FY 2002 Annual Performance Plan

4. FY 2002 Performance Goals, Strategies and Cross-Cutting Programs

This FY 2002 Annual Performance Plan establishes performance goals that will lead to the accomplishment of DOL’s strategic goals. It also describes the means and strategies DOL will use to reach its goals. Consistent with guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the General Accounting Office (GAO), DOL has consolidated or aggregated many of its activities into logical clusters focused around the accomplishment of its strategic goals. For example, the third strategic goal, Quality Workplaces, integrates the outcomes of OSHA’s and MSHA’s performance goals to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses. In other cases, only one agency within the Department may contribute to a specific outcome goal.

Under the Workforce Investment Act, the performance indicators stipulated in the Act have been and continue to be developed through a process of negotiation between the States and the Department of Labor. The new Workforce Investment System has led to a retooling of the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) performance goals. ETA has consulted with stakeholders concerning performance and accountability issues and worked in partnership to develop revised performance goals for Program Year 2002. The national performance goals for the WIA performance indicators represent an amalgamation of the goals negotiated with the States.

This section presents DOL’s FY 2002 performance goals under each strategic and outcome goal. Following the listing of performance goals is a summary of the means and strategies that will be used by DOL to achieve the outcome and performance goals. Related cross-cutting programs and issues follow the strategies. Appendix A displays individual matrices for each performance goal that include the following information:

Indicator—The measures that will be used to assess progress towards performance goal accomplishment.

Source of data—The measurement system(s) that will be used to collect performance Indicator data.

Baseline—The baseline year and baseline level against which progress will be evaluated.

Comment—Issues related to goal accomplishment, measurement systems, and strategies that provide a context or description of the performance goal or indicator.

4.1 DOL Strategic Goal 1—A Prepared Workforce

The Department of Labor’s programs and agencies with the primary operational responsibility for achieving this strategic goal include the Employment and Training Administration’s Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and Wagner-Peyser Act programs, the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, the Women’s Bureau, the new Office of Disability Employment Policy, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, and the Office of Inspector General provide indirect support to this strategic goal.

The FY 2002 outcome and performance goals for this strategic goal follow. Detailed information on every performance goal, including indicator, data source, baseline and explanatory comments, can be found in Appendix A.

Means and Strategies

Operating Agencies: ETA, VETS, WB, ODEP

Sustained Efforts in FY 2002:

