The Case for Investing in What Works: Lessons from GoodJobsHI

Imagine after high school, that you chose immediate income over college, taking a service job that offered quick money but little long-term growth. Now, you are in a position with no room to advance and your wages soon won’t be enough to support the family that you hope to start. This short-term gain came at the cost of a long-term opportunity.

In a leap of faith, you call GoodJobsHI, a tuition free, non-credit training program offered through the University of Hawaii Community Colleges. A navigator answers and helps place you in a program that teaches you to be an electrical technician. Your tuition is paid for by a federal grant and the Maui Economic Development Board connects you with an employer who offers you a paid internship during your training…which then turns into a full time job in the skilled trades. And at the end of the first year, your wages are $7,000 higher than before.

This story is not unique. More than 3,000 residents have completed similar training through GoodJobsHI, with 1,287 quickly finding a job. New research from the University of Hawaii Economic Research Office shows that residents who complete similar training saw an average first-quarter wage gain of $1800. In skilled trades, completers earn 35% more than non-completers. In health care, wages grow 23% by the fourth quarter.

Connecting data inputs – participation in a high-quality training program – to outcomes – wage gains after the program – is a game-changer. These data help tell a story about the importance of workforce development. We better understand which specific sectors deserve ongoing public investment. 

Charitable foundations like ours should earmark a small percentage of giving for ongoing evaluation of promising programs. These data from UHERO make a clear case that individuals, families and the state all benefit from this type of workforce development. GoodJobsHI navigators and tuition support should be sustained far beyond the life of this competitive five-year federal grant. 

All too often, though, evaluation is the first item to be cut when budgets tighten. And that’s why supporting learning that maintains our curiosity about what works is a critical contribution for a perpetual foundation like the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation to make.