Interview Protocol – Trade/ Pathway Managers or Supervisors (IT and Healthcare Trade/ Pathway Overview)

CJC Implementation Research Protocol:

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.

Trade/Pathway Manager/Supervisor

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?

Staff Title: Title
Staff Role:

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

INTERVIEW DATE/TIME: Date/Time

Staff Background

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

2. How long have you been at this center? 0.00 years

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

4. Have you worked at other Job Corps Centers? For how long? 0.00 years

5. Where did you work prior to Job Corps? Describe

6. What role did you have at your previous employer? Describe

7. What is your educational background? Describe

8. What made you interested in working at this center? Describe

Staffing and Management

9. Who do you directly report to?

10. What staff report directly to you?

11. What training or professional development opportunities do you think your staff benefit the most from? Describe

1. Do you think the training or professional development at this center differs from other centers?

2. Are there additional training or professional development opportunities you think your staff need? Describe

Center Values, Center Environment, and Relationships

12. How would you describe this Job Corps center’s values and philosophy? Describe

1. Do these values and philosophy differ from those of other Job Corps centers? Describe

13. How would you describe the culture and environment at this Job Corps center?

    1. Do you think the culture and philosophy of this center is different than other Job Corps centers? Describe

14. [Cascades and Ottumwa only] How would you explain student-centered design?

    1. How does the center incorporate a student-centered design? Examples

15. What do staff relationships with the students look like?

    1. Do you think these relationships at this center differs from other Job Corps centers? Describe

16. What do the relationships between the students look like?

    1. Do you think these relationships at this center differs from other Job Corps centers? Describe

17. [Cascades Only] What affect, if any, does the cohort system have on students?

    1. Does it affect student relationships?

    2. Does it affect student progress?

18. How diverse is the student population?

    1. Does this have an effect on the center? Culturally, Socially?  

    2. What are the pros and cons of having older students at the center?

19. [Cascades only] Does the fact that students at Cascades are younger (ages 16-21 only) have any effect on the center? How? Why not? Describe

20. [Cascades only] Does that fact that students at Cascades had additional screening during intake have any effect on the center? How? Why not? Describe

21. How do you think the typical student that attends this Job Corps center compares to the students at other Job Corps centers?

22. [Cascades only] Do you think that Cascades students are better prepared for Job Corps or for college than typical Job Corps students? Why? How? Describe

23. Overall, what, if anything, do you think sets this center apart from other Job Corps centers?

Education & Training Planning

24. Describe the process you use to determine what trade/pathway track is appropriate for an individual student and the process of putting together a plan.

    1. Do you use an assessment?

    2. Is this part of a larger plan that also includes other individual goals such as for Non-Cognitive Social and Workplace Skills Development?

    3. Is this a group process or a one-on-one process? Which staff are involved in determining what services students need? Are the students themselves involved? How? Describe

    4. Do students take ownership of this plan?

Education & Training Services

25. [Cascades Only] Since our visit last year how has your education & training services changed? Describe

    1. Why did services change? (Was is staff driven or conceptually driven or market driven?)

26. How do students generally flow through trade/pathway services?

27. How and when do students transition into Trade/ Career and Technical Training?

    1. Do they have to pass a test? Describe

    2. Are there certain entry requirements? Do students need to have a high school diploma or equivalency?

28. Can you briefly describe the (IT/healthcare) trade/pathway services offered by the center?

    1. What are the different track options?

    2. What do these services look like?

       • Are courses mostly online instruction or instructor led? Does instruction include textbook and hands on instruction? Describe Where are they offered? What staff provide these services?

29. What certificates/credentials do students earn? Describe

    1. Are they industry recognized credentials that are applicable to in-demand occupations?

30. What are the jobs you hope to place IT/ Healthcare Pathway students in?

    1. How were/are decisions made regarding which occupations are targeted for each trade/pathway?

    2. Have your targeted occupations changed over time? Why or why not, do you think? Describe

    3. If your target occupations have changed, how have you adjusted the curricula to respond to the shift in the targeted occupations? Describe

    4. Who are the primary employers you hope to train students for? Have your target employers changed over time? Why or why not? Describe

    5. What sources of information do you consult to identify jobs or occupations that are growing and/or in demand? Describe

31. To what degree are education & training classes occupation-infused – use work-based learning and project-based instruction (i.e. IT or healthcare topic or problems)? Get examples. Describe

    1. Are instructors expected to infuse workplace examples into academic instruction?

32. How do the education & training services offered at this center differ from the other Job Corps centers?

33. Are any other services at the center contextualized for the student’s trade/pathway? Examples

34. Can you describe the particular strengths and challenges of this type of education & training program? Describe

    1. What non-student related challenges do you face delivering these services and what is the center doing to mitigate these challenges (Staffing, facilities, curriculum, etc.)? Describe

Curriculum Development

35. How did the center determine the content and curriculum of the trade/pathway courses?

    1. Are you using existing curricula? Did you create new curricula? Did you develop the courses with help from local employers or community colleges or other outside sources? Describe

    2. Is the instruction for the trade/pathway aligned with labor market demand and the skills employers are seeking to fill? Has the occupational focus shifted over time since you have worked here?

36. What do you think are the most important non-technical skills for students to learn?

    1. Does the IT/Healthcare work environment require non-technical skills you are not able to address in this program? Describe

Measures of Academic Progress, Student Challenges and Support Services

37. How do you measure academic progress?

    1. How are students fairing?

    2. Are students struggling?

38. What challenges do students face academically? Describe

39. What type of supplemental education & training support services, such as on-site tutoring, online classes and evening classes are offered? Describe

    1. Are these services contextualized for the student’s trade/pathway?

40. What other types of extra support or guidance do students receive if they fall behind in their studies? Describe

    1. Is some kind of education & training improvement plan created?

• When, at what point?

• Who participates in creating the plan?

37. How do education & training staff coordinate with each other?

38. How do education & training staff coordinate with other departments?

    1. Is there a pass off between the IT/ healthcare instructors/ trainers and the job career transition services, for example? Describe

Community Culture, Student Support Systems, Student Rewards & Recognitions, and Disciplinary Policies

43. Other than education & training, what do the students struggle with? Culture issues? Addiction? Mental health? Other? Describe

    1. How does the center in general and your instructors in particular deal with this? Do they incorporate the “grit mindset” goals and other strategies from the University of Chicago curriculum “Teaching Adolescents to Become Learners” Describe

44. Are there sufficient supports outside the classroom for these students?

45. How do you think the student support systems available at this center differ from those at other Job Corp centers?

Student Retention and Separations 

46. What is your sense of why students leave the center early?   

47. At what point do students tend to separate? What are the biggest drop-off points?  

1. Do students drop-out during trade/pathway services? Describe

2. About what percentage of students do you think end up dropping-off before completion?

48. What are the center’s policies with regard to student retention? 

1. How does the center attempt to retain students?  

2. What actions are taken? By what staff?   

3. How are students involved/engaged in this effort? 

Partnerships

49. Do you partner with local employers to provide trade/pathway services?

    1. How?

    2. Any challenges?

50. What other partners are involved in the delivery of trade/pathway services at your center?

    1. Can you describe those relationships?

Name of partner	Description of services or resources provided	How is partnership formalized (contract, informal)
Name of partner	Describe	Describe

Abt Associates  ▌pg. 7