerenosimilarprogramswithinthesamelabormarketforthetargetedindustriesintheregion.Theprogramofstudyforthetreatmentgroupwasalsoredesignedtofocusongapsintrainingforthetargetedindustries.Researchshowsthatthereisagapbetweenthedemandandsupplyinthelabormarketduenotnecessarilytolackofjobopportunitiesbutratherduetothelackofrequiredskillsinthoseunemployedtofillcertainjobs(ACT,Inc.,2011).TheimpactanalysisdidnotincludeparticipantsenrolledinthenewprogramsinlogisticsorCDLasthosenewprogramshadnohistoricalcomparisoncohort,nordidweincludestudentswhohadnotenrolledincreditbearingcourses.Oneofthemajorissueswithnon-randomizedstudiesisbias.Thisresultseitherfrommeasurementerrorsormisclassification,orsimplybecausetheselectionoftheparticipantsinthetreatmentgroupisnotrandom.Toavoidbiases,thereareestablishedmethodologicalapproachesthroughmatchingandregressionanalysis(Alemayehu,Alvir,Jones,&Wilke,2011).WeovercamebiasamongthetreatmentandcomparisongroupscausedbythedistributionofobservedcovariatesthroughtheuseofPropensityScoreMatching(PSM)analysis.PSMisanincreasinglypopularmethodofcausalinferenceandiseasilyestimatedbylogisticregression.Theparticipantsinthetreatmentandcomparisongroupswerematchedbasedonsuchvariablesasage,sex,Pelleligibility,andenrollmentinrequiredcoursesforthetargetedprogramsofstudy.Oncethepropensityscorewascalculatedthroughlogisticregression,wethenmatchedindividualsinthetreatmentgroupwithindividualsfromthecomparisongroupsthathavethesameprobabilityofparticipation.ThePSMallowedmatchingnotjustatthemeanofthevariables,butalsosupportedabalanceddistributionofobservedcharacteristicsacrossthetreatmentandcontrolgroups.Weusedthenearest-neighbormatchingproceduretoselectthematchingindividualsfromthecomparisongroup. Outcomes/ImpactAnalysisResearchQuestionsTheprogramevaluatorsaddressedresearchquestionsrelatedtotheTAACCCTgrant’srequiredanalysisofoutcomesandprogramimpact.Weaskedquestionssuchas:didtheprogramhaveanimpactonthetotalnumberofparticipants,completionratesandearnedcredentials?Didparticipationintheprogramaffectstudents’decisionstofurthertheirstudiesaftercompletingtheinitialcredential?Didparticipants’employabilityincreaseafterprogramcompletion?Wasthereapositivechangeinearningsduetoparticipationin

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theprogram,andifso,whatwasthesizeofthatchange?Wealsohopedtoaskifparticipationintheprogramhadanyimpactondistancetraveledtofindworkduetotheruralnatureofsomeofthecollegeservicearea,butfoundlittlevariationinstudents’homeaddressoutsidethegreatermetroareaofNorthernKentuckyandthereforeremovedthisquestion. Weevaluatedtheprogram’simpactonthefollowingoutcomes:totalnumberofparticipants,grant-fundedprogramofstudycompletionrate,programofstudyretention,completionofcredithours,totalnumberofstudentsthathaveearnedcredentials,studentsfurtheringtheireducationafterprogramofstudycompletion,employabilityaftercompletion,totalnumberretainedinemploymentafterprogramofstudycompletion,increaseinearningsafterenrollment,andthesizeofthechangeinearnings.Weanticipatedthattheinterventionwouldhaveapositiveimpactonthetotalparticipantsserved,theircompletionrates,andtheiremploymentoutcomes.Thebasisforthisassumptionresidesinthefactthattheprogramtargetseligibleworkers,veteransandunderemployedadultswithanintrusiveadvisingprogramthatemphasizesskillandstrategydevelopment,courseswithopportunitiesforwork-basedlearning,increasedprogramflexibilityandqualityduetoeLearningcomponents,andpurposefullydesignedpathwaysforcredentialsdesiredinidentifiedareasofemployment.Wealsoanticipatedthattheparticipantsintheprogramwouldhavebetterjobopportunities.InKentucky,wageandemploymentdatafromtheDepartmentofLaborareonlyavailablethroughafewselectgovernmentagencies.TheevaluationteamcontractedwiththeKentuckyCenterforWorkforceStatistics(KCEWS)tocompletetheimpactevaluationofchangeinemploymentstatusandchangeinwages.WesentthematchedpairsofparticipantsandcomparisoncohortstudentsdescribedabovetoKCEWS.KCEWSstaffthenmatchedtheseindividualswiththeiremploymentrecordsasavailable.Fortunately,mostoftheindividualsinourdatasetwerefoundinthestateemploymentdatabase.Atablewasconstructedshowingemploymentstatusandquarterlywages(medians)atthebeginningoftheprogramandthreemonthsafterseparation/completion.KCEWSisnotlegallyallowedtoshareindividuallevelworkforcedata.Theseresultsarefoundinsection5. Limitations TheDepartmentofLaboronlyrecognizesemploymentinformationforstudentsemployedwithinonequarterofcompletion.Thuswecannotconsiderstudentsemployedwhilestillenrolledintheirprogramofstudy,whichmayresultinthemisrepresentationoftheimpactontheemploymentoutcomefortheprogram.ThelocationofGatewayCTContheborderbetweenKentuckyandOhiomayhaveleadtomissingoutcomedata.ItislikelythatsomestudentswillfindemploymentinOhioratherthaninnorthernKentucky.WedidnothaveaccessforemploymentdataforstudentswhoenduplivingandworkinginOhio,butbasedonstudentlocationdata,therewereveryfewstudentswhodidnothaveKentuckyaddresses.

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3. Background and Implementation The Policy Environment in Kentucky TheKentuckyCommunityandTechnicalCollegeSystem(KCTCS)offerstechnicaleducationandapathwaytothebaccalaureateaswellascommunityandadultlearningprograms.Thesemultiplemissionssharedbycommunitycollegesacrossthecountryhaveledtothecommunitycollegebeingcalledthe“contradictorycollege”,oftensufferingfromtensionsbetweenits“democratizing“principlesandlabormarketdemands.InKentucky,statewidepolicyinitiativesareattemptingtoclarifytheroleofthecommunitycollege.By2007,inkeepingwiththenationalmoodforamoreeducatedworkforce,KCTCSwasidentifiedbytheCouncilforPost-SecondaryEducationasacentralplayerinthe“DoubletheNumbers”statecampaigntoincreaseeducationalattainment.Thepushforincreasedpost-secondaryattainmentinthestatewasdrivenbytherecognitionthatnotonlydoKentuckyyouthneedtoaspiretopost-secondarycredentialsinhighernumbers,moreKentuckyadultsneedtobeencouragedtoincreasetheirskillstoparticipateinthechanginglabormarket.Kentucky’shighereducationpolicyanalystshavearguedthatasKentucky’spopulationages,moreworkingadultsneedtobebroughtintocollegealongsidetraditionalhighschoolgraduatestoincreasecertificate,associateandbachelordegreesstatewide.Kentucky’spercentageofpost-secondarydegreeholderswasroughly48%in2010withplanstoraiseitto53%by2015.In“StrongerbyDegrees,”theKentuckyCouncilonPostsecondaryEducation(CPE)articulateditsstrategicplanfor2011-15focusingonfourpriorityareas:efficiency/innovation,readiness,research,andstudentsuccess.ThesegoalsaremeasuredbyCPEthroughmetricsrelatedtocollegereadiness,degrees/credentialsconferred,graduationratesandeducationalattainmentwith2015targets.CPEidentifiedthesixteencollegesthatmakeuptheKentuckyCommunityandTechnicalCollegeSystemastheprimaryinstitutionsbywhichtoincreasecollegediploma,traininganddegreeattainmentandbydoingso,increasetheeconomicstabilityandvitalityofthestate.Inadditiontoaddressingeducationalachievementforthecommonwealth,in2013theKentuckylegislatureestablishedtheKentuckyCenterforEducationandWorkforceStatistics(KCEWS).“TheCenterhastheauthoritytoeducationdataandworkforcedatafromtheKentuckyDepartmentofEducation(KDE),theCouncilonPostsecondaryEducation(CPE),theEducationalProfessionalStandardsBoard(EPSB),theKentuckyHigherEducationAssistanceAuthority(KHEAA),andtheKentuckyEducationandWorkforceDevelopmentCabinet...)”(KRS151B.132)TheresultingKentuckyLongitudinalDataSystem(KLDS)isasignificantresourcetopolicymakersandeducationalinstitutionsindevelopingandassessingeducationandtrainingprograms.EPEpartneredwithKCEWStoconducttheimpactevaluationforthisproject.Asamatterofpolicy,KCTCSdefinescertificateprogramsasanorganizedprogramofstudyconsistingofcoursesdesignedtomeetadefinedsetofcompetencies,resultinginamarketableskillandisapplicabletotherequirementsofanassociatedegreeinthesameor

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relatedfield.1.AllKCTCScredentialsincludingthoseearnedthroughonlinecoursesarestackableandbuildtowardanassociatedegree.Statelegislationwaspassedin2012requiringarticulationagreementswithstatebaccalaureateinstitutionsforallassociatesdegreesincludingtheAppliedAssociatesDegrees(AAS)offeredthroughIMPACT.GatewaysignedanarticulationagreementwithBismarckStateCollege(NorthDakota)fortheA.A.S.inEnergyTechnologiestotransfertoanonlineB.A.S.inEnergyManagement.BismarckStateCollegewasaRound2TAACCCTgranteethatimplementedaprojectsimilartoIMPACTtargetingthreeofthesameindustrysectors.Selection of IMPACT Strategies ActiveImplementationproponentsidentifytheexplorationstageasacriticalfirststepinsuccessfulprojectimplementation(Blase&Flixen,2013).Inthecaseofafundedgrant,muchofthisexplorationoccurspriortothegrantawardasaresultofgrantdevelopment;however,identifyingthesourcesofcertainstrategies(orinthiscase,curricularpathways)providesobserversinsightintothelogicmodelusedtorationalizetheprojectandidentifiespotentialstakeholdersandprocessestoinvestigateastheprojectunfolds.InformationabouttheexplorationstageoftheIMPACTprojectdescribedinthissectionissupportedbythegrantapplicationmaterialsandininterviewswithgrantwritersandcommunitypartners.IndevelopingthestrategiesandinterventionsfortheIMPACTgrantproject,thestaffatGCTCworkedcloselywiththeNorthernKentuckyWorkforceInvestmentBoard(NKYWIB).TheyconsultedtheStateTAAOfficetodeterminetheareasofemploymentmostdirectlyimpactedbyforeigntradeanddeterminedthatthemajorityofjoblossescouldbeaddressedthroughrapidretrainingformanufacturingcareers.TheyalsoreviewedtheeducationalhistoriesofTAAeligibleworkersanddeterminedthatwhilesomehadacollegedegree,themajorityhadonlycompletedhighschoolorsomecollege.Thuspost-secondarytrainingwithsupporttoeasethetransitiontocollegewasidentifiedasthemostappropriatelevelofeducation.Furthermore,theGCTCstaffalsocollaboratedwithlocalveteransupportservicestodeterminetheextentoftrainingneedsforveteransanddeterminedthattheNorthernKentuckyregionhasalargenumberofveteransinneedofpost-secondaryeducationastheregionhasalowerrateofbachelor’sdegreecompletionthanthenationalaverage.TheGCTCstaffagainworkedwithNKYWIBandOfficeofEmploymentandTraining(NKYOET)toidentifytheindemandoccupationsintheManufacturing(NAICS31-33),Utilities(NAICS22),Construction(NAICS23)andTransportationandWarehousing(NAICS48-49)economicsectors.TheymatchedthisdemandwithexistingprogramsofstudyatGCTCandidentifiedtheneedforsixnewcredentials;twoofthesewerecredentialsalreadyofferedatGateway,butdefinedasneedingupdating.TheteamconsultedasurveyoflocalmanufacturingcompaniesconductedbytheNorthernKentuckyIndustryPartnership(NKIP)inMarchof2012whichconfirmedthattechnologicaladvancespresentachallengeformanufacturingemployerstofindemployeeswiththeappropriateskillset(NKIP: 1 KCTCS Administrative Policies, Features and Characteristics of Certificate Programs, 4.11.2.1. http://legacy.kctcs.edu/employee/policies/volumeII/volII4-11-2.pdf .

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StrategicManufacturingSkillBusinessPlan,2013).Theyalsoreviewedasurveyoftheenergysectorconductedinspringof2013,whichindicatedthatahighretirementrateintheregionwouldbeadriverofhiringinthatindustry(KentuckyEnergySector:WorkforceinTransition,2013).Finally,thecollegeaskedamajorlogisticsemployer,VerstLogistics,tosponsoraforumofemployersinthespringof2013thatidentifiedtrainingneedsinlogisticscredentials,especiallytheCDLcertification.Analysisoftheseindustry-basedassessmentsaswellasdatafromtheWorkforceInvestmentBoardresultedintherecommendedcredentialsforthegrant.TwooftheseprogramswerenewtoGatewayandoneofthem,thelogisticsdegree,requiredapprovalbytheKCTCSCurriculumReviewCommittee,aprocessthatcananddidtakeoverayear.Areviewoftheliteraturecitedintheoriginalgrantapplicationprovidesevidenceforthestrategiesadoptedbythegranteeforeffectivedeliveryoftheprogramsofstudy:1)Work-basedexperience,2)astructuredpathwaymappingstepstocompletion,3)acceleratedopportunitiesforearningacredentialinlessthanoneyear,and4)creditforpriorlearningwereidentifiedasbestpracticestoincludeintheprojectstrategies.Inaddition,thedesignincludedevidencetosupporttheefficacyofafifthstrategy;onlineandtechnology-enabledlearningthroughhybridcoursesthatcomplementface-to-faceinstructionwitheLearningwork-basedsimulations(e.g.virtualweldingsimulator).ThisevidencefromthefieldnationallywassupportedbylocalGCTCexperienceswithrelatedtraininggrantsthatincludedeLearningenhancementsinhealthrelatedfields.Theprojecthighlightedtheincorporationoforientationforthenon-traditionallearnerstargetedforthegrant.Inaddition,throughprojectmanagement,goalsweresettomaximizejointeffortsbetweenacademicaffairsandstudentaffairs,toincorporatestudentmentorsandutilizeembeddedtechnologicalcomponents(suchasautomatedemailreminders)tosupportstudentprogress.Furthermore,conversationswithGCTCadministratorsrevealedthattherewasaninstitutionalinterestinbreakingdownbarriersbetweenstudentandacademicaffairsinordertoprovideseamlessserviceforstudents.Thepre-existingGatewayVeteransprogramhadastrongreputationforretainingstudentsabovethatofthecollegeatlarge,whichmadeitaclearstartingpointidentifyingbestpracticesforthegrant,especiallythoseproveneffectiveforveterans.TheProjectCoordinatorcontactedtheGatewayVeteransstudentsupportstafftoexploreadoptingtheirrecommendationsforpoliciesandprocessesofintake,retention,andplacement.AdvisorswhowerepreviouslyworkingwithveteranswereincorporatedaspartoftheIMPACTProjectTeam,leveragingtheirexperience.

