Instrument 4: HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation in-person implementation interviews

Instrument 4-C OMB # 0970-0462

Expiration Date xx/xx/xxxx

Instrument 4-C: Career Pathway Training Opportunities

Site Visit Preparation for Interviewers

• Review Responses from telephone interviews. The telephone interviews with grantees include information about the HPOG program’s approach to developing and implementing career pathway training opportunities. The exhibit below highlights the interview questions associated with relevant topics in the telephone interview protocol to prepare for the site visit.

Exhibit 1: Interview Topics to Review in Preparation of Site Visits

Interview Topic Areas	Question Numbers
Career Pathway Training Opportunities	5.8a – 5.18b
Basic skills training	5.1 – 5.6
Employment assistance and work-based learning opportunities	6.11 – 6.14f

• Review the Screening Interview to Identify Respondents for the HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation First-Round Telephone Interviews. Create a list of the local HPOG program staff, key partners, and stakeholders with knowledge and expertise about Career Pathway Training Opportunities. Always interview the program director and include others on the list as well. This may include program coordinators, curriculum developers, instructors, tutors, partners or other stakeholders that have a role to play in developing and implementing career pathway training opportunities for participants.

• Customize interview topics by the type of respondent. All topic areas should be covered when interviewing program directors. Based on your list of respondents, tailor the topics and/or questions to the role and level/type of involvement of each respondent (e.g., instructors should not receive the same questions as partners).

• Customize interview topics with information collected from the telephone interviews. Use the italicized notes on which interview questions to customize for selected topics in the career pathways training opportunities guide to prepare in advance of the site visit.

HPOG 2.0 Implementation Study

Site Visit Guide on Career Pathways Training Opportunities

Introductory statement to [Pre-fill with Respondent Type]: Thank you for taking the time to talk to us today. As you may know, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has funded the 2^nd Generation Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG 2.0). ACF has also funded an evaluation study of HPOG 2.0; we are members of the research team. We are visiting HPOG 2.0 grantee programs to document in greater detail program design and implementation. The major purpose of this site visit is to gather more information about your HPOG 2.0 program’s approach to developing and implementing career pathways opportunities for participants. By career pathways, we mean “a clear sequence, or pathway, of education coursework and/or training credentials aligned with employer-validated work readiness standards and competencies.”¹ We plan to use the information in our research reports that describe the HPOG 2.0 initiative and analyze its results and effectiveness.

In preparation for our discussion today, we have worked with representatives from your program to identify the most appropriate staff, partners, and stakeholders to talk to us about career pathways. We have also reviewed responses about career pathways from telephone interviews we previously conducted with [name of local HPOG program] staff, management and partner organizations in [month and year of telephone interview], as well all other information about the [name of local HPOG program] program we already have available.

The interview will take about 60-90 minutes to complete. Interview questions are structured around seven key topics:

1. Introducing career pathways concepts to participants,

2. Career pathways framework training options,

3. Culture of career pathways,

4. Developing career pathways courses,

5. Available career pathways, and

6. Lessons for the field

Before we begin, I would like to assure you that all of your responses will be kept private and used only for this research study. Your name will not appear in any written reports we produce. Also, the interview is voluntary and you may choose not to answer any specific question and may end the interview at any time.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 0970-0462 and it expires on xx/xx/xxxx. If you have comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, please send them to [Contact Name]; [Contact Address]; Attn: OMB-PRA (0970-0462).

Do you have any questions before we begin? I would first like to start by giving you and/or each individual a minute to introduce yourselves. Please tell me:

• Your name:

• Your role within [name of local HPOG program]

I have some topics I would like to cover, but these interviews are meant to be exploratory. Please feel free to bring up additional points that you would like to make about career pathway training opportunities and how they contributes to your HPOG program.

1. Introducing Career Pathways Concepts to Participants

Let’s begin by talking about how you introduce the concept of career pathways to participants as part of [name of local HPOG program]. According to information collected from the telephone interviews, we understand that you introduce the concept of career pathways in the following ways: [Pre-fill with information from questions 5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, 5.11a, 5.11b, 5.12a, 5.12b, and 5.12c from the telephone interview protocol under Career Pathways Training Opportunities].

