Apprenticeship Training, Employer and Labor Services Means and Strategies:

• Continue to engage the Workforce Development system to expand registered apprenticeship.(1.1D)
  
  
• Continue to review existing research from the registered apprenticeship system; engage current stakeholders; and gather input from new potential customers to participate in the registered apprenticeship system. (1.1D)
  

• Continue to conduct labor shortage research to identify and develop partnerships involving registered apprenticeship training in a minimum of three–targeted industries. (1.1D)
  
  
• Continue to develop four campaigns to convene four forums with business and industry organizations to expand registered apprenticeship. (1.1D)
  
  
• Continue to ensure collaboration with the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to promote and expand the registered apprenticeship system. (1.1D)
  

• Continue to seek input from faith-based and community-based organizations on effective means to address their issues. (1.1D)
  
• Continue to identify promising practices with WIBs and registered apprenticeship to develop examples of how registered apprenticeship can participate with all states. (1.1D)
  
  
• Continue to participate in other DOL education and training strategies and initiatives to inform and increase the participation of the registered apprenticeship system. (1.1D)
  
  
• Continue to increase the registered apprenticeship system's participation in the various Department's education and training strategies and initiatives, e.g., OYS, OAS, JC, OWS, OTIS and OFAM. Major employment and training initiatives will include registered apprenticeship as a mechanism to develop a skilled workforce. A process will also be developed to engage more businesses to participate in the workforce development system. As part of this increased participation, the registered apprenticeship system will be involved in customer surveys and other instruments developed to improve the workforce development system. (Please Note: This is a cross-cutting strategy.)
  
  
• Continue to develop customized training programs with One-Stop Centers for referrals to businesses and applicants for registered apprenticeship. (Please Note: This is a cross-cutting strategy.)
  
  
• ETA will continue to engage the Departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Justice to leverage support for registered apprenticeship and maximize resources to provide businesses and workers with skill development for the 21^st Century. (Please Note: This is a cross-cutting strategy.)

• ETA will focus on data validity and program accountability by conducting desk analysis of quarterly report submissions, conducting annual administrative conferences for new grantees, refining grant SGAs based upon current workforce and grant experience, and reinforcing outreach and services to people with disabilities in the One-Stop system. (1.1E)
  
  
• ETA will conduct technical assistance of grant activities that promote information sharing on policy developments and successful One-Stop strategies impacting employment and training services to people with disabilities. This will be accomplished through a variety of means including on-line information sharing, periodic conference calls and video conferencing calls, participation in multi-agency conferences related to systems change of disability program delivery, high-lighting successful strategies of other grants, promoting regional conferences and training of the One-Stop system, examining web-cast applications for information sharing and implementing other strategies which promote promising practices in serving people with disabilities in the workforce system. (1.1E)
  
  
• ETA will evaluate Work Incentive Grant activities in order to assess systemic component of grant activity, develop a database of on-going Work Incentive Grant activities with common elements across grants (e.g., Has the grantee hired benefits planning specialists to work in local One-Stop Centers? If so, how many?), and to identify where additional technical assistance would be helpful to grantees. (1.1E)
  
  
• ETA will provide information from promising practices website that is currently under development with Work Incentive Grantees to foster information on successful models of skill training and employment of people with disabilities. (1.1E)
  
  
• ETA will coordinate with DOL's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) to assure coordination of respective grant programs and technical assistance related to WIA and the One-Stop Center system. (1.1E)
  

• Performance Management:

• Accountability:

• Technical Assistance:

• Performance Accountability:

ETA will establish systems to collect required data, including development of appropriate standards and measures. In PY 2003 the emphasis will be on bringing all grantees into the new systems.

