JVS was one of three organizations that participated in a new study by Public/Private Ventures (P/PV) that establishes the effectiveness of high-quality, industry-specific job training programs and argues that these efforts are crucial to long-term economic recovery in the U.S.

"This report provides the first real evidence of how valuable specialized job training is," said Andy Sum, Director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University. "There's a correlation between sector specific training and higher wages and longer employment. It's significant and should help decision-makers as they work to grow key industries."

The new report presents the results of a two-year study, which sought to inform public policy as to the effectiveness of the sectoral model, and investigated the outcomes of 1,200 random participants. P/PV's study examined industry-specific job-training programs in Boston, Milwaukee and NYC, focused in the manufacturing, information technology and healthcare sectors. The results will be part of a forum hosted by SkillWorks and The Boston Foundation on June 18 at the State Street Foundation.

"Even with the highest unemployment rate the US has seen in 25 years, some sectors, such as healthcare and manufacturing, are still looking for people with specific technical skills," said Jerry Rubin, President and CEO of JVS, one of the three organizations participating in the study. "Demand for workers skilled in these areas remains strong, and will grow once we move into economic recovery. Training workers to fill positions in particular industries is smart policy and this report confirms what we've known at JVS for years."

The results of the study showed that those who participated in sectoral employment training programs fared much better than those who did not across a variety of measures. Among the highlights:
 

• Program participants earned significantly more than control group members. On average, they earned about $4,500 more than members of the control group during the two-year study. While some of these gains can be attributed to working more hours, participants also earned significantly higher hourly wages.
• Program participants were significantly more likely to get jobs that offered benefits. They spent an average of 11 months working in jobs that offered benefits (health insurance, paid vacation, paid sick leave and tuition reimbursement)-about a month and a half longer than members of the control group.
• Program participants were more likely to find work and worked more months than those who did not receive sector-focused training.

"This impressive report is very timely," says William Julius Wilson, a professor of sociology and social policy at Harvard University. "Here is a study that not only associates high-quality industry-specific job training with improved chances of finding employment, including jobs that offer benefits, but also with substantial increases in earnings. That has huge social policy implications. Indeed, it rare to see an evaluation with such robust and convincing findings."

A terrific example of a sector training success story in Boston is Beatriz Alvarez, who wanted to set an example for her daughters. After emigrating from Colombia and working in a Boston deli for seven years, she entered JVS' Careers in Medical Office Program and received training in customer service and medical terminology. Beatriz graduated at the head of her class, and-with JVS' help-secured employment at East Boston Neighborhood Health Center. She hopes to get a Medical Administration degree from Bunker Hill Community College. As Beatriz's story shows, in addition to stimulating our economy, sectoral employment programs can fundamentally change lives.

For a copy of the full Report, see the PPV publication.