Research to Support the Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship (PIA) - Interviews

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^{Appendix B – Site Visit Interview Consent and Topic Guide}

Research to Support the Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship - 102212 -0001-001

INTRODUCTION 

 

I am/we are researchers with The Urban Institute a private research organization based in Washington, DC which conducts policy-related research on a variety of social welfare and economic issues. 

 

This project is being conducted under contract to the U.S. Department of Labor. Our visit here today is part of the Research to Support the Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship project, a study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. The study will learn how apprenticeship programs are designed to be inclusive of people with disabilities, and what advice, resources, and assistance employers need to develop and maintain inclusive apprenticeship programs. A major aim of the study is to learn more about the different models of inclusive apprenticeship being implemented. For each Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship partner we visit, we will be speaking with administrators and staff, program partners (including employers), and apprentices.

Privacy Statement:   I/we know that you are busy and we will be as focused as possible and will only ask questions that are relevant to your experience. We have many questions and will be talking to many different people, so please do not feel as though we expect you to be able to answer every question. Your participation in this interview is voluntary and you may choose not to answer some or any of our questions. We will do everything we can to secure the privacy of the information you provide, but ask that you consider using headphones or finding a private space to talk so that other people cannot hear or see this conversation.

We believe the risks of participating in this study are minimal.

We believe there are no direct benefits to you, but we hope that the findings from this study will benefit the Research to Support the Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship project by providing research insights on how apprenticeship programs can benefit workers.

My colleague and I will be taking notes in order to document what we hear during our discussion, and we may audio record this discussion. We do not share these notes with anyone outside of our research team, including Department of Labor, and we will destroy these notes after the end of our project. When we compile our reports, the names of individual respondents will not be included. If we choose to quote you, you will only be identified by your title. You will not be quoted directly by name in any of our reports. While it is possible that you might be identified by your title, we will do our best to minimize the chance of that occurring. 

Finally, to help us accurately capture the information you share, we would like to audio record this interview. The recording is just a back-up for our notes and will be kept within our small research team. The interview recording will be deleted once we have developed a full set of notes from the interview.

OMB Burden Statement: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is XXXX-XXXX. The time required to complete this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed and complete and review the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to [email protected] and reference the OMB Control Number XXXX-0NEW. 

 

Do you have any questions before we begin?  

[If we decide to record the interview] Are you okay with us audio recording the interview to improve the accuracy of our notes?  

Do you agree to participate in this interview?

Site Visit Topic Guides

Site visit topics for discussion are provided below. The content of the detailed interview guides will be developed as the study team learns more about the work and structure of the Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship. At that time, we will develop a revised IRB memo with a new topic guide. Site visit topics will vary somewhat depending on PIA partner or stakeholder type. Topics are organized thematically, including “inputs and partnerships;” “programs and participants;” and “outcomes.” Some specific site visit topics may include:

Inputs and Partnerships

Who were the major partners involved with your work as a PIA partner, and what supports and services did they provide to you?

What were the qualifications and training of frontline staff working with apprenticeship programs at your organization?

What perceived challenges did apprenticeship intermediaries encounter in implementation, and how were those addressed?

What strategies did staff perceived as successful in collaborating with employers and apprenticeship intermediary organizations to establish inclusive apprenticeships and career pathways for people with disabilities?

What apprenticeship designs and inclusive materials were most needed by employers?

How were systems and partnerships built and maintained? What factors were considered during the development and maintenance of the systems and partnerships?

Programs and Participants

What are the characteristics of program services, infrastructure, and data management? How does implementation vary by organization type and target population?

What are the variations in the model, structure, governance, and partnerships across different inclusive apprenticeship programs? How were the programs developed and registered? Were they new programs, or expansions of existing programs? What factors did staff confront and consider during program implementation?

What are strategies for developing new or enhancing existing inclusive apprenticeship programs;

What are the characteristics of apprentices in participating programs? What factors affected enrollment, retention, and completion for apprentices with a disability?

What are the types and combinations of services and approaches provided? What were key factors in the service or service combinations for each project and its components?

Outcomes

What factors affected post-apprenticeship job placement and job retention for apprentices with a disability?

What appear to be promising or potentially promising practices in service enrollment, retention, and completion of apprentices with a disability?