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Installation Followinginstallationofaprojectmanager,themajorityofprojectactivitieswereinstalledduringthe2013-2014academicyear.Furtherdevelopmentofonlinemodulesforexistingcoursesandnewcoursesandprogramswererolledoutoverthelifeoftheproject. Table3.1InstallationScheduleStrategy#1:Createcareerpathwaysanddevelopnewandenhancedcurriculumandcredentialstofillgapsinthefollowingindustries:Manufacturing,Utilities,Construction,andTransportationandWarehousing

Activity ExpectedEndDate

DateCompleted

HireCareerMappingSpecialist,CDLprogramcoordinator,andadjunctfaculty. Feb-14 11/21/14Develop,update,anddisseminatecareerpathwaymapsforeachidentifiedoccupation,credential,andacademicprogramincollaborationwithemployers,faculty,andadvisors.

Sep-16 8/5/14

Developandoffernewcourses/certificatestofillgapsintargetedindustries. Sep-16 5/15/15Developandimplementsystemforawardingcreditforpriorlearning. Sep-16 7/30/15Strategy#2:Designandenhanceprogramsanddeliverytomeetthelearningandemploymentneedsofworkersandtheworkforceneedsoftargetedindustries.

HireInstructionalDesigner,WorkExperienceCoordinator,andAdjunctFaculty. Dec-13 8/1/14Developandenhancework-basedtrainingopportunities. Sep-16 Meettheworkforceneedsofthetargetedindustries/employersbyaligningcurriculumwithrequiredjobcompetenciesandbyprovidingstudentswithlearningenvironmentsreflectiveofreal-worldindustrystandards.

Sep-16 3/28/14

Providenewandenhanceddeliverymodesthatprovideaccelerated,alternativescheduling,andeLearningoptions. Sep-16 5/15/15Strategy#3:Transformoutreach,completion,andcareersupportservicestopromoteaccessandsuccesstoeligibleparticipants.

HireRetentionandPlacementSpecialist Dec-13 3/28/14Establishacomprehensiveintakeprocessthatensuresa“rightstart”philosophy Sep-16 7/30/14Developandimplementastrategicmarketingandoutreachplantorecruitthetargetpopulation Sep-16 12/12/14Strengthenrelationshipswithbusinessandindustry,economicdevelopment,andcommunitypartners Sep-16 5/16/14Providesupportservicestoincreasecompletionandcareerplacement Sep-16 6/30/14

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TheGrantsOfficeatGatewayinitiallyusedtheIMPACTprogramanditsTAACCCTgrantasalaboratoryforanewprojectmanagementmodel.ThismodelincludesaHumanResourcesManagementPlantochangetheprevioustimeframeofgrantimplementation,frontloadingmanyofthetasksthattheyhistoricallydidattheendoftheprocess,toassurethatthegrantactivitiesfollowedtheproposedtimelineandthatpersonnelcostswereaccurate.Grantteammeetingsbecameatimenotonlytogiveupdatesandanswerquestions,butalsotoprovideinputfortheplananddiscussissuesandnewideasfortheproject,toencouragecollaboration.Individualswereassignedtoteams,andeachteamhadafunctionalmanagerwhooversawthegrantactivitiesintheirarea,includingcreatingasustainabilityplan,whichmayhavehelpedwithcontinuitywhenthecollegeandtheprojectfacedleadershipchanges.StaffingfollowedtheprojectSOWwithalmostallpositionsfilledwithinthefirsttwosemesters.Thepart-timeCDLProgramCoordinatorpositionwasdifficulttofill,leadingtothedivisionchairtakingonthedutiesintheinterimuntilanewprogramcoordinatorwashired.Similarly,oneoftheweldinginstructorsretiredduringthefirstyearofthegrantandfindingareplacementwasdifficult.ThisdifficultyinhiringinstructionalstaffintechnicaleducationisanobstaclenotrestrictedtoGateway.GCTCfacultydescribedthisdifficultyasanationalissue.ChangestotheinitialgrantdescriptionincludedcombiningtheCareerMappingSpecialistpositionwithRetentionandPlacementSpecialistposition.Duringimplementation,therewasareassessmentofresponsibilitiestoleveragepositionsthatwereinplaceandaddnewpositionsasappropriate.Byusing.5effortfortwoexperiencedcounselorsinveteran’saffairsinsteadofonefulltimeposition,thetwoveterancounselorscouldadvisestudentsonIMPACTprogramsaswellasalltheotherprogramsavailableatGCTC.Afulltimerecruitment,retention,andplacementcounselorcompletedthestudentservicesstafffortheprogramtoworkwithstudentsfromintakethroughprogramcompletionandjobplacement.Priortothehiring,astaffmemberfromtheKentuckyCareerCentercametocampusonceaweektoassistIMPACTstudentswithjobplacement.Inthefallof2015,GCTC’sPresident,EdHughes,resignedandtheIMPACTprojectmanagerleftforanotherposition.ThecollegehadtwointerimpresidentsduringthefollowingyearuntilDr.FernandoFigueroawashiredinthesummerof2016.Thedataanalyst,RebeccaJohnson,assumedprojectmanagement.Otherstaffwithdirectcontacttostudents,however,remainedthesamethroughoutthegrantperiod.Attheconclusionofthegrant,allbutthreepositionsfundedbythegrantwereeliminated.Theseincludethedataanalystwhowillcontinueonanothergrant,theInstructionalDesigner,alsocontinuingonanothergrant;theCDLProgramCoordinator,andtheadvisorresponsibleforadvisingVeterans.Theeliminationsofthesepositionsmayputthecontinuingstrengthofcareercounselingdemonstratedbytheproject,especiallytheplacementofstudentsinco-opsandotherwork-basedexperiencesatrisk.GCTCinfrastructureforsustainingpartnershipswithindustryleadersandhumanresourceprofessionalsassociatedwithlocalemployersandsocialindustriesextendsbeyondthegrantactivities,however,isstrong,butwillrequirevigilance.

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Figure3.1:IMPACTOrganizationalChart(July2015)

Key

PresidentHughes

VPGoodmanKnowledgeMgt

DougPenixDirectorofeLearning

KarenBiegerInstructionalDesigner

JeremyBerberichDirectorof

KnowledgeMgt

RebeccaJohnsonDataAnalyst

VPWashington

MallisGraves

VP/ProvostStallmeyer

AssociateProvost

Shaughnessy

JohnCarrollAO

Coordinator

AndreWashingtonDeanofEnrollment

Services

RobinWrightRegistrar

AnnSchultzDirectorofAdvising Teresa

MehlerAdvisorBoone

VPTaylorProject

Administrator

TaraSorrellNon-VeteransCareerMapping,Retention,andPlacementSpecialist

ChrisCourtneyVeteransRetentionPlacementStrategist

DanielRidleyVeteransCareerMappingSpecialist

VPKroegerResource

Development

AmberDeckerDirector

ofGrants

YvonneMeichtryProjectManager

MargaretThomsonDirectorofPublicRelations

PRStaffas

needed

VPBakerBusinessAffairs

JamesYoungerDirectorofBudgetandAccounting

BusinessOfficeStaffas

needed

PyllisYeagerHRDirector

HRStaffasneeded

DeeWrightDivisionChair Faculty

DavidEmeryCoord.of

WorkExperience

SamCollierDivisionChair

CDLCoord.

LisaMohr

KarenMannAdvisorBoone

Functional Manager

Project Team Member

Project Team Member

supplemental pay supported by

grant

Project Team Member salary

supported by grant

Project Manager

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Installation of Strategy #1: Creating Career Pathways & Curriculum Programstaffidentifiedstackedandlatticedcareerpathways,alongwithassociatedindustrycertifications.Programsofstudywereseparatedintofivecareerpathways(EnergyUtilityandTele-Communications,HVAC,Logistics,ComputerizedManufacturingandMachining,andAdvancedManufacturing).Careerpathwaymapsshowtheprogressionfromcertificatetobachelorsandassociatedjobtitlesandsalaryrangesforeach(seeAppendixA).ProjectstaffcollaboratedwithTechnicalAdvisoryCommitteemembers(localemployers)oneachmaptoassureaccuracy,andaplanisinplacetorevisitwithemployersonceayearforpossiblerevisions.Thesemapsareusedbyprojectfacultyandstaff,andalsodistributeddirectlytocurrentandpotentialstudents,forrecruitmentandstudentsupport(Strategy3).Forexample,employersrespondedtotheAdvancedManufacturingcareermapbysayingthatitwasaccurateinitsreflectionofthefieldandsubsequentlyreviewedLogistics,HVAC,andCMMpathwaysandofferedadviceforimprovements.TheLogisticsFocusGroupmettodetermineindustrychallengesandneeds,ultimatelydevelopingthecareerpathwayandthecurriculumthatwaslatersubmittedtotheKCTCSforapproval.TheEnergyandTele-CommunicationsConsortiumalsomet.Meetingswithemployershaveallowedgrantstafftoidentifyskillgapsinthetargetedareas.Two-yearschedulesforeachprogramofstudyweredevelopedtohelpinadvisingstudents.Theschedulesshowthesequenceofcoursesthatastudentmusttaketofinishtheassociatesontimeasafull-timestudent,aswellaswhatsemestereachcourseisoffered.Four-yearschedulesforpart-timestudentswerealsodiscussed.Grantstaffidentifiedsevenacceleratedcareerpathwaysthatcouldbecompletedinless-than-onetotwosemestersplustheCDLcertificationprogram.GatewayhadpreviouslydevelopedfiveacceleratedManufacturingandTradeTechnologyprogramsthroughanAcceleratedOpportunitiesgrantfundedbyJobsFortheFuture,butthesecourseswerelimitedtotheadulteducationbenchmarksoftheAOgrant.OtheracceleratedstackablecertificatesundertheumbrellaoftheFundamentalofAdvancedManufacturingweredevelopedinpartnershipwithaRaisetheFloorgrantfundedbytheMacArthurFoundation.ThustheIMPACTstaffleveragedexistinggrantactivitiestoincreaseopportunitiesforGatewaystudentstoearncredentialsquicklyinhighdemandcareerareas.ThreenewstackableFundamentalsofAdvancedManufacturingcredentialswerealsocreated.Onecourse,MFG102,wasbeingofferedbyWorkforceSolutionsbutwastranslatedintotheregularclassschedulelaterin2015.AKeyTrainCurriculumwasdevelopedtoallowparticipantstoearnNCRC,andWorkKeysemploymentassessmentsbecameavailableintheassessmentcenter.

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Table3.2:StackedandLatticedCareerPathways

ProgramofStudy Credential IndustryCertification Career/Occupation

ComputerizedManufacturingandMachining

AAS,Diploma,Certificates

NOCTIPrecisionMachining

MachineMaintenanceSpecialist,Machinists&MachineToolOperator,Computer-ControlledMachineToolOperator

ElectricalTechnologyAAS,Diploma,Certificates

-BICSI–ITSInstallerI,Installer2,Copper,Installer2,OpticalFiber-KYStandardJourneymanElectrician-OSHA10and30

IndustrialElectricians,Electricians,ElectricalPowerLineInstallersandRepairers,ElectricalInstallersandRepairers

EnergyTechnologies AAS,Certificates

-BPIBuildingAnalyst-BPIBuildingEnvelope-FOA–-FiberOutsidePlantTechnician-FibertotheHome,Premise,Curb-OSHA10and30

EnergyAuditor,Solar/PVInstaller,TelecommunicationsLineInstallers&Repairers,ElectricalPowerLineInstallers&Repairers

HVACAAS,Certificate

-KYHVACJourneymanMechanicLicense-EPA608RefrigerationLicense

HVACMechanicsandInstallers

IndustrialMaintenance

AAS,Certificates

AMTEC(EffectiveFall2014)

Installation,Maintenance,andRepair,IndustrialEngineeringTechnician,IndustrialMachineryMechanics

ManufacturingEngineeringTechnology

AAS,Certificates

-MSSCCertifiedProductionTechnician-NOCTIManufacturingLevel1-EnhancedOperator(new)

EngineeringTechnicianAutomatedProcessTechnician,ProductionTechnician,QualityControlTechnician

WeldingTechnologyAAS,Diploma,Certificates

AWS–EntryLevelWorkerWelders,Cutters,WelderFitters,Welding,Soldering,BrazingMachineSetters

SupplyChainManagement(NEW)

AAS,Certificate

-MSSCCertifiedLogisticsAssociate(new)-MSSCCertifiedLogisticsTechnician(new)-CertifiedProductionTechnician(new)

LogisticsManager,LogisticsAnalyst,LogisticsSpecialist,FrontEndLogistics

CommercialDriver’sLicense(NEW) Certificate CDL(canbestackedonanyof

theaboveprograms)(new)

GroundTransportation,BusandTruckDriver,CommercialVehicleOperator,MobileCraneOperator

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TheLogisticsConsortium,agroupofemployersandeducationalinstitutionsguidedbyGCTCWorkforceSolutions,collaboratedtoidentifylogisticsasahighneedarea.TheypilotedanewSupplyChainSpecialistofferedthroughWorkforceSolutionsandrecommendedanewcourse,LOM210LeanforLogistics.Withgrantsupport,GCTCdevelopedthreenewcredentialsin2015-CertifiedLogisticsTechnician(CLT),CertifiedLogisticsAssociate(CLA),andCertifiedProductionTechnician(CPT)–thatwerepreviouslyofferedasemployercontracttrainingthroughtheKentuckyCareerCenter.Eventually,thisledtothedevelopmentofanAASinSupplyChainManagement.ThisAASdegreeiscurrentlyonlyofferedatoneothercollegesinKCTCS-WesternKentuckyCommunity&TechnicalCollege-butnotwiththisfocusoption,duetodifferencesinlocalindustry;MaysvilleCommunity&TechnicalCollegeofferscertificatesbutnotthedegreeFigure3.2:MarketingMaterialsfornewLogisticsPathway

Logistics is one of the fastest growing industries in the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati area—providing over 70,000 jobs annually. It is an interconnected and high-tech supply chain with multi-dimensional opportunities for high paying, lifetime careers.

