[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 18, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-12022]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 18, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration

 

Job Training Partnership Act; Announcing a Systemwide Dialogue on 
Job Training and Assistance for the Disadvantaged

agency: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

action: The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the 
Department of Labor announces a systemwide Dialogue on improving and 
strengthening job training and program assistance to the economically 
disadvantaged. The Department invites public comment on the key issues 
framing the Department's Dialogue on the Disadvantaged.

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summary: The Department is undertaking a Dialogue to examine the need 
and options for constructive new directions for improving programs 
designed to prepare the disadvantaged to obtain good jobs and provide 
them assistance leading to economic self-sufficiency. This Dialogue 
will include a series of at least fifteen small group discussions and 
five town hall meetings across the country in May, June and July; a 
review of the current literature assessing the effectiveness of 
existing job training programs; a survey of program participants on the 
level of satisfaction with the programs; and broad public comment on 
the key issues described in this notice. The Dialogue will be an 
ongoing process, with preliminary findings and initial recommendations 
for system changes by August 1994.

comments: Specific written comments are invited from the public on the 
basic questions presented in this document. Comments are requested by 
June 22, 1994 or earlier.

addresses: Written comments shall be addressed to Assistant Secretary 
for Employment and Training, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., room N4666, Washington, DC 20210, Attention: Hugh Davies, 
Director, Office of Employment and Training Programs.

for further information contact: Either Hugh Davies or Karen Staha at 
202-219-5580 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Purpose

    The Department announces a comprehensive Dialogue to examine 
possible new directions for the improvement of job training and 
assistance for economically disadvantaged individuals. The Dialogue 
will include:
    A. Small group discussions and town hall meetings across the 
country to provide an opportunity for DOL officials and others to 
gather information from participants, graduates, front-line staff, 
employers and program officials, policy makers, community leaders, and 
private sector representatives.
    B. A review of currently available studies, surveys, and reports 
about job training systems for the economically disadvantaged.
    C. A survey to elicit customer attitudes about the present training 
and employment system.
    D. A request for individuals and organizations to provide written 
comments and suggestions on the basic questions and issues raised in 
the Dialogue as provided in this announcement.
    The Department will analyze this information to shape an action 
agenda for improving systems and programs that help economically 
disadvantaged individuals access the training, education, and other 
services essential for these individuals to obtain and maintain good 
jobs.

II. Background

    Earlier assumptions about the employment and training needs of the 
disadvantaged may no longer be valid. The technological advances of 
today combined with the increasing demands of employers to remain 
competitive in a global economy necessitate a skilled, adaptable, and 
self-motivated workforce.
    New approaches such as the proposed Reemployment Act of 1994, the 
recently enacted School To Work Opportunities Act of 1994, and the 
passage of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, which establishes the 
National Skills Standards Board, are evidence of the commitment of the 
Administration and the Department to build a workforce with the skills 
necessary to be prepared for global competition.
    The 1992 Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Amendments, as well as 
the new and proposed legislation mentioned above, attempt to tailor and 
individualize training for youth and adults seeking good jobs. The 
Department is now proposing a careful review of services provided under 
JTPA Title II to further strengthen and improve these programs. Of 
particular concern is the improvement of the existing system designated 
for youth and the training and employment problems of school dropouts.
    Fundamental changes may be necessary to ensure the availability of 
high quality services for customers who are participants in employment 
and training programs for the disadvantaged. To make a significant 
impact on improving services available to the disadvantaged, the 
investment of employment and training resources must be made in close 
coordination or in conjunction with the resources of other federal, 
State, local community and private sector partners.
    The Department has chosen this public comment process, together 
with small group discussions and town hall meetings, to draw on the 
knowledge of those closest to the services provided and to critically 
appraise current programs.

