TRAC-7
Summative
Study of
Unemployed
Participants
Outcomes
December 31
2015
This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S.
Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.
The product was created by the grantee and does not necessarily
reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The
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information, including any information on linked sites and
including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its
completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued
availability, or ownership.
a focused research
study on the
outcomes of
unemployed
participants in
TRAC-7 programs
Unless otherwise noted the TRAC-7 Unemployed Participants Outcomes Study by Technical
Retraining to Achieve Credentials (TRAC-7) is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Contents
Background .............................................................................................................................................. 2
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 2
Demographic Characteristics ................................................................................................................. 3
Differences in Demographic Characteristics ......................................................................................... 4
Short-term Workshop Participants ....................................................................................................... 5
Unemployed Participant Education Outcomes ..................................................................................... 6
Differences in Employed and Unemployed Participants Education Outcomes.................................. 7
Unemployed Participants Employment Outcomes ............................................................................... 7
Summary of Findings .............................................................................................................................. 8
Demographic Characteristics ................................................................................................................ 8
Short-term Workshop Participants ....................................................................................................... 8
Unemployed Participants in Long-Term Programs Education Outcomes ............................................ 9
Unemployed Participant Education Outcomes..................................................................................... 9
Differences in Employed and Unemployed Participants Education Outcomes .................................... 9
Unemployed Participants Employment Outcomes............................................................................... 9
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TRAC-7 Summative Study of Unemployed Participants Outcomes
Background
Technical Retraining to Achieve Credentials (TRAC-7) was awarded $19.6M from the U.S. Department of
Labor (DOL) for a Round 1 TAACCCT Grant. TRAC-7 was designed as a capacity-building consortia project
focused on high-demand, high-wage industries in Kansas. Washburn University serves as the lead
institution for the consortium of seven community and technical colleges in Kansas.
TRAC-7 facilitates the delivery of seven signature programs that prepares workers for employment in
high-wage, high-skill occupations. TRAC-7 signature programs provide access to a variety of training
opportunities tailored to individual student needs and aptitudes, and career pathways that have
multiple entry and exit points through a blend of hands-on and online learning environments.
The focus of TRAC-7 is on the delivery of industry-standard technical training regardless of institutional
location. TRAC-7 institutions offer students access to each of the signature programs through specialized
mobile units, blended and online learning, and classroom-based and hands-on instruction at partner
institutions and remote locations. Training opportunities for industry-recognized credentials that would
otherwise not be offered at a home institution are available through TRAC-7.
Introduction
The purpose of TRAC-7 is to facilitate the delivery of career training programs that a) can be completed
in two years or less, b) are adaptable across a wide skills and experience range for TAA-eligible,
unemployed, and under-employed individuals, and c) prepare workers for employment in high-wage,
high-skill occupations. The target population for TRAC-7 is unemployed and Trade Adjustment
Assistance (TAA) eligible, as well as other eligible adults. TAA offers services and benefits to workers
who have lost their jobs to foreign trade by providing opportunities to obtain skills, resources, and
support to become reemployed.
TAACCCT defined unemployed as those individuals who were not employed at the time of program
enrollment. Under this definition, unemployed individuals must not be employed in any capacity.
Participants were considered employed (i.e., incumbent workers) if they were employed at the time of
enrollment regardless of the field they are employed in, wages earned, or the number of hours worked
in a given week.
As of the end of grant
implementation ending
September 30, 2015, of the
1,959 total number of
participants, 554
unemployed individuals
were enrolled and/or had
been served by TRAC-7.
TRAC-7 began tracking
participants in the second
Number of Unemployed Enrolled/Served by Quarter
(Total N = 554)
140
122
120
100
80
75
75
66
50
60
50
9
20
39
34
28
40
6
0
Q5
Q6
Q7
Q8
Q9
Q10
Q11
Q12
Q13
Q14
Q15
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TRAC-7 Summative Study of Unemployed Participants Outcomes
year of funding, beginning October 1,
2012 and ended tracking June 30, 2015.
