[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 2, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7881-7883]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-02111]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Apprenticeship Evidence-Building Portfolio, 
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, the Department of Labor is 
soliciting comments concerning the collection of data about the 
Apprenticeship Evidence-Building Portfolio. A copy of the proposed 
Information Collection Request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the 
office listed below in the addressee section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee section below on or before April 5, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following 
methods:
    Email: [email protected]; Mail or Courier: Janet Javar, 
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. 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: Janet Javar by email at 
[email protected] or by phone at (202) 693-5954.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    I. Background: The Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) of the U.S. 
Department of Labor (DOL) intends to design and conduct evaluations of 
DOL-funded apprenticeship initiatives through the Apprenticeship 
Evidence-Building Portfolio. The portfolio of initiatives includes the 
Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector-Based Strategies grants, Closing 
the Skills Gap grants, Youth Apprenticeship Readiness grants, and other 
DOL investments. The goal of this five-year study is to build evidence 
on apprenticeship models, practices, and partnership strategies in 
high-growth occupations and industries. The overall study is comprised 
of several components: (1) An implementation study of the Scaling 
Apprenticeship and Closing the Skills Gap grants to develop typologies 
of apprenticeship models and practices, identify promising strategies 
across the portfolio, and to better understand the implementation of 
models to help interpret impact evaluation findings; (2) a study of 
registered apprenticeship state systems and partnerships to assess 
their capacity to develop, design, modify, implement, replicate, 
sustain, expand/scale up, and evaluate apprenticeship strategies and 
models; and (3) an implementation evaluation of the Youth 
Apprenticeship Readiness grant program to understand service delivery 
design and implementation, challenges, and promising practices. DOL 
will submit additional ICRs for future data collection requests for 
this overall study.
    This Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on 
nine

[[Page 7882]]

proposed data collection instruments that will be used in the 
evaluations: Apprenticeship grantee survey; state system capacity 
assessment interview guide for state staff; state system capacity 
assessment interview guide for local lead organization staff; state 
system capacity assessment interview guide for local partner staff; 
state system capacity assessment interview guide for employer partner 
staff; youth apprenticeship baseline survey and consent form for 
program staff; youth apprenticeship interview guide for program staff; 
youth apprenticeship interview guide for program partners; and youth 
apprenticeship interview guide for follow-up with program staff.
    1. Apprenticeship grantee survey. Survey of 23 Scaling 
Apprenticeship and 28 Closing the Skills Gap grantees to collect 
program information.
    2. State System Capacity Assessment semi-structured interview 
protocol for state staff. Virtual semi-structured interviews with 
approximately 5 state staff in each of the approximately 15 states 
participating in the study, beginning summer 2021.
    3. State System Capacity Assessment semi-structured interview 
protocol for local lead organization staff. Virtual semi-structured 
interviews with approximately 6 staff from local lead organizations in 
each state.
    4. State System Capacity Assessment semi-structured interview 
protocol for local partner staff. Virtual semi-structured interviews 
with approximately10 local partner staff in each state.
    5. State System Capacity Assessment semi-structured interview 
protocol for employer partner staff. Virtual semi-structured interviews 
with approximately 2 employer partner staff in each state.
    6. Youth Apprenticeship survey and consent for program staff. 
Survey of Youth Apprenticeship Readiness grant program staff to collect 
program information.
    7. Youth Apprenticeship semi-structured interview protocol for 
program staff. In-person semi-structured interviews with approximately 
4 program staff in in each of the approximately 9 grants participating 
in the study, beginning in fall 2021. If in-person visits are not 
possible, the interviews will be conducted virtually.
    8. Youth Apprenticeship semi-structured interview protocol for 
program partners. In-person semi-structured interviews with 
approximately 6 staff of program partners in each grants. If in-person 
visits are not possible, the interviews will be conducted virtually.
    9. Youth Apprenticeship semi-structured interview protocol for 
follow-up with program staff. In-person semi-structured follow-up 
interviews with approximately 2 program staff in each grant. If in-
person visits are not possible, the interviews will be conducted 
virtually.
    II. Desired Focus of Comments: Currently, DOL is soliciting 
comments concerning the above data collection for the Apprenticeship 
Evidence-Building Portfolio. DOL is particularly interested in comments 
that do the following:
    [cir] evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    [cir] evaluate the accuracy of the agency's burden estimate of the 
proposed information collection, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions;
    [cir] enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    [cir] 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 submissions of responses.
    III. Current Actions: At this time, DOL is requesting clearance for 
the apprenticeship grantee survey; state system capacity assessment 
interview protocol for state staff; state system capacity assessment 
interview protocol for local lead organization staff; state system 
capacity assessment interview protocol for local partner staff; state 
system capacity assessment interview protocol for employer partner 
staff; youth apprenticeship baseline survey and consent form for 
program staff; youth apprenticeship interview protocol for program 
staff; youth apprenticeship interview protocol for program partners; 
and youth apprenticeship interview protocol for follow-up with program 
staff.
    Type of Review: New information collection request.
    OMB Control Number: 1290-0NEW.
    Affected Public: Program staff, program partners, and participants 
of the Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector-Based Strategies, Closing 
the Skills Gap, and Youth Apprenticeship Readiness grants. 
Additionally, state staff, partners, and representatives of local and 
regional apprenticeship initiatives and programs.
    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.

                                          Estimated Annual Burden Hours
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                                                                                  Average burden
    Type of instrument (form/        Number of       Number of     Total number      time per        Estimated
            activity)               respondents    responses per   of responses      response      burden hours
                                                    respondent                        (hours)
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Apprenticeship grantee survey...          \1\ 17               1              17             3.0              51
State System Capacity Assessment          \2\ 25               1              25             2.0              50
 interview protocol--state staff
State System Capacity Assessment          \3\ 30               1              30             1.0              30
 interview protocol--local lead
 organization staff.............
State System Capacity Assessment          \4\ 50               1              50             1.0              50
 interview protocol--local
 partner staff..................
State System Capacity Assessment          \5\ 10               1              10             1.0              10
 interview protocol--employer
 partner staff..................
Youth Apprenticeship survey and                5               1               5             1.5             7.5
 consent--program staff.........
Youth Apprenticeship interview            \6\ 12               1              12             1.0              12
 protocol--program staff........
Youth Apprenticeship interview            \7\ 18               1              18             1.0              18
 protocol--program partners.....

[[Page 7883]]

 
Youth Apprenticeship interview             \8\ 6               1               6             1.0               6
 protocol--follow-up with
 program staff..................
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    Total.......................             173  ..............             173  ..............           234.5
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\1\ Assumes 23 Scaling Apprenticeship and 28 Closing the Skill Gap grantees over the three-year clearance
  period.
\2\ Assumes interviews with 5 staff in state programs in 15 states over the three-year clearance period.
\3\ Assumes interviews with 6 staff in lead organizations in 15 states over the three-year clearance period.
\4\ Assumes interviews with 10 staff in local partner organizations in 15 states over the three-year clearance
  period.
\5\ Assumes interviews with 2 staff with employers in 15 states over the three-year clearance period.
\6\ Assumes interviews with 4 program staff in 9 sites over the three-year clearance period.
\7\ Assumes interviews with 6 program partner staff in 9 sites over the three-year clearance period.
\8\ Assumes follow-up interviews with 2 program staff in 9 sites over the three-year clearance period.


Christina Yancey,
Chief Evaluation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2021-02111 Filed 2-1-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-HX-P