1.Provide incentives and recognition to high performing grantees (i.e., those that make the elevated unsubsidized placement goals);

2.Begin implementation of the Older American Act corrective action steps, which include mandatory corrective action plans and reduced funding; and

3.Recapture and reallocate unexpended funds (e.g., from poor performing grantees) to higher performing grantees. (1.1G)

• Continue to provide training, tools and assistance to Workforce Investment Areas and One-Stop partner programs on quality and continuous improvement techniques, and uses of employer and participant customer satisfaction survey information. ETA will provide recognition to workforce entities that achieve identified levels of performance excellence. (1.1H)
  

Youth Formula Grants Performance and Goals Goal 1.2A: Increase entrance and retention of youth registered under the WIA youth program in education or employment (DOL 1.2A)
Indicator	Targeted Population	Program	PY 2000 Performance	PY 2001 Goal	PY 2002 Goal	PY 2003 Goal
Of the 14-18 year-old youth who enter the program without a diploma or equivalent, the percent who will attain a secondary school diploma or equivalent by the first quarter after exit (DOL 1.2A)	Disadvantaged Youth Aged 14-18	WIA Youth Program	*	N/A	51%	52%
Employed in the first quarter after program exit (DOL 1.2A)	Disadvantaged Youth Aged 19-21	WIA Youth Program	^	^	63%	65%
Retention in employment in the third quarter after exit of those who were employed in the quarter after program exit (DO1.2A)	Disadvantaged Youth Aged 19-21	WIA Youth Program	77%	70%	77%	78%
^ This was a new goal for Program Year 2002.

Note: Goals corresponding to the DOL FY2003 Annual Performance Plan are in parentheses.


Youth Formula Grants Budget: Local areas use the funds to provide comprehensive, long-term services for youth that provide them with the necessary supports to assist them in developing into responsible adults and to transition to post-secondary education and training and to careers. The request is $985,951,000, a decrease of $125,095,000 below the FY 2002 appropriation level.

Youth Formula Grants Means and Strategies:

• ETA's federal staff and state staff will jointly determine the effectiveness of local youth programs. These staff will complete 50 site visits to local areas by June 30, 2004, providing technical assistance, guidance and identifying best practices. Success will be achieved once the 50 site visits are completed and local area directors and youth council chairs receive a report of findings and recommendations. (1.2A)
  
  
• ETA will issue its annual program guidance to states and local areas implementing comprehensive youth services under WIA. The 2003 program emphasis will focus on strong academic and skills training components, leading to a high school diploma or its equivalent, advanced training and employment opportunities that lead to career paths, and follow-up services that lead to retention in employment. The guidance letter will be issued by April of 2003. (1.2A)
  
  
• Each ETA region will conduct at least one youth technical assistance event that focuses on providing local communities and youth councils with strategies to build strong youth investment systems that promote attainment of diplomas/GEDs or advanced training leading to career opportunities. Seventy-five percent of participants will rate the quality of the information exchange at the conference as good to excellent. (1.2A)
  
  
• ETA's national best practices strategy will continue to promote educational and skills training achievement for younger youth. ETA's national office, assisted by the regions, will maintain a web-base database of best practices and strategies. Success will be achieved when 90% of the users rate this service as effective. (1.2A)
  
  
• ETA will convene a National Youth Summit of a representative group of Workforce Investment Act program participants. Attendees will act as focus groups to develop “what works” practices from a youth perspective. Success will be measured when 100% of states are provided with the results of the focus groups to incorporate into their customer satisfaction programs. (1.2A)
  
  
• While in this last year of authorization under the Workforce Investment Act, the Department will place continued emphasis on improving the quality of services in order to equip our youth with the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to effectively meet the changing needs of business and the new economy as well as a focus on the reauthorization of WIA. Because PY 2003 is the last year of authorization, the Department plans to analyze the experiences of state and local areas in the effective delivery of high quality, comprehensive youth services and assess how well these services met the challenge of preparing our most at-risk youth for post-secondary education and careers. Our goal is to determine the potential areas for improvement and issues that could be addressed through the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act. (1.2A)

Cross-Cutting Programs and Issues

ETA will facilitate the involvement of Faith-Based organizations, as partners, to expand educational, cultural, recreational and career opportunities for youth.

