[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 89 (Wednesday, May 8, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30965-30966]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-11385]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, is conducting a preclearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information 
in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)). This program helps to ensure that requested data can be 
provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial 
resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, 
and the impact of the collection requirements on respondents can be 
properly assessed. Through this notice, the Employment and Training 
Administration is soliciting comments concerning a proposed new 
collection of data on self-services provided by states and local 
workforce areas under the Workforce Investment Act and Wagner-Peyser.
    A copy of the proposed survey can be obtained by contacting the 
office listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
ADDRESSES section below on or before July 8, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Esther Johnson, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and 
Training Administration, Office of Policy and Research, 200 
Constitution Ave, NW., Room N-5637, Washington, DC 20210, (202) 693-
3165 (this is not a toll free number), [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Department of Labor's Employment and Training

[[Page 30966]]

Administration (ETA) seeks to collect data from local workforce 
investment areas on the self-services they make available under the 
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and Wagner-Peyser Act (W-P). The data 
ETA seeks to collect will provide a national snapshot of the self-
service tools and resources available in local workforce areas and the 
systems and mechanisms that areas use to track customers' usage, 
outcomes, and satisfaction with those services. The data will also be 
used to select a sample of states and local areas for subsequent in-
depth scrutiny, so that the quality and cost-effectiveness of self-
services can be analyzed.
    Collecting this information is important because self-services--
including informational and self-help core services authorized by WIA 
and self-directed labor exchange services provided as part of W-P--have 
become an important feature of the nation's workforce development 
system. Over the past decade, substantial amounts of resources have 
been expended in developing the infrastructure to support self-
services, such as by establishing physical facilities in which 
``Resource Rooms'' can be housed, developing an array of tools and 
resources to meet diverse needs, ensuring that these resources are 
user-friendly and are accessible from remote locations, and promoting 
access and use for customers with special needs. Moreover, the pace of 
investments has dramatically quickened since the enactment of WIA. It 
is expected that self-services must be an essential feature of every 
one of the nation's comprehensive One-Stop centers. WIA requires that 
access to these services must be universally available without 
eligibility restrictions.
    Moreover, self-services are expected to play a critical role in 
meeting the nation's workforce development needs. The vision at the 
heart of WIA is that all adults should have easy access to an array of 
high-quality resources and information tools that they can use to make 
informed career decisions and that, more generally, will improve the 
efficiency of the labor market. Given WIA's emphasis on universal 
access and the limited public funding available to support staff-
intensive workforce development systems, self-services become a 
critical means by which this vision can be realized.
    Currently, however, little is known about the types of self-service 
systems that have been established, how frequently customers use self-
services and for what purposes, whether they are satisfied with the 
tools at their disposal, and whether use of these services improves 
their employment outcomes. This information vacuum occurs partly 
because users of self-services are not required to become registrants 
under either WIA or W-P, and these services are thus not covered by the 
programs' reporting requirements.
    To fill the information gap, ETA is embarking on two data 
collection efforts focused on self-services. One, covered by a previous 
Federal Register notice (67 FR 2244, January 16, 2002), is designed to 
yield a national estimate of the number of job seekers who use self-
services. A second effort, to which this notice applies, will entail a 
questionnaire administered to the largest One-Stop operator in each of 
the nation's local workforce areas to determine the self-service tools 
and resources they have available and identify which of them have 
mechanisms in place to track customer usage and outcomes. In addition 
to being important information in its own right, the results will be 
used to select a sample of local areas for further scrutiny through 
site visits (so that the quality of self-services can be assessed), and 
so that a quantitative analysis of the outcomes associated with self-
services can be conducted.

II. Review Focus

    The Department of Labor is particularly interested in comments 
that: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information has practical utility; (b) evaluate 
the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information; (c) enhance the utility, quality and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and (d) minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

III. Current Actions

    The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration 
will be seeking Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to 
administer a questionnaire to the largest One-Stop operator in each of 
the nation's local workforce investment areas on the types of self-
services they offer and whether they have mechanisms in place to track 
customers' usage patterns and outcomes. The data will be used to 
provide a national snapshot of self-service systems and to select a 
sample of states and local areas for subsequent in-depth study, through 
site visits and a quantitative analysis of customers' outcomes.
    Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
    Type of Review: New.
    Title: Local Area Survey of Self-Services.
    Affected Public: Local workforce investment areas.
    Total Respondents: 605.
    Frequency: Twice.
    Total Responses: 1,210.
    Average Time per Response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 605.
    Total Burden Cost for Capital and Startup: $0.
    Total Burden Cost for Operation and Maintenance: $0.
    Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be 
summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the 
information collection request; they will also become a matter of 
public record.

    Signed at Washington, DC this 2nd day of May, 2002.
Gerard F. Fiala,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 02-11385 Filed 5-7-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-M