One Program, Many Careers

The program consists of multiple credentials leading to an Associate’s Degree in Supply Chain Management that will prepare students to enter the field in positions such as:

Logistics Associate Material Coordinator Traffic Coordinator Inventory Control Specialist Coordinator/Analyst Lean Logistics Specialist

The Supply Chain Management program provides you with high-demand knowledge in digital literacy, supply chain and lean concepts, communication skills, creative problem-solving techniques, planning and operations management.

The program begins with LOM100 on August 17, 2015. Class will meet at the Urban Metro Campus on Wednesdays, 6 – 8:45 p.m. through October 4, 2015.

To register, contact Mike Koch at [email protected] or 859-442-1196

Supply Chain Management

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Finally,inthelastsemestersofthegrant,GCTCwelcomeditsfirststudentsintotheEnhancedOperatorProgram.Asixteen-weekprogramthathighlightscompetencybasedlearningthroughself-pacedmodulesusing“open-source”resourcesdrawnfromindustrypartners.ThiscertificateincludesfourteenhoursofcollegecreditandisstackabletowardtheAASinManufacturingEngineeringTechnology.BecausethisnewestprogramwasaresultofcollaborativedevelopmentwiththeAdvancedManufacturingWorkforceDevelopmentCoalition,allgraduatingparticipantsreceiveemploymentinterviewswithemployerpartners.Grantareaprogramsweresurveyedforassociatedindustrycertifications.Alongwithidentifyingstackedandlatticedcareerpathways,theprogramisalsoabletoindicatewhichindustrycertificationsareinvolvedwitheachpathway,includingMSSCCLAandCLTinLogistics,MSCCCPTinManufacturing,aswellasFibertotheHomeandBuildingEnvelopeinEnergyTechnology.TheassessmentcenteratthecollegestartedtoofferWorkKeystests,whichemployeesusetohirenewemployees.ACTjobprofileswerealsoconductedtodeterminecompetenciesinthefields. Table3.3:TranslatingNon-CreditCertificationsintoCredentials

WorkforceSolutionCertificationFor-CreditCourse

DegreeProgram

MSSCCertifiedProductionTechnician MFG102 ManufacturingTechnologyMSCCCertifiedLogisticsAssociate LOM100 LogisticsMSCCCertifiedLogisticsTechnician LOM102 LogisticsFibertotheHome(FOA) EGY120 EnergyTechnologyBuildingPerformanceInstituteBuildingAnalystI(BA1) EGY240 EnergyTechnology

NOCTIPrecisionMachining CMMNOCTIManufacturingLevel1 ManufacturingTechnologyITSInstallerI ElectricalTechnologyInstaller2(Copper) ElectricalTechnologyInstaller2(OpticalFiber) ElectricalTechnologyKYStandardJourneymanElectrician ElectricalTechnologyCommercialDriver’sLicense(CDL) N/A N/A(WorkforceSolutions)TheabovechartidentifiesthewaysinwhichWorkforceSolutioncertificationsmentionedabovehavebeenorareintheprocessingofbeingtranslatedintocreditbearingprograms. AnotherareaofkeeninteresttolocalpartnerswasthatofCDLtraining.TherewerenoCDLtrainingprogramsintheNorthernKentuckyregionattheonsetofthegrant.ThecollegeinitiallypartneredwithLakeCumberlandCDLTrainingSchooltoofferCDLtraining,

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whichprovidedthetrucksandinstructors.SimilartootherKCTCScolleges,theCDLcoursewasadvertisedthroughWorkforceSolutions;however,itsacademichomewasinAutomotiveTechnologyinthehopesofbeingdevelopedandapprovedinthefutureasacreditbearingcoursewhichwouldallowveteranstouseGIBillbenefitstopayforthecourse.Thecollegebroughtthistrainingprogramin-houseintheFallof2016includingtrucks,drivinginstructors,andpracticeareaaspartoftheirnewTransportationTechnologyCenter.Priortothegrant,Gatewayofferedcreditforpriorlearningifstudentspassedagiventest,heldanindustrylicensure,orcompletedapriorlearningassessmentportfolio.ForProjectIMPACT,theexistingstudentportfoliomodelwasreviewed,andnewbestpracticeideaswereexploredinordertodevelopanenhancedsystemofimplementingPriorLearningAssessments.Independently,theSystemsOfficedistributedaPriorLearningHandbooktothecolleges,alongwithalistofComputerInformationTechnologyequivalenciesinAprilof2014,whichwerethenalsoconsideredforinclusioninIMPACT’sPLApolicy.Alsotobeincludedwerepreexistingmemorandumswithagreement(MOAs)thatafewIMPACTprogramareashadestablishedwithlocalemployersforawardingpriorlearningcreditforworkexperience.ThecurrentPLAhandbookwaspostedtothecollegewebsite,alongwithalistofacceptablelicensuresandtests. Installation of Strategy #2: Program Enhancements ComputerizedManufacturingandMachiningequipmentwasinstalledduringYearOneforuseinninecoursesandtheVirtualSimulatorforfourweldingclassesarrivedattheendoftheyear.EquipmentincludesfourProtoTRAKCNCs,aLathe,aretrofitandaccessoriesforCMM,andtwoMotomanMH5LFRobotCustomSystemsforElectricalTechnology.Tabletsfortheelectricalandenergyprograms,a3-Dprinter,andscannerswerealsoorderedandinstalled.Grantstaffidentifiedcoursesthatwerealreadyofferedwhollyorpartiallyonlineinthetargetprogramareas,aswellascoursesthatcouldbedevelopedintoeither100%online,hybridcourses,oronlinemodules.Inordertomeettheirgoalofdeveloping5eLearningcurriculaperyear,thenewlyhiredInstructionalDesignerworkedwithfacultytodeveloptheonlinecurriculumformatfortheircontentarea.Thefacultyagreethatahybridapproachisbestforthesekindsofcourseswiththeexceptionofenhancedmanufacturingwhichwaswellreceivedasa100%onlineclasswithexcellentflexibilityforthestudents.Thecoursedeveloperworkedwithtwofacultymemberswhowerealreadyinprocesswhenshewashiredandfoundthattheinstructorswouldbenefitfromagroupapproachtodevelopingnewonlinelearningenvironments.Theybeganofferinga“bootcamp”duringthesummer(wheninstructorstypicallyhavealowerteachingload)calledtheeLearningDesignandDevelopmentInstitute(eDDI).Duringintensivesessions,instructorsdevelopedthecontentfortheircoursesandlearnaboutonlinepedagogyandbestpractices.Attheendofeachbootcamp,theinstructorshandoffallthecoursematerialstothecoursedesignersandthentheeLearningteamdevelopsthecourseinBlackboardin

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suchaswaytomeettheKCTCSQualityMattersrubric.Thisprocessfollowsadesigntemplatedevelopedforapreviousgrantthatprovidescontinuityacrosscoursesaseachcourselooksthesameasthenextoneandiseasyforthestudentstofollow.WiththeeDDImodel,coursedevelopmenttook6-7monthsratherthanoverayear.Table3.4:CoursesDevelopedforeLearningCourseName Delivery CreditsISX101(IncludesPersonalProtectionEquipmentsafetymodule) 100% 3Credits

BRX110 100% 2credits

BRX210 100% 2credits

ACR13 100% 3Credits

ACR250 100% 3credits

ACR270 100% 3Credits

QMS101 100% 3Credits

EGY120(2modulesinfiberoptics) Hybrid 4credits

EGY220 Hybrid 4credits

IMT289-capstone 100% 1credit

EET127capstonecourseF2F

0-3

credits

MFG102 100% 6credits

CreatingaResume 100% n/a

CertifiedLogisticsTechnician(CLT) 100% 3Credits

CertifiedLogisticsAssociate(CLA 100% 3Credits

*ImpactInstructionalDesignercompletedbothQualityMattersandCertifiedTechnical

Trainercertifications.

TheinstructionaldesignernotedthatthegroupenvironmentoftheeDDIBootCampallowedtheinstructorstolearnfromeachotherandtorecognize“whattheydon’tknow”.Thiswasanimprovementoverindividualizedconsultations.Inaskingquestionsandhearingwhatothersthink,theparticipantstriedoutideasandsharedteachingexperiences.AlthoughtheparticipantsdidnothavealotofknowledgeabouteLearningtoshare,thegroupsessionsprovidedinformationtothedesignersanddevelopersrunningtheinstitutetounderstandwhattheinstructorsneedtolearn.Itwaspointedoutthatsomeoftheinstructorshavenevertakenacourseonlineandthegroupallowedthemtogetacrashcourseinwhatanonlineenvironmentcanbelike.Thefifthmoduleonresumedevelopmentdevelopedin2014wasaresultoflessonslearnedthroughthedevelopmentoftheelectricalcontrolscourse,whichleadstotheCertificatedElectricalManagercertificate.InthisclassSchneiderElectricsentprofessionalstotalktothestudents.Inaddition,theCareerPathwaysadvisor,TaraSorrell,alsovisitedtheclasstoprovideinformationondevelopingaresumeandjobhuntingmaterials.Thestudentswererequiredtoapplywhatthey’velearnedfromtheseclassvisits.Intheprocess,theinstructorsnoted,“It’dbeniceifwehadsomekindofvideothatexplainstothemhowtogettheirresumetogether.”Theinstructionaldesignerworked

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withthecareerpathwaysadvisortodevelopanonlinemodulethateffectivelycapturesthePowerPointslidesusedintheresumeworkshopsessionsinclass.ThismoduleisnowavailableontheIMPACTwebsitetobeusedinanyIMPACTorGatewaycourseasneeded.ItisanintegratedpartoftheCEMcertificate,butcanbeaddedtoanyprogramofstudy.AnotherinnovativeideathatcameoutofcollaborationbetweendesignersandinstructorswasthedevelopmentofaresourceforstudentsonLibrarySciencesandTechnologyskillscalledEarlyAccessSkillsforYou(EASY).Aspartofanothergrant(HPOG),GatewaystaffrecognizedthatstudentswerestrugglingwiththeirCITcourse(requiredforalmostalldegreeprogramsinKCTCS).Theylackedbasicskillsinaccessinginformationandusingtechnology.SotheteamdevelopedEASYasasetofresourcesimbeddedintheBlackboardshelloftheircoursethathasonlinetutorialsandinteractivelecturesaboutLISandTechnologyskills(Word,PowerPoint,operatingsystems).Similartothe“StartHere”ModulethatallthecourseshaveaspartoftheeLearningdesigntemplate,eventuallytheEASYresourcewillbeinalltheirclasses.Installation of Strategy #3: Outreach, Completion & Career SupportThegrantstaffdevelopedastrategicmarketingandoutreachplanwithassistancefromGatewayPR.Staffdevelopedprogrammaterialstobepassedouttostudentsinclasseswithinthetargetedprograms.Initially,amarketingplanwasdevelopedspecificallyforveteranstudents,butthiswasthenusedasatemplateforotherIMPACTpopulations.Theprogramstaffalsopublishedrackcardsandbusinesscardstohandout.TheIMPACTwebsiteincludeslinkstoindividualprogramwebsitesandcontainscontactinformationforstudentsupportstaff.RecruitmentwasadifficultsellforIMPACTstaffduetonegativeperceptionsinthecommunityaboutmanufacturingjobs.PlannedoutreacheffortstostudentsincludedemailingundecidedstudentsabouttheIMPACTgrant,distributingflyerstolocalareastopromotemanufacturingjobs,informationalmeetings,anddistributingcareerpathwaystopotentialstudents.Inaddition,studentswhohadappliedtoGatewaybuthadnotyetregisteredwerecontactedforassistance.ProjectstaffmetwithFlorenceandCovingtonTAACoordinatorstodiscusscollaborationandtheprocessforreferringTAA-eligibleworkers.Anothersourceofstudentswerethosealreadyoncampus,butperhapsnotknowledgeableabouttheIMPACTpathways.StudentsupportstaffvisitedclassesduringthefirstfewweeksoffallclassestodiscusstheIMPACTgrantwithpotentialstudents.Directengagementwithemployers(discussedinthefollowingsection)wasalsoagoodrecruitingpractice.MethodsoftrackinghownewparticipantsandcurrentstudentsheardaboutIMPACTandcareerprogramswereputinplace.Theintakeprocesswasdeterminedtobethefirststepofone-on-onesupportforIMPACTstudents.ByMay2014,astandardintakeformforthegrantandtrackingproceduresforparticipantshadbeendevelopedandrevisedforclarity.AsstudentscompletetheformtheywereaddedtotheIMPACTstudentdatabasethattrackedwhatservicestheyreceivedthroughthegrant.Theintakeformalsocollected

