Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

For many young people, the time between one’s late teenage years and early twenties encompasses several important milestones, including graduating from high school, attending college, entering the workforce, and beginning to establish economic independence. However, 12.3 percent of young people in the United States between the ages of 16 and 24 — 4.9 million people in total — are neither in school nor working. These “disconnected youth” or “opportunity youth” face serious challenges to achieving labor market success and self-sufficiency in adulthood. The Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP) is intended to help reengage New York City youth who have fallen off track, thereby reducing their risk of long-term economic hardship. YAIP offers youth a 10- to 12-week paid internship, along with various other services, including job readiness workshops.

MDRC is conducting a random assignment evaluation of YAIP. The evaluation is part of the larger Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration (STED), launched in 2010 and sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. From July 2013 to March 2014, program staff assigned nearly 2,700 young people to either a program group, which was offered YAIP services, or to a control group, which was not offered those services but could access other services in their communities. The study measures outcomes for both groups over time to assess whether YAIP services improved employment, earnings, education, and well-being outcomes for young people over a 30-month follow-up period. The study uses administrative employment and education data from the National Directory of New Hires and the National Student Clearinghouse, self-reported data across various domains from 12- and 30-month follow-up surveys, and implementation and participation data from the program's management information system.

The presentation will touch on findings from the implementation study but will focus on impact findings.