[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 109 (Friday, June 6, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34007-34008]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-14291]


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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 (DOL), as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-
clearance consultation program to provide the general public and 
Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or 
continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [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 
collection on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the 
Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments 
concerning the proposed new collection of administrative and survey 
data on the Growing America Through Entrepreneurship project. A copy of 
the proposed information collection request can be obtained by 
contacting the office listed below in the address section of this 
notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addresses section below on or before August 5, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Jonathan Simonetta, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and 
Training Administration/Office of Policy Development, Evaluation and 
Research, Rm. N-5637, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 
20210, (202) 693-3911 (this is not a toll-free number); 
[email protected]; Fax: (202) 693-2766 (this is not a toll-free 
number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    Many individuals have the motivation and skills to develop small 
businesses but lack business expertise and/or access to financing. 
Recognizing this untapped potential, ETA is teaming with the Small 
Business Administration (SBA) to create a demonstration program 
designed to assist individuals interested in self-employment to develop 
their businesses--Project GATE (Growing America Through 
Entrepreneurship). In helping people develop businesses, Project GATE 
will promote both workforce and economic development. The effectiveness 
of the program will be evaluated.
    Entrepreneurial services provided by Project GATE will include an 
assessment, a structured training course, and technical assistance 
provided by a trained counselor. As part of the technical assistance, 
counselors will assist individuals in need of financing to apply for 
loans from SBA's Microloan program and other funding sources. DOL's 
One-Stop Centers will conduct Project GATE orientations where 
interested individuals will be informed bout the services available at 
the One-Stop Center, the benefits and challenges of self-employment and 
the services offered through Project GATE. Small Business Development 
Center (SBDC) counselors will conduct individuals assessments and 
identify the most appropriate training course for each Project GATE 
participant. Existing entrepreneurial training providers in the 
community will provide training and technical assistance.
    DOL's One-Stop Centers will play a central role in recruiting for 
the project. Interested individuals will be able to register for an 
orientation to Project GATE at One-Stop Centers as well as via 
telephone, mail, or a Website. The orientations will also be held at 
the One-Stop Centers.
    Eligibility for Project GATE will be broad--it is designed to serve 
almost anyone interested in starting a business. Special attention will 
be paid, however, to recruiting immigrant populations.
    Project GATE will be evaluated using an experimental design. 
Individuals who submit an application for Project GATE in each site and 
who meet minimal eligibility criteria will be randomly assigned to 
either a program group or a control group. Members of the program group 
will be eligible to receive Project GATE services, while members of the 
control group will not be eligible to receive Project GATE services, 
although they will not be prohibited form receiving self-employment 
services from other services.
    GATE will be implemented in seven sites--three urban and four rural 
sites. The three urban sites are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. The 
rural sites are one in Minnesota centered around Duluth, and three in 
Maine centered around Portland, Bangor, and Lewiston.
    The evaluation will address three key questions:
    1. Is Project GATE Viable? What are the challenges in implementing 
the program? Does an interagency model for the program work? Who 
participates in GATE? Is the outreach effective in reaching immigrants? 
How does the implementation of the program vary across sites?
    2. Does the Program Work? Does the program increase self-
employment, increase employment and earnings, and reduce the receipt of 
unemployment insurance and public assistance? Does the program promote 
employment and

[[Page 34008]]

other economic development? Is it effective in both rural and urban 
areas? Does the effectiveness of the program vary by population 
subgroup?
    3. Is the Program Cost-Effective? Do the benefits of the program 
exceed its costs? Addressing these questions will involve conducting 
process, impact,and benefit-cost analyses. The process evaluation will 
be based on information collected during three rounds of visits to each 
site, during which detailed information will be collected on the 
implementation of the program from interviews with program staff, 
observations of services, and focus groups with program participants. 
Data will also be collected using a Participant Tracking System 
developed specifically for the study. The impact evaluation will 
involve comparing outcomes of members of the program group with 
outcomes of members of the control group. Data on these outcomes will 
be collected from Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefit records and 
quarterly wage records, and two follow-up surveys that will occur 
approximately 6 months and 18 months after random assignment. The 
benefit-cost analysis will involve placing a dollar value on all 
impacts of the program and comparing them with the dollar value of the 
costs.

II. Review Focus

    DOL is particularly interested in comments which:
    [sbull] Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of ETA, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    [sbull] Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
    [sbull] Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    [sbull] 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, e.g., permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.

III. Current Actions

    The data for the impact analysis will come from UI benefits and 
wage records in the three states, a computer-based Participant Tracking 
System developed for the demonstration and used in the seven sites, and 
follow-up surveys conducted twice with the expected sample of 4,000 
individuals who will apply for Project GATE.
    The follow-up surveys, which are the subject of this notice, will 
be conducted by telephone approximately 6 and 18 months following the 
GATE application. These voluntary surveys will collect data unavailable 
from administrative records. The first survey is designed to collect 
detailed information about sample members' participation and 
experiences in receiving self-employment services, their experiences 
starting a business, their experiences in jobs working for someone 
else, their receipt of public assistance, and some background data on 
their socio-economic and demographic characteristics. The second survey 
is designed to collect their experiences in self-employment and 
developing small businesses, their experiences in jobs working for 
someone else, and their income and receipt of public assistance.
    Type of Review: New.
    Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
    Title: Partnership for Self-Sufficiency: Growing America Through 
Entrepreneurship.
    Agency Number: 1205-ONEW.
    Affected Public: Individuals.

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                                    Total                            Total        Average time
           Activity              respondents      Frequency        responses      per response    Burden (hours)
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GATE follow-up survey........           3,200  Two times......           6,400  40 minutes.....  2,134 (annual).
      Totals.................  ..............  ...............  ..............  ...............  4,268 (total).
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    Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be 
summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and 
Budget approval of the information request; they will also become a 
matter of public record.

    Dated: May 30, 2003.
Maria K. Flynn,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 03-14291 Filed 6-5-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-M