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contactanddemographicinformation,veterananddisabilitystatus,currentemploymentandincomedata,andprograminterest.ProgramstudentsupportactivitiesincludedanemphasisonpersonalcontactaboveandbeyondthattypicallyprovidedbyGCTCadvisors.Aspartofrecruitment,inquirieswerefolloweduptoassistwithenrollment.Onceenrolled,studentsreceivedadvisingonpathwaysandnextstepstoimprovecontinuousenrollmenttocompletion.Careerplanning,includingresumedevelopmentandpracticeinterviewswerealsoprovided.Pathwaysmapsdemonstratedwhatjobsandsalariescorrespondedwitheachcredential.Grantparticipantsalsoreceivedhelpwithfindingwork-basedlearningopportunities.Toassistwithadvising,two-yearprogramschedulesindicatingthesequenceofcoursesforstudentswereproducedinadditiontothecareerpathwaymaps.IMPACTparticipantsweretrackedthroughtheadvisingprogramStarfish,whichcontainsinformationabouttheirregistration,courses,andcredentials,andallowsstudentstobeflaggedforpossibleretentionissues.BecausethestudentmanagementsystemPeopleSoftandStarfisharebothusedbythecollegeatlarge,studentsweregivenspecialIMPACTidentifierswithineachsystemthatprojectfacultyandstaffcoulduse.Projectstaffalsocreatedaspreadsheetreferenceofthenon-veteranparticipantswiththeirstudentID,informationontheirprogramofstudy,credentialsthattheymaybeeligibleforthatsemester,andwhetherornottheyenrolledforthenextsemester.Duetothepossiblevariationsintreatmentforeachparticipant–i.e.,receivingsupportservices,enrollingineLearningcoursesorcoursewithnewequipment,and/orparticipatinginwork-basedlearning–thegrantstaffalsokeptarecordofwhichparticipantshavereceivedwhichtreatments.TheIMPACTprojectfollowedGCTCproceduresforstudentassessment.IncomingstudentswhoseACTscoresfellbelowstatestandardsforcollegereadinesswereaskedtocompleteadditionalassessments(firstCOMPASSandlaterKYOTE)toplacethemindevelopmentaleducationcourses.StudentswithoutACTorotherstandardizedtestscores,wererequiredtocompletecollegeassessments(firstCOMPASSandlaterKYOTE)aspartofGCTCadmission.GCTCfollowsanaccelerateddevelopmentaleducationcurriculumwithco-requisitecourses.ThedevelopmentaleducationcurriculumhadbeencompletelyredesignedincludingactivelearningpedagogyatthetimeofIMPACTimplementationwithfundingfromaFirstintheWorldgrantfromtheDepartmentofEducation.Studentpursuingnon-creditbearingcertificateprogramsthroughWorkforceSolutionswerenotrequiredtocompletecollegereadinessassessments.TheIMPACTprogramimplementedanambitiousarrayofactivitiestosupportawideselectionofcredentials.Thenumberofstudentsinanyoneprogramofstudywaslow,buttheoveralllevelofservicewashighwithnewprogramsexperiencingstrongenrollmentduetotheintegrationofindustrypartnerfeedbackandparticipationinrecruitment.Thisdistinctivefeatureoftheprojecttoengagelocalemployersinthepathwaydevelopmentprocessimprovedindustry-basedrevisionstocoursesandprograms.Work-basedlearningopportunitiesbothintheclassroomthroughenhancedclassroomresourcesandco-opopportunitiesaddedtothestudents’experience.

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4. Outcome Analysis Descriptive Statistics of Student Participants Thedemographicsbelowdescribethetotalparticipantsthatthegrantservedasfarasinformationwasknownforthem.Certaininformationcouldbetakenfromastudent’sapplicationtoKCTCS,whileothersweredependentuponself-reportingthroughtheIMPACTintakeform.Enrollmentandcourseperformancedataforeachstudentwereverifiedbytheevaluationteamthroughananalysisofeachstudent’stranscriptpulleddirectlyfromthecollegeenrollmentsystem.

Age:Theaverageself-reportedageofstudentsintheprogramis33yearsold.Thenumberofnon-traditionalstudents(definedas25yearsorolder)is269outof379participants(71%).Gender:341of379participantsareself-reportedasmale.Ten(10)ofthefemaleparticipantsareintheCPTprogram,whichisthecertificateoffocusoftheRaisetheFloorprogramthatrecruitswomenintotechnicalfields.Race&Ethnicity:Themajorityoftheparticipantsself-reportedaswhite/Caucasian(317of379);50studentsself-reportedasBlackorAfricanAmerican,two(2)reportedasAsian,one(1)reportedasAmericanIndianorAlaskanNative,andnine(9)didnotself-identify.Seven(7)studentsself-reportedasbeingofLatinoorHispanicheritage.Gateway’scollege-widedemographicsforraceandethnicityareapproximately83%white/Caucasian(compareIMPACT83.6%)and12.5%BlackorAfricanAmerican(compareIMPACT13.2%).Otherminoritiesareunder-representedintheprogram.EligibilityforFederalfunding/programs:Onehundredandtwo(102)participantswereeligibleforPellgrantfundinginFall2016,andeighteen(18)wereTAAeligible.OfthosestudentswithVeteranstatus,sixty-eight(68)wereidentifiedaseligibleVeterans,one(1)eligiblewithlessthan180daysservices,andone(1)asanotherVA-eligibleperson.CollegeReadiness:Accordingtodataonstudents’ACTandCOMPASSplacementtestresults,79studentstestedintoremedialEnglish,60intoremedialreading,and94studentstestedintoremedialmath.115participantshavetakenatleastonedevelopmentalcourseovertheirentireenrollmenttimeatKCTCS.151studentsdidnothavereadingorwritingCOMPASSorACTscores,and153studentsdidnothavemathCOMPASStestrecordsorACTscoreswhichmaybeexplainedbytransfercreditorotherevidenceofcollegereadiness.CoursesintheIMPACTprogramdonothaveaplanfordifferentiatedinstructionasstudentswhoarenotcollegeready(determinedbyACTorCOMPASSscoresunder

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KCTCSpolicy);however,theIMPACTprogramparticipantswhoarenotcertifiedascollegereadyareexpectedtocompletedevelopmentaleducationcourseworkinadditiontoPOScoursesfollowingstateguidelinesforcollegereadiness.EnrollmentandEmploymentStatus:EnrollmentdatacouldbemonitoredthroughthestudentinformationsystemofKCTCS,PeopleSoft,butemploymentdatahadtobeself-reportedbyparticipants.Ofthe95studentsthatwereenrolledforclassesinthefinalsemesterwithaknowncourseload,70wereenrolledfull-time(atleast12credithourspersemester)and25wereenrolledpart-time.Overall,270ofthe379totalparticipantswereidentifiedasfull-timestudents,and264ofallparticipantswereincumbentworkers.

Enrollment in IMPACT Programs of Study and New Courses Inall,theIMPACTprogramhad379totalparticipants,251ofwhichwerenewstudents(non-incumbenttoGateway).Theprogramproduced125exitersand175completers.Completersaredefinedasthosewhohavebothgraduatedandexitedtheprogram,whiletheexiterswithdrewfromtheprogramwithoutcompletingacredential.ThedifferencesinthenumbersbetweenthosereportedbythegranttotheDepartmentofLaborandinProjectTeammeetings,andthosecalculatedbytheevaluationteamarelikelyaresultofeachcapturingtheever-updatingdataatdifferentpointsintime.Inthefinalimpactanalysis,weusedreconcileddatabasedonrawtranscriptdataforbothparticipantsandthehistoricalcomparisoncohortdrawndirectlyfromthecollegeenrollmentdata.Thisreconciliationassuresthequalityofdatausedintheanalysis.ThenumberoftotalparticipantsineachPOSfollowsbelow.Studentsareabletoearncredentialsinmultipleareaseveniftheyarenotlistedastheirprimaryprogramofstudy.Table4.1:EnrollmentbyProgramofStudyandCredential

ProgramofStudy(POS) Credential TotalParticipants

ComputerizedManufacturingandMachining AAS,Diploma,Certificates 18

AAS/MachineToolTech 8 CNCMachinist 4 Machinist 1 MachineToolOperator 1 NoSubPlanListed 4CommercialDriver’sLicense Certificate 114ElectricalTechnology AAS,Diploma,Certificates 36 AASElectricalTech 12 ConstructionElectrician 2

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IndustrialElectrician 2 NoSubPlanListed 20EnergyTechnologies AAS,Certificates 15HVAC AAS,Certificate 26 AASHVAC 16 HVACMechanic 1 DomesticAC&Furnace 1 NoSubPlanListed 8IndustrialMaintenance AAS,Certificates 36 MechanicLevel2 1 NoSubPlanListed 35Logistics AAS,Certificate 7 SupplyChainManagement 1 CLA/CLT 6ManufacturingTechnology AAS,Certificates 87 AASManufacturingTech 1 ComputerAidedDrafting 1 CPT 17 QualityControl 1 NoSubPlanListed 67Fund.ofAdv.Manuf.&Machining 2

WeldingTechnology AAS,Diploma,Certificates 37 AASWeldingTechnology 9 CNCMachinist 1 CombinationWelder 13 ARCWelder 1 NoSubPlanListed 13

Inall,138programparticipantstookcoursesthatwerenewlydevelopedthroughtheIMPACTgrant,24tookcoursesthatwereupdatedusinggrantfunding,and104tookcoursesthatwereprovidedwithnewequipmentthroughgrantfunds.Ninety-four(94)participantstookatleastoneneweLearningcourseaspartoftheirprogram.Ninety-six(96)tookcoursesthatwerepartoftheacceleratedcredentialscurriculum.866non-programparticipantsalsotookatleastoneofthesecoursesthatwereimprovedthroughtheIMPACTgrant.

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Completion of Academic Credentials (Associates, Diplomas, & Certificates) Datafromthecollegestudentmanagementdatabaseshowsthat138participantscompleted510for-creditcredentialsinthefollowingareasduringtheimplementationoftheIMPACTprogram:AssociateinAppliedScience(49)ElectricalTechnology(9)EnergyTechnology(4)IndustrialMaintenanceTechnology(4)ManufacturingEngineeringTechnology(15)HVAC(1)SupplyChainManagement(1)Welding(3)GeneralOccupationalandTechnicalStudies(GOTS)(12)Diploma(22)CombinationWelder(8)ElectricalTechnology(13)Heating,Ventilation,andAirConditioningMechanic(1)Certificates(439)ARCWelder(9)DomesticAirConditioner&FurnaceInstaller(5)ElectricalMotorControlLevel1(7)ElectricalMotorControlLevel2(4)ElectricianTraineeLevel1(65)ElectricianTraineeLevel2(11)EnergyEfficiencyandAnalysis(5)EnergyEfficiencyElectricalControlsTechnician(1)EnergyTechnologiesCertificate(3)EnergyUtilityTechnician(3)EnvironmentalControlSystemServicer(5)EnvironmentalSystemRepairHelper(11)ExploratoryMachining(44)FundamentalsofAdv.Manufacturing&Machining(1)FundamentalsofAdv.Manufacturing&Mechatronics(4)FundamentalsofAdv.Manufacturing&QualityControl(1)FundamentalsofMechatronics(27)IndustrialMaintenanceElectricalMechanic(37)IndustrialMaintenanceMechanicLevel1(37)IndustrialMaintenanceMechanicLevel2(13)IndustrialMaintenanceMachinistsMechanic(16)IndustrialMaintenanceTechnician(1)IntegratedManufacturingTechnology(24)LogisticsOperations(1)MachineToolOperator1(8)

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MachineToolOperator2(4)ManufacturingProcessesandProduction(10)OperationsManagement(17)OutsidePlantTechnician(4)Plumber'sHelper(4)Plumber’sInstaller(1)ProductionLineWelder(9)QualityControl(2)ResidentialElectricityLevel1(14)ResidentialElectricityLevel2(11)Solar/PhotovoltaicTechnologies(4)SupplyChainSpecialist(1)TackWelder(11)VoiceandDataWiringInstallerLevel1(3)VoiceandDataWiringInstallerLevel2(1) CompletionofIndustryCertifications102studentspassedindustrycertificationexamsandreceived87CDL,6CLA,9CPT,and3CLTnot-for-creditcertifications. AwardingofCreditforPriorLearningUsingtheKCTCSpolicyandprotocolforawardingcreditforpriorlearning,nostudentshadreceivedcreditforpriorlearningtowardtheirdegrees. PlacementinEmployment&Co-ops/Apprenticeships270ofthe379participatingstudentswereemployedduringtheprogramandthereforeareconsideredforgrantmonitoringpurposesas“incumbentworkers.”Forty(40)participantswereplacedinemployment,and42incumbentworkershadawageincrease.Thirty-four(34)studentswereplacedinco-opsduringtheirprogramsand53participatedinapprenticeships.