Please note that Quarter 5 began mid-Fall
2012 semester and includes participants
who newly entered courses in the
signature program pathways in August
2012 and were already enrolled at the
institution. The Quarter 6-15 quarterly
totals represent new, unduplicated
participants as of each respective quarter.
See chart “Number of Unemployed
Enrolled/Served by Quarter.” The largest
number of unemployed participants (n =
122) entered into the TRAC-7 programs in
Quarter 14, January 1 – March 31, 2015.
Number of Unemployed Enrolled/Served by
Quarter by Program (Total N = 554)
120
5
22
100
1
4
2
80
16
Unemployed participants have enrolled in
six of the seven TRAC-7 signature
programs to date: Advanced Systems
Technology (n = 333), Agri-Biotechnology
(n = 21), Electrical Power Technician (n =
43), Food Science (n = 51), Power Plant
Technology (n = 100), and Risk
Management (n = 6). Advanced Systems
Technology enrolled/served the most
unemployed participants (n = 333) and
was the only program to enroll
participants in every quarter. There are
no unemployed participants expected to
enroll in the Environmental Technology
signature program. See chart “Number of
Unemployed Enrolled/Served by Quarter
by Program.”
10
1
3
60
8
15
10
7
1
3
10
40
88
1
28
24
2
3
1
7
5
1
50
20
7
8
13
2
1
6
47
39
35
22
25
15
6
0
Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15
Advanced Systems Technology
Agri-Biotechnology
Electrical Power Technician
Food Science
Power Plant Technology
Risk Management
Demographic Characteristics
The demographic characteristics of the 554 unemployed participants were:
Gender
Male: 67.1%, n = 372
Female: 32.9%, n = 182
Age
Average: 31.69
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TRAC-7 Summative Study of Unemployed Participants Outcomes
TRAC-7 unemployed participants were primarily
White males, with an average age of 32, not
eligible for TAA nor veteran benefits under
TAACCCT, not disabled, not basic skills deficient,
not Pell-Grant eligible, and enrolled in TRAC-7
signature programs on a full-time basis.
Race/Ethnicity
White: 72.9%, n = 404
Hispanic/Latino: 9.6%, n = 53
Black or African American: 8.7%, n = 48
American Indian or Alaskan Native: 2.3%, n = 13
Asian: 2.2%, n = 12
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: .5%, n = 3
More than one race: 2.9%, n =16
Unknown: .9%, n =5
Eligible Veteran Status
Not Eligible Veterans: 94.2%, n = 522
Eligible Veterans: 5.8%, n = 32
Trade Adjustment Assistance Eligible Status
Not TAA-eligible: 96.9%, n = 537
TAA-eligible: 3.1%, n = 17
Self-Identified Disability Status
Self-Identified as Not Disabled: 96.9%, n = 537
Self-Identified as Disabled: 2.3%, n = 8
Basic Skills Deficient Status
Basic Skills Deficient: 15.3%, n = 85
Not Basic Skills Deficient: 84.5%, n = 468
Pell-Grant Eligibility Status
Not Pell-Grant Eligible: 76.5%, n = 424
Pell-Grant Eligible: 23.5%, n = 130
Enrollment Status
Enrolled on a full-time basis: 76.9%, n = 426
Enrolled on a part-time basis: 23.1%, n = 128
In summary, the prevalent demographic characteristics of TRAC-7 unemployed participants were White,
male, with an average age of 32, not eligible for TAA nor veteran benefits under TAACCCT, not selfidentified as disabled nor basic skills deficient, not Pell-Grant eligible, and enrolled in TRAC-7 signature
programs full-time.
Differences in Demographic Characteristics
Differences in these demographic characteristics between unemployed participants and employed
participants/incumbent workers (n = 1,405) were identified using chi-square and two-sample t-tests.
Results were statistically significant in the categories of Age, Gender, Race/Ethnicity (categorized into
White and Non-White), TAA-eligible Status, Self-Identified Disability Status, Pell-Grant Eligibility Status,
and Enrollment Status.
