[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 151 (Monday, August 7, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44713-44714]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-12737]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Proposed Information Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations: Surveys of Registered Apprenticeship Sponsors

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, 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 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.

DATES: Submit comments on or before October 6, 2006.

ADDRESSEE: Send comments to Ms. Charlotte Schifferes, Employment and 
Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., Room N-5637, Washington, DC 20210; (202) 693-3655 (this is 
not a toll-free number); e-mail: [email protected]; and fax: 
(202) 693-2766 (this is not a toll-free number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Ms. Charlotte Schifferes, Employment 
and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., Room N-5637, Washington, DC 20210; (202) 693-3655 (this is 
not a toll-free number); e-mail: [email protected]; and fax: 
(202) 693-2766 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Department of Labor (DOL) is soliciting comments regarding a 
one-time survey of sponsors of registered apprenticeship programs.

[[Page 44714]]

    Registered apprenticeship is a time-tested training method, 
involving hands-on instruction by experienced workers, a jobsite 
mentor, and related classroom instruction, all within a framework that 
identifies needed skills and provides recognized credentials. 
Apprenticeship programs are financed, sponsored, and implemented 
primarily by private sector employers and their workers, thus 
presenting minimal costs to the taxpayer. Programs may be sponsored 
unilaterally by employers or jointly by employers and unions. There are 
currently about 28,800 programs with an estimated 413,000 registered 
apprentices in the U.S.
    DOL in accordance with the 1937 National Apprenticeship Act, is 
responsible for promoting the apprenticeship concept, assisting 
interested employers in developing apprenticeship programs, recognizing 
State Apprenticeship Agencies and Councils, registering apprenticeship 
programs and agreements, certifying registered apprentices, and 
monitoring registered programs and apprentices. In the last five years, 
the Department has focused on expanding use of registered 
apprenticeship in high-growth industries and new occupations. These 
promotional efforts have been an important element in the broader DOL 
initiative to create a demand-driven workforce system responsive to 
employer needs and successful in developing worker talent.
    The proposed survey will be conducted by telephone and Internet 
with about 1,400 sponsors, of whom 80 percent, or 1,100 individuals, 
are expected to respond. A random stratified sample will be used to 
ensure broad representation nationally and to permit detailed 
information on the views of sponsors in clusters of industries, 
including those identified in the President's High Growth Job Training 
(HGJT) Initiative. Examples of newer industries identified in this 
initiative are Aerospace, Geospatial, and Health Services, among many 
others.
    The information from the survey will provide a thorough and 
systematic understanding of sponsors' views, identifying what they 
value, dislike, or would like changed about registered apprenticeship; 
what they see as its main benefits and costs; what data they maintain 
on it; and how they interface with other parts of the workforce system. 
The data will show how, if at all, views differ by type of industry, 
number of apprentices, by type of program (unilateral or joint), or 
region.
    The data collection will fill a gap in knowledge, since there is no 
systematic information on the views of sponsors in general nor of 
sponsors in high-growth industries who have recently embraced 
apprenticeship as a training method. The survey is part of a larger 
evaluation that will also involve on-site discussions in five states 
with key stakeholders. In each state, the contractor will talk in depth 
with apprentices, sponsors, state apprenticeship administrators, One-
Stop Career Center directors, and community college officials involved 
in providing related instruction to apprentices.
    The information collected in the survey, combined with findings 
from the site visits, will be used by the Department to inform policy 
development on registered apprenticeship, including how to make the 
system more responsive to employers and to further expand registered 
apprenticeship in high growth industries. The information will also be 
used to determine what data is available for possible impact or 
benefit-cost studies.
    Section 172 of WIA is the authority under which the Employment and 
Training Administration (ETA) will collect the information proposed in 
this evaluation.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    Currently, ETA is soliciting comments, concerning the proposed 
survey of registered apprenticeship sponsors, 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 will have practical utility;
    (b) 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;
    (c) Enhance the quality, utility, 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, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses.
    A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be 
obtained by contacting the office listed above in the addressee section 
of this notice.

III. Current Actions

Type of Review: New

    Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
    Title: Survey of Registered Apprenticeship Program Sponsors.
    OMB Number: New collection.
    Affected Public: Sponsors of registered apprenticeship training 
programs, which may include small businesses.
    Respondents and Burden Hours: The number of respondents who 
complete the interview is expected to be 1,144. The annual hour burden 
is calculated to be 324 hours, based on 1,144 respondents and a survey 
length of 17 minutes.
    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.

    Dated: July 31, 2006.
Emily Stover DeRocco,
Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration.
 [FR Doc. E6-12737 Filed 8-4-06; 8:45 am]
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