III. The Basic Questions

    The following are a series of broad questions to be addressed in 
any written response to this notice. Commenters are quested to provide 
specific comments corresponding to the questions below and to identify 
comments by letter and number (e.g., A.2.b.).
    A. Broad questions for the Dialogue.
    1. Who are the customers?
    a. Who should be eligible to benefit from an employment and 
training program for the disadvantaged? Is the current category of 
disadvantaged (based on the poverty level) too broad or too narrow?
    b. How would you change the process that determines which 
individuals are selected to be served? Should selection criteria be set 
at the federal, State or local level? Suggest some methods that will 
help assure equity of service.
    c. How can employer needs best be met in determining who is served? 
What factors need to be considered in improving employer satisfaction 
with programs for the disadvantaged? How do we meet employer workforce 
needs as well as fulfilling program responsibility to disadvantaged 
customers seeking jobs?
    2. What are the characteristics of a customer-driven system?
    a. What kinds of services should participant customers reasonably 
expect from a new and improved job training system? Are there reasons 
to require that each participant receive certain services? If yes, 
which services should be mandated?
    b. Suggest some examples of program features that help make sure 
participant customers have options and are able to make their needs 
clear about the training and services required to become employed
    c. Provide us with examples of how to determine customer 
satisfaction.
    d. What changes are needed to achieve a job training system that is 
focused on the needs of customers?
    3. What types of services work best for the disadvantaged?
    a. Provide two or three specific examples of powerful tools or 
program strategies that have helped make employment and training 
programs successful. How might successful strategies be tested more 
widely?
    Provide some specific techniques for more effectively replicating 
successful programs or strategies in other areas. Are there specific 
features in existing programs that impede replication?
    b. Give examples of program strategies or approaches that have 
proved unsuccessful or ineffective.
    c. Provide some ideas about improving the process for determining 
the services that participants need to get and keep good jobs.
    d. Discuss any reasons to limit the length of overall participation 
or the length of participation in any activity. Suggest what an 
appropriate length of participation might be.
    e. What programs or strategies work well for assisting out-of-
school youth, especially dropouts?
    f. What programs or strategies have not worked well for preparing 
out-of-school youth? How should they be revised?
    4. How should the system be structured and administered?
    a. Where are the most logical places for decisionmaking about 
program structure and funding decisions?
    b. What are the most effective roles that the federal, State and 
local levels of government can play in administering programs?
    c. How can we best ensure accountability? What are possible ways to 
better ensure that program funds are used properly, reducing the 
potential for ``fraud, waste and abuse''? What are the proper roles for 
oversight of the program?
    d. What are the two or three most important administrative features 
of successful employment and training programs that contribute to 
successful outcomes?
    5. How should success be measured?
    a. What results indicate that a program is successful?
    b. Provide us with specific examples of ways to measure quality. 
What program performance measures will help make programs work better? 
Who should set program measures, who should monitor them, who should 
decide whether they have been met?
    c. How can we measure return on investment for programs for the 
disadvantaged? Should program funding be tied to program outcomes?
    d. How do we measure participant success? Customer satisfaction?
    e. Should there be incentives or rewards for program success? If 
so, what kinds and why?
    f. What should we do when programs are not working well?
    6. How do you ensure that the staff directly involved in customer 
service are capable of delivering quality services?
    a. What type of skills do front-line staff need to do their jobs 
more effectively?
    b. How do we improve the training opportunities available to front-
line staff?
    7. How can coordination of programs and leveraging of resources be 
improved?
    a. Provide examples of program improvements that have been realized 
by leveraging other funds or program services.
    b. How could eligibility criteria or screening be streamlined or 
simplified to improve program coordination?
    c. Provide some ideas (and any available supporting evidence) about 
improving connections between youth programs and early childhood 
education programs.
    d. Are there disadvantages to federal requirements for the 
coordination of funds to provide comprehensive services to the 
customers? If so, please specify.
    e. What could be done to make it easier to provide comprehensive 
services (funded by multiple sources) to the customer?
    f. Give 2 or 3 examples of ways to better coordinate or integrate 
the services that are provided by multiple community and governmental 
agencies to the same customer population.
    g. There are a number of federal training and employment programs 
designed to meet the needs of same disadvantaged population.
    i. How has this affected program operations at the local level?
    ii. Are any changes necessary? If yes, what specific changes would 
you recommend?
    B. Next steps. Based on your answers to the previous questions, 
what should we do next to move the system to where it should be? Give 
us two or three specific examples of the most important next steps we 
should take.

Setting a New Agenda

    The Department has a shared responsibility with the entire 
employment and training community to design the highest quality job 
training programs for economically disadvantaged individuals. To this 
end, the Department is counting on broad system participation in this 
continuing Dialogue. We look forward to implementing changes that will 
achieve our mutual goal: The creation of a system that better prepares 
low income people for decent jobs.

    Signed at Washington, DC this 12th day of May, 1994.
Robert B. Reich,
Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 94-12022 Filed 5-17-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-03-M