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5. Impact Analysis OurgoalinthisevaluationwastoassesstheimpactsofGCTCstudents’participationintheIMPACTprogramoneducationalandemploymentoutcomes.Ideally,wewouldhaverandomlyassignedstudentstoeithertheIMPACTprogramortocontinuetheirregularcourseofstudy.Wewouldthenbeabletocomparetheeducationalandemploymentoutcomesbetweengroupstodetermineprogrameffectiveness.However,itwasnotpossibletorandomlyassignstudentstotheIMPACTprogram.Therefore,weturnedtoalternativemethodstoaccountforselectionbiasresultingfromprogramparticipation.Toaddressselectionbiasinnon-experimentaldataweusedpropensityscorematching(PSM).Withthisapproach,weusedalinearcompositeofcarefullychosencovariatesthatpredictselectionintotheIMPACTprogram.Specifically,weusedalogisticregressionanalysistopredictthelikelihoodthatastudentparticipatesintheIMPACTprogramasafunctionofthestudent’sage,sex,race/ethnicity,PellGranteligibility,veteranstatus,part-timeenrollmentstatus,collegereadinessinEnglish,math,andreading,andprogramofstudy.Thefittedvaluesfromthisanalysisservedastheprobability,orpropensity,thatstudentsinthissamplewouldparticipateintheIMPACTprogram.Comparison Groups Priortocreatingstatisticallycomparablecohortsofparticipantsandnon-participantcontemporarystudentsthroughpropensity-scorematching,weidentifiedapopulationfromwhichtoidentifythesamplecohort.ThebelowchartscomparetheentirepopulationsofIMPACTparticipantsandhistoricalcohortstudentswhowereenrolledintheIMPACTprogramsofstudypriortotheimplementationofthegrant.Table5.1showstherecruitmentofnewversusincumbentKCTCSstudentsintotheIMPACTprogramsandintothepre-IMPACTprograms.Percentagesaregivenforaroughcomparisongiventhedifferenceinpopulationsize.Table5.1alsoshowsthenumberofstudentsenrolledforeachtermoffullimplementationoftheIMPACTprogramandhowmanystudentsearnedcreditinpassingatleastonecourse.Table5.1.IncumbentStudentStatusandCourseOutcomes IMPACT Students

Historical Students Fall 2014

Spring 2015

Fall 2015

Spring 2016

Fall 2016

Fall 2012

Spring 2013

Fall 2013

Spring 2014

Total Served 110 183 331 347 379 578 620 739 769 # Incumbent 21 110 183 331 347 439 578 620 739 % Incumbent 19% 60% 55% 95% 92% 76% 93% 84% 96% Students in Courses* 183 184 160 130 95

412 407 444 404 # Earned Credit 177 175 158 128 92 367 370 405 355 % Earned Credit 97% 95% 99% 98% 97% 89% 91% 91% 88% *Does not include students taking non-credit industrial certification courses (e.g., CDL, CPT)

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StudentsinKCTCSmustcompleteagraduationapplication–oftenwithanadvisorsignatureanddegreeauditattached–inordertobeawardedacredential,fromone-coursecertificatestoassociate’sdegrees.Asaresult,manystudentsmaybeeligibleforacredentialbutmaynotapplyforit,eitherbecausetheyarenotawareoftheireligibility,theyarepostponingapplicationuntiltheendduetofinancialaidconcerns,orarenotinformedoftheaddedvalueofacredentialtocoursestaken.Table5.2showstheaddedvalueoftheprogramhavingstudentsupportstaffwhowereabletotrackstudentprogressandactivelyhelpedstudentstoapplyforcredentialsastheybecameeligible. Table5.2.CredentialOutcomesforTreatmentandComparisonCohorts

IMPACT Comparison # Students Eligible for Credentials 174 480

% Total Students 45.9% 62.4% # Student Awarded Credentials 138 281

% Eligible Students 79.3% 58.5%

Data Description FortheimpactanalysisweuseddataconsistingofindividualstudentdemographicandacademicrecordsfromGatewayCommunityTechnicalCollege(GCTC)andemploymentrecordsfromtheKentuckyCenterforEducationandWorkforceStatistics(KCEWS).WehadfiveacademicoutcomesofinterestforstudentsparticipatingintheIMPACTprogram:coursestaken,coursespassed,earnedcredit,earnedcredential,andawardedcredential.Coursestakenandcoursespassedarecontinuousmeasuresofthetotalnumberofcoursestakenandpassedbyeachstudent.EarnedcreditisabinarymeasureofwhetherastudentearnedatleastonecoursecreditwhileenrolledatGCTC.EarnedcredentialandawardedcredentialarealsobinarymeasuresofwhetherastudentcompletedenoughcredithourstoearnacredentialorwereawardedacredentialwhileenrolledatGCTC.Wealsoinvestigatedoneemploymentoutcomeofinterestforeachstudent:changeinquarterlywages.Changeinquarterlywagesisameasureofeachstudent’sdifferenceinquarterlywagespriortoprogramstartandafterprogramcompletion.2WeonlyobservedthedifferenceinwagesforKentuckystudents3completingtheprogrambythesummer2016academictermandwereemployedbothpriortoandafterprogramcompletion.Inadditiontoouroutcomesofinterest,weusedseveralstudentdemographicvariablesinouranalysis.Weuseacontinuousmeasureofastudent’sage,andbinarymeasuresofastudent’ssex,Pellgranteligibilitystatus,veteranstatus,part-timestudentstatus.We

2Weuseprioremploymentdatafromthequarterendingwithinoneandthreemonthsbeforethestudent’sfirsttermatGCTC.Weusepost-employmentdatafromthequarterendingbetweenthreeandsixmonthsafterthestudent’slasttermatGCTC.312percentofstudentswerefromout-of-state.

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recodedeachstudent’srace/ethnicityintooneofthreecategories:White,Black/AfricanAmerican,orOtherRace/Ethnicity.4Wealsocreatedindictorsofthestudent’sbroaderprogram:AdvancedManufacturing,Energy/Telecom,orHVAC.Wedidnotincludemeasuresofurbanicityofthestudent’shomecountyasover95percentofstudentslivedinanurbanmetroarea.Wealsocreatedasetofacademicreadinessindicatorsinouranalysisusinginformationaboutastudent’sACTEnglish,math,andreadingscoresorastudent’sCompassPre-Algebra,Algebra,reading,andEnglishscores.Theacademicreadinessindicatorsinmath,reading,orEnglishwerebasedonacutoffscoreforeachtest.Sample Description Webeganwithinformationon1,148GCTCstudents.Ofthesestudents,379participatedintheIMPACTprogram,while769servedascomparisonstudents.Weusedseveralstepsalongthewaytoparedowntheanalyticalsamplesize.First,weremovedanystudentsthatdidnottakeanyfor-creditcourses.Thisremoved134IMPACTprogramtreatmentstudents.Next,weremovedstudentsmissingallcollegereadinessindicators,aswewouldhavedifficultyimputingpre-treatmentacademicbackgroundinformationforthesestudents.Thisstepremoved81totalstudents(23IMPACTand58comparison).Then,weremoved439comparisonstudentswhostartedbeforetheFall2012term.Next,weremoved101comparisonstudentswhoselasttermwasafterfall2014.TheseindividualscouldhavereceivedacrossoverofthetreatmentastheIMPACTprogrambegan.Asafinalstep,removedanystudentswitharecordedlastterminasemesterpriortotheirfirstterm(16IMPACTstudents,1comparisonstudent).Fromthisprocess,ouranalyticalsampleconsistedof376students:206IMPACTprogramtreatmentstudentsand170comparisonstudents.Withinthissample,fewerthantenstudentshadmissinginformationforanyonevariable.Forthethreestudentswithamissingage,weimputedthemeanageof32.Forstudentsmissingreportsoftheirrace/ethnicityorcollegereadiness,wecreatedmissingdataindicatorsforuseinourlateranalyses.WeprovideadescriptionofstudentdemographicandacademicbackgroundcharacteristicsinTable5.3.Fromthefullanalyticalsample,wefindthatstudentsparticipatingintheIMPACTprogramaredifferentfromcomparisonstudentsonseveraldemographicandacademicbackgroundcovariates.Specifically,IMPACTstudentsareslightlyyounger,lesslikelytobeeligibleforaPellGrant,lesslikelytobeapart-timestudent,andmorelikelytobecollegereadyinEnglishandmath.Therefore,thedifferencesinbackgroundcharacteristicsbetweenIMPACTandcomparisonstudentsmaydriveanydifferencesineducationaloremploymentoutcomes.

4Otherrace/ethnicityincludessmallnumbersofeachLatino,Asian/PacificIslander,AmericanIndian/AlaskanNative,andMultiracialstudents.

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Propensity Score Matching Aftercalculatingeachstudent’spropensityscore,wematchedIMPACTprogramtreatmentstudentswithuptothreecomparisonstudents.Wespecificallyusedcalipermatching,wherebywematchedtreatmentandcomparisonstudentsthatshareapropensityscorewithin±1/4ofastandarddeviationoftheoverallpropensityscoredistribution.Iftherewerenocomparisonstudentswithinthisrange,theIMPACTtreatmentstudentwasleftunmatched.Foralldescriptiveandempiricalanalyseswiththepropensityscorematchedsamples,wealsoconstructedweightstoenableustocompareequalnumbersoftreatmentandcomparisonstudents.5Weconductedthismatchingproceduretwice.First,wematchedusingthefullanalyticalsampleofstudents.Second,wematchedusingonlythosetreatmentstudentswhoreceivedthe“full”IMPACTtreatment(i.e.studentswhosefirsttermwasspring2015orlater).Thefiguresbelowdisplaythepropensitiesfromthetwomatchingprocedures,whereavalueof“0”indicatesastudentmostlikelytobeinthecomparisongroupandavalueof“1”indicatingastudentmorelikelytobeanIMPACTparticipant.WeobservedthatthedistributionsofthepropensitiesforthecomparisonandIMPACTstudentsarenotablydifferentfromoneanother.ThesedifferencesillustratethattheacademicanddemographicpredictorsdescribedabovehelptopredictselectiondifferencesbetweenIMPACTprogramandcomparisonstudents.Despitethedifferencesinthesedistributions,therearealsolargeregionsofcommonsupport,whichallowedustomoveforwardwithmatchingstudentswhosharecommonbackgroundcharacteristicsviatheirpropensityofbeinganIMPACTprogramparticipant.Figure5.1:PropensityofIMPACTTreatment

5Becausetreatmentstudentsmaybematchedtomultiplecomparisonstudentsandcomparisonstudentsmaybematchedtomorethanonetreatmentstudentwemustcalculateweights.EachIMPACTtreatmentstudenthasaweightof1.Theweightforacomparisonstudentequalsthetotalnumberoftreatmentstudentstowhichthecomparisonstudentismatcheddividedbythetotalnumberofstudentmatchesforthosetreatmentstudents.

02

46

810

Perc

ent

0 .2 .4 .6 .8 1Comparison

02

46

810

Perc

ent

0 .2 .4 .6 .8 1IMPACT Treatment

All Treatment StudentsPropensity of IMPACT Treatment

05

1015

Perc

ent

0 .2 .4 .6 .8 1Comparison

05

1015

Perc

ent

0 .2 .4 .6 .8 1IMPACT Treatment

No Partial-Treatment StudentsPropensity of IMPACT Treatment

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Usingthematchingprocedurewiththeanalyticalsampleofalltreatmentstudents,wematched194treatmentstudents(94.2percent)to127comparisonstudents.WiththesampleofonlythestudentsreceivingthefullIMPACTprogramtreatment,wematched96treatmentstudents(85.7percent)to93comparisonstudents.ToensurethatwematchedIMPACTparticipantstudentsandcomparisonstudentsappropriately,weexaminedthedescriptivestatisticsoneachofthevariablesusedtoestimatethepropensityscores.ThesecomparisonsaredisplayedinTable5.3.Acrosseachofthecovariates,wefoundnostatisticallysignificantdifferencesbetweenthematchedIMPACTparticipantandcomparisongroups.TheseresultssuggestthatwehavematchedstudentsinamannersuchthattheIMPACTgroupisacademicallyanddemographicallysimilartothecomparisongroup.Wewerethenabletoproceedwithanalyzingdifferencesbetweenthetwogroupsontheprimaryoutcomesofinterest.

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Table5.3.DemographicandAcademicBackgroundCharacteristicsofIMPACTandComparisonGroupStudents FullAnalyticalSample PSMatched–AllIMPACT PSMatched–FullIMPACT

IMPACT Comp. Diff. IMPACT Comp. Diff. IMPACT Comp. Diff.

Students 206 170 194 127 96 93

Age 30.602 33.412 -2.810** 30.881 29.862 1.019 30.614 30.934 -0.319

Female 0.083 0.041 0.041 0.077 0.082 0.005 0.083 0.121 -0.038

Black 0.063 0.118 -0.055 0.067 0.078 -0.011 0.031 0.052 -0.021

OtherRace/Eth. 0.024 0.041 0.017 0.026 0.029 0.003 0.031 0.021 0.010

PellEligible 0.388 0.488 -0.100* 0.396 0.315 0.081 0.313 0.330 -0.017

Veteran 0.194 0.141 0.053 0.196 0.223 -0.027 0.146 0.198 -0.052

Part-Time 0.374 0.735 -0.361** 0.397 0.423 -0.026 0.427 0.434 -0.007

Coll.ReadyEnglish 0.655 0.547 0.108* 0.639 0.626 0.013 0.656 0.722 -0.066 Coll.ReadyReading 0.655 0.623 0.032 0.634 0.655 -0.021 0.677 0.739 -0.062

Coll.ReadyMath 0.422 0.218 0.204** 0.402 0.451 -0.049 0.406 0.490 -0.084 *p≤0.050;**p≤0.010.TabledisplaysthenumberofIMPACTandcomparisonstudentsbeforeandafterpropensityscorematching.Therawmeansandproportions are reported for the full analytical sample. The weightedmeans and proportions of students are reported for the propensity scorematchedsamples.

