Multiple Employment And Training Programs: Overlapping Programs Indicate
Need for Closer Examination of Structure (Letter Report, 10/13/2000,
GAO/GAO-01-71).
A strong competitive workforce is necessary to succeed in today's era of
technological advances and increased global competition. Congress is
interested in ensuring that employment and training programs foster a
coherent and efficient approach to helping individuals find jobs in an
environment characterized by changing labor demands. GAO identified 40
federally funded employment and training programs for which a key
program goal is providing assistance to persons trying to find
employment or improve their job skills. The most frequently cited target
populations were Native Americans, youths, and veterans. Several
programs target the same populations and provide similar services. This
overlap could result in inefficiencies and rudundancies. To assess
whether such overlap is creating duplication among programs, agencies
need to collect and analyze information on the eligibility requirements
for the target populations. Federal regulations, such as the Government
Performance and Results Act, provide agencies with the opportunity to
coordinate their activities with other agencies. It also provides
agencies with a framework to measure and evaluate the progress of their
efforts.
--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------
REPORTNUM: GAO-01-71
TITLE: Multiple Employment And Training Programs: Overlapping
Programs Indicate Need for Closer Examination of
Structure
DATE: 10/13/2000
SUBJECT: Workfare
Employment or training programs
Disadvantaged persons
Redundancy
Federal aid programs
Vocational education
Interagency relations
IDENTIFIER: HHS Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program
DOL Employment Service Program
Community Services Block Grant
Dept. of Education Vocational Rehabilitation State Grant
Program
DOL Summer Youth Employment and Training Program
Dept. of Education Adult Education Act State Program
Vocational Education Basic Grant
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GAO-01-71
A
Report to the Chairman, Committee on the Budget, House of Representatives
October 2000 MULTIPLE EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAMS
Overlapping Programs Indicate Need for Closer Examination of Structure
GAO- 01- 71
Letter 3 Appendixes Appendix I: Estimated Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriations
Used for
Employment and Training Services 30 Appendix II: Services and Activities of
Federally Funded
Employment and Training Programs That Identified Primary Target Groups 32
Appendix III: Program Objectives and Eligibility Criteria for Federally
Funded Employment and Training Programs 34
Appendix IV: Comments From the Department of Education 41 Appendix V:
Comments From the Department of Health and Human
Services 45 Appendix VI: Comments From the Department of Housing and Urban
Development 49 Appendix VII: Comments From the Department of the Interior 50
Appendix VIII: Comments From the Department of Labor 51 Appendix IX:
Comments From the Department of Veterans Affairs 56 Appendix X: GAO Contacts
and Staff Acknowledgments 57
Tables Table 1: Estimated Proportion of Fiscal Year 1999 Budget
Appropriation Used on Employment and Training
Services and Activities 10 Table 2: Estimated Number of Program Participants
Who Received
Employment and Training Services, Fiscal Year 1999 14 Table 3: Programs That
Required That Their Participants Be
Economically Disadvantaged in Order to Be Eligible for Services 19 Table 4:
Services That Programs Serving Native Americans
Provided, Fiscal Year 1999 21 Table 5: Services That Programs Serving Youths
Provided, Fiscal
Year 1999 22 Table 6: Services That Programs Serving Veterans Provided,
Fiscal
Year 1999 22
Figures Figure 1: Federally Funded Employment and Training Programs by
Agency, Fiscal Year 1999 9
Figure 2: The Six Programs That Accounted for Nearly Two- Thirds of Funding
Used for Employment and Training Services and Activities, Fiscal Year 1999
12 Figure 3: Federally Funded Employment and Training Programs
by Target Group, Fiscal Year 1999 16 Figure 4: The Services and Activities
of 33 Federally Funded
Employment and Training Programs That Identified a Primary Target Population
18
Abbreviations
HHS Department of Health and Human Services HUD Department of Housing and
Urban Development JTPA Job Training Partnership Act OMB Office of Management
and Budget TANF Temporary Assistance for Needy Families VA Department of
Veterans Affairs WIA Workforce Investment Act
Lett er
October 13, 2000 The Honorable John R. Kasich Chairman, Committee on the
Budget House of Representatives
Dear Mr. Chairman: A strong competitive workforce is necessary to succeed in
today's era of technological advances and increased global competition. For
more than 50 years, the federal government has invested considerable effort
and resources to help people find productive employment by administering an
array of employment and training programs. The Congress is interested in
ensuring that these programs foster a coherent and efficient approach to
helping individuals find jobs in an environment characterized by changing
labor demands. In the 1990s, we issued a series of reports that raised
issues regarding the efficiency and effectiveness of the federally funded
employment training system and concluded that a structural overhaul and
consolidation of these programs was needed. In 1998, in response to concerns
regarding the fragmented employment and training system, the Congress passed
the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). One of WIA's primary features provides
for closer coordination of employment and training services by requiring a
centralized service delivery system for many federal programs by
establishing one- stop- centers, yet WIA consolidated only a few employment
and training programs.
Because of your interest in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of
federally funded workforce development assistance, you asked us to provide
information on such employment and training programs. This report provides
information on (1) federally funded employment and training programs for
which a key program goal is providing assistance to persons trying to find
employment or improve their job skills, including data on each program's
federal budget appropriation for fiscal years 1999 and 2000 and the
proportion of the appropriation used for employment and training services
and activities; (2) the groups of individuals these programs are targeting,
the services each program provides, and possible areas of overlap; and (3)
the type of information needed to assess whether these programs are
duplicative and inefficient and issues to be considered in developing
options to improve the overall efficiency of federally funded employment and
training programs.
To address your request, we analyzed the June and December 1999 Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance to identify programs that directly fund or
support employment and training services and activities and that have as a
key program goal providing assistance to persons who are trying to find
employment or improve their job skills. We also sent a questionnaire to
employment and training program officials at seven federal agencies, and we
obtained information on the proportion of fiscal year 1999 and 2000 federal
appropriations used specifically for employment and training services and
activities, target populations served, the number of persons receiving
services from each program, and the specific services each program provides.
In contrast to our past reports, this report focuses on programs in which
employment and training services and activities- also known as workforce
development activities- are a key program component. 1 We did not include
loan or grant programs such as the Federal Pell Grant Program. While such
programs provide some funding for students in vocational schools, their
primary goal is providing financial assistance to students in postsecondary
institutions such as colleges and universities. 2 We also did not include
programs, such as those supporting economic and community development
projects or small business enterprises, that may provide some workforce
development activities but that do not focus on employment and training as a
key program goal. We conducted our work from December 1999 to October 2000
in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.
Results in Brief We identified 40 federally funded employment and training
programs for which a key program goal is providing assistance to persons
trying to find
employment or improve their job skills. Seven federal agencies and 1 See,
for example, Multiple Employment Training Programs: Major Overhaul Needed to
Reduce Costs, Streamline the Bureaucracy, and Improve Results( GAO/ T- HEHS-
95- 53, Jan. 10, 1995) and Multiple Employment Training Programs:
Conflicting Requirements Underscore Need for Change( GAO/ T- HEHS- 94- 120,
Mar. 10, 1994). 2 In addition to Pell Grants, we identified five other major
loan and grant programs that the Department of Education administers. While
the primary goal of these programs is to help individuals attain a
postsecondary education, they also provide funding for individuals attending
vocational schools. In 1999, the Congress appropriated $39 billion for these
programs, of which 19 percent was spent on financial assistance to students
attending vocational institutions. Education defines vocational institutions
as 2- year public, 2- year private, and for- profit trade schools.
departments administer these programs, although the departments of Labor,
Education, and Health and Human Services (HHS) are responsible for most of
them. The 35 programs that provided us with data on how funds were used
indicated that $11. 7 billion funded workforce development activities and
that 6 of these programs accounted for nearly two- thirds of the $11. 7
billion. The number of participants the programs served ranged from one
program that served only 318 persons to another that served 12 million.
Thirty- three of the 40 employment and training programs served primarily a
single target group in fiscal year 1999. The most frequently cited target
populations were Native Americans (10 programs), youths (5 programs), and
veterans (5 programs). Twelve of these programs also required that their
participants be economically disadvantaged in order to receive services.
Most of the 33 programs offered their participants a wide range of
employment and training services. While many of these targeted programs
overlap by serving the same general target group and providing similar
services, some participants may be eligible for one program but not another
because program eligibility criteria differ. For example, one of the Native
American programs serves only disabled Native Americans while another serves
only Native Hawaiians.
