Workforce Investment Act
One-Stop Centers Implemented Strategies to Strengthen Services and Partnerships, but More Research and Information Sharing is Needed Gao ID: GAO-03-725 June 18, 2003To create a more comprehensive workforce investment system, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 requires states and localities to coordinate most federally funded employment and training services into a single system, called the one-stop center system. This report examines how selected one-stop centers have used the law's flexibility to implement their own vision of WIA and provides information on promising practices for (1) streamlining services for job seekers, (2) engaging the employer community, (3) building a solid one-stop infrastructure by strengthening partnerships across programs and raising additional funds. In addition, it provides information on the actions the Department of Labor is taking to collect and share information about what is working well for job seeker and employer customers in one-stop centers.
Of the 14 one-stop centers in GAO's study that were identified as exemplary by government officials and workforce development experts, all had implemented a range of promising practices to streamline services for jobseekers, engage the employer community, and built a solid one-stop infrastructure. The one-stop centers GAO visited streamlined services for job seekers by ensuring access to needed services, educating program staff about all of the one-stop services available to job seekers, and consolidating case management and intake procedures. In addition, all of the one-stop centers GAO visited used at least one of the following three methods to engage employers--dedicating specialized staff to work with employers or industries, working with employers through intermediaries, such as Chambers of Commerce or economic development entities, or tailoring services to meet specific employers' needs. To provide the infrastructure to support better services for job seekers and employers, many of the one-stops GAO visited found innovative ways to strengthen program partnerships and to raise additional funds beyond those provided under WIA. Center operators fostered the development of strong program partnerships by encouraging partner collaboration through functional work teams and joint projects, and they raised additional funds through fee-based services, grants, and contributions from partners and state or local governments. While Labor currently tracks outcome data--such as job placement, job seeker satisfaction and employer satisfaction--and funds several studies to evaluate workforce development programs and service delivery models, little is known about the impact of various one-stop service delivery approaches on these and other outcomes. Labor's studies largely take a program-by-program approach rather than focusing on the impact on job seekers of various one-stop integrated service delivery approaches, such as sharing customer intake forms across programs, or on employers, such as dedicating staff to focus on engaging and serving employers. Further, Labor's efforts to collaborate with other federal agencies to assess the effects of different strategies to integrate job seeker services or to serve employers through the one-stop system have been limited. While Labor has developed a promising practices Web site to facilitate such information sharing, it is unclear how well the site currently meets this objective.
RecommendationsOur recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.
Director: Team: Phone:GAO-03-725, Workforce Investment Act: One-Stop Centers Implemented Strategies to Strengthen Services and Partnerships, but More Research and Information Sharing is Needed
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Report to Congressional Requesters:
June 2003:
Workforce Investment Act:
One-Stop Centers Implemented Strategies to Strengthen Services and
Partnerships, but More Research and Information Sharing is Needed:
GAO-03-725:
GAO Highlights:
Highlights of GAO-03-725, a report to Congressional Requesters
Why GAO Did This Study:
To create a more comprehensive workforce investment system, the
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 requires states and localities
to coordinate most federally funded employment and training services
into a single system, called the one-stop center system. This report
examines how selected one-stop centers have used the law‘s flexibility
to implement their own vision of WIA and provides information on
promising practices for (1) streamlining services for job seekers, (2)
engaging the employer community, (3) building a solid one-stop
infrastructure by strengthening partnerships across programs and
raising additional funds. In addition, it provides information on the
actions the Department of Labor is taking to collect and share
information about what is working well for job seeker and employer
customers in one-stop centers.
What GAO Found:
Of the 14 one-stop centers in GAO‘s study that were identified as
exemplary by government officials and workforce development experts,
all had implemented a range of promising practices to streamline
services for jobseekers, engage the employer community, and built a
solid one-stop infrastructure. The one-stop centers GAO visited
streamlined services for job seekers by ensuring access to needed
services, educating program staff about all of the one-stop services
available to job seekers, and consolidating case management and intake
procedures. In addition, all of the one-stop centers GAO visited used
at least one of the following three methods to engage employers”
dedicating specialized staff to work with employers or industries,
working with employers through intermediaries, such as Chambers of
Commerce or economic development entities, or tailoring services to
meet specific employers‘ needs. To provide the infrastructure to
support better services for job seekers and employers, many of the
one-stops GAO visited found innovative ways to strengthen program
partnerships and to raise additional funds beyond those provided under
WIA. Center operators fostered the development of strong program
partnerships by encouraging partner collaboration through functional
work teams and joint projects, and they raised additional funds
through fee-based services, grants, and contributions from partners
and state or local governments.
