Engaging Training and Technical Assistance Recipients: Lessons from the Field
Evidence | Publications

Engaging Training and Technical Assistance Recipients: Lessons from the Field

Published: Sep 30, 2021
Publisher: Mathematica
Human Services Employment Training and Re-employment Education Effective Data Use Family Support TANF and Employment Issues Advisory Services Technical Assistance
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Associated Project

Models of Coordination and Technical Assistance to Achieve Outcomes in Communities

Time frame: 2019-2021

Prepared for:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

Authors

Kara Conroy

Annalisa Mastri

James Wholley

Key Findings
  • Training and technical assistance is most engaging when it is grounded in clear expectations and common understanding, designed around the needs of the recipients, developed using ongoing recipient input, accessible for recipients, delivered by providers equipped to meet recipients’ needs, and framed as a partnership between the provider and recipient.
  • Designers and providers assess recipients’ engagement in training and technical assistance through various means, including attendance, active participation, progress made between technical assistance check-ins, and satisfaction survey data and response rates.
  • Training and technical assistance designers and providers can use several strategies to incorporate recipients’ input and integrate the elements that make training and technical assistance more engaging: using written training and technical assistance requests, assessing recipients’ needs and assets, developing individual training and technical assistance plans, offering training and technical assistance menus, fielding feedback surveys or pulse checks, and designing recurring training and technical assistance activities.

Based on interviews with 12 individuals with experience designing, providing, and receiving training and technical assistance (TA), this brief outlines six elements necessary for creating training and TA, summarizes how designers and providers might measure recipients’ engagement, and presents concrete strategies for providers to make training and TA engaging. It also emphasizes how to work with recipients to gather and incorporate their input on the training and TA they will receive.

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