• With State and other partners, DOL will review WIA implementation experiences to identify key issues, options, and solutions, as they pertain to the following strategies:
  • Enhance the resource base of services available for adults in the evolving workforce development system by: 1) assuring better program integration with major partners by educating Workforce Boards, program partners and staff on opportunities, barriers and solutions; 2) refining Internet resources such as America’s Labor Market Information System (ALMIS) within the One-Stop delivery system; and 3) identifying additional methods of accessing other programs and delivering their services to adults across the country. (1.1A–B)
  • Continue to work in close cooperation with state and local partners in monitoring and overseeing the workforce development system and with federal partners in promoting unified planning at the state and local levels. (1.1A)
  • Continue to support WIA implementation by: 1) analyzing use of existing program resources, identifying shortcomings and their causes, and initiating and promoting corrective actions; 2) providing ongoing technical assistance to States and local areas as they continue to implement the WIA provisions dealing with Individual Training Accounts and Eligible Training Providers; 3) providing technical assistance to system partners in the areas of service strategies, case management, sequencing of services, priorities of service, services to employed adults, and other issues relevant to service delivery under WIA, and 4) investing in capacity building, pilots and demonstrations, research, and technical assistance. (1.1A–B)
  • Continue to invest in engaging private-sector employers both as customers and partners in the workforce development system. (1.1A–B)
• DOL will continue to implement the performance-based accountability provisions of the WIA by specifically undertaking, in collaboration with the Department of Education, the incentive and sanction process as it applies to the States for their performance against the agreed upon WIA core indicators of performance. These indicators constitute the basis for DOL’s WIA performance goals. (1.1A)
• DOL will build on the launch of the Workforce Excellence Network, the purpose of which is to find ways for State and local workforce organizations to work together to improve their performance. Under the Network, training, tools and assistance will be provided to Workforce Investment Areas and One-Stop partner programs using the Malcolm Baldrige criteria for performance excellence, quality and continuous improvement techniques, and employer and participant customer satisfaction. DOL will provide recognition to workforce entities that achieve identified levels of performance excellence. (1.1A–B)
• DOL will continue to emphasize Worker Profiling and Re-employment Services (WPRS), whereby UI claimants likely to exhaust their benefits are quickly identified and provided the services necessary to assist them in quickly returning to work. (1.1B)
• DOL will continue to develop partnerships with large multi-state employers to provide recruitment and special technical services to assist them in meeting their labor force needs. (1.1B)
• Program and service integration in the workforce development system has been a significant challenge for DOL funded programs. Such integration will continue to develop as partnerships are forged and strengthened between DOL and other Federal programs and State and local organizations. The effectiveness of the workforce development system is expected to continuously improve through capacity building, pilots and demonstrations, research, and technical assistance. An emphasis on investment for pilots, technical assistance, and veterans’ advocacy provided, within the workforce development system, will enhance the integration and effectiveness of services provided to veterans. (1.1D)
• DOL will continue to coordinate and encourage the efforts of 52 VETS’ State Directors (50 States, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) as they interact with State Workforce Investment Boards. This coordination by VETS’ State Directors, delineating the nature and scope of DVOP and LVER activities and the role of the Public Labor Exchange, will enhance the provision of priority and maximum services to veterans in the One-Stop Centers. (1.1D)
• DOL will continue to pilot test the use of Veterans employment representatives in matching qualified separating military personnel with employer needs for specific skills within a single geographic area (a program known as “ProVet” — promoting reemployment opportunities for veterans). (1.1D–E)
• The Women's Bureau supports increasing employment, earnings and assistance by advocating the employment, training and retention of women to address identified worker shortages, especially in the areas of nursing and the placement of military spouses, older workers and workers with disabilities. Through the Women in Apprenticeship and Non Traditional Occupations (WANTO) grants program, the DOL Women’s Bureau will continue to promote and support women, their employers and labor unions that are seeking to increase the participation of women in apprenticeship and other better paying nontraditional occupations.

Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY 2002:

• DOL will improve program performance and performance management activities by: 1) increased use of technology to support effective management of program operations and performance, including the expanded use of real-time data for program management purposes; 2) refining and enhancing the Federal/State accountability system specified in the Act, including the possible addition of measures related to timeliness, efficiency, and market penetration, and the fine-tuning of measures related to quality; 3) developing and funding innovative demonstration projects for adults that support improved outcomes for individuals with diverse barriers to success in the workforce, including projects operated in partnership with community- and Faith-Based organizations, and 4) connecting agency quality initiatives and program operations. (1.1A)
• DOL will enhance universal access of all adults to services available through America’s Workforce Network by: 1) promoting the information and services available through America’s Workforce Network, including the Toll-Free Help Line and America’s Service Locator; 2) supporting outreach to low-income groups in schools and neighborhoods through community- and Faith-Based organizations, enlisting their assistance in assessment and referral of individuals to local One-Stop Centers, and 3) expanding access to services through enhanced use of Internet, telephone and other technologies to provide a broad spectrum of access points not dependent on a single method or medium. (1.1A–B)
• DOL will utilize a comprehensive Labor Exchange Performance Measurement System to provide performance information and incentives in support of optimizing the delivery of labor exchange services to employers and job seekers. This system will include performance measures, procedures for establishing expected levels of performance, and revised data collection and reporting procedures, relying on UI wage records as a data source. (1.1B)
• States will be required to include expected levels of performance, reached in agreement with ETA regional offices, for the Wagner-Peyser Act labor exchange in their five-year strategic plans. (1.1B)
• DOL will use the common language of the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) to improve the quality and quantity of employer job orders and job seeker resumes. The O*NET common language will be integrated into America’s Career Kit, the One-Stop Operating System (OSOS), and the broader labor exchange system. (1.1B)
• DOL-provided training in job order taking and writing and in entering orders into America’s Job Bank (AJB) will enhance the skills of front-line staff to assist employers in writing job orders and entering them into AJB. (1.1B)
• DOL will help customers with disabilities receive the appropriate level of service by financially assisting States and local areas to continue developing infrastructure, increasing system capacity, and improving access to information and services that directly address their local customers' needs. (1.1B)
• DOL is funding an Information Technology (IT) pilot project through the Computing Technologies Industry Association, an alliance of over 7,500 companies involved in IT. The pilot project will recruit and assess recently separated veterans, provide occupational skills training and certification, and place them in IT jobs with member companies. The curriculum features training in A plus, the industry recognized entry-level certification for IT service and support professionals. (1.1D)
• DOL has initiated a Military to Work Project with the Communication Workers of America that is Internet based. This program allows transitioning military members and veterans to self-register, take an assessment test and receive an evaluation of their technical abilities. Fully qualified registrants are referred to high profile employers (i.e., Lucent Technologies, AT&T, U.S. West, etc.) within the telecommunications field. Those requiring additional training or course work are directed to apprenticeship and skill certification programs that will enable them to qualify for career building jobs. (1.1D)
• DOL and VETS will conduct a needs assessment to identify the underlying causes of sustained unemployment for targeted veteran subgroups, such as women veterans. (1.1D–E)
• The workforce development system has the mandate, but not the experience or knowledge needed, to serve customers with significant disabilities. Service to this segment of the disabled population represents the next step in the process of their full inclusion in the workforce development system. DOL will pursue a multifaceted program that provides guidance to, and develops internal expertise for, all components of the workforce development system that results in full, effective and integrated services to individuals with significant disabilities. (1.1F)

