Employers increasingly emphasize the importance of professional skills—such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, adaptability, and time management—for success in the workforce. Yet these skills are often taught separately from technical courses in high school career pathways. In response, YouthForce NOLA, an organization that partners with public schools, employers, and training providers in New Orleans, developed a model that embeds soft skills directly into classroom instruction within career and technical education (CTE) pathways, particularly in high-demand fields such as engineering and computer science.

This report presents the findings from an MDRC study that examines how the YouthForce NOLA model was implemented by training providers and schools and whether participation in courses that include soft skills is associated with improved academic outcomes for students.

The evaluation focuses on the implementation of the model in 21 New Orleans public high schools over three school years (2021-2022 through 2023-2024), in partnership with two training providers: Operation Spark and the New Orleans Career Center. YouthForce NOLA provided training, coaching, and practical tools that are designed to help instructors integrate soft skills into classroom instruction and student assessment.

Overall, the findings suggest that embedding soft skills into technical courses is feasible and may promote students’ academic engagement and progress without detracting from technical learning. The findings also underscore that effective integration requires thoughtful design, sustained support from educators to students, and alignment with classroom practice. Although the study focuses on short-term academic outcomes, it points to the potential for integrated approaches to improve students’ readiness for postsecondary education and careers. Future research should examine the model’s impact on credential attainment, postsecondary transitions, and longer-term career outcomes, as well as continuing to refine approaches to measuring the development of soft skills in CTE settings.