Programs overlap when multiple agencies administer programs that are
designed to achieve similar outcomes. Such overlap creates the potential for
duplication of, or gaps in, service delivery, as well as administrative
inefficiencies. While program overlap is sometimes necessary to meet federal
priorities, it can create an environment in which programs do not serve
participants as efficiently and effectively as possible. To determine
whether duplication and inefficiencies result from overlap among employment
and training programs, one would have to obtain and analyze a considerable
amount of additional information beyond that in our review, such as
participant eligibility requirements, whether programs are providing similar
services to similar groups of individuals, information on program
effectiveness, and the relative costs and benefits of different service
delivery mechanisms. In addition, because effective coordination among
programs can reduce the likelihood of duplication and inefficiency,
information on the degree of coordination among programs with similar
objectives is also needed. To address the potential consequences of program
overlap, policymakers could choose to look more closely at programs that
serve similar target populations and provide similar services and, where
appropriate, choose to integrate or consolidate programs or establish
mechanisms to ensure program coordination. WIA plays a role in
coordinating service delivery of federally funded employment and training
programs by requiring that more than a dozen federal programs make certain
services available through the one- stop centers.
On an administrative level, agencies' annual performance plans, submitted
under the Government Performance and Results Act, provide agencies an
opportunity to describe their activities to coordinate their employment and
training programs. While Labor, Education, and HHS generally discuss in
their performance plans ongoing or planned efforts to coordinate with other
federal agencies, the plans discuss to a limited degree specific
coordination efforts pertaining to employment and training programs. In
addition, information derived from evaluation and analysis conducted by
agencies, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), or others could
identify opportunities for greater coordination and the degree of program
inefficiencies as well as methods for addressing these areas. OMB could also
use the governmentwide performance plan, based on agencies' annual
performance plans, to more directly address crosscutting programs.
Background During the 1990s, we issued a series of reports that documented
mission fragmentation and program overlap among federally funded employment
and training programs and identified possible areas of resulting
inefficiencies. 3 In 1994, we reported that overlap among federally funded
employment and training programs raised questions concerning the efficient
and effective use of resources. 4 In 1995, we reported that program overlap
might hinder persons seeking assistance and frustrate employers and program
administrators. 5 Both fragmentation and overlap occur when more than one
federal agency (or more than one bureau within an agency) is involved in the
same broad area of national service need. Program overlap creates the
potential for duplication, which occurs when programs have the same
eligibility criteria, provide similar services in the same
3 See, for example, Multiple Employment Training Programs: Overlapping
Programs Can Add Unnecessary Administrative Costs( GAO/ HEHS- 94- 80, Jan.
28, 1994), Managing for Results: Using the Results Act to Address Mission
Fragmentation and Program Overlap( GAO/ AIMD97- 146, Aug. 29, 1997), and
GAO/ T- HEHS- 95- 53. 4 Multiple Employment Training Programs: Overlap Among
Programs Raises Questions About Efficiency( GAO/ HEHS- 94- 193, July 11,
1994).
5 Multiple Employment Training Programs: Major Overhaul Needed to Create a
More Efficient, Customer- Driven System( GAO/ T- HEHS- 95- 70, Feb. 6,
1995).
location, have similar service delivery mechanisms, and provide the same
activities or strategies to achieve their program goals.
In 1998, the Congress passed WIA in response to concerns about the
inefficiencies in the federal workforce development effort. WIA repealed the
Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), effective July 1, 2000, and replaced
JTPA programs for economically disadvantaged adults and youths, and
dislocated workers with three new programs- Adult, Dislocated Worker, and
Youth. 6 Under WIA, the Summer Youth Employment and Training Program was
eliminated as a separately funded program, but local areas are required to
offer summer employment opportunities as part of the youth program. Separate
funding streams remain for adult and dislocated worker activities.
In an effort to coordinate service delivery for employment and training
programs, WIA established one- stop centers in all states. Individuals
seeking employment opportunities and training can receive services from more
than a dozen federal programs that are required to offer their services
through these one- stop centers. Unlike the JTPA adult program, WIA imposes
no income eligibility requirements for applicants receiving any of its
“core” services, such as job search assistance and employment
counseling and assessment. Any person visiting a one- stop center may look
for a job, receive career development services, and gain access to a range
of vocational education programs. While WIA consolidated the two JTPA youth
programs and strengthened the service delivery of key workforce development
programs, most employment and training programs remain separately funded and
continue to be operated by various agencies. 7
6 WIA also repealed the Adult Education Act and replaced it with the Adult
Education and Family Literacy Act, amended the Wagner- Peyser Act
(Employment Service) to require that the program's activities be provided as
part of the WIA one- stop system, and amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
(vocational rehabilitation). WIA repealed other statutes as well.
7 WIA repealed numerous Labor programs, some of which had not continued to
be funded.
Multiple Programs We identified 40 programs that provide services intended
to (1) help job
Exist but Funding seekers find employment, (2) enhance specific job skills
in order to
increase employability, or (3) identify job opportunities. Seven federal and
Participation Are
agencies administer these programs; however, Labor, Education, and HHS
Concentrated
are responsible for 34 of the 40 programs. (See fig. 1.) Agencies estimated
Among a Few
that their programs allocated at least $11.7 billion to fund employment and
training services in that same year. (See table 1.) (Agency officials
responsible for five programs were unable to estimate the amount of their
funding that goes to employment and training services.) Six of the 35
programs that provided funding data on employment and training services
accounted for 64 percent of this amount (see fig. 2). Education operated the
largest program in terms of funding- the State Vocational Rehabilitation
Services program- which used about $1. 8 billion to fund employment and
training services in fiscal year 1999. Labor administers four of the five
other largest programs, and HHS administers the fifth. In contrast to these
large programs, almost half of the 35 programs reported that they each
allocated less than $50 million to fund employment and training services in
fiscal year 1999.
Figure 1: Federally Funded Employment and Training Programs by Agency,
Fiscal Year 1999
a These programs were previously authorized by JTPA and reauthorized under
WIA. b WIA programs replaced JTPA programs, effective July 1, 2000.
Table 1: Estimated Proportion of Fiscal Year 1999 Budget Appropriation Used
on Employment and Training Services and Activities
Program Amount used Appropriation Percentage used
State Vocational Rehabilitation Services $1,792,128, 000 $2,287, 128, 000 78
Welfare- to- Work Grants to States and Localities 1, 500,000, 000 1,500,
000, 000 100 JTPA Employment and Training Assistance-Dislocated Workers
(Title III) a 1,309,994, 700 1,350, 510, 000 97
Job Corps b 1,308,000, 000 1,308, 000, 000 100 JTPA Summer Youth Employment
and Training (Title II- B) a 871,000, 000 871, 000, 000 100 Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families c 869,164, 720 17,692, 000, 000 5 Employment
Service 761,700, 000 761, 700, 000 100 JTPA Adult Training (Title II- A) a
731, 222, 314 955,000, 000 77 Vocational Rehabilitation for Disabled
Veterans 483,690, 000 483, 690, 000 100 Senior Community Service Employment
Program 440,200, 000 440, 200, 000 100 Adult Education-State Grant Program
365,000, 000 365, 000, 000 100 Vocational Education-Basic Grants to States d
327,240, 000 1,013, 128, 950 32 Food Stamp Employment and Training Program
186,292, 309 269, 354, 000 69 JTPA Youth Training (Title II- C) a 130,000,
000 130, 000, 000 100 Trade Adjustment Assistance and NAFTA-Transitional
Adjustment Assistance 120, 000, 000 360,700, 000 33
Disabled Veterans Outreach Program 80,010, 000 80, 040, 000 100 Local
Veterans' Employment Representative Program 77,078, 000 77, 078, 000 100
Native American Employment and Training Programs b 69,639, 842 69, 639, 842
100 Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers b 67,596, 408 71, 517, 000 95 Refugee
and Entrant Assistance-Targeted Assistance 44,529, 300 49, 477, 000 90 State
Supported Employment Services Program 37,770, 000 38, 152, 000 99 Community
Services Block Grant-Discretionary Awards 26,560, 000 26, 560, 000 100
Projects with Industry 21,850, 290 22, 071, 000 99 Opportunities for
Youth-Youthbuild Program 19,500, 000 39, 600, 000 49 Registered
Apprenticeship Training 17,660, 000 17, 660, 000 100 American Indian
Vocational Rehabilitation Services 17,283, 000 17, 283, 000 100 Welfare- to-
Work Grants to Federally Recognized Tribes and Alaska Natives 15,000, 000
15, 000, 000 100
Indian Employment Assistance 10,859, 000 10, 859, 000 100 Veterans'
Employment Program b 7,300, 000 7, 300, 000 100 Refugee Assistance-Voluntary
Agency Programs 5, 900, 000 43, 100, 000 14 Homeless Veterans' Reintegration
Project 2,994, 332 3, 000, 000 100 Tribal Work Grants 1, 700, 000 1, 700,
000 100
(Continued From Previous Page)
Program Amount used Appropriation Percentage used
Migrant Education-High School Equivalency Program 900, 000 9, 000, 000 10
Native Hawaiian Vocational Education 231, 103 2, 576, 625 9 Indian Job
Placement-United Sioux Tribes Development Corporation 107, 000 107, 000 100
Community Services Block Grant e 499,828, 821 e Native American Vocational
and Technical Education Program e 12, 883, 125 e Grants to States for
Incarcerated Youth Offenders e 12, 000, 000 e Tribally Controlled Post-
secondary Vocational and Technical Institutions e 4,100, 000 e
Indian Vocational Training-United Tribes Technical College e 2,370, 000 e
Total $11, 720,100, 318 $30,920, 313, 363
a WIA programs replaced JTPA programs, effective July 1, 2000. b These
programs were previously authorized by JTPA and reauthorized under WIA. c
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program officials reported
that this figure represents states' expenditures on “work
activities” for fiscal year 1999. According to an HHS official, there
was no federal definition of work activities for fiscal year 1999 when the
data were collected. d Includes only the proportion of grants that states
used to fund postsecondary vocational education.
