[Federal Register: September 8, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 173)]
[Notices]
[Page 52960-52961]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08se03-102]
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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, as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, is conducting a pre-clearance
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information
in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (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 the collection requirements on respondents can be
properly assessed. Through this notice, the Employment and Training
Administration is soliciting comments concerning a proposed new
collection of data on self-services provided by states and local
workforce areas under the Workforce Investment Act and the Wagner-
Peyser Act.
A copy of the proposed survey can be obtained by contacting the
office listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section below on or before November 7, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Daniel Ryan, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and
Training Administration, Office of Policy Development, Evaluation and
Research, 200 Constitution Ave, NW., Room N-5637, Washington, DC 20210,
(202) 693-3649 Ryan.Dan@dol.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Ryan, tel. (202) 693-3649.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration
(ETA) seeks to collect data from employers and other customers of One-
Stop self-services, which are made available under the Workforce
Investment Act (WIA) and Wagner-Peyser Act (W-P), as well as from a
comparison group of job seekers who did not use WIA or W-P services.
The data ETA seeks to collect will provide a snapshot of: (a)
Employment-related outcomes that users might have achieved since they
accessed self-services, (b) the demographic characteristics of users,
(c) their patterns of usage and objectives in using these services, (d)
their satisfaction with the services, and (e) other competing resources
that they may have used.
Collecting this information is important because self-services--
including informational and self-help core services authorized by WIA
and self-directed labor exchange services provided as part of W-P--have
become an important feature of the nation's workforce development
system. Over the past decade, substantial amounts of resources have
been expended in developing the infrastructure to support self-
services, such as by establishing physical facilities in which
``Resource Rooms'' can be housed, developing an array of tools and
resources to meet diverse needs, ensuring that these resources are
user-friendly and are accessible from remote locations, and promoting
access and use for customers with special needs. Moreover, the pace of
investments has dramatically quickened since the enactment of WIA. It
is expected that self-services must be an essential feature of every
one of the nation's comprehensive One-Stop centers. WIA requires that
access to these services must be universally available without
eligibility restrictions.
Moreover, self-services are expected to play a critical role in
meeting the nation's workforce development needs. The vision at the
heart of WIA is that all adults should have easy access to an array of
high-quality resources and information tools that they can use to make
informed career decisions and that, more generally, will improve the
efficiency of the labor market. Given WIA's emphasis on universal
access and the limited public funding available to support staff-
intensive workforce development systems, self-services become a
critical means by which this vision can be realized.
Currently, however, little is known about how frequently customers
use self-services and for what purposes, whether they are satisfied
with the tools at their disposal, and whether use of these services
improves their employment outcomes. This information vacuum occurs
partly because users of self-services are not required to become
registrants under either WIA or W-P, and these services are thus not
covered by the programs' reporting requirements.
To fill the information gap, ETA is embarking on two data
collection efforts focused on self-services. One, the Local Area Survey
of Self-Directed Labor Exchange Services (OMB number 1205-0438,
expiration date January, 31, 2006) was covered in a previous Federal
Register notice (Vol. 67, No. 89, Wed, May 8, 2002: pp. 30965-30966).
It elicits information from the nation's local workforce investment
areas about the self-service tools and resources that they make
available to customers. A second effort, to which this notice applies,
will entail a questionnaire administered to customers of self-services
in selected local areas, including both employers and other customers,
as well as to a comparison group of job seekers. In addition to
providing important information in its own right, the survey results
will be combined with administrative data so that a quantitative
analysis of the outcomes associated with self-services can be
conducted.
II. Review Focus
The Department of Labor is particularly interested in comments
that: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information has practical utility; (b) 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; (c) enhance the utility, quality and clarity of
the information to be collected; and
[[Page 52961]]
(d) minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who
are to respond, including 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 Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration
will be seeking Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to
administer the questionnaires to up to 2,000 employer customers, 10,400
other users of self-services, and 2,600 individuals in a job-seeker
comparison group. The data will be used to provide a snapshot of
customers' usage and satisfaction with One-Stop self-service systems.
Type of Review: New.
Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
Title: Customer Surveys of Self-Directed Labor Exchange Services.
Affected Public: Customers of self-services and other job seekers.
Total Respondents: 2,000 employer customers of self-services,
10,400 other users of self-services, 2,600 other job seekers.
Frequency: Once.
Total Responses: 15,000.
Average Time Per Response: 10 minutes per Employer Survey, 20
minutes per Customer Survey, 10 minutes per Employment-Comparison
Survey.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 3,387.
Total Burden Cost for Capital and Startup: $0.
Total Burden Cost for Operation and Maintenance: $0.
Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be
summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the
information collection request; they will also become a matter of
public record.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 13th day of August, 2003.
Maria K. Flynn,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 03-22742 Filed 9-5-03; 8:45 am]
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