From Training to Employment
This project studies Virginia Community College System FastForward programs to understand how noncredit workforce training affects participation, credential attainment, employment, earnings, and equity, and how its pay-for-performance funding model shapes program delivery.
Research question
How do FastForward noncredit workforce programs affect education and labor-market outcomes, and which program, funding, and credential features make them most effective?
Why it matters
Millions of students enroll in noncredit community college programs, yet these pathways are often absent from longitudinal data and from evidence about program quality. The project can inform workforce policy and improve access to high-demand careers for learners who are underserved by traditional credit-bearing programs.
About the project
The research compares noncredit and credit-bearing pathways, estimates the effects of Virginia's Workforce Credential Grant, examines the signaling value of industry credentials to employers, and identifies supports and bottlenecks in program and credential completion.
The project is conducted through HERA's longstanding partnership with the Virginia Community College System and builds on earlier research into FastForward participation, completion, credentials, and labor-market returns.