Using chi-square tests, unemployed participants were more likely than their employed
participant/incumbent worker counterparts to be:
 White: χ2 (1, N = 1,959) = 62.26, p = .000
 Self-Identified Disabled: χ2 (1, N = 1,959) = 32.05, p = .000
 Basic Skills Deficient: χ2 (1, N = 1,953) = 66.89, p = .000
 Pell Grant Eligible: χ2 (1, N = 1,959) = 123.35, p = .000
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TRAC-7 Summative Study of Unemployed Participants Outcomes
 Enrolled in signature programs on a full-time basis: χ2 (1, N = 1,959) = 728.75, p = .000
 TAA-eligible: χ2 (1, N = 1,959) = 43.49, p = .000*
*Note that the criteria for TAA-eligibility is unemployed at the time the participant entered training.
Employed participants/incumbent workers were more likely than unemployed participants to be:
 Male: χ2 (1, N = 1,959) = 95.59, p = .000
Using a two-sample t-test of statistical independence, employed participants/incumbent workers more
likely than their unemployed counterparts to be older (𝑥̅ = 38.72) than unemployed participants (𝑥̅ =
31.69), t (1, N = 1,824) = -7.258, p = .000.
The category of Eligible Veteran Status was not statistically significant, in other words, after statistical
analysis there were no differences found between unemployed participants and employed
participants/incumbent workers in their eligible veteran statuses.
Short-term Workshop Participants
It is important to note that training is designed to be responsive to industry and the demand for
qualified employees in these fields. The TRAC-7 career pathways also feature multiple entry and exit
points to facilitate flexible and positive participant outcomes. Unemployed participants may choose to
attain an industry-recognized certificate, and exit to seek employment, or they may choose to stack
credentials and attain technical certificate(s) and/or associate’s degree(s), in order to meet the
qualifications for higher wage occupations. For example, in the Food Science program, there were
unemployed participants who received workshop
Short-Term Workshop Participants
training for a short-term certificate typically attended by
(Total N = 1,133)
employed participants/incumbent workers and gained
credit hours and a credential while working toward
Unemployed,
2.4%, n = 27
earning technical certificate(s) and/or an associate’s
degree in the Food Science career pathway.
Employed/Incumbent
Two TRAC-7 signature programs had participants
worker, 97.6%, n = 689
enrolled in short-term workshops: Environmental
Technology and Food Science. The signature program
with the most participants in short-term workshops was the Garden City Community College Food
Science program with 988 employed participants/incumbent workers; the Salina Area Technical College
Environmental Technology program had 145 employed participants/incumbent workers engaged in
short-term workshops. In total, there were 1,133
participants enrolled in short-term workshops, and of
Of the 1,133 short-term workshop
those 27 (2.4%) were unemployed participants and
participants, all but 9 successfully completed
1,106 (97.6%) were employed participants/incumbent
programs (99.2%, n = 1,124) by obtaining at
workers. See chart “Short-Term Workshop
least one short-term certificate and 91.5%
Participants.”
(n = 1,037) received wage increases.
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TRAC-7 Summative Study of Unemployed Participants Outcomes
Of the 1,133 short-term workshop participants, almost all (n = 1,124, 99.2%) completed their program:
1,124 obtained one short-term (one or two days in duration) certificate and eight obtained two shortterm certificates. Most (n = 1,037, 91.5%) received a wage increase during or after the training ended.
Unemployed Participants in Long-Term Programs Education Outcomes
When examining the 826 participants who were not enrolled in short-term workshops, 613 (74.2%) had
completed a program (i.e., earned at least one credential). Of the 213 who had not yet
completed/earned a credential, 42 (5.1%) were still enrolled in the program (i.e., retained) and 10
(1.2%) were retained in other education programs. Only 161 (19.5%) had exited without completing a
program/earning a credential. In other words, approximately 80% of participants in long-term trainings,
either remained enrolled or graduated with a credential by the end of grant funding. Twenty-five
pursued further education after completing a program.
For those unemployed participants enrolled in longer-term training, most (80.5%) were retained in
programs or completed programs and earned a credential prior to graduating or dropping out.
Unemployed Participant Education Outcomes
Of the 554 unemployed participants, 481 completed credit hours, and from those, here were at total
(sum) of 12,298 credit hours earned. When analyzed, the number of credit hours earned by unemployed
participants average 22.20 credit hours per unemployed participant (standard deviation = 20.6) and
have a median of 22.20 credit hours per unemployed participant.
