National Guard Youth Challenge and Job Challenge

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program is a residential, quasi-military program for young people aged 16-18 who are at risk of not completing high school. Job ChalleNGe, offered to Youth ChalleNGe graduates, focuses on providing in-depth job training and workplace acculturation. RAND researchers have been studying these programs since 2016 and have amassed data and insights about program operations, challenges, and successes. Most of the RAND team's prior research relied on information provided by ChalleNGe staff through cadet data files, interviews, and site visits. Here, researchers expand on prior work by integrating the perspective of Job ChalleNGe participants and leveraging external statewide education and labor administrative data. The researchers conducted a series of analyses, using Youth ChalleNGe cadet data and external data sources, to understand whom Youth ChalleNGe serves and the communities from which these individuals are drawn. The authors present data on Job ChalleNGe implementation gathered through a short survey, discussions with staff, and focus groups with participants. Finally, they use one state's longitudinal education and labor data to assess longer-term program outcomes. These analyses provide new insights for ChalleNGe leadership and individual sites to use in their decisionmaking.