Building Evidence on Promising Sector Programs

Sectoral training programs have emerged as a promising driver of economic mobility for people with low incomes. These programs prepare people for quality jobs in specific industries where there's strong employer demand and an opportunity for career advancement. Studies find that sectoral programs can meaningfully improve participants' earnings, yet not all programs have the support they need to apply the best research evidence to improve their services. In this episode, Leigh Parise talks with three guests: Jessa Valentine, Deputy Director of Learning and Impact at Ascendium Education Group, a collaborator and funder of MDRC's work; Frieda Molina, Director of the MDRC's Economic Mobility, Housing, and Communities Policy Area; and Kelsey Schaberg, MDRC Research Associate. They discuss exciting initiatives like the Economic Mobility Lab at MDRC and the Sector Training Evidence-Building Project — efforts that aim to understand the most important components of sectoral programs and address some of the challenges these programs face.