While Labor currently tracks outcome data--such as job placement, job
seeker satisfaction and employer satisfaction--and funds several
studies to evaluate workforce development programs and service
delivery models, little is known about the impact of various one-stop
service delivery approaches on these and other outcomes. Labor's
studies largely take a program-by-program approach rather than
focusing on the impact on job seekers of various one-stop integrated
service delivery approaches, such as sharing customer intake forms
across programs, or on employers, such as dedicating staff to focus on
engaging and serving employers. Further, Labor's efforts to
collaborate with other federal agencies to assess the effects of
different strategies to integrate job seeker services or to serve
employers through the one-stop system have been limited. While Labor
has developed a promising practices Web site to facilitate such
information sharing, it is unclear how well the site currently meets
this objective.
What GAO Recommends:
GAO recommends that the Secretary of Labor collaborate with the
Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and
Urban Development to develop a research agenda that examines the
impact of various approaches to one-stop program integration on
outcomes, such as job placement and retention, and jobseeker and
employer satisfaction. GAO also recommends that the Secretary conduct
a systematic evaluation of the promising practices Web site and ensure
that it is effective.
www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-03-725
To view the full report, including the scope and methodology, click on
the link above. For more information, contact Dianne Blank at (202)
512-5654 or blankd@gao.gov.
[End of table]
Letter:
Results in Brief:
Background:
One-Stops Used Strategies to Streamline Services for Job Seekers:
One-Stops Developed Strategies to Engage and Provide Services to
Employers in the One-Stop System:
One-Stop Centers Built a Solid Infrastructure by Strengthening Program
Partnerships and Raising Additional Funds:
Little Is Known about the Impact of Strategies to Improve One-Stop
Services and Management:
Conclusions:
Recommendations for Executive Action:
Agency Comments:
Appendixes:
Appendix I: Characteristics of the 14 One-Stop Centeres GAO Visited:
Appendix II: Promising Practices from Site Visits:
Aurora, Colorado:
Blaine, Minnesota:
Boston, Massachusetts:
Clarksville, Tennessee:
Dayton, Ohio:
Erie, Pennsylvania:
Kansas City, Missouri:
Kenosha, Wisconsin:
Killeen, Texas:
Pikeville, Kentucky:
Salt Lake City, Utah:
Santa Rosa, California:
Sunnyvale, California:
Vineland, New Jersey:
Appendix III: Comments from the Department of Labor:
Appendix IV: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments:
GAO Contacts:
Staff Acknowledgments:
Related GAO Products:
Tables :
Table 1: WIA's Mandatory Programs, Their Related Federal Agencies, and
Fiscal Year 2003 Program Appropriations:
Table 2: Selected Studies Supported by ETA:
Figures:
Figure 1: GAO Site Visits to One-Stop Centers:
Figure 2: One-Stop Customers Include Job Seekers and Employers:
Figure 3: Promising Strategies in Streamlining and Integrating Services
for Job Seeker Customers:
Figure 4: Promising Strategies for Engaging Employers:
Figure 5: Promising Strategies for Improving the One-Stop Center
Infrastructure:
Abbreviations:
ATA: Area Transit Authority:
ETA: Employment and Training:
GED: General Educational Development:
HHS: Department of Health and Human Services:
HUD: Department of Housing and Urban Development:
ITA: Individual Training Accounts:
JTPA: Job Training Partnership Act:
TANF: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families:
WIA: Workforce Investment Act:
Letter June 18, 2003:
The Honorable John A. Boehner
Chairman
Committee on Education and the Workforce
House of Representatives:
The Honorable Howard P. McKeon
Chairman
Subcommittee on 21ST Century Competitiveness
Committee on Education and the Workforce
House of Representatives:
The Honorable Edward M. Kennedy
Ranking Minority Member
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
United States Senate:
The Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) in 1998 to begin
unifying a fragmented employment and training system and to better
serve job seekers and employers. To create a more comprehensive
workforce investment system, WIA requires states and localities to
bring together over $15 billion of federally funded employment and
training services into a single system, called the one-stop center
system. Four separate federal agencies--the Departments of Labor,
Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)--fund about 17 categories of programs that are
required to provide services through the one-stop system. Labor takes a
lead role in this new system and is responsible for assessing the
effectiveness of Labor-funded programs and for providing guidance to
states and localities as programs deliver their services through the
one-stop system.
