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Exploring the Ability of Nonprofit Workforce Development Programs to Impact Poverty in Franklin County, Ohio

Wells, Christopher R. E.

Abstract Details

2009, Master of Labor and Human Resources, Ohio State University, Labor and Human Resources.
Workforce development programs seek to positively impact the employment and earnings of individuals who may face significant barriers to labor market success. In this paper, I measure the outcomes of several workforce development programs operating in Franklin County, Ohio, against three poverty thresholds: the 2007 United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) individual poverty guidelines, the 2007 HHS family of four poverty guidelines, and .6 of the median household income for Franklin County in 2007. The United Way of Central Ohio provided data on approximately 4685 program participants. The dataset included demographic characteristics, information on barriers to employment, hourly earnings, hours worked per week, and occupational classification. While the data do not include pre-program earnings or measures of long-term stability of employment, I attempt some inference with respect to the ability of these programs to place participants in jobs with estimated yearly earnings above the three poverty thresholds. Logistic and least squares regression models are created to explore relationships. Demographic characteristics and barriers to employment are found to have significant relationships to earnings. Presence of a criminal record and presence of a disability are found to be particularly strong barriers to earnings above poverty thresholds. This suggests that programmatic efforts may need to be more intensive and may require meaningful partnerships with employers in order to improve the earnings for these participants.
Benjamin Campbell (Advisor)
Stephen Mangum (Committee Member)
108 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Wells, C. R. E. (2009). Exploring the Ability of Nonprofit Workforce Development Programs to Impact Poverty in Franklin County, Ohio [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1236481905

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Wells, Christopher. Exploring the Ability of Nonprofit Workforce Development Programs to Impact Poverty in Franklin County, Ohio. 2009. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1236481905.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Wells, Christopher. "Exploring the Ability of Nonprofit Workforce Development Programs to Impact Poverty in Franklin County, Ohio." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1236481905

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)