ERIC Number: ED618055
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Apr
Pages: 86
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Pima Community College Pathways to Healthcare Program: Implementation and Early Impact Report. OPRE Report 2017-10
Gardiner, Karen; Rolston, Howard; Fein, David; Cho, Sung-Woo
Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
This report documents the implementation and early impacts of the Pathways to Healthcare program, operated by Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona. Pathways to Healthcare is one promising effort to help low-income, low-skilled adults access and complete occupational training that can lead to increased employment and higher earnings. It is one of nine career pathways programs being evaluated under the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) study sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families. The Pathways to Healthcare program consists of five elements: (1) the mapping of 16 existing healthcare occupational training programs into five pathways, each incorporating a ladder that enables students to obtain stackable credentials; (2) proactive advising such as career counseling; (3) scholarships for tuition and books; (4) two compressed basic skills programs that in one semester remediate students whose low skills prevented them from enrolling directly in training; and (5) job search assistance. The study considered the following primary research questions: (1) Was the intervention actually implemented as designed?; (2) How did services received differ between study participants who could access the Pathways to Healthcare program versus those who could not?; and (3) What were the effects of access to Pathways to Healthcare on short-term educational outcomes: hours of occupational training received, credits received, and credentials received? Using a rigorous research design, the study found that Pathways to Healthcare increased the hours of occupational training and the credentials its participants received within the 18-month follow-up period. Future reports will examine whether these effects translate into gains in employment and earnings.
Descriptors: Community Colleges, Allied Health Occupations Education, Credentials, Academic Advising, Career Counseling, Scholarships, Remedial Instruction, Job Search Methods, Program Effectiveness, Program Implementation, Access to Education, Outcomes of Education, Vocational Education, Two Year College Students, Educational Attainment, Allied Health Occupations, Teaching Methods, College Readiness, Graduation Rate
Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation. Administration for Children & Families, US Department of Health and Human Services, 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201. Web site: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Administration for Children and Families (DHHS), Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE); Abt Associates, Inc.
Identifiers - Location: Arizona (Tucson)
Grant or Contract Numbers: HHSP2332007913YC
What Works Clearinghouse Reviewed: Meets Evidence Standards without Reservations
WWC Study Page: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Study/88848