WIA is designed to give states and localities flexibility in deciding
how to implement the one-stop system, allowing local one-stops to try
new approaches and tailor their systems to the needs of local job
seeker and employer customers. Labor encourages states and localities
to create a customer-focused one-stop system that uses innovative
approaches to help job seekers find and maintain employment and help
employers find skilled workers. In past reports, we identified key
areas critical to successfully providing services to job seekers and
employers, such as providing job seeker services that are tailored and
seamlessly delivered and serving employers in ways that minimize wasted
time and reduce frustration.[Footnote 1] As the Congress moves toward
reauthorization of WIA, you wanted to know how some of the nation's
1,972 one-stop centers have built on these concepts and used their
flexibility to streamline and integrate services for job seekers,
involve the private sector, and coordinate operations and service
delivery across employment and training programs.
As requested, this report examines how some one-stop centers have used
the law's flexibility to implement their own vision of WIA and provides
information on promising practices for (1) streamlining services for
job seekers, (2) engaging the employer community, and (3) building a
solid one-stop infrastructure by strengthening partnerships across
programs and raising additional funds. In addition, we are providing
information on the actions the Department of Labor is taking to collect
and share information about what is working well for job seeker and
employer customers in one-stop centers.
Our report is based on in-depth site visits to 14 one-stop centers from
across the nation that government officials and workforce experts
identified as exemplary and on interviews with Labor Department
officials. Because no systemwide data exists by which to judge the
success of various one-stop approaches, we selected our sites based on
information about promising practices in one-stop centers and
information about the potential impact of those practices. We asked the
following officials or experts to identify exemplary one-stop centers:
Labor headquarters and regional officials; HHS, Education, and HUD
headquarters offices; and workforce development experts. We restricted
the request for exemplary one-stops to a single site in each of the
three key areas--serving job seekers, engaging employers, and operating
the one-stop center. The officials and experts provided us with
specific information on each site's innovations and the potential
impact of each promising practice. After officials and experts
identified approximately 50 one-stop centers across the three areas, we
winnowed down the list of one-stops by considering the number of times
a site was recommended and each site's characteristics, including its
location and the size of its service area. Figure 1 shows the locations
of the 14 sites we visited. The 14 one-stop centers represented a
geographic and a demographic mix, ranging from rural to urban centers.
(See app. I for information on each one-stop site.) Some of the sites,
such as Kansas City, Missouri, represented a mix of urban, suburban,
and rural customers. The one-stops we visited varied in the average
number of customers they served--from 500 to 42,500 each month. The
sites also represented a mix of one-stop operators--those responsible
for administering the one-stop centers--including nonprofit
organizations, consortia of one-stop partners, and local government
entities. We conducted our work between August 2002 and June 2003 in
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.
Figure 1: GAO Site Visits to One-Stop Centers:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
Results in Brief:
The one-stop centers we visited embraced the customer-focused
provisions of WIA by streamlining one-stop services for job seekers.
All of the centers used at least one of three different strategies to
build a streamlined one-stop system--ensuring that job seekers could
readily access needed services, educating program staff about all of
the one-stop services available to job seekers, and consolidating case
management and intake procedures. Thirteen of the 14 one-stop centers
we visited took special care to ensure that job seekers could readily
access needed services. For example, officials in Erie, Pennsylvania,
positioned a staff person at the entrance to the one-stop to help job
seekers entering the center find needed services and to ensure that
exiting job seekers had received the services they sought. To educate
program staff on all one-stop services, almost all of the one-stop
centers we visited used cross-training sessions to help staff
understand the range of services available at the one-stop. For
example, in Pikeville, Kentucky, regularly scheduled cross-training
workshops educated staff about the one-stop's diverse array of
services, such as adult education classes and services for the
disabled, so that they could better ensure that job seekers received
the tools they needed to become successfully employed. Finally, 10 of
the 14 one-stops we visited streamlined services for job seekers by
consolidating intake procedures or case management across multiple
programs. For example, in Blaine, Minnesota, job seekers received
comprehensive services from a team of caseworkers who collaborated to
meet all job seekers' needs.
