Introduction
This report discusses findings from a descriptive and cost study of the Work Success program. Work Success is an employment coaching program for adults with low incomes previously offered by Utah’s Department of Workforce Services (DWS). It is part of the Next Generation of Enhanced Employment Strategies (NextGen) Project, which seeks to rigorously evaluate employment strategies for people with low incomes and physical or mental health challenges. The NextGen Project is using a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of Work Success.
The report explores the design, implementation, and cost of Work Success. Work Success offers time-intensive, short-term employment coaching to help participants quickly find a job. The program provides group and individualized coaching and peer-to-peer support. It requires participants to engage in activities at an employment center each week with group coaching sessions. Trained coaches also meet one-on-one with participants at least once a week and more often as needed. Work Success is designed to last two to four weeks, by which point participants are expected to find employment. In addition to employment coaching, Work Success makes other supports available to participants to help them manage work and life. A licensed clinical therapist delivers a weekly presentation and is available for crisis counseling and referrals. Participants can also participate in other workshops at the employment centers.
Primary research questions
The report addresses the following research questions:
What is the design of Work Success?
In what context was Work Success implemented?
Who does Work Success serve?
How and how well was Work Success implemented?
How much does Work Success cost to operate?
Purpose
The purpose of this report is to help policymakers, practitioners, and researchers interpret findings from a forthcoming impact study about the effectiveness of Work Success and to help other programs interested in replicating the model understand the program and its operations.
Key Findings and Highlights
Overall, we found that Work Success was implemented inconsistently across employment centers. The estimated annual cost of Work Success was $1,390 per participant.
DWS managers and staff thought the promising feature of Work Success was the combination of time-intensive group and individualized coaching. Enrollment in Work Success was lower than expected, and the composition of participants changed to include fewer job seekers with more years of work experience, making implementation difficult in some employment centers. Participants during the study period faced more challenges to employment than had been typically observed among participants prior to the study; staff attributed this to expanded eligibility and the study. Coaches spent more time addressing participant challenges and less time helping participants set employment goals and build job seeking skills than designed. Allowing part-time participation, without altering the program, gave participants flexibility but may have weakened peer-to-peer connections—a key program element. At the employment center that appeared to be implementing Work Success as designed, about three-quarters of participants started Work Success, and more than half received coaching. Most interviewed participants from two employment centers found Work Success useful in building their job search and self-regulation skills; all described their coaches positively.
Findings on the short- and long-term impacts of the Work Success program are available in Wu et al. (2025).
Methods
We collected and analyzed qualitative data from interviews with Works Success program leaders, staff, partners, and participants; quantitative data from surveys of program leaders, staff, and participants; and quantitative data from Work Success’ management information system. In addition, we collected and analyzed cost data, and drew on ongoing discussions with Work Success program leaders and staff as part of technical assistance in implementing the study.
Additional information on the study design and analysis methods is available in Wu et al. (2024).
Citation
Kristen Joyce, Hannah McInerney, and April Yanyuan Wu (2025). Group and Individualized Coaching for Employment: Implementation of Work Success. OPRE Report #2025-060. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.