Young Adult Internship Program

Last registered on March 20, 2017

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Young Adult Internship Program
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0002065
Initial registration date
March 20, 2017

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
March 20, 2017, 6:15 PM EDT

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

Locations

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
MDRC

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2013-07-01
End date
2018-12-31
Secondary IDs
Abstract
The Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP) is intended to help reengage youth who have fallen off track, thereby reducing their risk of long-term economic hardship. The New York City Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) and the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) oversee the program and community-based provider organizations throughout the city deliver it. YAIP offers youth various services, including job-readiness workshops and activities; individual support, counseling, and assessments; case management; and follow-up services. However, the central program component is a 10- to 12-week paid internship.

The random assignment evaluation of YAIP is studying the program’s implementation and “impacts,” or the difference the program makes in the lives of the youth it serves. The evaluation also includes a benefit-cost study. Young adults who enrolled in the evaluation include low-income New York City residents between 16 and 24 years of age who were neither working nor in school. The YAIP evaluation is part of a larger evaluation funded by the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) called the Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration (STED), which is testing various subsidized employment strategies in several cities across the country. MDRC is conducting the STED Evaluation, along with its research partners MEF Associates, Decision Information Resources, and Branch Associates.

The YAIP evaluation enrolled a total of 2,678 young people in three consecutive cohorts, beginning with the July 2013 cohort, followed by the November 2013 cohort, and concluding with the March 2014 cohort. The research team randomly assigned 60 percent of the sample to the program group and 40 percent to the control group:

-- The program group. The 1,638 individuals who were randomly assigned to this group were offered YAIP program services, including a paid internship, job-readiness training, case management, and follow-up services.
-- The control group. The 1,040 individuals who were randomly assigned to this group were not offered YAIP program services, but were able to access other services that were available in the community, including other non-YAIP services offered at YAIP provider agencies.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bloom, Dan. 2017. "Young Adult Internship Program." AEA RCT Registry. March 20. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.2065-1.0
Former Citation
Bloom, Dan. 2017. "Young Adult Internship Program." AEA RCT Registry. March 20. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/2065/history/15228
Sponsors & Partners

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP) is a multiphase program that enrolls youth in cohorts, with a new cohort starting every four months; participants in a particular cohort move through the program together. Each community-based YAIP provider is responsible for enrolling and serving a portion of the full cohort, usually about 30 young adults each. The program’s three phases are as follows:

Phase 1: The first 2 to 4 weeks of the program (duration varies by provider) are referred to as the orientation phase, wherein youth are expected to attend daily workshops facilitated by program staff at provider offices. Youth are paid minimum wage for 25 hours per week, and workshops are typically five hours per day. The goals of orientation are to prepare participants for the workplace by providing various job-readiness and personal development activities, to lay a foundation for cohort cohesion using icebreakers and group activities, and to match participants’ interests and skills with an available and appropriate internship.

Phase 2: During the 10 to 12 weeks of this phase, youth are expected to work 20 hours a week in their internship placement and continue to earn minimum wage. Their earnings are fully subsidized. The goals of internship placements vary based on the particular needs of young people, but generally include work experience, development of soft or hard skills, career exploration, and potential transition from a subsidized internship to a permanent, unsubsidized position. Once a week, youth are required to return to the provider offices to attend five-hour educational workshops, for which they are also paid minimum wage. These workshops cover topics including job readiness, healthy living, money and time management, and conflict resolution.

Phase 3: The nine months following youths’ completion of their internship is the follow-up phase of YAIP. During this time, providers are expected to help participants secure and maintain an “outcome placement.” Outcome placements include participation in unsubsidized employment, education, training, or the military. Providers also offer support services during this phase, including housing assistance, counseling, and transportation assistance, among other types of support.
Intervention Start Date
2013-07-01
Intervention End Date
2015-03-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Employment, earnings, education and training, psychosocial outcomes, economic and personal well-being, involvement with criminal justice system
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The YAIP evaluation enrolled a total of 2,678 young people in three consecutive cohorts, beginning with the July 2013 cohort, followed by the November 2013 cohort, and concluding with the March 2014 cohort. The research team randomly assigned 60 percent of the sample to the program group and 40 percent to the control group:

-- The program group. The 1,638 individuals who were randomly assigned to this group were offered YAIP program services, including a paid internship, job-readiness training, case management, and follow-up services.
-- The control group. The 1,040 individuals who were randomly assigned to this group were not offered YAIP program services, but were able to access other services that were available in the community, including other non-YAIP services offered at YAIP provider agencies.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization was done by MDRC using a computer.
Randomization Unit
individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
n/a
Sample size: planned number of observations
2,678 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1,638 individuals YAIP, 1,040 individuals control
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
MDRC
IRB Approval Date
2013-03-18
IRB Approval Number
n/a

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials