Project Summary
Colorado WORC Cohort 2 is a second cohort of workforce training/upskilling providers seeking information on participant employment and earnings outcomes to inform how their programs are supporting participants (first cohort project information). The goals for this second cohort are consistent with the first project, and include:
– Making anonymized, aggregate employment and earnings data available to Colorado workforce/training/postsecondary providers.
– Measuring earnings and completion outcomes across key demographic, geographic and socioeconomic factors to address equity gaps.
– Create provider-level and program-specific dashboards to identify if programs are working as intended, and increase provider and program-level understanding of their own offerings.
Our first cohort included several social enterprises, and we are excited to expand Cohort 2 to additional social enterprises, looking to better understand the impact of their business and service model. By design, social enterprises are “organizations that address a basic unmet need or solve a social or environmental problem through a market-driven approach” and WORC is giving these organizations an opportunity to demonstrate the efficacy of that business model.
Several of our Cohort 2 providers continue to serve those with the greatest barriers to employment, and focus on creating economic stability for justice involved populations and individuals with disabilities. Given the projects’ focus on equity gaps, we feel these are important populations of interest.
We are aware of at least one organization in Cohort 2 wanting to conduct a randomized control trial. WORC will serve as a critical step in understanding their outcomes and the feasibility of a more rigorous evaluation.
Furthermore, we hope providers use WORC to meet specific reporting requirements for “evidence-based credential” programs seeking to receive reimbursement from Prosperity Denver Fund (PDF). Several members across Cohorts 1 and 2 are applying for funding from PDF, and WORC helps ensure funding goes out in an equitable and efficient manner.
Data Partners
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Denver Public Schools – Emily Griffith Technical College
- Breakthrough
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Goodwill of Colorado
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Colorado Department of Labor & Employment