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Educational Outcomes InTable5.4,wedisplaytheresultsofouranalysisofeducationaloutcomes.InPanelA,wedisplaythesefindingsforouranalyticalsample.IMPACTprogramstudentstookanaverageof20.4coursesandpassed18.2ofthem.Meanwhile,comparisonstudentstookanaverageof5.0coursesandpassed3.2.Thesesubstantialdifferencesarestatisticallysignificant(p<0.01foreach).Thereisalsoastatisticallysignificantdifferencebetweenthe92.7percentofIMPACTstudentsand72.6percentofcomparisonstudentsthatearnedcredit(p<0.01).Intermsofcredentialing,77.3percentofIMPACTstudentswereeligibleforacredentialwhile61.9percentofstudentswereawardedacredential.Thisissubstantiallyandstatisticallysignificantlylargerthanthe31.7percentofcomparisonstudentsearningacredentialand14.9percentbeingawardedacredential(p<0.01foreach).Aftermatchingstudents,wefoundmarkedlysimilarresults.ThepatternofresultsdescribedaboveholdsforthepropensityscorematchedsampleexperiencinganyIMPACTimplementationexposure(PanelBofTable1),onlythosestudentsreceivingthefullIMPACTimplementationexposure(PanelC),andonlythosestudentsinadvancedmanufacturingprograms(PanelD). Employment Outcomes InTable5.5,wedisplaytheresultsofouranalysisofemploymentoutcomes.6TheresultsinPanelAincludepropensity-scorematchedstudentsforwhomtheKentuckyCenterforEducationandWorkforceStatisticshadanyavailableemploymentdata.Thus,thestudentscomprisingthepre-andpost-GCTCenrollmentperiodsaredifferentfromoneanother.Mostnotably,thisisthecaseforIMPACTstudents,asstudentslastenrolledatGCTCasofthefall2016orspring2017semestersdonothaveavailablewagefromthequarterthreemonthsafterlastenrollment.IMPACT(66.8percent)studentsweremorelikelytobeemployedpriortoenrollmentatGCTCthancomparisonstudents(48.8percent)(p=0.002).FollowingenrollmentatGCTC,therewasnostatisticallysignificantdifferenceinemploymentratesbetweenIMPACT(61.8percent)andcomparisonstudents(55.7percent).Ofstudentswhowereunemployedatprogramstart,36.1percentofIMPACTand47.3percentofcomparisonstudentswereemployedafterprogramcompletion.WealsoreportdescriptivestatisticsforthemedianandmeanquarterlywagesofIMPACTandcomparisonindividualswhowereemployedeitherbeforeorafterenrollmentat

6Duetodatasharingrestrictions,KCEWSonlyprovideduswithaggregatedescriptiveinformation.Withouttherawstudent-leveldata,wewerealsounabletoincludepre-GCTCemploymentdatainthepropensityscorematchingprocess.Undernormalcircumstances,wewouldalsomatchstudentsbasedonprioremployment/unemploymentstatusaswellaspriorwagesbeforeestimatingpre-andpost-treatmentdifferences.Similarly,wewerenotabletoaccountforpriorwagesoremploymentinaregressionmodeltoestimateoutcomes,thoughthemeanchangeinwagesfrompre-topost-periodsaccountsforthisinformation.WewerealsounabletoconductspecialtestsforthedifferenceinmediansbetweentheIMPACTandcomparisonstudents.

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GCTC.WedidnotfindanystatisticallysignificantdifferencesinwagesbetweenIMPACTandComparisonstudentsinthepre-orpost-GCTCenrollmentperiods.7InPanelB,wedisplaytheresultsoftheemploymentoutcomesformatchedstudentswhowereemployedbothpriortoandafterenrollmentatGCTC.Thispanelrepresentsabettersetofestimatesforcomparingprogrameffectiveness,giventhatthestudentscomprisingthepre-andpost-GCTCenrollmentperiodsarethesame.WefindnostatisticallysignificantdifferenceintheproportionofIMPACT(25.9percent)andcomparisonstudents(31.4percent)whowereenrolledbothpriortoandafterenrollmentatGCTC.IMPACTstudentshadslightlylowermedianquarterlywagespriortoenrollment($263),withmarkedlyhighermedianwagesfollowingenrollment($1,862).ThemedianchangeinquarterlywagesforIMPACTstudentswas$1,903ascomparedtoonly$19forcomparisonstudents.WefindnostatisticallysignificantmeandifferencesinwagesbetweenIMPACTandcomparisonstudentswithrespecttopre-GCTCenrollment,post-GCTCenrollment,orthechangefrompre-topost-GCTCenrollment.InPanelC,wedisplaytheresultsoftheemploymentoutcomestheIMPACTstudentswhoexperiencedfullexposuretotheIMPACTimplementationandwerematchedtocomparisonpeers.ThisgroupofstudentswerealsoemployedbothpriortoandafterenrollmentatGCTC.WeagainfindnostatisticallysignificantdifferenceintheproportionofIMPACT(26.0percent)andcomparisonstudents(30.2percent)whowereenrolledbothpriortoandafterenrollmentatGCTC.IMPACTstudentshadlowermedianquarterlywagespriortoenrollment($744)andsubstantiallyhighermedianwagesfollowingenrollment($3,744).ThemedianchangeinquarterlywagesforIMPACTstudentswasagainof$3,570,whilethecomparisonstudentsexperiencedamedianlossof$497.Whenlookingatmeanquarterlywages,IMPACTstudents($5,330)hadhigherpre-GCTCwagesthantheircomparisonpeers($3,867),thiswasnotastatisticallysignificantdifference.InthequarterthreemonthsfollowingenrollmentatGCTC,IMPACTstudents($9,100)hadnearlydoublethemeanquarterlywagesascomparisonstudents($4,413)(p=0.007).ThedifferenceinthemeanchangeinquarterlywagesbetweenIMPACT($3,770)andcomparison($546)studentsfrombeforeandafterenrollmentatGCTCwasalsostatisticallysignificantatthe5percentsignificancelevel(p=0.029).InPanelD,wedisplaytheresultsoftheemploymentoutcomesforthesubsetofIMPACTandmatchedcomparisonstudentsenrolledinadvancedmanufacturingprograms.ThispaneliscomprisedofnearlythesamestudentsasinPanelC.Thus,weobservesimilaroutcomesfortheadvancedmanufacturingIMPACTstudents

7WenotethemarkeddifferencesinthemedianrelativetothemeanquarterlywagesfollowingenrollmentatGCTC.Thesedifferencesarelargelydrivenbyseveralofthehighest-weightedcomparisonstudentshavinghighwagesinthepost-enrollmentperiod,asseeninthelargestandarddeviationinpost-GCTCwagesforcomparisonstudents.

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relativetotheiradvancedmanufacturingcomparisonpeers.OnenotabledifferenceisthatwhilethereisalargedifferenceinthemeanchangeinquarterlywagesbetweenIMPACT($3,699)andcomparison($566)advancedmanufacturingstudents,thisdifferencewasnotstatisticallysignificantatthe5percentsignificancelevel(p=0.052).

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Table5.4EducationalOutcomes

IMPACT Comparison Difference

A.AllStudentswithAnyIMPACTImplementationExposureCoursesTaken 20.422 4.965 15.458**

CoursesPassed 18.165 3.288 14.877**EarnedCredit 0.922 0.700 0.222**

EligibleCredential 0.767 0.235 0.532**

AwardedCredential 0.612 0.076 0.536**NumberofStudents 206 170

B.MatchedStudentswithAnyIMPACTImplementationExposure

CoursesTaken 20.566 6.387 14.174**CoursesPassed 18.320 4.891 13.429**

EarnedCredit 0.927 0.726 0.201**

EligibleCredential 0.773 0.317 0.456**

AwardedCredential 0.619 0.149 0.470**NumberofStudents 194 127

C.MatchedStudentswithFullIMPACTImplementationExposure

CoursesTaken 21.333 6.226 15.108**CoursesPassed 19.250 4.566 14.684**

EarnedCredit 0.947 0.757 0.190**

EligibleCredential 0.823 0.319 0.504**AwardedCredential 0.656 0.139 0.517**

NumberofStudents 96 93

D.MatchedAdvancedManufacturingStudentswith

FullIMPACTImplementationExposureCoursesTaken 20.636 6.582 14.054**

CoursesPassed 18.883 4.912 13.971**

EarnedCredit 0.934 0.791 0.143*

EligibleCredential 0.818 0.349 0.469**

AwardedCredential 0.649 0.161 0.488**NumberofStudents 77 75

*p≤0.05, **p≤0.01.Therawmeansandproportionsare reported for the fullanalytical sample. The weighted means and proportions of students arereported for the propensity score matched samples. Panel A displaysoutcomes for all students with any level of exposure to the IMPACTimplementation.PanelBdisplaysoutcomesforallpropensityscorematchedstudentswithany levelofexposure to the IMPACT implementation.PanelCdisplaysoutcomesforallpropensityscorematchedstudentswithonlyafulllevel of exposure to the IMPACT implementation (started in spring2015orlater). PanelDdisplaysoutcomes for all propensity scorematched studentswithonlyafulllevelofexposuretotheIMPACTimplementationandwhoareinanadvancedmanufacturingprogram.

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Table5.5EmploymentOutcomes

IMPACT Comparison Difference

A. MatchedStudentswithAnyIMPACTImplementationExposureandAllEmploymentData

N(MatchedtoKentuckyEmp.Data) 127 193

Prop.EmployedPre-GCTC 0.668 0.488 0.180**

Prop.EmployedPost-GCTC 0.618 0.557 0.061Prop.UnemployedPre/EmployedPost 0.361 0.473 -0.112

MedianQuarterlyWagePre-GCTC $4,044 $2,151 $1,893

MedianQuarterlyWagePost-GCTC $6,700 $3,686 $3,014

MeanQuarterlyWagePre-GCTC $5,181 $5,291 -$110

[$4,432] [$7,122]

MeanQuarterlyWagePost-GCTC $6,519 $9,592 -$3,073

[$5,314] [$17,672]

B. MatchedStudentswithAnyIMPACTImplementationExposure

andEmployedBeforeandAfterGCTCEnrollmentNEmployedPre-andPost-GCTC 50 61

Prop.EmployedPre-andPost-GCTC 0.259 0.314 -0.055

MedianQuarterlyWagePre-GCTC $3,946 $4,209 -$263

MedianQuarterlyWagePost-GCTC $6,739 $4,877 $1,862

MedianChangeinQuarterlyWage $1,903 $19 $1,884

MeanQuarterlyWagePre-GCTC $5,045 $6,100 -$1,055

[$4,469] [$7,548]

MeanQuarterlyWagePost-GCTC $6,941 $7,476 -$535

[$5,544] [$9,860]

MeanChangeinQuarterlyWage $1,896 $1,376 $520

[$4,892] [$7,733]

C. MatchedStudentswithFullIMPACTImplementationExposure

andEmployedBeforeandAfterGCTCEnrollmentNEmployedPre-andPost-GCTC 25 29

Prop.EmployedPre-andPost-GCTC 0.260 0.302 -0.042

MedianQuarterlyWagePre-GCTC $3,978 $4,722 -$744

MedianQuarterlyWagePost-GCTC $8,750 $4,966 $3,784

MedianChangeinQuarterlyWage $3,570 -$497 $4,067

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TableXX.EmploymentOutcomes(continued)

IMPACT Comparison Difference

C. MatchedStudentswithFullIMPACTImplementationExposureandEmployedBeforeandAfterGCTCEnrollment(continued)

MeanQuarterlyWagePre-GCTC $5,330 $3,867 $1,463

[$4,488] [$3,668]

MeanQuarterlyWagePost-GCTC $9,100 $4,413 $4,687**

[$5,729] [$6,435]

MeanChangeinQuarterlyWage $3,770 $546 $3,224*

[$4,492] [$5,831]

D. MatchedAdvancedManufacturingStudentswithFullIMPACTImplementation

ExposureandEmployedBeforeandAfterGCTCEnrollmentNEmployedPre-andPost-GCTC 19 29

Prop.EmployedPre-andPost-GCTC 0.247 0.345 -0.098

MedianQuarterlyWagePre-GCTC $3,913 $4,463 -$550

MedianQuarterlyWagePost-GCTC $8,750 $5,053 $3,697

MedianChangeinQuarterlyWage $3,181 -$543 $3,724

MeanQuarterlyWagePre-GCTC $5,128 $3,949 $1,179

[$4,425] [$3,707]

MeanQuarterlyWagePost-GCTC $8,826 $4,515 $4,311*

[$4,450] [$6,526]

MeanChangeinQuarterlyWage $3,699 $566 $3,133

[$4,175] [$5,933] *p≤0.05,**p≤0.01.EmploymentdataavailableforallstudentswhowerenolongerenrolledatGCTCbythesummer2016termduetoavailabledatafromKCEWS.Wagedatareportedonlyforstudentswho were employed and had quarterly wages >$0. The weighted means, standard deviations (inbrackets)andproportionsofstudentsarereportedforeachpropensityscorematchedsample.Z-testfor difference in proportions between IMPACT participants and comparison students used forpercentage of students employed. T-test for difference inmeans used forwages. Panel A displaysoutcomesforallmatchedstudentswithanylevelofexposuretotheIMPACTimplementationandanyemploymentstatus.PanelBdisplaysoutcomesforallmatchedstudentswithanylevelofexposuretothe IMPACT implementation and who were employed both before and after enrollment at GCTC.PanelCdisplaysoutcomesforallmatchedstudentswithonlyafulllevelofexposuretotheIMPACTimplementation (started in spring 2015 or later) and who were employed both before and afterenrollment at GCTC. Panel D displays outcomes for all matched students with only a full level ofexposure to the IMPACT implementation (started in spring 2015 or later), were enrolled in anadvanced manufacturing program, and who were employed both before and after enrollment atGCTC.