Job Corps Performance and Goals 1.2B: Increase participation, retention, and earnings of Job Corps graduates in employment or education (DOL 1.2B)
Indicator	Targeted Population>	Program	PY 2000 Performance	PY 2001 Goal	PY 2002 Goal	PY 2003 Goal
Graduates who enter employment or enroll in education	Severely Disadvantaged Youth	Job Corps	85%	85%	90%	N/A*
Increase number of students who earn diplomas	Severely Disadvantaged Youth	Job Corps	N/A*	N/A*	+ 20% over PY 2001	+ 20% over PY 2002
Average hourly wage at entered employment	Severely Disadvantaged Youth	Job Corps	$7.97	$7.25	$8.20	N/A*
Six month retention in employment or education	Severely Disadvantaged Youth	Job Corps	67% (90 day retention)	70%	70%	70%
Average hourly wage at six months retention in employment or education	Severely Disadvantaged Youth	Job Corps	N/A*	N/A*	N/A*	$8.27
* Job Corps program emphasis has shifted from short-term results to long-term outcomes. PY 2003 goals have changed to reflect increased emphasis on high school credentialing and greater wage opportunities, leading to graduates' long-term employability.

Note: Goals corresponding to the DOL FY2003 Annual Performance Plan are in parentheses.

Job Corps Budget: The 2003 request of $1,532,160,000 provides for a high school accreditation initiative, the activation of a new Job Corps center in Hartford, Connecticut, and the continued operation of the 122 Job Corps centers. Site selection, planning and design of two new Job Corps centers begun with the FY 2002 appropriation will be continued with funding requested in this budget submission.

Job Corps Means and Strategies:

Job Corps program graduates achieve success as a result of their Job Corps experience. This will be accomplished by continuing to implement a more comprehensive and effective placement and career transition support system for graduates as part of Job Corps' Career Development Services System (CDSS) program enhancement strategy. Through this strategy, ETA will continue to emphasize high quality placements and wages that will lead to long-term attachment to the work force. ETA will accomplish this in the following ways:

• Continue to place emphasis on performance in the competitive procurement process to foster competition as a means of enhancing program effectiveness;
  
  
• Ensure that the Job Corps program remains a viable entity that will continually meet the evolving needs of the 21^st Century workforce by continuing to emphasize the core activities and services that achieve maximum benefits for students and taxpayers;
  
  
• Continue to provide technical assistance to staff nationwide by updating training modules, monitoring staff training plans, and analyzing results of satisfaction surveys to further address customer needs through the training of Job Corps staff. Additionally, ETA will develop a model safety and health program to maintain safe and healthy environments at all centers, critical to the long-term labor market success of Job Corps graduates;
  
  
• Enhance the mix and relevance of career offerings in Job Corps that meet local labor market demands, resulting in the modernization of Job Corps' training programs through input from industry councils, local employers and labor market information; and higher earnings through graduates' long-term attachment to the labor market;
  
  
• Infuse advanced technologies, including the incorporation of information technology skills, during the first 60 days of a student's enrollment; and
  
  
• Increase co-enrollment agreements to maximize opportunities for Job Corps students.
  

As part of its continuous improvement effort, ETA will strive to increase the number of high school diplomas that students attain while enrolled in Job Corps as a means to enhance educational credentials and career opportunities. ETA's strategy to increase high school diploma attainment will proceed in these key areas:

• Collaborating with the U.S. Department of Education and forming local partnerships to expand high school credentialing opportunities for students and staff;
  
  
• Expanding Job Corps' existing high school diplomas programs by establishing new on- and off-site locations, and developing charter schools, alternative system and linkages with local school programs; and
  
  
• Establishing a national Job Corps on-line high school in partnership with a state school or university program.

• ETA will convene a second National Youth Summit of a representative group of Workforce Investment Act program participants. Attendees will act as focus groups to develop “what works” practices from a youth perspective. Success will be measured when 100% of states are provided with the results of the focus groups to incorporate into their customer satisfaction programs.
  
  
• ETA will ensure the Youth Opportunity Grant program effectiveness through monitoring and providing oversight via quarterly reports.
  
  
• During the last year of direct Federal funding, ETA will continue to focus on developing and implementing viable sustainability strategies. ETA will provide technical assistance to Youth Opportunity Grantees in the areas of resource mapping, developing ties to state, local, and private funding, and strengthening linkages to local youth formula-funded programs. ETA will work with local youth councils in this effort.

• Performance Management:

1.Expand the current peer-to-peer technical assistance efforts to be more comprehensive and to include peer reviews. This will improve grantee staff capability and allow for a better exchange of best practices.