e Agency officials were unable to estimate the amount spent on employment
and training activities.
Figure 2: The Six Programs That Accounted for Nearly Two- Thirds of Funding
Used for Employment and Training Services and Activities, Fiscal Year 1999
Combined Funding for Remaining 29 Programs
State Vocational Rehabilitation Services
a
15% 36%
13%
Welfare- to- Work Grants to States and Localities
11%
b Job Corps
7% 7% 11% JTPA Title III Employment and
Training Assistance- Dislocated Workers
c Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
JTPA Title II- B Summer Youth Employment and Training
c
a This number includes only the proportion of the grants that states used to
fund postsecondary vocational education. b This program was previously
authorized by JTPA and was reauthorized under WIA.
c WIA programs replaced JTPA programs, effective July 1, 2000.
Twenty- five programs estimated that they used 90 percent or more of their
fiscal year 1999 budget appropriation to fund employment and training
services. Twenty of these programs reported that they used 100 percent of
their funds on employment and training services, with Labor and Education
administering three- fourths of these programs. Of the five programs that
did not provide funding data on employment and training services, only one-
the Community Services Block Grant ($ 500 million)- received a substantial
amount of appropriated funding in fiscal year 1999. Although appropriated
funding for the 40 employment and training programs decreased somewhat from
fiscal year 1999 to fiscal year 2000, the proportion of funding designated
for employment and training services by the 34 programs that provided data
for both years remained similar (see appendix I for fiscal year 2000 data).
8
The number of participants each program served ranged from 318 to 12
million. (See table 2.) Seven of the 39 programs that were able to estimate
the number of participants reported serving 500,000 or more individuals.
Four of the seven programs- Employment Service, the Adult Education- State
Grant Program, Vocational Education-Basic Grants to States, and State
Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program- each reported serving more than
1 million individuals. Education administers three of these four programs.
In contrast to these larger programs, 14 programs each reported serving
fewer than 5,000 individuals.
8 TANF program officials were unable to provide an estimate of the funds
used to support employment and training services for fiscal year 2000.
Table 2: Estimated Number of Program Participants Who Received Employment
and Training Services, Fiscal Year 1999
Program Number
Employment Service 12, 000, 000 Adult Education-State Grant Program 4, 020,
000 Vocational Education-Basic Grants to States 4, 000, 000 a State
Vocational Rehabilitation Services 1, 200, 000 b Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families 875, 000 Food Stamp Employment and Training Program 700, 000
JTPA Employment and Training Assistance-Dislocated Workers (Title III) c
500, 000
Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program 498, 655 Local Veterans' Employment
Representative Program 498, 401 JTPA Summer Youth Employment and Training
(Title II- B) c 480, 000 Registered Apprenticeship Training 411, 000 JTPA
Adult Training (Title II- A) c 293, 724 Welfare- to- Work Grants to States
and Localities 142, 500 JTPA Youth Training (Title II- C) c 120, 000 Senior
Community Service Employment Program 101, 000 Job Corps d 70, 685 Vocational
Rehabilitation for Disabled Veterans 52, 000 Refugee and Entrant
Assistance-Targeted Assistance 46, 600 Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers d
42, 200 State Supported Employment Services Program 37, 008 Trade Adjustment
Assistance and NAFTA-Transitional Adjustment Assistance 30, 000
Tribal Work Grants 21, 761 Refugee Assistance-Voluntary Agency Programs 24,
000 Native American Employment and Training Programs d 19, 367 Projects with
Industry 13, 945 Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Project 4, 136 Indian Job
Placement-United Sioux Tribes Development Corporation 3, 683 Veterans'
Employment Program d 3,615 American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation
Services 3, 200 Indian Employment Assistance 3,200 Grants to States for
Incarcerated Youth Offenders 3, 000 Welfare- to- Work Grants to Federally
Recognized Tribes and Alaska Natives 2,970
(Continued From Previous Page)
Program Number
Opportunities for Youth-Youthbuild Program 2, 767 Community Services Block
Grant-Discretionary Awards 2, 000 Native American Vocational and Technical
Education Program 1, 788 Migrant Education-High School Equivalency Program
1, 600 Indian Vocational Training-United Tribes Technical College 559
Tribally Controlled Post- secondary Vocational and Technical Institutions
500
Native Hawaiian Vocational Education 318 Community Services Block Grant e a
This number includes only individuals participating in postsecondary
vocational and technical
educational institutions. b This number includes the 37,008 individuals
participating in the State Supported Employment
Services program. c WIA programs replaced JTPA programs, effective July 1,
2000.
d These programs were previously authorized by JTPA and reauthorized under
WIA. e Program officials were unable to provide an estimate of the number of
individuals who received employment and training services during fiscal year
1999.
Most Programs Serve a Thirty- three of the 40 programs served primarily one
target group in fiscal
Primary Target Group year 1999, and most of these 33 programs offered their
participants a wide
range of workforce development activities. (While 13 of the 33 programs and
Some Have
served only one group of individuals, 20 programs served multiple target
Overlapping Target
groups but had one group as their primary target.) Some of these programs
Groups and Services
serve the same target population and offer similar services. Although some
may serve the same general target population, some participants may be
eligible for one program but not another because aspects of eligibility
criteria differ.
Programs Target a Of the 33 programs that targeted a group of individuals in
fiscal year 1999
Particular Group and Provide a Range of
10 targeted Native Americans; Services
5 targeted youths; 5 targeted veterans, including disabled veterans; 3
targeted persons with disabilities; and 3 targeted unemployed,
underemployed, or hard- to- employ persons.
(See fig. 3.)
Figure 3: Federally Funded Employment and Training Programs by Target Group,
Fiscal Year 1999
a These programs were previously authorized by JTPA and reauthorized under
WIA. b WIA programs replaced JTPA programs, effective July 1, 2000.
In addition to targeting a specific group, 12 of these 33 programs require
that their participants be economically disadvantaged in order to receive
services. For example, participants in four of the five youth programs must
be economically disadvantaged to receive services.
Most of the 33 programs with a primary target population offered their
participants a number of employment and training services. For example, 27
of the 33 targeted programs offered at least 6 employment and training
services, and 16 programs offered 10 or more services. 9 Twenty- nine of the
33 programs provided job search and job placement activities, 28 provided
employment counseling and assessment, and 26 provided occupational or
vocational training. (See fig. 4 and appendix II for information on
individual programs and services offered.)
9 In the questionnaire we administered to program officials, we cited 11
employment and training services and activities that are common among
workforce development programs. We asked the officials to indicate which
ones their programs funded during fiscal year 1999. We also gave them the
opportunity to specify other services and activities that were not listed in
the questionnaire but that their programs provided.
