This report provides insights for training programs and policymakers on the outcomes of participants in the second generation of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program. HPOG 2.0 provided healthcare education and training to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other individuals with low incomes.

Covering the period from September 2015 to September 2021, this outcomes study evaluation report examines HPOG 2.0 participants’ program activities and their employment and earnings trajectories from up to two years before joining the program and four years after.

This report documents HPOG 2.0 participant outcomes, including: completing activities to prepare for healthcare training, starting and completing healthcare training, making career progress, and finding employment or increasing earnings after enrolling in the Program.

Key Findings

Training Engagement and Completion:

• Almost half of HPOG 2.0 participants (46 percent) took basic skills training, either standalone or integrated into healthcare training, and 9 percent took prerequisites. More than 81 percent of those who started basic skills training completed it.
• Of participants who completed basic skills training, 82 percent went on to healthcare training.
• Of the 38,139 participants included in this study, 78 percent started healthcare training; of those, 78 percent completed it.
• Most of the healthcare trainings participants took were of short duration and at an entry-level on a career pathway—defined as occupations that pay less than $15 per hour. Mid-level occupations pay $15 to $25 per hour and high-level occupations pay $25 or more per hour.
• Entry-level training was the most common; 63 percent of participants started it. Of those, 81 percent completed it. Of the 28 percent of participants who engaged in mid-level training, 69 percent completed it. Fewer participants engaged in high-level training (9 percent). Of those, 55 percent completed it during HPOG 2.0.

Outcomes:

• On average, participants’ employment rates were somewhat higher after HPOG 2.0 than before it. The quarterly employment rates were 65 percent one year before HPOG 2.0 and 69 percent four years after starting HPOG 2.0.
• On average, the quarterly earnings of employed participants were higher four years after starting HPOG 2.0 ($7,800 per quarter) compared to one year before HPOG 2.0 ($4,600 per quarter).
• Participants completing only entry-level training have similar earnings four years after starting HPOG 2.0 as those who completed no healthcare training, although entry-level completers had slightly higher rates of employment.
• Only 19 percent of participants showed career progress through completing mid- or high-level training. Those who did had higher employment and earnings four years after starting HPOG 2.0, compared to entry-level completers. Only 11 percent of participants showed career progress through completing multiple trainings, with just 2 percent making upwards progression