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6. Conclusion: Partnering for Success TheunderlyingpremiseoftheIMPACTprojectwasthatincreasededucationalachievementandeconomicsuccesscanbeachievedbyaligningdegreepathwaysandlearningopportunitieswith“realworld”workopportunitiesincollaborationwithindustrypartners.Thethreestrategiesoftheprojectconsistentlyhighlightedrelationshipsamongthestudents,thecollege,andindustrypartners.Weconcludebyaddressingthewaysinwhichthisprojectdemonstratestheimpactofemployerengagementinachievingstudentsuccessandincreasedemploymentandwages.Collegeprogramsneedtobe“closelyconnectedtoregionallabormarketdemands”and“sharply”focusedongraduatingstudentswiththeskillsrequiredforjobsinregionaleconomies(Symonds,Schwartz,&Ferguson,2011,p.28).Partnershipsandcollaborationbetweeninstitutionsandemployersareviewedasessentialtotargetingthesetechnicalskillgaps.Reformsneedtobe“connectedandalignedaspartofaclearlyplannedandcarefullydesigned”system.Experiencegainedthroughguidedpracticeataworkplace,wherecustomerandmanagementexpectationsdeterminesuccess,allowsstudentstheopportunitytodemonstratesoftskillsintherealworld.Furthermore,intechnicalprogramsatthetwo-yearcollegelevel,intentionallydesignedwork-basedlearningopportunitiesthatcultivateenvironmentsforpracticecanprovidecontinuouscollaborationbetweeneducatorsandbusinessandindustry,alleviatingconcernsaboutcurriculaof“lowqualityandrelevancetotheneedsofthosestakeholders”(Albashiry,Voogt&Pieters,2015,p.2).Industrystakeholdersconsultedindevelopmentalstagesofanewprogramcanfostercontinuous,meaningfulcollaboration.Thethreemainpartiesinvolvedinanywork-basedlearningarethestudent,theorganizationoremployer(withasitesupervisorasapointofcontact),andtheeducationalinstitution(withanacademicsupervisorasthepointofcontact).Aninclusivelistofbenefitsassociatedwithwork-basedlearningopportunitiesforeachpartycompiledbyWeible(2009)describesstudentbenefitsashigherstartingsalariesandjobsatisfaction,more(andearlier)joboffers,higherextrinsicsuccess,developmentofcommunicationskills,andbetterinterviewingandnetworkingskills.Thecompilationofemployerbenefitsincludedanincreasedlikelihoodoffillingapositionwiththeirtopapplicant,generationofnewideas,buildingpartnershipswithcolleges,communityinvolvementandservice,andpart-timehelp.Lastly,Weibleidentifiesbenefitsforthecollegeasimprovedreputation,communitypartnerships,externalcurriculumassessment,andprofessionalinput.

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Figure6.1:IMPACTStrategies

Curricular Alignment & Delivery FromtheinitialstagesofpreparingtoapplyforthisTAACCCTgrant,theGCTCstaffactivelyengagedinworkingwithlocalemployerstodeveloptheidentifiedpathways.Thisengagementwasdemonstratedinthewaysthattheexistingprogramswererevisedandenhanced;however,themostmarkedengagementoccurredwiththenewcertifications.Insurveyresponses,interviews,andincommentsreportedbystaff,employersapplaudedtheprogrammingthatdirectlymettheirneeds.Additionally,wherethecollegeworkedcloselytounderstandandalignwithindustrycertificationsandlicensing,employerstooknote.Alignmentofcurriculardeliverywithindustryworkcalendarsstillrequiresattention.Despiteincludingonlinelearningtomeetbusyadults’schedules,mostF2Fclassesarestillonlyofferedduringthedayandduringtheregularacademicyear.Competencybasededucationandjust-in-timeprogramming(suchasthatprovidedthroughKCTCSLearn-on-Demand)canaddressstudents’andemployers’needfortrainingtomatchtheworkplaceschedules(ratherthanthetraditionalcollegeschedules);howeverfinancialaidandaccreditationissuescomplicatetheseinitiatives. Student Development Successfulcompletionofawell-designedcurriculumtakesstudentsupport.AquietsuccessofIMPACTcanbefoundinitsstudentsupportactivities.Inadditiontothedirectadvisingforstudentsinterestedinwork-basedlearningdescribedbelow,thedevelopmentofpurposefullydesignedorientationsessionsandproactiveadvisinghelpedparticipantscontextualizethecommitmenttheyweremakingtobecoming

•EnhancedClassroomTechnologies,Co-opexperiences,&IndustryCertifications

• Increasedfitbetweenpotentialworkers&employmentopportunities

•Studentsuccess&Careercounseling

•RevisingoldDevelopingnew,&AcceleratingCoursework

CurricularAlignment

StudentDevelopment

Work-BasedLearning

WorkforceDevelopment

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studentswithinthelargerpictureoftheirpotentialaslifelonglearnerswithintheworkforce,thusincreasingwhatDreweryetal(2016)refertoasvocationalself-concept.Thestaffandfacultyinstitutionalizedthepracticeofreachingouttostudentswithencouragementandinformationfornextsteps,evenifthestudentsdidnotknowwhattoask(Bettinger,2011;Karp,2011).Theyalsopushedstudentstosetgoals.Clearadvisingdocumentationshowninthemarketingmaterialsandpathwaymapshelpedstudentswiththiscontextualization.Evidenceofthissupportcanbefoundinthelargernumberofcreditsandincreasednumberofcredentialsearnedbyparticipants.ThestudentsupportprovidedbystaffforsuccessfulcoursecompletionandretentionatGCTCdidnotoccurinisolationfromtheclassroomorworkplace.TheIMPACTprojectstructureofinternalandexternaladvisorycommitteesresultedingreaterawarenessbyallstaffmembersofthelargerpictureofworkforcedevelopment.ThusIMPACTfacultyandstaffwereawareofoutreachtoemployersandoutreachstaffwasawareofchangesoreventsintheclassroom.Althoughtheprojecthadlessintensivecommunicationsinthesecondhalfofthegrant,feedbackfromoutreachtotheclassroomwassustained.Theholisticnatureoftheproject’sstudentserviceefforts,however,andthelowstafftostudentratiosforadvisingandcareercounselingtakesagreatdealofinstitutionalresources;and,mostofthestaffpositionsinthisareahavebeenremovedorreassignedattheendofgrantactivity.Sustainingthelessonslearnedfromtheteam-basedprojectmanagementapproachusedbythegrantmightmitigatethislossinstudent-centeredstaffing. Work-Based Learning RaisingthepercentageofexperientiallearningisoneoftengoalsintheKCTCS2016-2022strategicplanandaspecificobjectiveoftheGatewayteam(KCTCS,2016).IMPACTstaffrepeatedlysurpassedtheirprojectgoalofatleastthreework-basedlearningexperiencespersemesterinanytargetedcareerprogramarea.TheCoordinatorofWorkExperienceworkedone-on-onewithcompaniestogetjobdescriptions,throughemails,phonecallsandmeetings.Hethenusedthesejobdescriptionswhenvisitingclassestorecruitstudentstoenrollinco-opexperiences.Theco-opprogramnotonlygrewinenrollments,italsobecamemorenoticeableoncampusasshownbyanewawardcategoryforco-opstudentsintheGCTCannualawardevent.CommentingononeoftheIMPACTco-opstudentswhowontheaward,arepresentativefromDiversifiedStructuralCompositestoldthestaffhewishedhecould3moreemployeesjustlikehim!

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Maximizing Partnerships Thefollowinggraphicillustratesthesynergybetweentheinternalandexternalstakeholdersthatunderliesprojectstatementssuchas:“WorkedwithUnion(Int’lBrotherhoodofElectricalWorkers)tofinalizeElectricalTechnologycareerpathway”.Statementslikethisimplyawholeseriesofinteractionsthateventuallyinfluencedstudentexperiences.Forexample,astheresultofideasraisedinprojectteammeetings,aGCTCstaffmightattendanindustryevent.ThisactionmayresultintheGCTCstaffmemberinvitinganemployerforacampustour.Thattourmayturnintoaco-opexperienceforastudentoraguestlecture.Andthatinteractionmightleadtoajobplacementoranagreementforanemployertooffertuitionreimbursement.TherearenumerousexamplesofthissynergisticprocessoccurringwithintheIMPACTproject.Withouttheinfrastructureofinter-departmentalteammeetingsandexternaladvisoryboards;however,thissynergymightbelost.

Figure6.2:MaximizingPartnershipsthroughInternalandExternalCommunication

• Internaldevelopmentofideasthroughprojectteammeetingsincludingmultiplecollegestakeholders•Externaladvisoryinputfrommultiplestakeholdersinindustryandgovernment

Collegerepresentativeattendsorhostsindustry

meeting

• Ideasandleadsfromindustrymeetingaresharedwithcollegeteam• informationinformscurriculumredesignanddevelopment

Industryrepresentativesareinvitedtovisitcampusandclasses • Industrypersonnelserveas

adjunctinstructors/provideclassmaterials.• Industrypersonnelofferworkbasedlearningand/oremploymenttostudents

College/EmployerPartnershipissolidified

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Credentials and Certifications AfinalpieceoftheIMPACTstoryistherelationshipbetweenacademiccredentialsandindustrycertificates.Acollegeislargelydefinedbytheacademiccredentialsitoffers;however,communityandtechnicalcollegesarealsohometomyriadcertificationsanddiplomasthatmayormaynotbecreditbearingandmayormaynotleadtoanadvanceddegree.TheIMPACTprojectpurposefullyworkedtoalignbothnon-creditopportunitiesaswellasnewandexistingcredentialsintoclearpathwaystoanAASandpotentiallytoabaccalaureate.Theprocesswasbidirectional.Whatalsooccurredwasrecognitiononthepartofthecollegeoftherelevanceofthosecertificationsthatareawardedandsupportedexternallybythetargetedindustries.Industrycertificationsareoftenofferedinsectorsoutsideofpost-secondaryeducationoron-the-job(e.g.automotivecertification),butcertificatescount(CompleteCollegeAmerica,2010).Insomecasestheyareofferedinpartnershipwithcollegeworkforcedevelopmentdivisions,butseparatefromtheacademicenterprise.Bypartneringwithindustrytoincorporatesuchcertificationsintothepathwayprocess,GCTCprovidesmorestudentsentrytomoreadvancedstudyandsimultaneouslyupdatestherelevancyofitstechnicalcurriculum.Studentsalsobenefitfromsoftskilldevelopmentandcareerplanningincorporatedinthepathwaysthroughstudentsupportservices(Burnstein,2014).ThusbydevelopingrelationshipswithorganizationssuchastheNorthernKentuckyIndustryPartnershiptoidentifythetargetareasfordevelopmentinthisgrantandthencontinuingtonurturerelationshipswithotherareaorganizationssuchasthetri-statePartnersforaCompetitiveWorkforce,thegrantteamworkedtomaximizeopportunitiesforitsstudents.IndustryspecificpartnershipssuchasthatwiththeSupplyChainCouncilandtheInternationalBrotherhoodofElectricalWorkersledtofinelytunedandacceleratedacademicpathwaystocareersincludingco-opexperiencesandemployersupportoftuitionforincumbentworkers.Sustainability Relationshipstaketime.Highcontactstudentservicesrequireintensivestaffing.Consistentandsustainedoutreachtoawidevarietyofemployersinadiversearrayofindustriesalsorequiresaninvestmentinhumanresources.ProjectIMPACTdemonstratesthatateamapproachthatcreatesasynergybetweeninternalandexternalstakeholdersisbeneficialtostudentoutcomes.Sustainingthisinstitutionalinfrastructureforemployerengagementandwork-basedlearningopportunitiesisstronglyrecommended.Furthermore,thecollegemustbevigilanttosustaintherelevancyoftheenhancedcurriculumandcontinuetoseekwaystoprovidecompetencybasedprogrammingthatmeetsstudentsandemployersschedulingneeds.Sustainingprocessesforcapturingstudentenrollmentandemploymentdataaswellascontinuingtosolicitfeedbackfromemployerswillassistthecollegeinmonitoringtheefficacyoftheseprogramsinthefuture.

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References ACT,Inc.(2011).Abettermeasureofskillsgaps:UtilizingACTskillprofileand

assessmentdataforstrategicskillresearch.IowaCity,IA:ACT.org/Workforce.Albashiry,N.M.,Voogt,J.M.,&Pieters,J.M.(2015).Improvingcurriculum

developmentpracticesinatechnicalvocationalcommunitycollege:Examiningeffectsofaprofessionaldevelopmentarrangementformiddlemanagers.TheCurriculumJournal,26(3),425-451.doi:10.1080/09585176.2015.1040041

Alemayehu,D.,Alvir,J.,Jones,B.,&Willke,R.(2011).Statisticalissueswiththeanalysisofnonrandomizedstudiesincomparativeeffectivenessresearch.SupplementtoJournalofManagedCarePharmacy,17(9-a).

Bettinger,E.(2011).Theeffectsofstudentcoachingincollege:Anevaluationofarandomizedexperimentinstudentmentoring.Stanford,CA:StanfordUniversitySchoolofEducation.

CompleteCollegeAmerica(2010).Certificatescount:Ananalysisofsub-baccalaureatecertificates.RetrievedfromtheCompleteCollegeAmericawebsite:http://www.completecollege.org/docs/Certificates%20Count%20FINAL%2012-05.pdf

Creswell,J.W.(2012).Qualitativeinquiryandresearchdesign:Choosingamongfivetraditions(3rded.).LosAngeles:SagePublications.

Drewery,D.,Nevison,C.,&Pretti,T.J.(2016).Theinfluenceofcooperativeeducationandreflectionuponpreviousworkexperiencesonuniversitygraduates’vocationalself-concept.Education+Training,58(2),179-192.doi:10.1108/ET-06-2015-0042

Fixsen,D.L.,Naoom,S.F.,Blase,K.A.,Friedman,R.M.,&Wallace,F.(2005).ImplementationResearch:Asynthesisoftheliterature.Tampa,FL:UniversityofSouthFlorida,LouisdelaParteFloridaMentalHealthInstitute,TheNationalImplementationResearchNetwork(FMHIPublication#231).http://nirn.fmhi.usf.edu/resources/detail.cfm?resourceID=31

Jensen,J.(2015).QualitativeMethodsandImplementationAnalysis.InvitedWebinarbyTAACCCTNationalEvaluationTeam.June30,2015.https://youtu.be/LRiADfu4yq0

Karp,M.M.(2011).Towardanewunderstandingofnon-academicstudentsupport:Fourmechanismsencouragingpositivestudentoutcomesinthecommunity

college.NewYork:CommunityCollegeResearchCenter.KentuckyCouncilonPost-SecondaryDegrees(2011-2015).“Strongerbydegrees”

http://cpe.ky.gov/planning/StrongerByDegrees.htmKentuckyCommunityandTechnicalCollegeSystem.(2016).Embracingthedream.

