Los Angeles OneSource System Youth Participant Customer Satisfaction Survey, 2010-2011
Author: Heisley, Deborah D.
Date: 2012-04-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Job Skills,Employment Opportunities,Low Income Groups,Participant Satisfaction,Adolescents,Young Adults,Community Centers,Academic Achievement,College Preparation,Demography,Interviews,Questionnaires,Statistical Significance,Web Sites,Age Differences,Gender Differences,Teacher Evaluation,Computer Literacy,Mentors,Counseling

As part of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Los Angeles OneSource Centers offer low-income youth ages 14-21 services aimed at improving educational achievement, enhancing job skills, and preparing for college. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the youths' satisfaction with services received at 14 OneSource Centers throughout the City of Los Angeles during the 2010-2011 program year. A secondary objective was to track and analyze the types of services that youths received, as well as obtain demographic data about participants. During July 2011 a total of 382 participants from all 14 centers were interviewed via telephone, and asked 25 questions about the center they frequented. Respondents reported how they learned of the program, what services they received, their satisfaction with the services and centers, and their overall satisfaction with the program. Center responses were averaged to generate ratings for the OneSource system as a whole. Individual responses were grouped by center and question, and an average score was calculated for each question. System-wide responses for each question were analyzed to determine areas of improvement. T tests were performed to determine whether there were statistically significant differences in satisfaction between demographic groups. Qualitative and categorical responses were analyzed in percentage terms. In addition, scores from 2011 were compared to scores from 2006 and 2007 as there was some concern regarding the impact of the recession. Results indicate that on average OneSource program youths were highly satisfied with the services they received.  Participants were most satisfied with program staff and center facilities. Thirteen of the fourteen OneSource Centers met the 8.5 threshold set by the city for excellent customer service. During the recession participants utilized more employment-related services and less education-related services than before the recession. Over time more older-youths (19+) participated in the program, and this demographic reported lower satisfaction than the younger group (14-18). Regardless of age, participants who were currently enrolled in school reported higher satisfaction than those who were not. OneSource operators should increase efforts to provide youth with educational services, since these services increase customer satisfaction and job opportunities. Seventeen appendixes present: (1) Questionnaire; (2) Number of Respondents by Center; (3) Overall Satisfaction by Center; (4) &quot;Would You Recommend This Center to Someone Like Yourself&quot; by Center; (5) Participant Satisfaction by Program Elements - Staff by Center; (6) Participant Satisfaction by Program Elements - Website and Facilities by Center; (7) Participant Satisfaction by Program Elements - Ease in Receiving Services by Center; (8) Participant Satisfaction by Program Elements - Additional Services by Center; (9) Satisfaction with Instructors and Workshops by Center; (10) Last program Contact by Center; (11) Learned of Program by Center; (12) Services Received by Center; (13) Support Services Received by Center; (14) Participant Gender by Center; (15) Participant Age by Center; (16) Currently Enrolled in School by Center; and (17) Type of School Enrolled in by Center. (Contains 11 figures and 5 tables.) [This report was prepared for the City of Los Angeles by the Consulting Center at the College of Business and Economics, California State University, Northridge.]