Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tweet[IWS] GAO: WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT: NEED TO FOCUS ON WHAT WORKS & WHAT DOESN'T [26 February 2009]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Workforce Investment Act: Labor Has Made Progress in Addressing Areas of Concern, but More Focus Needed on Understanding What Works and What Doesn't, by George A. Scott, director, education, workforce, and income security, before the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness, House Committee on Education and Labor. GAO-09-396T, February 26.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-396T
[full-text, 20 pages]
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09396thigh.pdf
WHAT GAO FOUND
Labor has made some progress addressing earlier concerns regarding
performance measurement and the accuracy of performance data, but issues
with funding remain. The move to common measures helps provide a more
complete picture of WIA services and may encourage services to challenging
clients. With regard to such clients, Labor has chosen not to systematically
adjust expected performance levels to account for different populations and
local economic conditions, as recommended. Labor has made strides in
improving the accuracy of performance data by requiring states to conduct
data validation efforts. And, it has made progress in states' ability to share
data for tracking WIA performance, securing the participation of all but one
state in the Wage Record Interchange System. Labor is also moving ahead
with plans to implement an enhanced data reporting system that would, for
the first time, allow Labor and states to track an individual's progress through
the one-stop system. While progress has been made with regard to
performance data, ensuring that funding is consistent with the demand for
services and reflects funds states have available remains an issue. Statutory
formulas have caused wide fluctuations in the funding states receive,
particularly under the Dislocated Worker program. In addition, Labor has
chosen not to consider states' obligations when estimating their available
funds, as recommended.
To date, Labor has been slow to comply with the requirement to conduct
impact evaluations of its programs and activities carried out under WIA. In
2004 and 2007, we recommended that Labor comply with the requirements of
the law and conduct an impact evaluation of WIA services to better
understand what services are most effective for improving outcomes. In its
fiscal year 2008 budget, Labor identified a WIA assessment as an effort the
agency would begin, and it has since initiated two studies. One, a
nonexperimental study, is now complete, and officials expect to publish the
results in March 2009. The other uses a random assignment experimental
design, and will not be completed until June 2015. To address what Labor
perceived as shortcomings in the one-stop service delivery system, Labor
developed three separate discretionary grant initiatives to focus on the
employment and training needs of high-growth, high-demand industries and
awarded almost $900 million for these initiatives. However, Labor will be
challenged to assess their impact given methodological issues related to
outcome data. Moreover, Labor does not plan to include them in the
assessment of the impact
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Workforce Investment Act: Labor Has Made Progress in Addressing Areas of Concern, but More Focus Needed on Understanding What Works and What Doesn't, by George A. Scott, director, education, workforce, and income security, before the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness, House Committee on Education and Labor. GAO-09-396T, February 26.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-396T
[full-text, 20 pages]
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09396thigh.pdf
WHAT GAO FOUND
Labor has made some progress addressing earlier concerns regarding
performance measurement and the accuracy of performance data, but issues
with funding remain. The move to common measures helps provide a more
complete picture of WIA services and may encourage services to challenging
clients. With regard to such clients, Labor has chosen not to systematically
adjust expected performance levels to account for different populations and
local economic conditions, as recommended. Labor has made strides in
improving the accuracy of performance data by requiring states to conduct
data validation efforts. And, it has made progress in states' ability to share
data for tracking WIA performance, securing the participation of all but one
state in the Wage Record Interchange System. Labor is also moving ahead
with plans to implement an enhanced data reporting system that would, for
the first time, allow Labor and states to track an individual's progress through
the one-stop system. While progress has been made with regard to
performance data, ensuring that funding is consistent with the demand for
services and reflects funds states have available remains an issue. Statutory
formulas have caused wide fluctuations in the funding states receive,
particularly under the Dislocated Worker program. In addition, Labor has
chosen not to consider states' obligations when estimating their available
funds, as recommended.
To date, Labor has been slow to comply with the requirement to conduct
impact evaluations of its programs and activities carried out under WIA. In
2004 and 2007, we recommended that Labor comply with the requirements of
the law and conduct an impact evaluation of WIA services to better
understand what services are most effective for improving outcomes. In its
fiscal year 2008 budget, Labor identified a WIA assessment as an effort the
agency would begin, and it has since initiated two studies. One, a
nonexperimental study, is now complete, and officials expect to publish the
results in March 2009. The other uses a random assignment experimental
design, and will not be completed until June 2015. To address what Labor
perceived as shortcomings in the one-stop service delivery system, Labor
developed three separate discretionary grant initiatives to focus on the
employment and training needs of high-growth, high-demand industries and
awarded almost $900 million for these initiatives. However, Labor will be
challenged to assess their impact given methodological issues related to
outcome data. Moreover, Labor does not plan to include them in the
assessment of the impact
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 3:21 PM
