Summary

GAO discussed proposed legislation which would amend both adult and youth titles of the Job Training Partnership Act. GAO noted that the proposed legislation: (1) unnecessarily required that at least 50 percent of adult participants have at least one employment barrier, since 71 percent of adults in the JTPA program had at least one barrier; (2) could instead require greater service to adult participants with more than one employment barrier; (3) should require individual assessment of participants' needs upon program entry, and individual service strategy design and review; (4) should eliminate the provision of only job search assistance to some individuals; (5) would add a performance evaluation standard for placement in jobs with career potential; (6) should add another performance standard for measuring the extent to which participants receive skill training which helps them to get better jobs in growth occupations; (7) would establish more specific and uniform definitions and expand reporting requirements, but needed to ensure accurate analysis of participant characteristics in relation to services received and employment outcomes; (8) would increase state administrative and support cost allowances, although such an increase would reduce funds available for job training services; and (9) would limit the duration of on-the-job training.