2.Expand INA grantee participation in available ETA and other related training opportunities to improve grantee capability.

3.Promote grantee linkages with Workforce Investment Boards to allow full utilization of available resources and, where appropriate, eliminate duplication.

4.Expand the knowledge and scope of other available resources for grantee utilization. (1.2D)

• Accountability:

1.Establish the capability of 100% electronic reporting and communication in the grantee community for reporting efficiency.

2.In conjunction with ETA-wide efforts, finalize and distribute a grantee self-validation tool.

3.Complete a proposal to research and identify reasons for negative outcomes to allow grantees to improve performance.

4.Improve the efficiency and scope of federal monitoring efforts and feedback to grantees. (1.2D)

• To help raise overall first payment timeliness and new status determination timeliness, ETA will initially ensure that the State Quality Service Plans of states with performance below the established minimum criteria have the mandatory corrective action plans to raise performance. ETA will also urge all other states that are below the 91% target to develop plans leading to quicker claims handling without compromising payment accuracy. States just meeting the minimum performance criterion (60%)for determining new status liability will be encouraged to develop plans designed to increase timeliness, without compromising the accuracy of determinations.(2.2A)
  
  
• ETA will provide the system with quarterly reports on state payment timeliness and state employer tax liability determination timeliness so that progress can be monitored and problems can be addressed immediately. (2.2A)
  
  
• ETA will continue to urge states to use data from the State Directory of New Hires to prevent some overpayments due to working while claiming benefits and detect earlier those which have occurred. (2.2A)
  
  
• ETA will work with states to improve benefit payment accuracy and reemployment by working against targets for payment accuracy and entered employment established in FY 2002. States will implement additional data collection to obtain entered employment data on a continuing basis and use it to guide their reemployment assistance to Unemployment Insurance claimants. States will have guidance on the extent and nature of erroneous denials from denied claim accuracy data (a part of the Benefit Accuracy Measurement--BAM--system.) ETA will also provide states with additional analytical data from BAM on the nature and cause of overpayments to assist them in crafting better front-end procedures for preventing overpayments. (2.2A)
  
  
• ETA will develop enhancements to existing systems for the early detection of multi-claimant fraud schemes in cooperation with the states. (2.2A)

• ETA will monitor functioning of the labor certification application process, both the web-based and faxed-based, for the H-1B professional/specialty temporary program on a continuing basis. (2.2B)
  
  
• ETA will initiate a more streamlined system for processing foreign labor certifications. The process should reduce the time an employer waits for a Labor Department response on its application from an estimated 24 months to six months (the Immigration and Naturalization Service review takes additional time). In the new system, ETA regional staff will review applications; in their review they will rely on employers' previous recruitment efforts to establish the lack of available qualified workers for the positions to be filled by foreign labor. In the previous procedure, the state workforce agency first conducted time-consuming advertisements to confirm that the employer was paying a prevailing wage and that there were no domestic applicants for the opening then ETA regional staff completed the review. (2.2B)
  
  
• ETA will implement a data system that will enable tracking and reporting the time required to complete each application for alien foreign labor certification. Under the old “two-tier” system, only the number of cases on hand was available. The new data system will enable the process to be managed, not only by the number of cases on hand, but also by the speed of the service being provided, permitting monitoring of overall timeliness and the identification of types of applications which require additional attention. (2.2B)

• ETA will enhance universal access of all dislocated workers to services available through One-Stop Career Centers by: 1) supporting outreach to groups of dislocated workers through community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, organized labor, and other entities, State Rapid Response units, etc., enlisting their assistance in assessment and referral of individuals to local One-Stop Career Centers; and 2) 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. (2.3A)
  
  
• ETA will continue efforts begun in PY 2002 to identify reasons why dislocated worker jobseekers do not achieve a successful labor market transition (as defined by WIA's core measures (jobs, retention, earnings, credential) and take steps to respond to the findings. (2.3A)
  
  
• ETA will continue to invest in engaging private-sector employers both as customers and partners in the workforce development system by communications, conferences, and contractor support to business leads within the State Workforce Investment Boards. ETA will strive to improve dislocated worker program services for the business customer by:
  