Participants in programs with stacked credentials are considered program completers after earning their
first stacked credential according to the DOL TAACCCT definitions. For program completion, 421 of the
554 unemployed participants completed
Number of Unemployed Enrolled/Served by
TRAC-7 signature programs and earned
Credentials Earned (Total N = 421)
1,193 credentials by the end of grant
funding. Credentials were in three
categories: certificates designed to be
completed in less than one year, certificates
designed to be completed in more than one
year, and degrees. The number of
unemployed participants and the types of
credentials are listed on the next page and
in the chart “Number of Unemployed
Enrolled/Served by Credentials Earned.”
126
120
100
80
60
88
74
64
56
47
46
33
40
20
6
0
Certificates Less
Than One Year
Certificates More
Than One Year
Earned 1
Earned 2
Earned 3
Earned 5
Earned 6
Earned 7
Degrees
Earned 4
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TRAC-7 Summative Study of Unemployed Participants Outcomes
Certificates Less Than One Year in Duration
126 earned one certificate
64 earned two certificates
88 earned three certificates
47 earned four certificates
33 earned five certificates
56 earned six certificates
6 earned seven certificates
Certificates More Than One Year in Duration
74 earned one certificate of more than one
year in duration
Degrees
46 earned one degree
Differences in Employed and Unemployed Participants Education Outcomes
When examining the number of credit hours attained, using a two-sample t-test of statistical
independence, it was found that unemployed participants attained more credit hours (𝑥̅ = 22.20) than
their employed participant/incumbent worker counterparts (𝑥̅ = 6.22), t (825) = 16.4, p = .000.
Conversely, employed participants/incumbent workers were more likely to have completed their
programs than unemployed participants, χ2 (1, N = 1,959) = 124.99, p = .000.
Of the participants who earned credentials, unemployed participants were less likely to have earned a
credential, χ2 (1, N = 1,959) = 124.06, p = .000, than their employed participant/incumbent worker
counterparts. There were also statistically significant differences when examining the number of
unemployed participants who have earned at least one certificate of less than one year in duration.
Incumbent workers were more likely to have earned this type of certificate, χ2 (1, N = 1,959) = 144.27, p
= .000. However, with earning certificates more than one year in duration and a degree, unemployed
participants earned more than employed participants/incumbent workers, χ2 (1, N = 1,959) = 49.21, p =
.000 and χ2 (1, N = 1,959) = 28.18, p = .000.
Unemployed participants were more likely to earn a certificate more than one year in duration or a
degree, rather than a certificate less than one year in duration, then their employed
participant/incumbent worker counterparts.
Unemployed Participants Employment Outcomes
Through an agreement with the Kansas Board of Regents and the Kansas Department of Labor, TRAC-7
obtained employment information for participants who exited TRAC-7 programs as of December 31,
2014. Unemployed participants who complete a program and exit, with exit defined as graduated or
dropped out from the signature program, and obtain employment within the DOL reporting quarter
after their exit, are defined by DOL as entering employment. By the end of grant funding, 148 (26.7%)
unemployed participants had exited their programs and were documented and validated with
substantiated evidence as entered into employment. See chart “Entered Employment by Program.”
For the second occupational outcome: retention in employment, unemployed participants must have
entered employment in the first quarter after they exited, and remained in some type of employment
for the second and third reporting quarters following exit. Of the 148 unemployed participants eligible
to be retained, 103 (69.6%) were successfully retained in employment.
At the time of employment retention, at the third quarter after exit, the 103 retained in employment
had earned an average salary of $16,764.56 during those second and third quarters after exit.
Unemployed TRAC-7 participants who enter employment and stay employed at least six months after
exiting programs earn an annualized salary of approximately $33,500.
