Interview Protocol – Employer/ Service Provider Partners

CJC Implementation Research Protocol:

Employer/Service Provider Partners

OMB Control No.1290-0012

OMB approval expires 02/29/2020

Abt Associates IRB approval No.0917

Persons are not required to respond to this collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. Respondents’ responses are voluntary.

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____________, and this is _____________and we are researchers from MDRC. We are here because MDRC and our partners, Abt Associates, are conducting a five-year study of the Cascades Program on behalf of the United States Department of Labor (DOL).

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, we want to thank you for agreeing to participate in this study and remind you that your participation is voluntary. 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 60 minutes. 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.

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 anyone 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? Great, once I turn it on, I am going to ask you to state your name and verbal consent to being recorded.

Do you have any questions before we begin?

Start recorder.

Do I have your permission to begin and record the interview?

Name:
Title:

Organization/company/agency:

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

INTERVIEW DATE/TIME: Date/Time

Background (All Respondents)

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

2. Can you tell us a little bit about your organization/company/agency?

3. How did you first hear about the Job Corps center?

   1. Did someone refer you to the center or did center staff reach out to you directly?

   2. What message did you first hear about the center (and Job Corps in general) that made you think it might be worth pursuing a relationship or partnership? Describe

4. What were you hoping to achieve by working with the center; what were your goals? Describe

   1. Are you meeting those goals?

   2. Have you benefited from working with the center? How?

5. Can you describe your relationship with the center?

   1. How long have you been working with the center?

   2. Is it a partnership, a collaboration?

   3. Is it formal or informal?

Employer Partner Respondents Only

6. Have you hired any Job Corps students? How many?

   1. Compared to other individuals you hire, are the students you’ve hired from the center (1) similar in level of preparedness, (2) not as well prepared, or (3) more prepared? (In which ways?) Describe

   2. Are there any ways that center could better prepare individuals for jobs with your company or in your industry more broadly? If yes, how? Describe

   3. Have you ever shared any of this feedback with the center? Describe

7. Have you engaged with the center and the students in other ways?

   1. Have you visited the center and met with students to describe jobs and workplace environment?

   2. Have you offered or provided employer site tours?

   3. Have you been asked to or participated in mock interviews with students?

   4. Have you participated in work experience such as offering internships or mentoring to students?

8. Has the center ever actively sought your input or guidance about the education & training services that they provide to Job Corps students? For example, the way they provide career exploration support or the technical or soft skills training curriculum they use, etc.?

   1. If yes, can you provide some examples of guidance they sought and of the kind of input or support that you provided to the center? Describe For example, did you provide input on the in-demand occupations and description of career paths?

      • Do you know if the center made any changes as a result?

9. Has the center helped you and your company in any of the following ways?

1. Reduced time to hire? Describe

2. Reduced turnover? Describe

3. Troubleshooting with new hires? For example, assistance to improve attendance or to improve job performance? Describe

4. Reduced safety infractions? Describe

5. Help filling skilled positions beyond entry level? Describe

10. [If employer has hired a relatively large number of students] Have any of these services saved your business money or helped your business grow or expand? Describe

11. How does the experience of working with the center compare with the experience of working with your other recruitment sources or other staffing agencies? Describe

1. Is the center an important source of recruitment for your company when you are trying to fill jobs in the ____ industry/occupation? Describe

2. How do you evaluate if these recruitment sources are effective in terms of providing qualified workers? Describe

3. Do you expect to hire again from this provider? Describe

4. Would you recommend them to other employers? Describe

12. Are there any other ways in which your company benefited from the services it received from the center? Describe

13. Did the services/assistance your company received from center meet your company’s expectations? Describe

14. How could the center have improved your company’s experience with them? Describe

1. Did you share any of that feedback with center? Describe

15. Are there any services the center could offer to your company to be helpful in meeting your needs? What kinds of services? Describe

1. Have you ever shared that feedback with center? Describe

16. Is there anything else about your experience working with the center you would like to share? Describe

If time, or if the employer’s primary connection is hiring Job Corps students:

