Introduction
Newly launched employment and other human services programs typically start by serving a small number of people, usually in one or two locations, to assess the program’s feasibility and effectiveness (Golden, 2013). Once evidence has suggested the program is feasible and effective, leaders might “scale,” or expand it, so it can benefit more people. Programs may scale by increasing recruitment within the same population in the same location, by expanding or changing the populations they serve, and/or by providing services in a new location (Aarons et. al., 2003; Westly et. al., 2014). One of the key challenges in scaling a program is determining how the program needs to change to serve more or different people in different contexts while preserving the program’s effectiveness.
Purpose
This brief shares some lessons learned on scaling employment programs drawn from the experiences of three programs that were scaled between June 2021 and June 2024 to participate in a rigorous experimental impact evaluation. The brief is aimed at helping human service leaders apply lessons from these programs’ experiences to strengthen how they implement and scale their programs.
Key Findings and Highlights
The experiences of three employment programs involved in the NextGen Project illustrate that it is possible to scale a program and be faithful to its original design—but it requires time, resources, and a commitment to use data to continuously improve.
Based on the experiences of the study programs, the NextGen Project team shares six considerations for scaling employment programs:
Have a clear motivation for scaling
Be willing to adapt the program and the way it is implemented to the new population and context
Invest resources needed to hire, train, and develop staff
Recognize that scaling takes considerable time and effort
Use data to monitor progress
Consider engaging third parties to help with scaling
The findings in this brief are descriptive and cannot attest to the effectiveness of sites participating in the NextGen Project.
Methods
The NextGen Project team synthesized the findings for this brief based on information from surveys and interviews of leaders, staff, and participants of three NextGen programs: Bridges from School to Work (Bridges), Individual Placement and Support for Adults with Justice Involvement (IPS-AJI), and Western Mass Mental Health Outreach for MotherS Partnershipsm (Western Mass MOMS).
It also draws from insights gathered from routine work with those programs to implement an impact evaluation of each program (findings expected 2026). Authors also drew on findings from existing research.
Citation
Derr, Michelle, Sheena McConnell, and Leah Pranschke. Scaling Employment Programs: Lessons From Three Programs Scaled for a Rigorous Evaluation. OPRE Report #2025-172. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.