[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 212 (Friday, November 3, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51299-51300]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24003]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request, National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Job ChalleNGe 
Evaluation, New Collection

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Chief Evaluation 
Office, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL), as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a 
preclearance 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). 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 requirements on 
respondents is properly assessed.
    Currently, DOL is soliciting comments concerning the collection of 
follow-up survey data about the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe and Job 
ChalleNGe Program. A copy of the proposed Information Collection 
Request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed in the 
addressee section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee's section below on or before January 2, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following 
methods:
    Email: [email protected]; Mail or Courier: Jessica 
Lohmann, Chief Evaluation Office, OASP, U.S. Department of Labor, Room 
S-2312, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210. 
Instructions: Please submit one copy of your comments by only one 
method. All submissions received must include the agency name and OMB 
Control Number identified above for this information collection. 
Because we continue to experience delays in receiving mail in the 
Washington, DC area, commenters are strongly encouraged to transmit 
their comments electronically via email or to submit them by mail 
early. Comments, including any personal information provided, become a 
matter of public record. They will also be summarized and/or included 
in the request for OMB approval of the information collection request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jessica Lohmann by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    I. Background: The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program has 
demonstrated positive, sustained impacts on the educational attainment 
and labor market outcomes of youth who are not in school or the labor 
force. To build on this success, in early 2015 the Employment and 
Training Administration (ETA) issued $12 million in grants for three 
Youth ChalleNGe programs to (1) expand the program's target population 
to include youth who have been involved with the courts, and (2) add a 
five-month residential occupational training component, known as Job 
ChalleNGe.
    The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Job ChalleNGe Evaluation 
includes an outcome and an implementation study. The evaluation 
requires collection of three primary types of data: (1) Background and 
contact information, (2) program implementation details, and (3) 
follow-up youth outcomes. The Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) has already 
received OMB approval to collect the first two types of data (control 
number 1291-0008). The planned outcomes data collection included in 
this ICR will answer three main research questions: (1) How did youth 
experience the post-residential phase of the program?, (2) What were 
the employment, education, and criminal justice outcomes of Job 
ChalleNGe participants?, and (3) What expectations do youth have for 
the future?
    This Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on 
two proposed data collection instruments for follow-up youth outcomes 
study:
    * Text survey. Job ChalleNGe participants who are enrolled in the 
program between approximately July 2017 and July 2018 and give consent 
to participate in the evaluation (and whose parents/guardians have done 
so, when necessary) and permission to contact them via text message 
will be asked to complete a brief survey administered by text messaging 
on a monthly basis for 8 months, during months 8 through 15 after the 
youth began Job ChalleNGe. The brief survey is designed to provide 
snapshots of the progression over time that the respondents make in 
their employment, earnings, and education. For each round of monthly 
text message data collection, each participant will be asked to answer 
three to five questions. It is expected to take the participants an

[[Page 51300]]

average of four minutes to complete each of the 8 rounds of the text 
survey.
    * Follow-up survey. The sample for the follow-up survey is the same 
as for the text survey with one exception. The follow-up survey will be 
administered via web and permission to be contacted by text is not 
required to participate in the follow-up survey. The follow-up survey, 
to be conducted 16 months after the start of Job ChalleNGe for each 
cohort, covers five broad topics: (1) Participants' experiences during 
Job ChalleNGe, such as the services they received; (2) characteristics 
of a current job and their recent work search efforts, such as 
employment and earnings; (3) educational experiences, including 
attainment and future plans; (4) involvement in the court system, such 
as whether or not the participant was arrested and convicted of a 
crime; and (5) views about the value of different aspects of the Job 
ChalleNGe program. It is expected to take the participants an average 
of 15 minutes to complete the survey.
    II. Desired Focus of Comments: Currently, DOL is soliciting 
comments concerning the above data collection for the National Guard 
Youth ChalleNGe Job ChalleNGe Evaluation. DOL is particularly 
interested in comments that do the following:
     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.
     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.
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected.
     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- for example, 
permitting electronic submission of responses.
    III. Current Actions: At this time, DOL is requesting clearance for 
the text message survey and the follow-up survey.
    Type of Review: New information collection request.
    OMC Control Number: 1290--0NEW.
    Affected Public: Youth participating in the Youth ChalleNGe program 
and the Job ChalleNGe program.

                                                              Estimated Total Burden Hours
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                                                                                                              Average
                                                           Total number   Annual  number     Number of      burden hour       Annual           Total
                   Type of instrument                       respondents         of         responses per   per response      estimated       estimated
                                                                            respondents     respondent        (hours)      burden hours    burden hours
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Texting Data Collection.................................         \a\ 351             117               8            0.07              66             197
Follow-up Survey........................................         \b\ 414             138               1            0.25              35             104
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    Total...............................................         \c\ 765             255  ..............  ..............             101             301
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\a\ The text message survey will be collected from all Job ChalleNGe participants who consented to participate in the study, who provided a cell phone
  number to the study team, and who consented to be contacted via text messaging. The number of respondents is based on a 90% study consent rate x an
  85% consent to text rate x an 85% response rate.
\b\ The follow-up survey will be collected from all Job ChalleNGe participants who consented to participate in the study. The number of respondents is
  based on a 90% study participation consent rate x an 85% response rate.
\c\ Most youth participating in the text data collection will also participate in the follow-up data collection. Therefore, the table provides an upper
  estimate of the number of separate respondents.

    Form(s): Total respondents: 765 youth. Most youth participating in 
the text data collection will also participate in the follow-up data 
collection. Therefore, this estimate provides an upper estimate of the 
number of separate respondents.
    Annual Frequency: Eight times for the text survey and one time for 
the follow-up survey.
    Comments submitted in response to this request will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request; they will also become a 
matter of public record.

    Dated: October 27, 2017.
Molly Irwin,
Chief Evaluation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2017-24003 Filed 11-2-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-HX-P