Improving the Effectiveness of Individual Training Accounts: Long-Term Findings from an Experimental Evaluation of Three Service Delivery Models

According to findings from a new study, job seekers in the United States could realize potential net benefits over 20 years of approximately $41,000 per person if local workforce training agencies implemented programs that combine higher, more flexible individual limits for expenditures on state-approved training with support from training counselors. The study, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, is the first long-term evaluation of the relative effects of alternative training models used under the Workforce Investment Act. It shows that moving away from the status quo to provide more flexible, higher-value training awards is cost-effective and has large, positive impacts on the long-term earnings of ITA job seekers.