Figure 4: The Services and Activities of 33 Federally Funded Employment and
Training Programs That Identified a Primary Target Population
Number of Programs
35 30
29 28
26
25
24 24 23
22 21
20
19 19 17
15 10
5 0
or Skills
Referrals Training
Training Search Activities
Assessment Occupational Training
Job Job Development DiplomaAssistance
Academic Training k Experience
Job Counselingand Readiness On- the- Job Retention Wor andJob Placement
Employment Vocational Job Job Equivalency Remedial andEnglish Language
General Seven of the 40 programs did not identify a primary target group.
All but
one of these seven programs each served at least four different target
groups, and two required that their participants be economically
disadvantaged to receive services. (See table 3 for the 14 programs that
required participants to be economically disadvantaged.) Five of these seven
programs served Native Americans, five served youths, and four served
veterans. Three of the programs that served multiple target groups
(Employment Service, Adult Education-State Grant Program, and Vocational
Education-Basic Grants to States) are the largest in terms of the number of
participants served. These seven programs also offered their participants a
wide range of employment and training services, with almost all programs
offering four or more services.
Table 3: Programs That Required That Their Participants Be Economically
Disadvantaged in Order to Be Eligible for Services
Department Program
Labor Homeless Veterans Reintegration Project Job Corps a JTPA Adult
Training (Title II- A) JTPA Summer Youth Employment and Training (Title II-
B) JTPA Youth Training (Title II- C) Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers a
Senior Community Services Employment Program Welfare- to- Work Grants to
Federally Recognized Tribes and
Alaska Natives Welfare- to- Work Grants to States and Localities
HHS Community Services Block Grant Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
Education Migrant Education- High School Equivalency Agriculture Food Stamp
Employment and Training Program Housing and Urban
Opportunities for Youth- Youthbuild Development Note: A few of these
programs provide services to some participants who are not economically
disadvantaged. For example, JTPA Adult (Title II- A) and JTPA Youth (Title
II- C) programs permit up to 10 percent of participants to be individuals
who are not economically disadvantaged if the participants face barriers to
employment. In addition, the WIA adult and dislocated worker programs, which
replaced the respective JTPA programs, do not require that participants be
economically disadvantaged to receive services. However, if funds are
limited, priority must be given to welfare recipients and low- income
individuals for intensive and training services. a Previously authorized by
JTPA and reauthorized under WIA.
Some Programs That Serve Programs that target Native Americans, youths, and
veterans provide many
the Same Target of the same services. For example, of the 10 programs that
targeted Native
Populations Provide Many Americans in fiscal year 1999, 9 provided
occupational or vocational
of the Same Services training and 7 each offered employment counseling and
assessment, job
search and job placement activities, on- the- job training, and job
readiness skills. (See table 4.) According to agency officials, fiscal year
1999 appropriated funding for most of these Native American programs was
less than $50 million, and most of these programs served fewer than 5, 000
participants. 10
10 The Indian Employment, Training, and Related Services Demonstration Act
(Public Law No. 102- 477) authorizes tribal governments to combine the
federal funds that they receive under formula grant programs related to
employment or training under a single plan, a single budget, and a single
reporting system. Participation is voluntary; no tribe is required to
participate.
Table 4: Services That Programs Serving Native Americans Provided, Fiscal
Year 1999
a Previously authorized by JTPA and reauthorized under WIA.
Programs that target youths also offer a similar array of services. For
example, all five programs that target youths offer employment counseling
and assessment, job search and job placement activities, job referrals, and
job readiness. Programs that target veterans also offer many of the same
services to their participants. For example, all five veterans programs
offer employment counseling and assessment and job search and job placement
activities. In addition, four of the five veterans programs offer job
referrals. (See tables 5 and 6.) Appropriated funding for two of the youth
and two of the veterans programs was less than $50 million, and these
programs served fewer than 5, 000 participants.
Table 5: Services That Programs Serving Youths Provided, Fiscal Year 1999
a Previously authorized by JTPA and reauthorized under WIA. b WIA programs
replaced JTPA programs, effective July 1, 2000.
Table 6: Services That Programs Serving Veterans Provided, Fiscal Year 1999
a Previously authorized by JTPA and reauthorized under WIA.
While many programs may serve the same general target populations, specific
eligibility requirements differ, thereby excluding some segments of the
target population. For example, one of the programs serving Native Americans
served only disabled Native Americans residing on a federal or state
reservation, and another served only Native Hawaiians. Similarly, one of the
five youth programs served only incarcerated youths and one of the veterans
programs served only homeless veterans. (See appendix III for more
information on program objectives and beneficiary eligibility criteria.)
Additional Data Are We identified 40 employment and training programs
administered by seven
Needed to Determine federal agencies, and we identified overlap among
programs that serve the
same target populations, such as those serving Native Americans, youths,
Whether Program
and veterans. Such overlap indicates potential duplication among programs
Overlap Results in
that serve the same participants and offer similar services. However, to
Duplication and
determine whether these programs are actually duplicative- that is, whether
they provide similar types of services to similar target groups- an
Inefficiencies analysis of the eligibility requirements for the target
populations of each
program would have to be conducted and information would have to be obtained
on whether these programs are delivering similar services. In addition, to
address inefficiencies, policymakers would need to know whether programs are
effectively meeting their own program goals as well as federal strategic
goals, the nature of program structures, including administrative costs, and
the degree of coordination among programs that have similar objectives.
Information derived from program evaluation and analysis that agencies, OMB,
or others have done could also identify the degree of program inefficiencies
as well as methods for addressing them. Such additional analysis could, for
example, lead policymakers to direct agencies to better coordinate programs
with other agencies that share the same program mission, integrate program
services from one program into others, or consolidate several programs into
one. 11
The Congress sought to encourage coordination among federally funded
employment and training programs by enacting WIA. WIA has as its primary
goal integrating and streamlining services by requiring that more than a
dozen employment and training programs provide services at the
11 For a discussion of potential duplication among early childhood education
programs, see Early Education and Care: Overlap Indicates Need to Assess
Crosscutting Programs (GAO/ HEHS- 00- 78, Apr. 28, 2000).
one- stop centers. The degree to which services are integrated and the form
of service integration have generally been left to the states and localities
to decide. However, WIA generally provides for greater local control and
closer coordination among employment and training programs than before it
was passed. 12 WIA also provides states with the opportunity to submit a
single unified plan to meet the planning requirements of several federal
statutes. Seventeen programs described in this report are mandatory partners
in the one- stop centers. 13
In addition, the Government Performance and Results Act can facilitate
congressional oversight of issues that cut across several federal
departments because the act requires agencies to develop strategic and
annual performance plans that specify program goals, objectives, and
performance measures that agencies can use to coordinate program efforts
across the federal government. 14 Program evaluations that assess
performance may also be conducted by agencies or other entities to provide
performance information on similar programs in order to facilitate
comparisons of programs. Coordinating crosscutting programs is important
because unfocused and uncoordinated crosscutting programs waste scarce
funds, frustrate program customers, and limit overall program effectiveness.
15 Moreover, as we reported in January 1995, many programs with common
goals, comparable target groups, and similar services maintain separate
administrative structures. In some cases, these programs
12 See Workforce Investment Act: Implementation Status and the Integration
of TANF Services( GAO/ T- HEHS- 00- 145, June 29, 2000). 13 The mandatory
partners are Community Services Block Grant; Community Services Block Grant-
Discretionary Awards; Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program; Employment
Service; Job Corps; Local Veterans' Employment Representative Program;
Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers Program; Native American Employment and
Training Programs; Opportunities For Youth- Youthbuild Program; Senior
Community Service Employment Program; State Vocational Rehabilitation
Services; Trade Adjustment Assistance and NAFTA-Transitional Adjustment
Assistance; Vocational Education- Basic Grants to States; Welfare- to- Work
Grants to States and Localities; WIA Adults; WIA Dislocated Workers; WIA
Youth.
14 In addition, OMB has issued guidance stating that for crosscutting
issues, agencies should describe efforts to coordinate so that goals are
consistent and program efforts are mutually reinforcing. See Results Act:
Using Agency Performance Plans to Oversee Early Childhood Programs, (GAO/ T-
HEHS- 99- 93, Mar. 25, 1999).
