Interview Protocol – IT Pathway Manager and Healthcare Pathway Manager

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CJC Implementation Research Protocol: IT/Healthcare Pathway Manager

Introduction of and Informed Consent for the Study (read to all respondents)

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview today.

My name is (insert name here), and I’m a researcher from MDRC, located in (Oakland, CA or New York, NY). I’m here because Abt Associates and MDRC, on behalf of the United States Department of Labor (DOL), are conducting a five-year study of the Cascades Program.

We are visiting to conduct in-person interviews with center staff and partners (such as referral partners and employers) to learn what is happening on the ground and what are the challenges of implementing this new program. Interviews will cover the organizational characteristics of the center, as well as its mission and vision, and how it fits within the Job Corps network.

These interviews will provide important qualitative information on the implementation at Cascades. We will use what we learn from these interviews to contribute to a report about the impacts and implementation of the Cascades program. This report will be submitted to DOL to inform the federal government about this new model.

Privacy Statement [Interviewer must read this to all respondents]

Before beginning the interview, I (we) want to thank you for agreeing to participate in this study and remind you that your participation is voluntary. I (we) know that you are busy and will try to be as brief as possible. We have many questions and are going to talk to many different people, so please do not feel as though we expect you to be able to answer every question. You may also refuse to answer any question. The interview today should last about one hour. This interview is not part of a Job Corps audit or a compliance review. We are interested in learning about your ideas, experiences, and opinions about Cascades’ implementation. There are no right or wrong answers. We want to know what you think.

You can send comments regarding the time estimate or any other aspect of this interview, including suggestions for reducing the duration, to (insert contact name and provide address if necessary).

In addition, before we start, I want to let you know that although we will take notes during these interviews, information is never repeated with the name of the respondent in any reports or in any discussions with supervisors, colleagues, or any one from DOL. When we write our reports and discuss our findings, information from all the people we speak with is compiled and presented so that no one person can be identified. There is a small risk of loss of privacy, but we have many procedures in place to ensure your information does not get lost.

To help me accurately report on the information you share, it would help if I could tape record this call; of course, I could turn off the recorder at any point if you so desire. I do not have a recorder on now; is it okay with you for me to turn it on?

Do you have any questions before we begin?

Do I have your permission to begin the interview?

• This interview protocol is intended for the person responsible for managing the [IT/Healthcare] Pathway at the center.

• Text in italics is background information for the interviewer.

• Please allow 60 minutes for the interview.

Staff Title: Title
Staff Role: [IT/Healthcare] Pathway Manager

Staff Initials: Initials
Interviewer: Interviewer last name
Write-up: Last name of person doing write-up

INTERVIEW DATE/TIME: Date/Time

Staff Background

You may use this section to verify information you already know about the interviewee or as a means of rapport building with the interviewee.

1. Please describe the major responsibilities of your position. Describe

2. How long have you been at Cascades? 0.00 years

3. How long have you been in your current role at Cascades? 0.00 years

4. How long have you worked at other Job Corps Centers? 0.00 years

5. What made you interested in working at Cascades? Describe

6. Please describe your background or experience in the IT sector. Describe

Cascades’ Values and Center Environment

The next questions are designed to learn more about how the values and culture of Cascades are put into action in the day-to-day activities of staff. We also ask a question about the center’s approach to using the policy manual to understand fidelity.

7. How would you describe Cascades’ values and philosophy? Describe

8. How would you describe the environment that Cascades intends to create for students? [Probes: How do you want students to feel when they are at Cascades? What strategies do you use to create this environment?] Describe

Structure of IT Pathway Department

Here we want to understand the structure of the IT Pathway Department. Focus is on the staff characteristics and their relationships to students.

9. Please describe the roles of the [IT/Healthcare] Pathway staff at your center now [(IT: IT Foundations Instructor, Computer Technology I and II instructors, Internship Coordinator, and CTR/Grad-90 Coordinator) (Healthcare: Healthcare Foundations Instructor, CNA instructor, CMA instructor, EMT instructor, Clinical Coordinator, and CTR/Grad-90 Coordinator)]. Describe

   Staff title	Roles/Responsibilities
   Title	Describe
   Title	Describe
   Title	Describe
   Title	Describe
   Title	Describe
   Title	Describe
   Title	Describe

10. How do you supervise your [IT/Healthcare] Pathway staff? [Probes: How often do you meet with them, do you meet as a group or one-on-one, what is discussed in these meetings? What is your management approach?] Describe

11. When hiring new staff members, what qualities do you look for? (Probe: Experience in the [IT/Healthcare] field? Certifications? Connections with employers in the region? Experience working with youth?) Describe

12. What professional development opportunities are available for your staff now? Describe

13. What additional opportunities do you think your staff would benefit from? Describe

Curriculum Development

14. How does Cascades currently determine the content of the in-house [IT/Healthcare] courses? (Probe: Are they using existing curricula? Are they creating new curricula? Are they developing the courses on their own, or with help from local employers or Skagit Valley College?) Describe

15. Does your instruction include text book and hands on instruction? Describe

16. (For second round visit) How, if at all, have the [IT/Healthcare] courses changed over time? Describe

17. What are the jobs/occupations you hope to place [IT/Healthcare] Pathway graduates in? (For second round: Have your targeted occupations changed over time? Why or why not, do you think?) Describe

18. (For second round) If your target occupations have changed, how have you adjusted the curricula to respond to the shift in the targeted occupations? Describe

19. What certificates/credentials do students receive upon completion of their skills instruction? Are these credentials recognized by employers? Describe

20. What sources of information do you consult to learn about labor market demand in your industry? Describe

21. What are the most important non-technical skills for students to learn on the [IT/Healthcare] Pathway at Cascades? Does the [IT/Healthcare] work environment require non-technical skills you are not able to address in the Cascades program? Describe

Student and Staff Experience

22. Do you notice patterns in which students pursue the [IT/Healthcare] Pathway, rather than the [Healthcare/IT] Pathway? (Probe: If so, what do you think about the differences between the student populations served by each pathway? Are there things your department could do to change the existing patterns, or are they OK the way they are?) Describe

23. What challenges do students face now in pursuing the [IT/Healthcare] Pathway at Cascades? Describe

24. [IT PM only] How do staff coordinate with each other? Is there a pass off between the IT trainers and the job developer? (Probe: How the job developer works with the technical instructors.) Describe

Coordination with Partners (Skagit Valley College and employer partners)

25. How does your department currently coordinate with the [IT/Healthcare] programs at Skagit Valley College? (Probe: Is it the responsibility of one person in the department, or multiple?) Describe

26. How do you determine when a student is ready to move on to [IT/Healthcare] courses at Skagit Valley? Describe

27. Who are the primary employers you hope to train students for? (For second round, probe: Have your target employers changed over time? Why or why not?) Describe

28. (For second round visit) Has anything surprised you about working in partnership with Skagit Valley for [IT/Healthcare] training? What about partnerships with [IT/Healthcare] employers? Describe

Random Assignment

29. Describe any challenges you have encountered in implementing the random assignment study (e.g. relationships with partners, time spent on research activities). Describe

Abt Associates  ▌pg. 4