Cross-Cutting Programs and Issues

FY 2002 is the third year of implementation for the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. This landmark job training legislation is built on the principles of partnership and shared accountability. DOL continues to work in close cooperation with its State and local partners in monitoring and overseeing the workforce development system and its Federal partners in promoting unified planning at the State and local levels. The Act enhances the effectiveness of the One-Stop delivery system to address employers’ growing difficulty in locating, attracting, and retraining qualified workers for high-skilled jobs, as well as workers’ and job seekers’ needs for training and re-employment services.

In FY 2002, DOL will continue implementation of WIA, emphasizing universal access to services available to the Nation’s job seekers, workers, and employers through the One-Stop Centers. Program and service integration in the workforce development system will continue to develop as partnerships are forged and strengthened among DOL, other Federal programs and State and local organizations. The effectiveness of the workforce development system will continuously improve through capacity building, pilots and demonstrations, research, and technical assistance. The increase in investment for pilots, demonstrations, research, evaluation and technical assistance will support this enhancement in the integration and effectiveness of the One-Stop delivery system.

DOL will improve comprehensive planning for services to adults, incumbent workers and dislocated workers, and implementation of such programs, by: 1) supporting community audit projects that develop, collect and analyze information on economic and labor market trends in specific geographic areas, industries, or sectors, with a view toward improving real-time workforce investment information and services, and 2) assisting communities in developing comprehensive economic adjustment strategies to deal with dislocations with community-wide impact by continuing to work with other federal agencies to support such strategies.

In addition to its cross-cutting efforts targeted on the State and local levels of the workforce development system, DOL continues to invest in engaging private-sector employers both as customers and partners in the system. DOL’s Workforce Excellence strategy continues to focus on promoting and supporting continuous improvement, high performance and customer satisfaction throughout the One-Stop delivery system, with a primary goal being to enhance the credibility of the system in the eyes of the business community.

DOL will build upon the earlier work of the Performance Measurement Group by working with its partners at HHS, HUD, and the Department of Education (ED), as well as their State and local partners, to establish the new system performance measures as part of the new Workforce Investment System. DOL also will address cross-cutting policy and related issues pertaining to systemic performance accountability.

The Department’s employment and training programs for veterans and soon-to-be-separated service members and their families, are coordinated closely with VA and DOD. This Transition Assistance Program (TAP) operates across the country and has been shown to be effective in reducing the time of unemployment. When TAP is implemented at the local military bases, specific areas of coordination and cooperation are designated. For instance, DOL may provide the instructors for the typical three-day training, DOD the meeting space and logistical arrangements, and VA the assistance to service members who have service-incurred disabilities.