Kentucky’sfuture:Astatewideperspective.Versailles,KY:KCTCS.Patton,M.Q.(2002).Qualitativeresearch&evaluationmethods(3rded.).Thousand

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Symonds,W.Schwartz,R.,&Ferguson,R..(2011).Pathwaystoprosperity:MeetingthechallengeofpreparingyoungAmericansforthe21stcentury.Cambridge,MA:PathwaystoProsperityProject,HarvardUniversityGraduateSchoolofEducation.

Weible,R.(2009).Areuniversitiesreapingtheavailablebenefitsinternshipprogramsoffer?JournalofEducationForBusiness,85(2),59-63.

Yin,R.K.(2013).Casestudyresearch:Design&methods(5thed.).ThousandOaks,CA:SagePublications.

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Appendix A: Pathways Maps

Adult Ed Area Technology Centers

High Schools Incumbent Workers

One Stop

Gateway CTC Associate Degree and/or Experience (with 2-3 years of experience)

Four Year University

Pathway Entry Points

Technician (Manufacturing / Engineering / Maintenance / Electrical) First-line Supervisor, Computer Aided Drafting, Machine Operator, Skilled Trade Positions $40,000 - $55,000

Manufacturing Management and Engineer Positions $50,000 and up

Plant Manager / Manufacturing Executive $90,000+

Manufacturing Degree Programs Associate of Applied Science ¾ Manufacturing Engineering

Technology ¾ Industrial Maintenance Technology ¾ General and Occupational Studies

• Computer Aided Drafting • Electrical Technology • Machine Tool Technology • Welding Technology

Employability Assessments Kentucky Employability Certificate (KEC)

Kentucky Manufacturing Skills Standard (KMSS) WorkKeys

BS in Mechanical, Manufacturing, and Industrial Engineering Technology programs

COMPASS / ACT

Other Degree Programs

Bachelors Degree and/or Experience (with 2-8 years of experience)

General Manufacturing and Laborer Positions $20,000 - $30,000

HS Diploma / GED and/or Experience (with 2 years of experience)

Advanced Manufacturing Career Pathways

gateway.kctcs.edu/ Academics Programs of Study

Revised May, 2014

Salaries, job titles, and level of education verified by employer members of College Technical Advisory Committee

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Adult Ed Area Technology Centers

High Schools Incumbent Workers

One Stop

Gateway CTC Associate Degree and/or Experience (with 2-3 years of experience)

Four Year University

Pathway Entry Points

CNC Machinist, Machinist Skilled Machining Positions $40,000 - $55,000

Manufacturing Management and Programmer Positions $55,000 and up

Plant Manager / Manufacturing Executive $90,000+

Manufacturing Degree Program Associate of Applied Science

¾Computerized Manufacturing and Machining

Diplomas ¾Machinist ¾CNC Machinist

Certificate Programs ¾Exploratory Machining ¾Machine Operator I ¾Machine Operator II

Employability Assessments Kentucky Employability Certificate (KEC)

Kentucky Manufacturing Skills Standard (KMSS) WorkKeys

Four –Year Program- Business, Technical or other Four year degree

COMPASS / ACT

Bachelors Degree and/or Experience (with 2-8 years of experience)

General Manufacturing and Laborer Positions, Machine Operators - $30,000-$40,000

HS Diploma / GED and/or Experience (with 2 years of experience)

Computerized MFG and Machining Careers Pathway Revised May, 2014

gateway.kctcs.edu/ Academics Programs of Study

Salaries, job titles, and level of education verified by employer members of College Technical Advisory Committee

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Adult Ed Area/Career Technology Centers

High Schools Incumbent Workers

One Stop/Career Centers

Gateway CTC

Start Here - Pathway Entry Points

Management and Operations Field Manager Bachelors Degree and/or Relevant Experience $65,000 and up

Manager / Executive $75,000+

¾Associate in Applied Science in

Energy Technologies Degree

¾Certificate Programs ¾Energy Utility Technician ¾Outside Plant Technician ¾Voice and Data Wiring

Installer

Four-Year Program – Business, Technical or other four year degree

COMPASS / ACT

Field Service Technician Entry-level Training Program $25,000 - $35,000

Energy Utility and Tele-Communications Careers Pathway

Crew Leader / Supervisor Associate Degree and/or Experience (with 6-8 years of experience) $60,000 - $70,000

Utility and Tele-Communication Technicians (Power Line Worker; Substation Operations, Grid Modernization) Certificate or Associate Degree, and/or Experience (with 3-4 years of experience or Apprenticeship Program $40,000 - $60,000 gateway.kctcs.edu/

Academics Programs of Study

Salaries, job titles, and level of education verified by employer members of College Technical Advisory Committee

March, 2014

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Adult Ed Area/Career Technology Centers

High Schools Incumbent Workers

One Stop/Career Centers

Gateway CTC

Start Here - Pathway Entry Points

Management and Operations Manager Bachelors Degree and/or Associate Degree with Relevant Experience $65,000 plus bonus

General Manager / Owner $80,000 plus bonus

¾Associate Degree in General

Occupational / Technical Studies ¾Certificate Programs

¾ Domestic Air Cond. & Furnace Installer

¾ Environmental Control System Servicer

¾ Environmental System Repair Helper

Four-Year Program – Business, Technical or other four year degree

COMPASS / ACT

Entry-level Service / Maintenance Technician in training. $22,000 - $32,000

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Careers Pathway

Service Manager / Field Supervisor Associate Degree and/or Experience (with 5-10 years of experience) $60,000 - $70,000

Service Technician / Licensed HVAC Journeyman / EPA 608 Certified (Residential, Commercial service, Repair, Remodel, New Construction) Certificate or Associate Degree, and/or Experience (with 3-5 years of experience or Apprenticeship/Co-op Program $42,000 - $65,000

May, 2014

Salaries, job titles, and level of education verified by employer members of College Technical Advisory Committee

gateway.kctcs.edu/ Academics Programs of Study

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Logistics Career Pathway Map

Spring 2014

Christi Dover, PMP April 2014

Unskilled Entry Level

Material Handler

$9-14/hr

Sales Associate $24 – 50 k/yr

Logistics Associate

Material Coordinator

Traffic Coordinator

Inventory Control Specialist

Clerk

$12 – 15/hr

Coordinator/Analyst

$35 - 55k

Supervisor

Lean Logistics Specialist

$35 - 60k/yr

Sales

$30 – 100k/yr

Lean Logistics Specialist

$45 - 65k/yr

Mid-level Manager

Area Manager

Adult Basic Education

English Language Learning

Workplace Readiness

MSSC Certified Logistics Technician

(CLA and CLT: LOM100 and LOM102)

Technical Certificates:

Logistics Quality Technician

Supply Chain Specialist

Logistics Operations

Associate Degree Logistics and Operations

Management

Bachelors Degree

Frontline Supervisor

Varying education & experience

$30 – 60k

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Appendix B: Employer Engagement Survey Q4 Thank you for agreeing to take part in this employer engagement survey. The purpose of this survey is to evaluate college-employer partnerships that have developed since the implementation of the Gateway IMPACT program, funded by a TAACCCT (Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training) grant awarded to Gateway Community & Technical College by the U.S. Department of Labor. This survey will ask for information about what contact you have had with Gateway, as well as inquire about your own employment needs, as a way to determine what has already been accomplished through your partnership and what still can be enhanced in the program to best meet your needs in the labor market.If you have any questions about this survey, you may contact the evaluator, Dr. Jane Jensen, at [email protected]. Q3 Employment Industry Needs of Company: (check all that apply) q Logistics/Shipping (1) q Electrical Technology (2) q Welding (3) q Energy Technology (4) q Communications Technology (5) q Computerized Machining (6) q HVAC (7) q Industrial Maintenance (8) q Manufacturing Engineering (9) q CDL (10) Q35 The following questions specifically refer to your partnership with the college.

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Q39 What type of contact have you had with Gateway Community & Technical College in the past six (6) months regarding the IMPACT Advanced Manufacturing program?

Never(1) 1-2times(2) 3-4times(3) 5+times(4)I talked to staff

and faculty about courses offered

(1)

m m m m

Program staff visited my office or business (2)

m m m m

I invited staff and faculty to talk to

my employees (3) m m m m

I talked to staff and faculty about job opportunities in my company

(4)

m m m m

I called or emailed staff and

faculty to get more information

(5)

m m m m

I received information about

the program to share with my employees (6)

m m m m

Staff and faculty called or emailed

me (7) m m m m

Q33 Which of the following is true of your company's relationship with Gateway? q Hired students (1) q Provided co-ops/apprenticeships for students (2) q Spoken to students in classrooms (3) q Visited the Gateway campus (4)

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Q34 How familiar are you with the following programs at Gateway? NotFamiliar

(1)SomewhatFamiliar(2)

VeryFamiliar(3)

NotApplicabletomyCompany

(4)Manufacturing

Engineering Technology (1)

m m m m

Welding Technology (2) m m m m

Computerized Manufacturing and Machining

(3)

m m m m

HVAC (4) m m m m Industrial

Maintenance (5) m m m m

Energy Technologies (6) m m m m

Electrical Technology (7) m m m m

CDL (8) m m m m Supply Chain

Management (9) m m m m

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Q41 Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements: Strongly

Disagree(1)Disagree(2) Neither

AgreenorDisagree(3)

Agree(4) StronglyAgree(5)

Gateway meets employer needs in

Kentucky. (1)

m m m m m

In looking for new

employees, I would contact Gateway for

student referrals. (2)

m m m m m

I would contact Gateway for

training opportunities

for my current employees. (3)

m m m m m

I would like the opportunity

to talk to students in the

classroom about job

opportunities. (4)

m m m m m

I am interested in working

with Gateway to provide co-

ops and apprenticeships to students. (5)

m m m m m

I am familiar with the

programs offered at

Gateway. (6)

m m m m m

Q29 What classes, certifications, or courses would you like to see Gateway Community & Technical College provide?

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Q6 Addressing on-going (short-term) recruitment for your company. Your answers to the following will help to determine to what extent the programs at Gateway match your current workforce needs. Q5 Please list the MOST critical job position that you have an on-going need to hire. (Job Title, Duties) Q7 What is the level of this position? (check all that apply) q Co-op/Apprentice (1) q Entry (2) q Office (3) q Professional (4) q Mid-Level (5) q Management (6) q N/A (7) Q8 Is this position: (check all that apply) q Full time (1) q Part time (2) q Temporary (3) q On-Call (4) q N/A (5) q Other: (please specify) (6) ____________________ Q9 Please list the skills needed for this position. Q10 Please list the certifications and/or affiliations needed for this position. (Certificate, Associates, Bachelors; NOCTI Precision Machining, CDL, BICSI - ITS Installer I, Installer 2, Copper, Optical Fiber, KY Standard Journeyman Electrician, OSHA 10 and 30, KY HVAC Journeyman, BPI Building Analyst/Building Envelope, FOA, Fiber Outside Plant, Fiber to the Home, MSSC CLA and CLT, MSSC CPT, NOCTI Manufacturing, AWS) Q11 Are you currently hiring for this position? m Yes (1) m No (2) Q12 If No, why not? q In process of posting position (1) q No qualified applicants (2) q Waiting for funding (3) q Other: (please specify) (4) ____________________

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Q13 Do you have a SECOND MOST critical job position that you have an on-going need to hire? m Yes (1) m No (2) Q15 Please list the SECOND MOST critical job position that you have an on-going need to hire. (Job Title, Duties) Q16 What is the level of this position? (check all that apply) q Co-op/Apprentice (1) q Entry (2) q Office (3) q Professional (4) q Mid-Level (5) q Management (6) q N/A (7) Q17 Is this position: (check all that apply) q Full time (1) q Part time (2) q Temporary (3) q On-Call (4) q N/A (5) q Other: (please specify) (6) ____________________ Q19 Please list the certifications and/or affiliations needed for this position. (Certificate, Associates, Bachelors; NOCTI Precision Machining, CDL, BICSI - ITS Installer I, Installer 2, Copper, Optical Fiber, KY Standard Journeyman Electrician, OSHA 10 and 30, KY HVAC Journeyman, BPI Building Analyst/Building Envelope, FOA, Fiber Outside Plant, Fiber to the Home, MSSC CLA and CLT, MSSC CPT, NOCTI Manufacturing, AWS) Q18 Please list the skills needed for this position. Q20 Are you currently hiring for this position? m Yes (1) m No (2) Q21 If No, why not? q In process of posting position (1) q No qualified applicants (2) q Waiting for funding (3) q Other: (please specify) (4) ____________________

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Q22 Anticipated (long term) job postings at your company in the next two to five years. These questions will allow the evaluation team to formulate longer-term recommendations for their program. Q23 What anticipated job positions will you need in the next two (2) to five (5) years? (Job Title, Duties) Q24 What skills will be required? (Job duties, special training, etc.) Q25 What certifications and/or affiliations will be needed for this position? (Certificate, Associates, Bachelors; NOCTI Precision Machining, CDL, BICSI - ITS Installer I, Installer 2, Copper, Optical Fiber, KY Standard Journeyman Electrician, OSHA 10 and 30, KY HVAC Journeyman, BPI Building Analyst/Building Envelope, FOA, Fiber Outside Plant, Fiber to the Home, MSSC CLA and CLT, MSSC CPT, NOCTI Manufacturing, AWS) Q26 Do you see any persistent skills gaps in the workforce? m Yes (1) m No (2) Q27 If you answered "Yes", what are the gaps and for what position? Q28 What are your workforce skills and/or training needs? q Professional development courses (1) q Certifications (2) q Certificate degrees (3) q Associates degrees (4) q Bachelor degree or higher (5) q Licensure (6) q Continuing education credits (7) q Other: (please specify) (8) ____________________ Q37 Thank you for completing the survey. May we contact you after this survey for additional follow up or to schedule a focus group with your company? If so, please provide your email address and/or phone number below.

Email (1) Phone (2)

Q34 If you have any additional comments, please enter them below.

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Appendix C: New Supply Chain Management Credentials