15 Managing for Results: Opportunities for Continued Improvements in
Agencies' Performance Plans( GAO/ GGD/ AIMD- 99- 215, July 20, 1999).
could realize substantial savings if they eliminated the separate staffs
that administer, monitor, and evaluate programs. 16
While agency performance plans often discuss coordination efforts with other
federal programs that have similar goals, in the past we have found that few
plans discuss planned strategies for coordination. 17 We found that Labor's,
Education's, and HHS' 2001 performance plans discuss, to a limited degree,
efforts to coordinate with other federal agencies. We recently reported that
Labor's 1999 Performance Report and Fiscal Year 2001 Plan includes goals
that indirectly address coordination, as well as strategies that include
coordination efforts. 18 Labor, for example, in discussing its crosscutting
issues, briefly describes its work with other federal, state, and local
agencies to develop a new performance measurement system for WIA programs.
In addition, Labor cites crosscutting federal efforts regarding the Homeless
Veterans' Reintegration Project, noting that Labor works closely with the
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) to refer homeless veterans who need social services to
appropriate programs. Veterans are then referred back to Labor's program for
job assistance. Labor's report also states that it “will establish
linkages” with HHS programs that deal with educational or workforce
activities for youths who live in high- poverty areas, as well as with HUD's
Youthbuild program.
We also recently reported that while the Administration for Children and
Families (which administers the HHS programs cited in this report) does not
have goals that directly address coordination, HHS' most recent performance
report and plan discuss how these programs have worked with their various
partners to develop program- specific goals. 19 However, in general, its
performance report and plan provide little, if any, information on specific
coordination efforts regarding its employment and training programs. For
example, no mention is made of efforts to coordinate
16 See GAO/ T- HEHS- 95- 53. 17 See GAO/ GGD/ AIMD- 99- 215. 18 Observations
on the Department of Labor's Fiscal Year 1999 Performance Report and Fiscal
Year 2001 Performance Plan( GAO/ HEHS- 00- 125R, June 30, 2000).
19 Observations on the Department of Health and Human Services' Fiscal Year
1999 Performance Report and Fiscal Year 2001 Performance Plan( GAO/ HEHS-
00- 127R, June 30, 2000).
services that Native American programs provide with those of Labor and
Education.
In addition, Education notes in its 1999 performance reports and 2001
performance plans that its strategies for building interagency collaboration
include identifying common goals and combining or streamlining similar
services. However, Education provides few examples in its performance plans
on how it will coordinate its relevant programs with employment and training
programs that other agencies administer. For example, Education's plans note
that State Vocational Rehabilitation Services and Adult Education will
coordinate with Labor in conducting workforce activities under WIA but does
not explain how these two programs will coordinate their services. In
addition, while the report states that American Indian Vocational
Rehabilitative Services will coordinate with HHS' Administration for Native
Americans, it gives no information on specific program activities related to
coordination between this program and HHS' Native American programs.
Individual agency performance plans and a greater role for OMB in
coordinating crosscutting programs could provide for enhanced interagency
coordination. In a recent report, we concluded that agencies could improve
their performance plans by focusing on areas that offer the greatest
opportunities for continuing improvements, including coordinating
crosscutting programs. 20 In that report, we recommended that OMB ensure
that executive agencies improve the usefulness of performance planning for
congressional and executive branch decisionmaking. Part of this improvement
would include coordinating crosscutting programs, with particular attention
to demonstrating that crosscutting programs are taking advantage of
opportunities to employ complementary performance goals, mutually
reinforcing strategies, and common or complementary performance measures. In
responding to our recommendation, the Director of OMB stated that OMB will
continue working with agencies to enhance the coverage of crosscutting
efforts within agencies' performance plans but expects the process of
developing goals for crosscutting programs to take several years. 21 Labor
officials told us that OMB meets monthly with the Assistant Secretaries from
nine
20 See GAO/ GGD/ AIMD- 99- 215. 21 November 22, 1999, letter from the
Director of OMB to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Governmental
Affairs regarding our recommendation that OMB ensure that agencies improve
their performance planning.
federal agencies that are responsible for administering the one- stop
programs and that over the past year the group published “unified
planning guidance as well as a technical assistance guide on cost allocation
and resource sharing.”
In another recent report, we concluded that OMB could use the governmentwide
performance plan, which is to be based on agency performance plans, to more
directly address crosscutting programs. 22 As agencies work with OMB to
develop their annual performance plans, they could consider the extent to
which goals are complementary and the need for common performance measures
and use this reporting process to show how the goals were met and, if they
are unmet, what actions they need to take to meet these goals. Moreover, the
governmentwide performance plan and annual performance reports could set the
stage for a more integrated and focused dialogue between the Congress and
the administration about priorities and how the agencies interact in
implementing those priorities.
Agency Comments and We provided Education, HHS, HUD, Labor, VA, the
Department of
Our Evaluation Agriculture, and the Department of the Interior with the
opportunity to
comment on a draft of this report. Formal comments from Education, HHS, HUD,
Labor, Interior, and VA appear in appendixes IV- IX. In addition to the
comments discussed below, Education, HHS, and Labor provided technical
comments that we incorporated where appropriate. Agriculture officials
stated that they had no comments.
HUD and VA agreed with the findings in our report as they pertain to their
programs and provided no comments regarding changes to the report. HHS
stated that it supports efforts to coordinate services and activities among
federal programs and provided as an example its coordination efforts related
to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and WIA. Interior
also noted its efforts to coordinate services provided through Native
American programs. Interior pointed out that the Indian Employment,
Training, and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992 authorizes tribes
to combine funds received under individual programs into
22 The Government Performance and Results Act requires the president to
include with the annual budget submission a federal government performance
plan. The Congress intended that this plan would provide a comprehensive
picture of the annual performance goals for the fiscal year. See Managing
for Results: Barriers to Interagency Coordination( GAO/ GGD00- 106, Mar. 29,
2000.)
one comprehensive program and said that tribes may choose to combine some of
the Native American programs in our report.
Both Education and Labor noted the critical role of states and localities in
the implementation of WIA. Education commented that planning, decision
making, and service delivery under WIA training programs are state and local
responsibilities and that WIA gives states and local agencies flexibility
and responsibility in order to promote local coordination among partner
programs. Labor noted the potential for the consolidation of education and
training services provided by the one- stop partners at the state and local
levels. We agree that one- stop centers have the potential for coordinating
and streamlining services offered by the partners. Because WIA was just
recently implemented, it is too soon to determine how well states are
coordinating their services through the one- stops. States face challenges
as they work to integrate their services at one- stop centers. These include
establishing and formalizing partnerships, as required under WIA, and
integrating program services while responding to the multiple federal
requirements for these programs. 23
Education also said that the majority of its programs in our study have
broader goals than providing employment and services and that for all but
one program, those services are a small part of program services. While we
agree that many of Education's programs have the advancement of education as
a program goal, each program in our study has an important component related
to employment and training. Six of the 11 programs included in our report
are vocational and technical programs that serve individuals striving to
improve skills that lead to improved job opportunities. In addition,
Education officials responsible for 5 of the 11 education programs in our
review reported that their programs used 78 percent or more of their fiscal
year 1999 appropriation on employment and training services, with 4 programs
spending 99 percent or more on these services. Moreover, several Education
programs are mandatory partners in WIA one- stop centers.
Finally, Labor commented that our report suggests that one program might
appropriately serve individuals participating in youth and veterans
programs. We did not intend to imply that youth and veterans programs
overlap one another. We discussed overlap among programs serving youths
23 See GAO/ T- HEHS- 00- 145 for a discussion of states' efforts to
coordinate programs under one- stop centers.
and overlap among programs serving veterans. We have clarified the text
where appropriate.
We are sending copies of this report to the Honorable Dan Glickman,
Secretary of Agriculture; the Honorable Richard W. Riley, Secretary of
Education; the Honorable Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human
Services; the Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development; the Honorable Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior; the
Honorable Alexis Herman, Secretary of Labor; the Honorable Togo D. West Jr.,
Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and appropriate congressional committees. We
will also make copies available to others on request.
If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please contact me
at (202) 512- 7003 or Carol Dawn Petersen at (202) 512- 7066. Key
contributors to this report are listed in appendix X.