DOL, through VETS, will continue to lead a Federal Interagency Task Force on Certification and Licensing of Transitioning Military Personnel that will recommend a course of action to allow qualified military personnel to obtain both Federal and non-Federal certifications and/or licenses necessary for civilian employment. In FY 2002, DOL will continue the effort of updating and adding to its public website on licenses, credentials, and other occupational requirements. VETS has contributed to the Department’s overall effort by developing and instituting the website Using (your) Military Experience and Training, which is tailored to provide assistance to transitioning military personnel who need assistance and veterans who may need a credential for civilian employment.

Cross-cutting Federal efforts on the homeless make the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Project (HVRP) an outstanding example of how different Federal programs working together can effectively serve a population in need. In implementing HVRP, the Department works closely with HUD and VA to refer homeless veterans in need of shelter, substance abuse assistance or mental health counseling, to the appropriate programs. Once stabilized, these veterans are referred back to DOL HVRP programs for job-finding assistance.

DOL has developed a partnership with the New Mexico Department of Labor and the National Guard Bureau to assist unemployed and underemployed veterans by providing a one-day seminar on resume writing and interviewing. These one-day classes will be provided using a distance learning modality in two locations (Albuquerque and Santa Fe). The objective of this project is to improve the opportunities for the unemployed and underemployed veterans in their search for suitable employment in the civilian workforce.

Means and Strategies

Operating Agencies: ETA

Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY 2002:

• DOL will continue to improve the capacity of the workforce development system to provide youth with skills, and offer them a comprehensive array of services so that they are able to successfully transition to the workforce as they continue their education and training. In collaboration with local youth providers, our partners, and stakeholders, these areas will be emphasized:
  • Establishing strong local youth councils that bring together local workforce training providers, schools, community organizations, and others in an effort to strategically align and leverage resources to create community youth assistance strategies linked to services; local youth and labor market needs to improve the efficiency and quality of youth
  • Promoting the provision of a systematic offering of comprehensive youth services based upon individual assessment and tailored to the age and maturity level of each individual youth;
  • Encouraging and promoting youth connections to the One-Stop delivery system;
  • Visiting and providing operational and technical assistance to grantees for the Responsible Reintegration for Young Offender program to ensure that they become fully operational in the shortest time period and to avoid potentially harmful issues in program start-up; and,
  • Investing in a performance accountability system where data from performance measurement is built into a process for continuously improving the provision of services and activities and which promotes customer satisfaction. (1.2A, C)

• DOL will enhance career development support, including expanded placement services, for Job Corps graduates and former enrollees. The Department will continue to aggressively implement school-to-work strategies and build mutually beneficial relationships with WIA partners—especially employer involvement in the development of occupational training programs. DOL will accomplish this by:
  • Placing continued emphasis on performance in the competitive procurement process;
  • Incorporating findings from reports to-date from the long-term evaluation study of Job Corps and other external bodies, such as the Office of Inspector General and General Accounting Office, to enhance program design;
  • Accelerating student learning through innovative instructional methodology and the incorporation of technology both as a training tool and to facilitate accessing information about jobs or further education;
  • Creating partnerships with employers to customize training, provide work-based learning sites, and to expand Job Corps’ job placement network; and,
  • Integrating Job Corps into the broader workforce development system. (1.2B)

• DOL will continue to reflect performance/results-based criteria in its contract procurements. Job Corps' center operations and outreach, admissions/career transition services contracts will be procured specifying the outcomes and quality indicators the government seeks in contract performance. Performance results will be published and used with quality assessment results to form the contractor's Past Effectiveness rating, which is a determining factor in the Department's decision to award option years or subsequent contracts. (1.2B)

Cross-Cutting Programs and Issues

Opportunities for youth to make a successful transition to a career path will include development of Business and Community Visions for creating relationships and networks with employers, One-Stops, and Workforce Investment Boards. DOL will also implement a youth development professional apprenticeship and certification to improve the skill of front-line staff delivery of services to youth.

Linkage with HHS programs will be established to provide shelter for runaway youth, drug prevention for youth in at-risk circumstances, educational or workforce activities for youth living in high poverty areas, and access to child-care services. Support will be given to coordinated activities with HUD’s Youth Build and Jobs Plus programs, as well as outreach programs to youth in public housing.