17. Other than the center, what other sources of recruitment do you use for hiring entry-level workers? How does your company typically identify these sources? Describe

18. What factors would be the leading considerations in deciding whether to get more involved with the center? Describe

19. Have you played a role in developing any other relationships for the center that might benefit the workforce system in the local area – for example, with government officials, funders, or other interested associations or agencies? Describe

20. Was the amount of contact you received from the center the right amount? Would you prefer that they check in with you more or less often? Describe

21. Have you learned anything from working with the center that might help you improve the way you hire or manage your workforce? (e.g., labor market information that might help you set wages at an appropriate level?) Describe

22. Are there any challenges to working with the Job Corps center? With the center staff? Describe

Community College Partner Respondents Only

6. How many Job Corps students currently attend (and have attended) the community college?

7. What are the procedures Job Corps students go through to enroll in the college? Is the process different than it is for non-Job Corps students? How so? Describe

8. How are students assessed for college-readiness? Do they need to take reading and math placement exams to determine if they can take college-level courses? Describe

9. Do you find that students are prepared for college-level work, or do they need to take remediation classes prior to enrolling in college classes? Describe

10. How would you say Job Corps students compare to traditional high school students in terms of college-readiness and preparedness? How do you the preparation offered by Job Corps differs, if at all, from those provided by traditional schools? Describe

11. How well do the Job Corps students do in their college classes? Describe

12. What challenges do Job Corps students have (if any) succeeding at community college? Do students have academic issues? Attendance issues? Culture issues? Transportation issues? Describe

    1. How are these being dealt with, if at all? Who is providing support services, the college and/or the Job Corps center? Describe

    2. Do the college and/or instructors communicate student progress and/ or challenges to the center? How? How often?

13. What are Job Corps students studying at the community college? What kind of classes are they taking? Are these classes in line with the trades/pathways they are pursuing at the Job Corps center?

    1. How many, if any, Job Corps students are taking classes outside of the pathway they entered the college pursuing? Describe

14. What Job Corps services do you feel are the most valuable to the students pursuing college? Describe

15. Do you think there are services Job Corps students are not getting that would be beneficial to helping them acclimate to the college environment and succeed? (related to time management, problem solving, working collaboratively.) Describe

16. Are there any challenges to working with the Job Corps center? With the center staff? Describe

17. Is there anything else about your experience working with the center you would like to share? Describe

School District Partner Respondents Only

6. How many Job Corps students does the district provide services to?

7. Are high school classes provided at the Job Corps center? If not, then where?

8. How are the instructors who teach at Job Corps students selected? Did you select them with any specialized background or qualities that differ from your regular instructors that teach similar classes? Describe

   1. How does the school district monitor and evaluate the instructors at Cascades? Describe

9. Are Job Corps students in classes with non-Job Corps students?

10. Do the services that the district provides to Job Corps students differ from those provided at a traditional high school? How? Describe

11. How is it determined whether a Job Corps student enrolls in high school or into some other high school equivalency path?

    1. Are the students assessed? How?

    2. Do the students decide?

12. What are the procedures for enrolling students in high school?

13. What challenges do Job Corps students have (if any) succeeding at high school? Describe

    1. How are these being dealt with, if at all? Who is providing support services, the district and/or the Job Corps center? Describe

    2. Do the district and/or instructors communicate student progress and/ or challenges to the center? How? How often?

14. What Job Corps services do you feel are the most valuable to the students pursuing high school with your district? Describe

15. Do you think there are services Job Corps students are not getting from the center that would be beneficial?

16. Are there any other services that the school district provides to the center? (Instructors, ESL support, textbooks, trainings for teachers, equipment) Describe

17. Are there any challenges to working with the Job Corps center? With the center staff? Describe

18. Is there anything else about your experience working with the center you would like to share? Describe

Other Partner Respondent Only

6. Are there any challenges to working with the Job Corps center? With the center staff? Describe

7. Is there anything else about your experience working with the center you would like to share? Describe

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