Sincerely yours, Sigurd R. Nilsen Director, Education, Workforce, and
Income Security Issues
Appendi xes Estimated Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriations
Appendi xI
Used for Employment and Training Services Program Amount used Appropriation
Percentage used
State Vocational Rehabilitation Services $2, 190, 587, 000 $2, 315, 587,000
95 WIA Dislocated Workers 1,589, 025, 000 1,589,025, 000 100 Job Corps a
1,358, 000, 000 1,358,000, 000 100 WIA Youth 1,240, 965, 000 1,240,965, 000
100 WIA Adults 950, 000, 000 950,000, 000 100 Employment Service 761, 700,
000 761,700, 000 100 Vocational Rehabilitation for Disabled Veterans 499,
016, 000 499,016, 000 100 Adult Education-State Grant Program 441, 916, 000
441,916, 000 100 Senior Community Service Employment Program 440, 200, 000
440,200, 000 100 Vocational Education-Basic Grants to States b 333, 337, 000
1,032,003, 440 32 Food Stamp Employment and Training Program 260, 000, 000
329,904, 000 79 Trade Adjustment Assistance and NAFTA-Transitional
Adjustment Assistance 123, 000, 000 415,150, 000 30
Disabled Veterans Outreach Program 80, 215, 000 80,215, 000 100 Local
Veterans' Employment Representation Program 77, 253,000 77,253, 000 100
Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers a 69, 750, 000 74, 195,000 94 Native
American Employment and Training Programs a 68, 814, 475 68,814, 475 100
Refugee and Entrant Assistance-Targeted Assistance 44, 529, 300 49,477, 000
90 State Supported Employment Services Program 37, 770, 000 38, 152,000 99
Community Services Block Grant-Discretionary Awards 26, 560, 000 26,560, 000
100
American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services 23, 390, 000 23,390, 000
100 Projects with Industry 21, 741, 417 22, 071,000 99 Opportunities for
Youth-Youthbuild Program 20, 000, 000 40, 000,000 50 Registered
Apprenticeship Training 19, 141, 000 19,141, 000 100 Indian Employment
Assistance 17, 724, 845 17,724, 845 100 Homeless Veterans' Reintegration
Project 9, 600,000 9, 636, 000 100 Veterans' Employment Program a 7, 300,000
‘ 100 c Refugee Assistance-Voluntary Agency Programs 6, 800, 000 53,
600,000 13 Tribal Work Grants 1, 700, 000 1, 700,000 100 Migrant
Education-High School Equivalency Program 1, 500,000 15,000, 000 10 Native
Hawaiian Vocational Education 250, 000 2, 639,125 9 Indian Job
Placement-United Sioux Tribes Development Corporation 0 0 d
Welfare- to- Work Grants to States and Localities 0 0 d Welfare- to- Work
Grants to Federally Recognized Tribes and Alaska Natives 0 0 d
Program Amount used Appropriation Percentage used
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families e 16, 689, 000,000 e Community
Services Block Grant e 527,700, 000 e Grants to States for Incarcerated
Youth Offenders e 14,000, 000 e Native American Vocational and Technical
Education Program e 13,195, 625 e
Tribally Controlled Post- secondary Vocational and Technical Institutions e
4,600, 000 e
Indian Vocational Training-United Tribes Technical College e 2,370, 000 e
Total $10,721, 785, 037 $29,251,200, 510
a Previously authorized by the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and
reauthorized under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). b Includes only the
proportion of the grants that states used to fund postsecondary vocational
education. c Rounded up to 100 from 99.6.
d Not funded in fiscal year 2000. Labor's Welfare- to- Work program and
Welfare- to- Work to Federally Recognized Tribes and Alaska Natives were
authorized to provide funding to states only during fiscal years 1998 and
1999. In addition, the Indian Job Placement-United Sioux Tribes Development
Corporation was not funded in fiscal year 2000. e Agency officials were
unable to estimate the amount spent on employment and training activities.
Services and Activities of Federally Funded Employment and Training Programs
That
Appendi xII Identified Primary Target Groups
a Previously authorized by JTPA and reauthorized under WIA. b WIA programs
replaced JTPA programs, effective July 1, 2000.
Program Objectives and Eligibility Criteria for Federally Funded Employment
and Training
Appendi xI II
Programs Program (department) Objective Eligibility criteria Dislocated
workers
JTPA Employment and Training To assist dislocated workers obtain
unsubsidized
Individuals who have been terminated or laid Assistance- Dislocated Workers
employment through training and related off or have received a notice of
termination or
(Title III) (replaced by WIA) employment services using primarily a
lay- off and who are not likely to return to their (Labor)
decentralized system of state and local programs. previous industry or
occupation or who have
received a notice of termination as a result of a permanent closure;
individuals who were selfemployed but are unemployed because of community
economic conditions or natural disaster; displaced homemakers; and the
longterm unemployed (not applicable under the WIA- Dislocated Worker
Program).
Trade Adjustment Assistance To provide retraining, job search, or relocation
The Department of Labor must find a TAA (TAA) and NAFTA- Transitional
assistance to workers adversely affected by beneficiary to have been
adversely affected by
Adjustment Assistance (Labor) increased imports in order to facilitate their
return to
increased imports and eligible to apply for the workforce in suitable
employment.
adjustment assistance. Eligibility requirements for NAFTA- TAA are primarily
the same as the TAA requirements, with the addition that individuals may be
eligible if they are adversely affected by plant relocation to Mexico or
Canada.
WIA Dislocated Workers To design, with states and local communities, a
Core services are accessible to dislocated (effective July 2000) (Labor)
revitalized workforce investment system that
workers, as defined by statute, through local provides workers with the
information, advice, job
one- stop centers. Intensive services may be search assistance, and training
they need to get and
provided to dislocated workers who are keep good jobs and to provide
employers with
unemployed and unable to obtain employment skilled workers.
through core services. Employed adults and dislocated workers in need of
intensive services in order to obtain or retain employment that allows for
self- sufficiency are also eligible to receive intensive services.
Individuals who have met the eligibility requirements for intensive services
may receive training services if they are unable to obtain or retain
employment through the intensive services, if they are able to participate
successfully, and if the training is linked to available employment
opportunities.
Migrant and seasonal farmworkers
Migrant Education- High School To assist students who are engaged, or whose
Persons who are engaged or whose parents Equivalency Program (Education)
parents are engaged, in migrant and other seasonal
are engaged in migrant and other seasonal farmwork to obtain the equivalent
of a secondary
farmwork or who have participated or have school diploma and subsequently to
gain
been eligible to participate in Title I, MEP, or the employment or be placed
in an institution of higher
JTPA 402 program. Eligible beneficiaries are education or other
postsecondary education or
16 and older or beyond the age of compulsory training.
school attendance and lack a high school diploma.
(Continued From Previous Page)
Program (department) Objective Eligibility criteria
Migrant and Seasonal Farm To provide job training, job search assistance,
and
Seasonal farmworkers who have been Workers (Labor) other supportive services
to persons who suffer
primarily employed in agricultural labor that is chronic seasonal
unemployment and
characterized by chronic unemployment or underemployment in the agricultural
industry and to
underemployment and migrant farmworkers enable farmworkers and their
dependents to obtain
whose agricultural labor requires travel to a job or retain employment.
site such that they are unable to return to a permanent place of residence
within the same day. Eligible families are disadvantaged.
Multiple target groups
Adult Education- State Grant To create a partnership among the federal
Adults (at least 16 years old) who are not Program (Education) government,
states, and localities to provide, on a
enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary voluntary basis, adult
education and literacy
school under state law and who lack sufficient services in order to help
adults obtain the
mastery of basic educational skills or do not knowledge and skills necessary
for employment and
have a secondary school diploma or its self- sufficiency; to help adults who
are parents
recognized equivalent and have not achieved obtain the educational skills
necessary to become
an equivalent level of education or who are full partners in the educational
development of their
unable to speak, read, or write English. children; and to help adults
complete a secondary school education.
Community Services Block Grant To provide assistance to states and local
Locally based nonprofit community antipoverty (HHS) communities, working
through a network of
agencies and other eligible entities that provide community action agencies
and other
services to low- income individuals and families. neighborhood- based
organizations, to reduce
The income limit is not to exceed 125 percent poverty, revitalize low-
income communities, and
of the official HHS poverty line. empower low- income families and
individuals in rural and urban areas; to assist low- income participants,
including the elderly poor, to secure and retain meaningful employment and
to attain an adequate education.
Community Services Block To support program activities of national or
regional
Low- income individuals or families, as defined Grant- Discretionary Awards
significance to alleviate the causes of poverty in by HHS.
(HHS) distressed communities; to promote full- time
permanent jobs for poverty- level project area residents, income or
ownership opportunities (or both) for low- income community members, a
better standard of living for rural low- income individuals in terms of
water and waste- water treatment; and to provide character- building,
sports, and physical fitness activities for low- income youths.