The involvement of Faith-Based organizations, as partners, to expand educational, cultural, recreational and career opportunities for youth, will be facilitated.

Means and Strategies

Operating Agency: BLS

Sustained Efforts in FY 2002:

• DOL will continue to carry out its mandate as the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in the field of labor economics. This includes producing impartial and objective essential economic data for the Nation in the areas of employment and unemployment, price change, compensation, safety and health, productivity, and economic growth. Business, labor, governments, the media, and the public rely on these measures to develop economic policy and make well-informed decisions. (1.3A–B)
• By utilizing technological advances, DOL will improve the operational processes used to develop economic data, specifically through the use of the BLS Statistical Program Model. (1.3A–B)
• The Department’s BLS is a knowledge-based organization composed of information workers: individuals who must have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to gather, analyze, and disseminate statistical information relevant to policy makers and American citizens. The rapid development of information technology and new approaches and methods for data collection and analysis has changed and continues to change the nature of the work at BLS. As a result, BLS needs to insure that it remains competitive with other organizations in terms of the salaries, benefits, training, challenging work, and other incentives it offers to its highly skilled workers. BLS will continue to focus its efforts in several key human capital activities, specifically in recruitment and retention, such as the development of an intern program to attract top-level candidates. (1.3A–B)

Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY 2002

• DOL will publish a new measure of price change at the consumer level to supplement the official Consumer Price Index (CPI). This index will more closely approximate a cost-of-living index (COLI) by reflecting more completely the consumer responses to changes in relative prices. (1.3B)

• DOL will update consumption expenditure weights every two years to reduce the age of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) market basket beginning in 2002. Previously weights were updated every ten years. The use of more up to date weights will help to ensure that the CPI more accurately reflects how consumers allocate their spending. (1.3B)

• DOL will complete a full field test of a new computer-assisted data collection (CADC) system to electronically collect Consumer Price Index items other than rent. Electronic collection offers numerous benefits, including the reduction in time required to transmit and process data; increased accuracy and efficiency in data entry and review due to field staff directly entering data instead of completing handwritten survey forms for later input by clerical staff; and data editing during data collection. (1.3B)

• DOL will reweight the Producer Price Indexes using 1997 shipment values and updated input/output ratios. The updated weights will provide a more current revenue value for each industry, and the updated input/output ratios will allow for more accurate adjustment for transactions among companies internal to any industry grouping. (1.3B)

• To accommodate the fast pace of products entering and exiting the marketplace in the international economy, DOL will reweight and publish U.S. Import and Export Indexes using 2000 trade values. (1.3B)

• DOL will begin releasing monthly job openings and labor turnover data as a developmental series to provide a more complete picture of employers’ demand for workers. Presently, there is no economic indicator of the demand for labor with which to assess the presence or extent of labor shortages in the United States. (1.3B)

• DOL will produce measures of labor productivity and unit labor costs for 15 additional service-producing industries. These measures will provide valuable information on the changing dynamics and performance of the service providing sector-- the largest and fastest growing segment of the economy. (1.3B)

• DOL will publish Covered Employment and Wages data (ES-202) for calendar year 2001 using a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2002 structure. NAICS replaces the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system and offers a new and more consistent approach to industrial classification that better reflects the modern economy. BLS establishment survey programs use the ES-202 program output as a sampling frame. (1.3B)

Cross-Cutting Programs and Issues

DOL, as a producer of economic statistics on the U.S. economy, must work in partnership with other Federal, State, and international statistical agencies. These organizations encounter common and sometimes overlapping issues that must be coordinated for the benefit of the users of these data. Such coordination not only maximizes DOL performance, but also helps to improve the accuracy, efficiency, and relevancy of economic measures produced by the Department.

As a Federal statistical agency, the Department’s BLS is a member of the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy, a committee of representatives from 15 agencies, which works to identify areas for collaboration. During FY 2002, the Council will work on enhancements to FedStats, a “one-stop shopping” web site for Federal statistics, including the development of a national statistical information infrastructure.

As a member of the international statistical community, DOL also works with foreign statistical agencies and international organizations in efforts to enhance comparability of concepts and definitions. During FY 2002, DOL will participate on two statistical working parties sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which will address issues dealing with improving and standardizing the data on productivity and employment/unemployment used around the world.

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