[Federal Register: June 6, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 109)]
[Notices]
[Page 34007-34008]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06jn03-104]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Proposed Collection; Comment Request
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL), as part of its continuing
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-
clearance consultation program to provide the general public and
Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or
continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program
helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired
format; reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized;
collection instruments are clearly understood; and the impact of
collection on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the
Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments
concerning the proposed new collection of administrative and survey
data on the Growing America Through Entrepreneurship project. A copy of
the proposed information collection request can be obtained by
contacting the office listed below in the address section of this
notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
addresses section below on or before August 5, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Jonathan Simonetta, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and
Training Administration/Office of Policy Development, Evaluation and
Research, Rm. N-5637, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC
20210, (202) 693-3911 (this is not a toll-free number);
jsimonetta@doleta.gov; Fax: (202) 693-2766 (this is not a toll-free
number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Many individuals have the motivation and skills to develop small
businesses but lack business expertise and/or access to financing.
Recognizing this untapped potential, ETA is teaming with the Small
Business Administration (SBA) to create a demonstration program
designed to assist individuals interested in self-employment to develop
their businesses--Project GATE (Growing America Through
Entrepreneurship). In helping people develop businesses, Project GATE
will promote both workforce and economic development. The effectiveness
of the program will be evaluated.
Entrepreneurial services provided by Project GATE will include an
assessment, a structured training course, and technical assistance
provided by a trained counselor. As part of the technical assistance,
counselors will assist individuals in need of financing to apply for
loans from SBA's Microloan program and other funding sources. DOL's
One-Stop Centers will conduct Project GATE orientations where
interested individuals will be informed bout the services available at
the One-Stop Center, the benefits and challenges of self-employment and
the services offered through Project GATE. Small Business Development
Center (SBDC) counselors will conduct individuals assessments and
identify the most appropriate training course for each Project GATE
participant. Existing entrepreneurial training providers in the
community will provide training and technical assistance.
DOL's One-Stop Centers will play a central role in recruiting for
the project. Interested individuals will be able to register for an
orientation to Project GATE at One-Stop Centers as well as via
telephone, mail, or a Website. The orientations will also be held at
the One-Stop Centers.
Eligibility for Project GATE will be broad--it is designed to serve
almost anyone interested in starting a business. Special attention will
be paid, however, to recruiting immigrant populations.
Project GATE will be evaluated using an experimental design.
Individuals who submit an application for Project GATE in each site and
who meet minimal eligibility criteria will be randomly assigned to
either a program group or a control group. Members of the program group
will be eligible to receive Project GATE services, while members of the
control group will not be eligible to receive Project GATE services,
although they will not be prohibited form receiving self-employment
services from other services.
GATE will be implemented in seven sites--three urban and four rural
sites. The three urban sites are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. The
rural sites are one in Minnesota centered around Duluth, and three in
Maine centered around Portland, Bangor, and Lewiston.
The evaluation will address three key questions:
1. Is Project GATE Viable? What are the challenges in implementing
the program? Does an interagency model for the program work? Who
participates in GATE? Is the outreach effective in reaching immigrants?
How does the implementation of the program vary across sites?
2. Does the Program Work? Does the program increase self-
employment, increase employment and earnings, and reduce the receipt of
unemployment insurance and public assistance? Does the program promote
employment and
[[Page 34008]]
other economic development? Is it effective in both rural and urban
areas? Does the effectiveness of the program vary by population
subgroup?
3. Is the Program Cost-Effective? Do the benefits of the program
exceed its costs? Addressing these questions will involve conducting
process, impact,and benefit-cost analyses. The process evaluation will
be based on information collected during three rounds of visits to each
site, during which detailed information will be collected on the
implementation of the program from interviews with program staff,
observations of services, and focus groups with program participants.
Data will also be collected using a Participant Tracking System
developed specifically for the study. The impact evaluation will
involve comparing outcomes of members of the program group with
outcomes of members of the control group. Data on these outcomes will
be collected from Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefit records and
quarterly wage records, and two follow-up surveys that will occur
approximately 6 months and 18 months after random assignment. The
benefit-cost analysis will involve placing a dollar value on all
impacts of the program and comparing them with the dollar value of the
costs.
II. Review Focus
DOL is particularly interested in comments which:
[sbull] Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of ETA, including
whether the information will have practical utility;
[sbull] Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
[sbull] Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
[sbull] Minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
III. Current Actions
The data for the impact analysis will come from UI benefits and
wage records in the three states, a computer-based Participant Tracking
System developed for the demonstration and used in the seven sites, and
follow-up surveys conducted twice with the expected sample of 4,000
individuals who will apply for Project GATE.
The follow-up surveys, which are the subject of this notice, will
be conducted by telephone approximately 6 and 18 months following the
GATE application. These voluntary surveys will collect data unavailable
from administrative records. The first survey is designed to collect
detailed information about sample members' participation and
experiences in receiving self-employment services, their experiences
starting a business, their experiences in jobs working for someone
else, their receipt of public assistance, and some background data on
their socio-economic and demographic characteristics. The second survey
is designed to collect their experiences in self-employment and
developing small businesses, their experiences in jobs working for
someone else, and their income and receipt of public assistance.
Type of Review: New.
Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
Title: Partnership for Self-Sufficiency: Growing America Through
Entrepreneurship.
Agency Number: 1205-ONEW.
Affected Public: Individuals.
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Total Total Average time
Activity respondents Frequency responses per response Burden (hours)
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GATE follow-up survey........ 3,200 Two times...... 6,400 40 minutes..... 2,134 (annual).
Totals................. .............. ............... .............. ............... 4,268 (total).
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Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be
summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and
Budget approval of the information request; they will also become a
matter of public record.
Dated: May 30, 2003.
Maria K. Flynn,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 03-14291 Filed 6-5-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-M