Project Description

In early 2016, BakerRipley (formerly Neighborhood Centers, Inc.) launched a workforce development program designed to support underemployed workers to successfully move from low-wage jobs to living-wage, middle-skill jobs that provide financial stability and contribute to the region’s economic growth. The program, ASPIRE, “links together employers, high-quality training opportunities, and hardworking people to fill middle-skill gaps in high-demand occupations.

DIR and its partner, the Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources at the University of Texas-Austin will conduct an impact evaluation using propensity score matching to identify a rigorous comparison group from other workforce development program applicants to conduct an impact evaluation using wage records to measure employment, earnings, and retention as a result in ASPIRE program participation compared to other support available in the Houston community.