National Implementation Evaluation of the First Round Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG 1.0)

This report summarizes the Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG) training and services offered to and received by participants during HPOG 1.0. It also describes the education, employment, and earnings outcomes for samples of participants at varying time periods after enrollment. Additionally, it provides a summary of findings from the National Implementation Evaluation (NIE) Descriptive Implementation and Outcome Studies and Systems Change Analysis, which cover participant experiences, participant outcomes, and grantee program design and implementation over the first 3 to 4 years of HPOG 1.0 operation.

Key findings from the report include:

• HPOG was successful in training high numbers of individuals in healthcare occupations. In just over 5 years of operation, HPOG 1.0 grantees served more than 36,000 individuals (well above the target of 31,000 participants) and engaged most of them in healthcare occupational training.
• Seventy-two percent of those employed after HPOG enrollment were employed in healthcare jobs. On average, those employed worked full-time, and those employed in healthcare jobs had higher hourly wages and better employment benefits than those who had jobs in other sectors.
• Overall, employment and earnings continued to increase through 12 quarters following HPOG enrollment, with steeper increases in earlier quarters. There were different patterns of earnings and employment for those who completed and did not complete training. Both groups saw higher earnings and employment than before enrollment, but employment rates and earnings were higher for those who completed training (77 percent and $6,433 in the 12th quarter after completing training, compared to 68 percent and $5,263 for those who did not complete training).
• From 2 years prior to enrollment to 3 years following enrollment, TANF recipients experienced a 112 percent increase in employment; among those employed in a quarter, they experienced a 53 percent increase in earnings.