Summary of Findings
At the end of TRAC-7 grant funding, TRAC-7 had trained 1,959 participants, of which 554 (28.3%) were
unemployed at the date they started in the training programs offered through TRAC-7. This group of
unemployed participants were further examined in this research study. Their demographic
characteristics were examined and compared to their counterparts: employed participants/incumbent
workers enrolled in trainings. Those who were enrolled in short-term workshop trainings were examined
separately for educational and occupational outcomes. Likewise, unemployed participants in long-term
programs were reviewed for their outcomes as they varied from those engaged in short-term workshop
training. Education outcomes were further examined for the unemployed participants and compared to
employed participants/incumbent workers. Employment outcomes for those who were unemployed at
the time of enrollment were also reviewed. The findings are summarized below.
Demographic Characteristics




The largest number of unemployed participants entered into the TRAC-7 programs in Quarter 14,
January 1 – March 31, 2015 (n = 122).
The Advanced Systems Technology program at Washburn Institute of Technology had
enrolled/served the most unemployed participants (n = 333), over half of the total of unemployed
participants enrolled in TRAC-7 programs (60.1%).
The majority of unemployed participants were enrolled in signature programs on a full-time basis,
and were male, and White with an average age of 32. They were not eligible for TAA nor veteran
benefits under TAACCCT, and were not self-identified as disabled, not identified as basic skills
deficient, and not Pell-Grant eligible.
However, unemployed participants were more likely than their employed participant/incumbent
worker counterparts to be White, TAA-eligible, self-identified as disabled, basic skills deficient,
Pell-Grant eligible, and enrolled in programs on a full-time basis. They were also younger and
more likely to be female than employed participants/incumbent workers. Neither groups were
more likely to be veterans.
Short-term Workshop Participants

Short-term workshop participants were primarily employed participants/incumbent workers in
one-day or two-day trainings in the Garden City Community College Food Science program (n =
988) and the Salina Area Technical College Environmental Technology program (n = 145).
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TRAC-7 Summative Study of Unemployed Participants Outcomes

Almost all (n = 1,124, 99.2%) short-term workshop participants completed their program and most
(n = 1,037, 91.5%) received a wage increase during or after the training.
Unemployed Participants in Long-Term Programs Education Outcomes



When examining the 826 participants in long-term programs, 613 (74.2%) completed, 42 (5.1%)
were retained, and 10 (1.2%) were retained in other education programs.
161 (19.5%) exited without completing a program/earning a credential.
25 pursued further education after completing a program.
Unemployed Participant Education Outcomes


Of the 554 unemployed participants, 481 earned a total of 12,298 credit hours, which averaged
22.20 credit hours per unemployed participant (standard deviation = 20.6) and a median of 22.20.
421 of the 554 unemployed participants completed TRAC-7 signature programs and earned 1,193
credentials: 126 earned one certificate of less than one year in duration, 64 earned two
certificates of less than one year in duration, 88 earned three certificates of less than one year in
duration, 47 earned four certificates of less than one year in duration, 33 earned five certificates
of less than one year in duration, 56 earned six certificates of less than one year in duration, 6
earned seven certificates of less than one year in duration, 74 earned one certificate of more than
one year in duration, and 46 earned one degree.
Differences in Employed and Unemployed Participants Education Outcomes



Unemployed participants attained more credit hours than their employed participant/incumbent
worker counterparts, and conversely, employed participants/incumbent workers were more likely
to have completed their programs than unemployed participants.
Of the participants who earned credentials, unemployed participants were less likely to have
earned a credential than their employed/incumbent worker counterparts. Specifically, employed
participants/incumbent workers were more likely to have earned certificates less than one year in
duration.
However, with earning certificates more than one year in duration and a degree, unemployed
participants earned more than employed participants/incumbent workers.
Unemployed Participants Employment Outcomes



148 (26.7%) unemployed participants completed and exited programs, and entered into
employment.
Of the 148 unemployed participants who completed and exited programs, entered employment in
the quarter after exiting, and stayed in employment in the second and third quarters following
exit, 103 (69.6%) were successfully retained in employment.
At the time of employment retention, at the third quarter after exit, the 103 retained in
employment had earned an average salary of $16,764.56 during those second and third quarters
after exit.
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TRAC-7 Summative Study of Unemployed Participants Outcomes