Staff Interview Topic Guide

Job Corps Evidence Building Portfolio (JCEB)

Staff Interview Topic Guide_updated

Staff Interview Topic Guide

OMB: 1290-0037

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Job Corps Evidence Building Portfolio Project

Topic Guide for Staff and Partner Interviews



Construct

Staff and Partner Interview Topics

Staff Characteristics and Background

  • Job title

  • Roles and major responsibilities

  • Staff background, including relevant prior work experience

Staffing

  • Staffing structure

  • Staff caseload sizes

  • Staff hiring timeline

  • Staff qualifications, selection and training

  • Staffing shortages and staff turnover

  • Performance measures for staff

  • Professional development

  • Staff meetings

  • Partners and role of partners in program delivery

Program Planning and Design

  • Why grantee applied for funding

  • Key staff involved in the pilot planning period

  • Key design decisions made during the demonstration pilot planning period and rationale

  • Involvement of employers, partners and other community organizations in the planning process

  • Decision making process and the role of organization leadership in deciding to apply

  • Barriers to applying for funding posed by organization leadership

Program Goals

  • Reasons for developing the program

  • Goals for the program, including changes over time

  • Hypothesized impacts on target population (immediate, short-term, long-term)

  • Comparisons of program to programs with similar goals

Recruitment, Intake and Admissions

  • Enrollment targets

  • Progress towards enrollments and completions

  • Program outreach/recruitment practices

  • Eligibility/ suitability requirements and screening

  • Assessments/ placement exams

  • Enrollment process

  • Probational or trial period

  • Orientation/ onboarding

  • Use of cohorts

  • Characteristics of applicants

Education Services and Academic Supports

  • Academic planning/ goal development

  • Secondary Education (HSD/GED) services, included those offered through grantee or partner

  • Postsecondary academic services and supports (e.g. General education college courses, developmental education, supports for English Language learners)

  • Academic assessment activities

  • Academic supports (e.g. tutoring, study hall, test prep)

  • Monitoring academic progress (e.g. academic improvement plans)

Career and Technical Training

  • Types of services/ programs available (credentials), including development and selection

  • Structure of training tracks, including how instruction is delivered, and length of training

  • Employer and industry partnerships in developing training, delivery, and employment

  • Career and technical training assessment activities

  • Eligibility, selection and enrollment into training tracks

  • Career and technical training supports (e.g. tutoring, study hall, test preparation)

  • Monitoring progress on training tracks (e.g. academic improvement plans)

Personal and Career Counseling Services

  • Structure of counseling services, including frequency, dosage, format

  • Counseling practices and strategies

  • Case conferencing and monitoring of progress

  • Mentoring and coaching

  • Peer supports

Employment Services

  • Career readiness services (e.g. career exploration, resume building, Job search assistance, job shadows, and interview training)

  • Structure of counseling services, including meeting frequency, length, format

  • Work-based learning (Apprenticeships/ on-the-job training/ internships/ job shadowing)

  • Job development and employer engagement

  • Placement activities

Post-separation services

  • Contacts with staff during follow up period, including mode, method and purpose

  • Job search assistance

  • Job placement activities

  • Post-placement retention and advancement services

  • Continuing education and training support and placement services

  • Military placement services

  • Support services (transportation assistance, housing assistance, etc.)

Support services

  • Life skills training (financial counseling, study skills, soft skills)

  • Mental health and wellness services

  • Transportation assistance

  • Food assistance/ Meals

  • Stipends/ cash assistance

  • employment policies during program participation

  • Supports for parenting participants

  • Housing assistance

  • On-campus housing

  • Off-campus housing

  • Referrals to other organizations and services provided through referral

  • Technological supports

Student life/ Culture and Climate

  • Behavioral management system

  • Disciplinary policies and practices

  • Rewards and recognition system/ practices (incentives)

  • Monitoring practices (attendance)

  • Factors driving student retention/separation

  • Retention strategies and practices

  • Integration of pilot participants with broader college population

  • Family and parental engagement

Partnerships (including community organizations, employer, education and industry)

  • Organization name

  • Position in organization

  • Nature of partnership

  • Historical relationship with demonstration pilot

  • Length of partnership

  • Type of arrangement: Contracts, MOUs, type of contracts

  • Coordination: staff responsible, regular meetings, data exchange

  • Changes in partnership over time

  • Services provided to staff and participants in the demonstration pilot

  • Experience with demonstration pilot program staff and students

Budget and Funding

  • Sources of funding for program

  • Uses of funding

  • Other sources of support for participants (e.g. Pell, local and state funding)

  • In-kind supports

  • Adequacy of resources and funding gaps

Data Collection

  • Data collected on participation in services and outcomes

  • Data collected from program partners

  • Data sharing between partners

  • Measures for tracking program performance

  • Information collected from participants about their program experiences

  • Use of data to inform program activities

  • Recent trends in the performance of the program

Program context and environment

  • Grantee background

    • Grantee history

    • Annual number of participants served overall

    • Previous major sources of funding

    • Current and previous partnerships with Job Corps

    • Current and previous programs serving young people and Job Corps-eligible population

    • Current and previous programs offering short-term credentials and occupational training

  • Geographic area served (e.g. size and characteristics of service area)

  • Effect of demographic, economic, or social forces on demonstration pilot operations

    • Local economic conditions (e.g. major industries, recent economic trends, other factors that affect economy)

    • Area demographics (e.g. education levels, race and ethnicity, income, and changes in demographics over time)

  • Influence of other systems/ Participant involvement with other public system (e.g. TANF, Section 8)

  • Other state or community organizations providing similar services

  • Effects of similar services on demonstration pilot services

COVID-19

  • Best practices and lessons from start-up period

  • Program adaptations due to COVID-19

  • Perception of COVID-19’s effects on service delivery and quality of service (short-term and long-term)

Operational Challenges and Successes

  • Ways program has exceeded or fallen short of goals

  • Program’s key successes and what contributed to success

  • Challenges encountered and how they were addressed

  • Areas for improvement

  • Any plans for changes and modifications



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File Typeapplication/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
AuthorLouisa Treskon
File Modified0000-00-00
File Created2022-02-12

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