Researchers from the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics have measured the impact of participation in Code Louisville.
In a working paper, Drs. Chris Bollinger and Kenneth Troske examine employment rates and earnings for Code Louisville participants three years after enrollment in the program. These outcomes are then compared to other local residents with the same demographic and baseline socioeconomic characteristics who did not participate in the program, a type of evaluation study called a quasi-experimental design. The comparison group was constructed using administrative records housed by the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS).
Overall, participants who completed at least one course in the program had employment levels 6 percentage points higher than the comparison group three years after enrollment. Average earnings were also 13% higher.
There were differences in outcomes between men and women. Women saw greater gains in earnings, while men experienced greater gains in employment rates. Average earnings for women completing at least one course in the program were up 20% over the study period. Meanwhile, employment levels for men who completed at least one course in the program were 8 percentage points higher than the comparison group.
While the researchers did find that the labor market impact of Code Louisville is smaller than other sectoral-based training programs, the cost is also much lower because of its online service delivery. This makes it an efficient means of training while also providing positive economic returns.
“We believe this evidence is strong enough to suggest that federal officials consider expanding the Code Louisville program to other locations.”
Code:You is the expanded vision of Code Louisville. With investment from the administration of Governor Andy Beshear and a partnership with SOAR (Shaping Our Appalachian Region), the Code Louisville model now serves residents in eastern Kentucky, the Cincinnati Tri-State region, and the Lexington area.