Employment Service (Labor) To place persons in employment by providing a All
employers seeking workers, persons
variety of placement- related services without charge seeking employment,
and associated groups.
to job seekers or to employers seeking qualified Priority service is given
to veterans, with
individuals to fill job openings. disabled veterans receiving preferential
treatment over other veterans.
(Continued From Previous Page)
Program (department) Objective Eligibility criteria
JTPA Adult Training (Title II- A) To establish programs to prepare
economically
Economically disadvantaged adults facing (replaced by WIA) (Labor)
disadvantaged adults facing serious barriers to
serious barriers to employment, with not less employment for participation
in the labor force by
than 65 percent in one or more of the following providing job training and
other services that will
categories: basic skills deficient; school result in increased employment
and earnings,
dropouts; recipients of cash welfare payments; increased educational and
occupational skills, and
offenders; individuals with disabilities; decreased welfare dependency.
homeless. Registered Apprenticeship
Planning and directing a national workforce system Individuals must be at
least 16 years old and
Training (Labor) to improve the skills of the nation's workforce must
satisfy other minimum qualifications
through programs of apprenticeship and other required by a registered
apprenticeship
employment- connected skill training, to ensure program sponsor.
equality of access into these programs, to encourage states to take similar
action with respect to their labor force, and to make available an advisory
service on training to employers and unions.
Vocational Education- Basic To develop more fully the academic, vocational,
and
Local educational agencies and postsecondary Grants to States (Education)
technical skills of secondary students and
educational institutions with vocational and postsecondary students who
enroll in vocational
technical education programs. The and technical education, through
challenging
beneficiaries are secondary students and academic standards, integrating
academic and
postsecondary students who enroll in technical education, and linking
secondary to
vocational and technical education. postsecondary education.
WIA Adults (effective July 2000) To design, with states and local
communities, a
Core services are universally accessible to (Labor) revitalized, workforce
investment system that
adult workers through local one- stop centers. provides workers with the
information, advice, job
Intensive services may be provided to adult search assistance, and training
they need to get and
workers who are unemployed and unable to keep good jobs and to provide
employers with
obtain employment through core services. skilled workers.
Employed adult workers in need of intensive services in order to obtain or
retain employment that allows for self- sufficiency are also eligible to
receive intensive services. Individuals who have met the eligibility
requirements for intensive services may receive training services if they
are unable to obtain or retain employment through the intensive services, if
they are able to participate successfully, and if the training is linked to
available employment opportunities.
Native Americans, Native Alaskans, and Native Hawaiians
American Indian Vocational To provide vocational rehabilitation services to
American Indians with disabilities residing on Rehabilitation Services
American Indians with disabilities who reside on or or near a federal or
state reservation (including
(Education) near federal or state reservations, consistent with
Native Alaskans). their individual strengths, resources, priorities,
concerns, abilities, and capabilities, so that they may prepare for and
engage in gainful employment.
Indian Employment Assistance To provide vocational training and employment
Eligible applicants must be members of a tribe, (Interior) opportunities to
eligible American Indians and
need financial assistance, and reside on or reduce federal dependence.
near an Indian reservation.
(Continued From Previous Page)
Program (department) Objective Eligibility criteria
Indian Job Placement- United To provide job development, counseling, social
Members of a federally recognized Indian tribe Sioux Tribes Development
adjustment guidance, and referrals to job training who live on or near an
Indian reservation under
Corporation (Interior) programs and other assistance programs through
the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. the United Sioux Tribes
Development Corporation located in Pierre, South Dakota.
Indian Vocational Training- To provide vocational training to individual
American
Members of a federally recognized Indian tribe United Tribes Technical
College
Indians through the United Tribes Technical College who live on or near an
Indian reservation under
(Interior) in Bismarck, North Dakota.
the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Native American Employment
To support comprehensive employment and training Members of a federally
recognized tribe,
and Training Programs (Labor) activities for Indians, Alaska Natives, and
Native Alaska Natives, or Native Hawaiians.
Hawaiians; to develop more fully their academic, Recipients must also be any
one of the
occupational, and literacy skills; to make them more following: unemployed
or underemployed, a
competitive in the workforce; to promote the low- income individual, or the
recipient of a
economic and social development and self layoff notice who is in need of
employment and
sufficiency of Indian, Alaska Native, and Native training services to obtain
or retain employment
Hawaiian communities. that allows for self- sufficiency.
Native American Vocational and To support vocational and technical education
Grantees are federally recognized Indian Technical Education Program
activities provided by Indian tribes, tribal tribes, tribal organizations,
and Alaskan (Education)
organizations, and Alaska Native organizations. Natives. Native Hawaiian
Vocational
To provide quality vocational and technical Native Hawaiians. Education
(Education) education through organizations primarily serving
and representing Native Hawaiians. Tribal Work Grants (HHS) To allow
eligible Indian tribes and Alaska Native
Service areas and populations as designated organizations to operate a
program to make work
by eligible Indian tribes or Alaska Native activities available.
organizations. Tribally Controlled Post To support the increased capacity of
Tribally
American Indians and Native Alaskans. Secondary Vocational and
Controlled Postsecondary Vocational and Technical Technical Institutions
(Education)
Institutions to provide quality vocational and technical education for
Indian students.
Welfare- to- Work Grants to To assist federally recognized Indian tribes and
At least 70 percent of grant funds must be Federally Recognized Tribes and
Alaska Native regional nonprofit corporations to spent on long- term welfare
recipients or on
Alaska Natives (Labor) move hard- to- employ welfare recipients into lasting
noncustodial parents. Projects may also spend unsubsidized jobs and family
self- sufficiency.
up to 30 percent of grant funds on TANF recipients who have characteristics
associated with long- term welfare dependency.
Older workers
Senior Community Service To provide, foster, and promote part- time work
Adults 55 years old or older with a family Employment Program (Labor)
opportunities (usually 20 hours per week) in
income at or below 125 percent of the HHS community service activities for
unemployed low poverty level.
income individuals who are 55 years old or older. The program assists and
promotes the transition of program enrollees into unsubsidized employment.
(Continued From Previous Page)
Program (department) Objective Eligibility criteria Persons with
disabilities
Projects With Industry To create and expand job and career opportunities
Individuals with disabilities or significant (Education) for individuals
with disabilities in the competitive
disabilities who require vocational services to labor market by partnering
with private industry in
prepare for, secure, retain, or regain the rehabilitation process, to
identify the skills
employment. needed to perform such jobs, to create practical job and career
readiness and training programs, and to provide job placements and career
advancements.
State Supported Employment Provides grants to help states develop and
Individuals with the most significant disabilities Services Program
(Education) implement collaborative programs with appropriate
for whom supported employment has been entities to provide supported
employment services
identified as appropriate on the basis of an for individuals with the most
significant disabilities to
assessment of rehabilitation needs conducted enable them to achieve
supported employment.
under the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program.
State Vocational Rehabilitation Provides grants to assist states in
operating
The presence of a physical or mental Services (Education) statewide
comprehensive programs, each of which
impairment that constitutes or results in a is an integral part of a
statewide workforce
substantial impediment to employment. A investment system and designed to
assess, plan,
qualified vocational rehabilitation counsel or develop, and provide
vocational rehabilitation
must determine that the applicant requires services for individuals with
disabilities.
services to prepare for, secure, retain, or regain employment.
Refugees
Refugee Assistance- Voluntary The program emphasizes early employment and
Refugees are determined eligible by the Agency Programs (HHS) intensive
services during the first 4 months after
grantee agencies as verified by HHS arrival to help refugees attain self-
sufficiency
monitoring. The term refugee applies to without access to public cash
assistance.
refugees, asylees, Amerasian immigrants from Vietnam, and Cuban or Haitian
entrants.
Refugee and Entrant To provide funding for employment- related and other
Persons admitted to the United States as Assistance- Targeted Assistance
social services for refugees, Amerasians, and refugees, Cuban and Haitian
entrants, and
(HHS) entrants in areas of high refugee concentration and
certain Amerasians from Vietnam and their high welfare utilization.
accompanying family.
