A report from Public/Private Ventures, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and creating programs in low-income communities, shows the immensely positive impact of job training programs on unemployed and low-skilled workers. According to the report, these programs that are developed in collaboration with specific industries such as health care, accounting and even computer maintenance are able to bolster the trained worker’s earning power by a significant amount.

Based on a study of sector-based training programs in three cities, the report found that participants were able to earn an average of 29 percent more than a control group in the year after they began training. They also were better able to work longer hours and gain a job that offered better benefits in comparison with those from the control group.

But of course, not just any sector-based training program can ensure the same results. The study from where the report was based on reveals five common elements that may have contributed to the success of each program. Among these are adaptability, a strong link to employers and a rigorous screening process for participants.

The study tracked three different sector-based training programs in different cities. The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, an association of employers and unions in Milwaukee provided short-term training for construction, health care and manufacturing with a focus on African-American men and women. The Jewish Vocational Service of Greater Boston provided diverse participants from a variety of backgrounds with training in accounting and medical billing. And finally, Per Scholas, a charity in New York, offered training for computer equipment and network maintenance for a group of mostly foreign-born men.

This report emphasizes on the importance of focused sector-based training which, I believe, is a better alternative to programs that merely provide people with loans and scholarships. Creating more programs with a focus on employer needs like the ones covered in the study can help to empower more people in the workforce, creating a win-win situation for employers and employees.