The Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) study was designed to produce rigorous evidence for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers about the effectiveness of nine career pathways approaches that sought to increase credentials, employment, and self-sufficiency among low-income, low-skilled Americans. Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, PACE included nine program-specific evaluation reports. The study was led by Abt Global, in partnership with MEF Associates, The Urban Institute and the University of Michigan.
Each program-specific evaluation included an implementation study that examined the design and operation of the program and enrolled students’ participation patterns, and an impact study that used an experimental design to measure differences in educational and employment outcomes between individuals randomly assigned to a group that could receive services from the PACE program (treatment group) and a group that could not but could participate in other services in the community (control group). Program impacts were measured 18 to 24 months following random assignment, depending on the program. Follow-up studies will measure impacts three and six years after random assignment, and will include cost-benefit analyses.
Featured PACE Projects
- VIDA Program Shows Promising Educational Results
- I-BEST Boosts College Credits and Credentials For Low-skilled Adults
- Pathways to Healthcare Boosts College Entry, Training Hours and Credentials
- Healthcare Career Pathways Program Helps More Low-Income Latinos Earn Credentials
- Year Up Boosts Earnings For Low-skilled Young Adults
Program Profile Reports
- PACE Career Pathways Program Profile: Year Up – July 2014
- PACE Career Pathways Program Profile: Des Moines Area Community College Workforce Training Academy Connect Program – April 2014
- PACE Career Pathways Program Profile: Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) Program – April 2014
- PACE Career Pathways Program Profile: Instituto del Progreso Latino, Carreras en Salud – March 2014
- PACE Career Pathways Program Profile: Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County Health Careers for All Program – March 2014
- PACE Career Pathways Program Profile: Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (VIDA) –March 2014
- PACE Career Pathways Program Profile: Pima Community College Pathways to Healthcare HPOG Program – August 2013
- Pace Career Pathways Program Profile: San Diego Workforce Partnership’s Bridge to Employment in the Healthcare Industry Program – August 2013
- PACE Career Pathways Program Profile: Madison Area Technical College Patient Care Pathway Program – May 2013
Briefs and Papers
- Summary and Insights from the Long-Term Follow-Up of Ten PACE and HPOG 1.0 Job Training Evaluations: Six-Year Cross-Site Report - November 2022
- Impacts of 10 PACE and HPOG 1.0 Occupational Training Programs - May 2022
- Career Pathways Long-Term Outcomes Study: Appendices for PACE Six-Year Impact Reports - May 2022
- Summary and Insights from the Ten PACE and HPOG 1.0 Job Training Evaluations - December 2021
- “We Get a Chance to Show Impact”: Program Staff Reflect on Participating in a Rigorous, Multi-site Evaluation – March 2019
- PACE Cross-Program Implementation and Early Impact Study Findings – March 2019
- Progress on Pathways: Findings from Qualitative Interviews with PACE Participants – December 2017
- School, Work, and Waiting: The Activities of PACE Control Group Participants – December 2017
- Scaling Up to Close the Opportunity Divide for Low-Income Youth: A Case Study of the Year Up Program – August 2016
- Risk Factors for College Success: Insights from Adults in Nine Career Pathways Programs – August 2016
- Finances, Family, Materials, and Time: Career Pathways Participants’ Perceived Challenges - March 2016
- Nothing Can Stop Me: Career Pathways Participants’ Motivations and Thoughts on Success - March 2016
- Programmatic and Other Supports Accessed by Career Pathways Participants - March 2016
- Improving the Economic Prospects of Low-income Individuals through Career Pathways Programs: The Innovative Strategies For Increasing Self-Sufficiency Evaluation - March 2014
- Career Pathways as a Framework for Program Design and Evaluation: A Working Paper from The Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) Project - May 2012
Program Impact Briefs and Reports
Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Workforce Training Academy Connect Program
Implementation and Early Impact Report | Short brief | Three-Year Impact Report
Madison Area Technical College Patient Care Pathway Program
Implementation and Early Impact Report | Short brief | Three-Year Impact Report
Washington State’s Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) Program
Implementation and Early Impact Report | Short brief | Three-Year Impact Report | Six-year Impact Report
Bridging the Opportunity Divide for Low-Income Youth: Year Up
Implementation and Early Impacts Report | Short brief
Instituto del Progreso Latino’s Carreras en Salud Program
Implementation and Early Impact Report | Short brief | Three-Year Impact Report | Six-year Impact Report
Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County Health Careers for All Program
Implementation and Early Impact Report | Short brief | Three-Year Impact Report
Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement Program (VIDA)
Implementation and Early Impact Report | Short brief | Three-Year Impact Report | Six-year Impact Report
San Diego County Bridge to Employment in the Healthcare Industry Program (SDWP)
Implementation and Early Impact Report | Short brief | Three-Year Impact Report
Pima Community College Pathways to Healthcare Program
Implementation and Early Impact Report | Short brief | Three-Year Impact Report
Other PACE Reports:
- PACE Evaluation Design Report - November 2014
- PACE Technical Supplement to the Evaluation Design Report: Impact Analysis Plan - October 2015