Pay for Success Clean Energy Training

Last registered on October 13, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Pay for Success Clean Energy Training
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0016966
Initial registration date
October 07, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
October 13, 2025, 9:54 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Cynthia Miller
Affiliation
MDRC
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2021-09-01
End date
2028-12-31
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The Pay for Success Clean Energy Training project addresses the growing demand in the clean energy sector in New York State by providing training in clean energy jobs to low-wage and disadvantaged individuals. The project is funded by the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Department of Labor through the Social Impact Partnership to Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA) program. SIPPRA makes funding available to state and local governments for pay-for-results partnerships. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will provide funding to train individuals in New York State who are long-term unemployed, low-wage workers and youth ages 16-24 for energy efficiency occupations. NYSERDA will receive SIPPRA funding if the training increases participants’ earnings. A key part of the project is an independent evaluation, to be conducted by MDRC, to measure the program’s effects. The evaluation uses a random assignment design and will estimate impacts on earnings reported by the UI system for up to six years after study entry.
External Link(s)
Introductory brief on project and evaluation

Registration Citation

Citation
Miller, Cynthia. 2025. "Pay for Success Clean Energy Training." AEA RCT Registry. October 13. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16966-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Program participants receive sectoral employment training, ranging from three to 12 months, focused on energy efficiency occupations and leading to industry recognized technical certifications (e.g., BPI, OSHA). In addition, training providers offer various services, such as case management; referrals to providers who can help with transportation, mental health services, and childcare services; and career services such as job search assistance and résumé and interview preparation.
Intervention Start Date
2021-09-01
Intervention End Date
2025-03-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
annual earnings, in each of follow-up years 1 through 6.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
annual earnings will be constructed as the sum of quarterly earnings reported to the New York State UI system.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
training participation, credential receipt, employment, employment in clean energy sector
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study is being conducted as a randomized controlled trial, in which eligible and interested individuals are randomly assigned to a group eligible for the clean energy training program and other services or to a control group not eligible for the program.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
randomization conducted by computer algorithm
Randomization Unit
individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
558
Sample size: planned number of observations
558
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
355 treatment 203 control
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
MDE for annual earnings (assuming standard deviation of $15,000 and R-squared of .2) is $2,900.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
MDRC
IRB Approval Date
2021-07-17
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan