[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 183 (Thursday, September 20, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47643-47644]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-20436]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Data 
Collections From Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program Accreditors

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training 
Administration (ETA), is soliciting comments concerning proposed 
authority to conduct the voluntary information collection request (ICR) 
titled, ``Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs Accrediting 
Entity Information.'' This comment request is part of continuing 
Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).

DATES: Consideration will be given to all written comments received by 
November 19, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this notice should be 
submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
http://www.regulations.gov by selecting Docket ID number ETA-2018-0001 
or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. A copy of 
this ICR with applicable supporting documentation; including a 
description of the likely respondents, proposed frequency of response, 
and estimated total burden may be obtained free of charge from http://www.regulations.gov or by contacting Mark Judge by telephone at 202-
693-3470 (this is not a toll-free number), or by email at 
[email protected]. Individuals with hearing or speech impairments may 
access the telephone number above via TTY by calling the toll-free 
Federal Information Relay Service at 1-877-889-5627 (TTY/TDD).
    Submit written comments about, or requests for a copy of, this ICR 
by mail or courier to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and 
Training Administration, Office of Apprenticeship, Room C-5321, U.S. 
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210; 
or by email: [email protected].
    Comments submitted in response to this comment request will become 
a matter of public record and will be summarized and included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the 
information collection request. In addition, comments, regardless of 
the delivery method, will be posted without change on the http://www.regulations.gov website; consequently, the Department recommends 
comments not include personal information such as social security 
number, personal address, telephone number, email address, or 
confidential business information that they do not want made public. It 
is the responsibility of the commenter to determine what to include in 
the public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Judge by telephone at 202-693-
3470 (this is not a toll-free number) or by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOL, as part of its continuing efforts to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of 
information before submitting them to OMB for final approval. This 
program helps to ensure 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 can be properly assessed.
    ETA has requested that OMB approve an Information Collection 
Request pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act. If approved, this 
request will enable ETA to collect essential data under Training and 
Employment Notice (TEN) No. 3-18 concerning the operational 
characteristics of certain industry-recognized apprenticeship programs 
that are being established under the statutory authority of the Act 
(located at 29 U.S.C. 50).\1\
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    \1\ Please note that the projected duties of program 
``certifiers'' (as referenced in TEN 3-18) in assessing the quality 
and rigor of industry-recognized apprenticeship programs are the 
same job functions traditionally performed by accreditation bodies. 
Accreditation is a statement from an accreditation body--an 
independent organization that oversees the development of voluntary 
consensus standards--declaring that another entity offering 
credentials, education, and/or training within a program (such as an 
industry-recognized apprenticeship program) has met specified 
certification standards. Additional information on accreditation 
bodies can be found at the website of the American National 
Standards Institute: https://www.standardsportal.org/usa_en/resources/USaccreditation_bodies.aspx. The Department intends to 
elaborate further upon these accreditation duties in amending 29 CFR 
part 29.
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    On June 15, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13801, 
entitled ``Expanding Apprenticeships in America,'' which directed the 
Secretary of Labor (in consultation with the Secretaries of Education 
and Commerce)

[[Page 47644]]

to consider ``proposing regulations, consistent with applicable law, 
including 29 U.S.C. 50, that promote the development of apprenticeship 
programs.'' Under section 4(a) of the Executive Order, these 
accreditors may include trade and industry groups, companies, non-
profit organizations, unions, and joint labor-management organizations. 
Section 4(a) also directs the Department to determine how qualified 
accreditors may provide recognition to ``industry-recognized 
apprenticeship programs,'' and to ``establish guidelines or 
requirements that qualified [accreditors] should or must follow to 
ensure that [the industry-recognized] apprenticeship programs they 
recognize meet quality standards.''
    The Secretary has determined to move forward with the development 
of the industry-recognized apprenticeship programs contemplated by the 
foregoing provisions of the Executive Order. To accomplish this goal, 
the Department issued an interim informational and guidance document 
(TEN No., 3-18) on July 27, 2018 titled ``Creating Industry-Recognized 
Apprenticeship Programs to Expand Opportunity in America.'' According 
to the TEN, these new industry-recognized apprenticeship programs will 
be reviewed and recognized by qualified accrediting entities; the 
accrediting entities, in turn, may request a determination from the 
Department concerning their qualifications to act as a accreditor. The 
Department intends to promulgate a regulation amending 29 CFR part 29; 
this regulation would, among other things, establish guidelines or 
requirements that qualified entities must follow to ensure that the 
industry-recognized programs they accredit meet quality standards.
    The TEN provides interim information and guidance to accreditors on 
the process for obtaining a determination from the Department on 
whether that entity's standards meet the criteria outlined in TEN No. 
3-18. To obtain a favorable determination from the Department, the 
accrediting entity should, among other things, demonstrate that it has 
received broad sector-wide input and consensus in the setting of 
industry-wide quality standards. The accrediting entity should also 
demonstrate that their program accreditation process ensures that the 
industry programs will operate in a manner consistent with DOL-
identified hallmarks of high-quality apprenticeship programs. To 
collect the information necessary for the Department to determine 
whether the entity accrediting these industry-recognized apprenticeship 
programs has satisfied the foregoing criteria, the Department proposes 
the development of a form titled ``Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship 
Programs Accrediting Entity Information,'' intended for completion by 
the accrediting entity, that will enable the Department to determine 
whether that entity's standards meet the criteria outlined in the TEN. 
An electronic version of this information collection form will be 
posted on the Department's website, and will be capable of being 
completed and submitted online.
    Under the National Apprenticeship Act of 1937, the Secretary of 
Labor is charged with the establishment of labor standards designed to 
safeguard the welfare of apprentices and promote apprenticeship 
opportunity. Pursuant to this statutory authority, and in furtherance 
of the policy objectives stated in Executive Order 13801, the Secretary 
has determined that the immediate establishment of industry-recognized 
apprenticeship programs is a matter of vital national interest. 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A) authorizes this information collection.
    This information collection is subject to the PRA. A Federal agency 
generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and 
the public is generally not required to respond to an information 
collection, unless OMB under the PRA approves it and displays a 
currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any 
other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to 
penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that 
does not display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 
1320.6.
    Interested parties are encouraged to provide comments to the 
contact shown in the addresses section of this notice. Comments must be 
written to receive consideration, and they will be summarized and 
included in the request for OMB approval of the final ICR. In order to 
help ensure appropriate consideration, comments should mention 1205-
0NEW.
    Submitted comments will also be a matter of public record for this 
ICR and posted on the internet, without redaction. DOL encourages 
commenters not to include personally identifiable information, 
confidential business data, or other sensitive statements/information 
in any comments. DOL is particularly interested in comments that:
     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; and
     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 submission of responses.
    Agency: DOL-ETA.
    Type of Review: New.
    Title of Collection: Data Collections from Industry-Recognized 
Programs Accreditors.
    Form: Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs Accrediting 
Entity Information.
    OMB Control Number: 1205-0NEW.
    Affected Public: Individuals/households, state/local/tribal 
governments, Federal government, private sector (businesses or other 
for-profits, and, not-for-profit institutions).
    Estimated Total Annual Respondents: 308.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 308.
    Frequency: Generally, once every five years.
    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 308.
    Estimated Average Time per Response: 82 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 6,980.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Cost Burden: $0.

Rosemary Lahasky,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2018-20436 Filed 9-19-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-FR-P