  
  1. Seeking to ensure that training available in local areas is directly linked to employer-identified skill shortages, in part by improving employer participation in the development and use of Eligible Training Provider Lists in local areas and states;
     
  2. Through community audits, sectoral analyses, and other means, promoting training of dislocated workers in occupational areas identified by the business community as most in demand;
     
  3. Improving the employer-related services provided through Rapid Response assistance; and
     
  4. Increasing employers' awareness of the requirements of the WARN Act (see a. below). (2.3A)
     
   
  
• ETA will continue services to dislocated workers who are likely to exhaust Unemployment Insurance benefits as identified by the Worker Profiling and Re-employment Services component of the workforce system by improving the assessment of claimants' needs and providing appropriate Wagner-Peyser Act and WIA Title I re-employment services (e.g., job search workshops, counseling, referrals to suitable openings) and other needed assistance. (2.3A)

a.  Strategies to improve the dislocated worker program components of participant assessment, case management, eligibility determination, informed customer choice, and customized and responsive services involve using several means to assess current practices, identify promising examples, and develop methods for bridging gaps between current and exemplary practice. Through collaborative assessments, ETA and state and local partners will determine appropriate means of improving the aforementioned components, identify key risk areas, and work intensively with those areas with specific needs. Demonstration projects will be supported to implement more effective practices in some states and areas. The reconstituted National Dislocated Worker Workgroup provides a framework for progress in most of the areas of emphasis, including increasing the timeliness of employer notices under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) and Rapid Response activities.

By the end of PY 2003, a large majority of states and local areas will be providing sophisticated customized employment and training services at One-Stop Centers, through internet web centers, and with business, community-based, and faith-based partners' support. (2.3A)

b.  The strategy to improve the performance accountability system will parallel the process to improve the program components. ETA staff in national and regional offices will monitor the reports' timeliness and validity to determine which states meet the standard level of confidence; for those states which do not meet the standard, ETA will develop and provide customized technical assistance to assure they meet the standards. These efforts will provide a more reliable, valid, and accurate reporting system and assure more credible reporting to Congress and the public. During PY 2002, a joint workgroup is to review the performance accountability system for dislocated workers. The group's reports will serve as the basis for ETA consideration of improvements to the reporting and accountability systems. Improvements in the timeliness of data are expected to be implemented late in 2002, for applications in 2003. This menu will include measures on impact of customers served, broader customer satisfaction, comparisons benchmarked with related One-Stop Centers and competition. Potential improvements will be considered for inclusion in the recommendations for WIA reauthorization to the Congress. If approved and implemented, these changes will enable the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training to better measure and justify the program's impact, value, and benefits to Congress and the public.


The review will include consideration of One-Stop system measures and measures on impact of customers served, broader customer satisfaction, comparisons benchmarked with related One-Stop career centers and competition. To improve the quality of competitive incumbent and dislocated worker grants, ETA will continue the strategy, begun in the previous year, to sponsor “bidders' conferences” for 50 percent of competitive procurements. The workgroups' recommended technical changes to the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training might also be included in the recommendations for reauthorization to the Congress. The bidders' conferences will be expected to provide better proposals – and later projects – to better meet the needs of dislocated and incumbent workers. All the above require contractor support to complete. If approved and implemented, these changes will enable the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training to better measure and justify the program's impact, value, and benefits to Congress, WIA stakeholders and the public. (2.3A)



c.  A strategy to improve the “wage replacement rate” goal will consist of following up on activities begun in PY 2002. Research findings on factors affecting wage replacement rates and promising practices and policies, developed in the previous year, will be provided to the One-Stop network and related partners, showcased in national conferences, and available in guidance from the ETA WIA websites. This will require contractor support to complete in 2003. The factors will inform ETA and its partners as we consider the relationship between wage replacement, total compensation, customer needs, and customer satisfaction. The impact of this strategy will be to enable State/local program operators to better understand the interplay between wages and customer satisfaction, to understand effective approaches to improving wages for dislocated workers, and to more accurately measure wage outcomes and hence, implement effective approaches to reemployment for their dislocated worker customers. (2.3A)