Inside the Black Box - Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago

Executive Summary
The workforce development system in Chicago and nationwide is multifaceted and includes public and
private training providers that work with individuals of all ages and abilities. Broadly, the programs
within the system aim to train their participants while preparing them to (re)enter the workforce, graduate
them from the programs, and place them into jobs. Some programs experience greater success at these
goals and have more lasting effects than others. Identifying successful employment programs and
understanding why they are successful at placing people into employment amid such variety is critical,
especially during times of high unemployment when the tasks of finding and retaining employment are
highly competitive. This study looks at several successful programs in Chicago; it attempts to understand
the factors that may explain why they achieve success of different types, and how these factors may be
quantified or measured to help improve the system.
The study assesses the influence of a range of factors, from individual participant characteristics, program
and practice elements, and provider organizational aspects, to the broader set of external relationships, on
achievement of successful outcomes for workforce development programs. These nested levels of
factors—the individual participant within the program, the program within the organization, and the
organization within its external context—are interconnected and, taken together, influence success.
Intersecting with all of these factors is the role data and outcomes play in how programs achieve and
understand their success. Specifically, the study aims to identify the influences within each of these levels
that lead to programs’ success, how and if these factors are currently measured, and recommend
improvements to the data collection methods and data system that currently exist within the workforce
development system. Recommendations for a more robust data system, and the measures this system
should track, are listed below, with more complete recommendations in the report. Following this, the
influences on success at each level are outlined and explained in more detail in the full report, including
how and if organizations measure these factors.
Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago 1