1. Familiarity with career pathways

2. Partners’ familiarity with career pathways

3. Comparison of HPOG program’s and partners’ understandings of career pathways

4. Comparison of HPOG program’s and evaluators’ (e.g. definition of career pathways used in study) understandings of career pathways

   1. Examples of how the evaluator’s definition of career pathways is reflected in HPOG program

5. Introducing the concept of career pathways to participants

   1. Examples of when and how staff and partners introduce career pathways

6. Planned training courses for participants around career pathways opportunities

2. Career Pathways Framework Training Options

Let’s now talk about the career pathways training options available to participants. As we understand, [name of local HPOG program] offers the following training options: [Pre-fill with information from PAGES and the telephone interview protocol:

• Availability of stackable credentials: See questions 5.14a and 5.14b

• Availability of accelerated courses: See question 5.9

• Availability of combined basic skills and training courses: See questions 5.4a and 5.4b

• Availability of alternative modes of delivery: See questions 5.4a and 5.4b

• Availability of work-based learning opportunities: Use information from PAGES].

7. Availability and occupational focus of course offerings that share the following key factors in the career pathways framework:

   1. Examples of training options that provide stackable credentials

      1. Type of course sequences

      2. Location of course sequences

      3. Participant communication about next steps in course sequence (e.g., when and how are participants provided information about next steps in the course sequence)

      4. Frequency of participants pursuing additional training (e.g., how often do participants continue on or come back to complete additional training?)

   2. Examples of training options that support a single or multiple career pathways

   3. Examples of training options that accelerate courses

   4. Examples of training options that combine basic skills training with occupational training in the same course

   5. Examples of training options that offer alternative modes of delivery (e.g., distance learning, flexible scheduling, self-paced instruction, etc.)

   6. Examples of training options that provide work-based learning opportunities

8. Availability and occupational focus of course offerings that are provided by partners that share the same factors in the career pathways framework discussed in topics 5a-5f above.

9. Type and availability of support services to facilitate career pathways

10. Differences in career pathway approaches between entry-level and advanced courses

3. Developing Career Pathways Courses

Next, we want to understand how you have developed career pathway courses and the involvement of institutions, professional communities, or healthcare employers.

11. Development of specific career pathways or lattices

    1. Contribution from local institutions and professional communities in developing career pathway opportunities

12. Development of coursework and services around career pathways

13. Involvement of healthcare employers

    1. Examples of developing career pathways for specific occupations

14. Adaptation and refinement of career pathway approaches over time

    1. Examples of what changed and why

4. Available Career Pathways

According to the telephone interviews, we understand: [Pre-fill with information from questions 5.14a and 5.14b under Career Pathway Training Opportunities to confirm whether the healthcare trainings offered are “stackable” with other available trainings].

15. Availability and type of course sequences for specific occupations

1. Examples of course sequences for nurses

2. Examples of course sequences for health information technology, other therapies or technologies, or any other set of healthcare occupations

3. Examples of specific “tracks” or “domains” within HPOG offerings (e.g., nursing, HIT, etc.) that do a better job of implementing career pathways concepts than others

5. Culture of Career Pathways

We now want to discuss the culture of career pathways within your community.

16. Career pathways as a common foundation for post-secondary occupational training (e.g., broadly within the community)

    1. Career pathway opportunities in post-secondary occupation training institutions

       1. Examples of career pathways framework in coursework

       2. Examples of career pathways framework in academic requirements

    2. Integration of local HPOG program within the local system for occupational training

    3. Community approaches to strengthening and upgrading career pathways in the health sector

       1. Effective strategies for making healthcare careers more accessible to entry level workers

    4. Significant barriers to implementing stronger career pathways in the health profession sector

       1. Actions required from stakeholders or agencies to overcome barriers

       2. Assessment of barriers at the local, state or national level

       3. Resources required to sustain career pathways training opportunities

6. Lessons for the Field

Finally, we would like your general reflections for the purposes of sharing lessons with the field.

17. Best strategies for communicating and advising participants about career pathways and plans for occupational training in the career pathways framework

18. Challenges implementing career pathways

    1. Advising participants about career pathways

    2. Reasons participants fail to pursue additional training

19. Effective strategies to address challenges

    1. Actions required from stakeholders or agencies to overcome these challenges

    2. Resources required to sustain career pathway training opportunities

20. Areas for improvement

21. Advice for those designing programs like [name of HPOG program]

Thank you for your time and your thoughtful responses. Please feel free to contact us if you have additional information you’d like to communicate.

1 U.S. Department of Labor, “Career Pathways Toolkit: A Guide for System Development.” Available at https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/attach/TEN/TEN_17-15_Attachment_Acc.pdf

Abt Associates Career Pathways ▌pg. 2