Unemployed, underemployed, and hard to employ persons
Food Stamp Employment and To help job- ready Food Stamp recipients find work
All nonexempt Food Stamp applicants and Training Program (Agriculture) and
to assist others to gain skills, training, or
recipients who have been assigned by the state experience that will lead to
their employment.
agency. Exempted are persons younger than 16 and older than 60, persons
physically or mentally unable to work, persons responsible for the care of a
child younger than 6 or an incapacitated individual, students, TANF
recipients or recipients of unemployment compensation, employed persons, or
persons participating in a drug or alcohol treatment program. Specifically
targeted are able- bodied adults without dependents.
(Continued From Previous Page)
Program (department) Objective Eligibility criteria
Temporary Assistance for Needy To provide assistance to needy families with
children
Needy families with children, as determined Families (HHS) so that children
can be cared for in their own homes;
eligible by the state, territory, or tribe in to reduce dependency by
promoting job preparation,
accordance with the state or tribal plan work, and marriage; to reduce and
prevent out- ofwedlock submitted to HHS.
pregnancies; and to encourage the formation and maintenance of two- parent
families.
Welfare- to- Work Grants to States To help states and localities move hard-
to- employ
At least 70 percent of the funds must be spent and Localities (Labor)
welfare recipients into lasting unsubsidized jobs and
on long- term welfare recipients and certain self- sufficiency.
noncustodial parents; up to 30 percent may be spent on other low- income
individuals who meet specific program requirements.
Veterans
Disabled Veterans' Outreach To provide outreach to veterans and to provide
jobs
Special consideration is given to disabled Program (Labor) and job training
opportunities for disabled and other
veterans and to educationally and economically veterans through contacts
with employers,
disadvantaged veterans. community- based groups and organizations, and
appropriate grantees under other federal and federally funded employment and
training programs.
Homeless Veterans Reintegration To provide funds for demonstration programs
to
Homeless veterans. Project (Labor) expedite the reintegration of homeless
veterans into
the labor force. Local Veterans' Employment
To provide job development, placement, and Veterans and separating service
members still Representative Program (Labor) support services directly to
veterans. on active duty but not yet technically
considered veterans. Specifically, disabled veterans, homeless veterans,
veterans with combat experience, economically or educationally disadvantaged
veterans in need of training or retraining to become marketable in the local
labor market, or veterans in need of a state license or certification to
practice or work in a specific field.
Veterans' Employment (Labor) To develop programs to meet the employment and
Service- connected disabled veterans, veterans training needs of veterans.
of the Vietnam era, and veterans who are
recently separated from military service. Vocational Rehabilitation for
To provide all services and assistance necessary to Veterans of World War II
and later service with
Disabled Veterans (Veterans) enable veterans with service- connected
disabilities a service- connected disability and veterans
to prepare for, obtain, or maintain suitable with disabilities who have a
serious
employment. When the severity of the disability employment handicap.
does not permit employment, the program can provide services and assistance
to help the individual learn skills to achieve maximum independence in daily
living.
(Continued From Previous Page)
Program (department) Objective Eligibility criteria Youths
Grants to States for Incarcerated To assist incarcerated youth offenders in
obtaining
Individuals who are incarcerated in a state Youth Offenders (Education)
postsecondary education and postsecondary
prison, including a prerelease facility or an vocational training. Measured
objectives are lower
alternative program such as boot camp; are recidivism, academic achievement,
job placement,
eligible to be released or paroled within 5 and job retention.
years; are 25 years old or younger; and have a secondary school diploma or
its equivalent.
Job Corps (Labor) A residential program that provides job training and Low-
income youths, usually drop- outs, before
job- readiness skills to youths facing multiple barriers graduation, 16 to
24, and legal residents or
to employment in order to provide long- term lawfully admitted permanent
resident aliens.
attachment to the labor market. Includes foster children and disabled or
homeless children. JTPA Summer Youth Employment
To establish programs to prepare economically Economically disadvantaged
youths aged 14 to
and Training (Title II- B) (replaced disadvantaged youths facing serious
barriers to
21. by WIA) (Labor)
employment for participation in the labor force by providing job training
and other services that will result in increased employment and earnings,
increased educational and occupational skills, and decreased welfare
dependency.
JTPA Youth Training (Title II- C) To establish programs to prepare
economically
Economically disadvantaged youths aged 16 to (replaced by WIA) (Labor)
disadvantaged youths facing serious barriers to
21 (or 14 to 21 if provided for in a job training employment for
participation in the labor force by
plan), not less than 65 percent in the following providing job training and
other services that will
categories: basic skills deficient, pregnant or result in increased
employment and earnings,
parenting, individuals with disabilities, increased educational and
occupational skills, and
homeless or runaway youths, and offenders. decreased welfare dependency.
Out- of- school youths must also be economically disadvantaged.
Opportunities for Youth- Provides funding assistance for multidisciplinary
Very low- income youths aged 16 to 24 who Youthbuild Program (HUD)
activities and services to assist economically
have dropped out of high school. Special disadvantaged youths who have
dropped out of high
outreach efforts to recruit young women. school to obtain the education and
employment skills necessary to achieve economic selfsufficiency and develop
leadership skills and a commitment to community development in lowincome
communities. The program also aims to expand the supply of permanent
affordable housing for homeless persons and members of low- income families.
WIA Youth (effective July 2000) To design, with states and local
communities, a
Low- income youths aged 14 to 21 who are (Labor) revitalized workforce
investment system that
deficient in basic literacy skills; school provides workers with the
information, advice, job
dropouts; homeless, runaway, or foster search assistance, and training they
need to get and
children; pregnant or parents; offenders; or keep good jobs and to provide
employers with
individuals who require additional assistance to skilled workers.
complete an educational program or to secure and hold employment.
Comments From the Department of
Appendi xI V Education
Comments From the Department of Health
Appendi xV and Human Services
Now on page 5.
Now on page 25.
Comments From the Department of Housing
Appendi xVI and Urban Development
Comments From the Department of the
Appendi xVII Interior
Appendi xVI II
Comments From the Department of Labor Now on page 22. Now on page 27. Now
table 6.
Now on pages 5- 6 and 25.
Now on pages 6 and 26- 27.
Now on page 7. Now on page 7.
Now on pages 21- 22.
Now on pages 29- 30. Now table 3.
Comments From the Department of Veterans
Appendi xIX Affairs
Appendi xX
GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments GAO Contacts Carol Dawn Petersen,
(202) 512- 7066 Elizabeth Morrison, (202) 512- 9641 Staff
In addition to the persons named above, the following persons made
Acknowledgments
important contributions to this report. Suzanne Lofhjelm assisted in all
aspects of the work throughout the review, Joan Vogel peformed the analyses
of data gathered from agency officials, James P. Wright provided guidance on
study design and data analysis, and Jay G. Smale, Jr., provided survey
support.
(205509) Lett er
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GAO United States General Accounting Office
Page 1 GAO- 01- 71 Employment and Training Programs
Contents
Contents Page 2 GAO- 01- 71 Employment and Training Programs
Page 3 GAO- 01- 71 Employment and Training Programs United States General
Accounting Office
Washington, D. C. 20548 Page 3 GAO- 01- 71 Employment and Training Programs
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Appendix I
Appendix I Estimated Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriations Used for Employment and
Training Services
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Appendix II
Appendix II Services and Activities of Federally Funded Employment and
Training Programs That Identified Primary Target Groups
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Appendix III
Appendix III Program Objectives and Eligibility Criteria for Federally
Funded Employment and Training Programs
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Appendix III Program Objectives and Eligibility Criteria for Federally
Funded Employment and Training Programs
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Appendix III Program Objectives and Eligibility Criteria for Federally
Funded Employment and Training Programs
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Appendix III Program Objectives and Eligibility Criteria for Federally
Funded Employment and Training Programs
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Appendix III Program Objectives and Eligibility Criteria for Federally
Funded Employment and Training Programs
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Appendix III Program Objectives and Eligibility Criteria for Federally
Funded Employment and Training Programs
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Appendix IV
Appendix IV Comments From the Department of Education
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Appendix IV Comments From the Department of Education
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Appendix IV Comments From the Department of Education
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Appendix V
Appendix V Comments From the Department of Health and Human Services
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Appendix V Comments From the Department of Health and Human Services
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Appendix V Comments From the Department of Health and Human Services
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Appendix VI
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Appendix VII
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Appendix VIII
Appendix VIII Comments From the Department of Labor
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Appendix VIII Comments From the Department of Labor
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Appendix VIII Comments From the Department of Labor
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Appendix VIII Comments From the Department of Labor
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Appendix IX
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Appendix X
United States General Accounting Office Washington, D. C. 20548- 0001
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