To engage employers and provide them needed services, all of the one-
stop centers we visited used at least one of three different
strategies--dedicating specialized staff to work with employers or
industries; working with employers through intermediaries, such as
Chambers of Commerce or economic development entities; or tailoring
services to meet specific employers' needs. All of the centers
dedicated specialized staff to work with employers or industries. For
example, the Killeen, Texas, one-stop center dedicated specialized
staff to work with employers to identify job openings and to act as a
central point of contact so that employers were not burdened with
multiple calls from each of the one-stop programs. In Santa Rosa, the
specialized staff for employers were dedicated to specific industries
in order to better address local labor shortages. When the tourism
industry had a labor shortage, for example, a staff person was in place
who used his or her existing relationships with tourism employers to
more effectively match job seekers with job-specific training. In
addition to employer-focused staff, many of the one-stops worked with
employers through intermediaries, such as the Chambers of Commerce or
economic development entities, to expand the number of employer
customers and provide these employers with one-stop services. For
example, the one-stop staff in Clarksville, Tennessee, worked with
Chamber members to provide math training in order to improve the pool
of entry-level employees for the banking industry. In addition, almost
all of the one-stops we visited went beyond providing basic services to
employers by tailoring services to meet individual employers' unique
labor needs, including specialized recruiting and applicant pre-
screening, customized training opportunities, and assessments using
employer specifications. The Pikeville, Kentucky, one-stop offered a
range of tailored services to employers that were instrumental in
attracting a major cabinet manufacturer to the area and helping this
company hire over 105 employees.
To provide the infrastructure to support better services for job
seekers and employers, many of the one-stops we visited found
innovative ways to develop and strengthen program partnerships and to
raise additional funds beyond those provided under WIA. Center
operators fostered the development of strong program partnerships by
encouraging communication and collaboration among partners, which
enabled them to pursue common one-stop goals and to support the
development of a shared one-stop identity. For example, in Blaine,
Minnesota, partners at the one-stop center participated in a joint
project to apply for a local one-stop implementation grant from the
state of Minnesota. Blaine one-stop managers told us that the planning
process involved in applying for the grant allowed partners to develop
a better understanding of one another's services and enabled them to
identify common functions and thereby reduce service duplication.
Several one-stop managers reported that such collaboration among
partners was facilitated by the co-location of programs in one
building, which one-stops encouraged by offering attractive physical
space and flexible rental agreements. Many one-stops also supported a
strong infrastructure by raising funds through fee-based services,
grants, and contributions from partners and state or local governments.
The centers used the additional funds to improve operations and to
provide additional services. For example, managers at the one-stop in
Kansas City, Missouri, told us that their full-time grant writer was
able to generate two-thirds of the center's entire operating budget
through competitive grants available from the federal government as
well as from private foundations. This money allowed the center to
expand its services, including a new internship program in high-tech
industries for at-risk youth.
While Labor currently tracks outcome data--such as job placement, job
seeker satisfaction and employer satisfaction--and funds several
studies to evaluate workforce development programs and service delivery
models, little is known about the impact of various one-stop service
delivery approaches on these and other outcomes. Labor's studies
largely take a program-by-program approach rather than focusing on the
impact on job seekers of various one-stop integrated service delivery
approaches, such as sharing customer intake forms across programs, or
on employers, such as dedicating staff to focus on engaging and serving
employers. Further, Labor's efforts to collaborate with other federal
agencies to assess the effects of different strategies to integrate job
seeker services or to serve employers through the one-stop system have
been limited. In addition, one-stop administrators do not have enough
opportunities to share existing information about how to improve and
integrate services for job seeker and employer customers. While Labor
has developed a promising practices Web site to facilitate such
information sharing, it is unclear how well the site currently meets
this objective.
In order to better understand and disseminate information on how well
different approaches to program integration are meeting the needs of
one-stop job seekers and employers, we recommend that the Secretary of
Labor collaborate with the Departments of Education, Health and Human
Services, and Housing and Urban Development to develop a research
agenda that examines the impact of various approaches to program
integration on job seeker and employer satisfaction and outcomes, such
as job placement and retention. We also recommend that the Secretary
conduct a systematic evaluation of the promising practices Web site and
ensure that it is effective. In its written comments, Labor generally
agreed with our findings and recommendations.
Background:
The Workforce Investment Act created a new, comprehensive workforce
investment system designed to change the way employment and training
services are delivered. When WIA was enacted in 1998, it replaced the
Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) with three new programs--Adult,
Dislocated Worker, and Youth--that allow for a broader range of
services, including job search assistance, assessment, and training for
eligible individuals.[Footnote 2] In addition to establishing three new
programs, WIA requires that a number of employment-related services be
provided through a one-stop system, designed to make accessing
employment and training services easier for job seeker customers. WIA
also requires that the one-stop system engage the employer customer by
helping employers identify and recruit skilled workers. While WIA
allows states and localities flexibility in implementing these
requirements, the law emphasizes that the one-stop system should be a
customer-focused and comprehensive system that increases the
employment, retention, and earnings of participants.
The major hallmark of WIA is the consolidation of services through the
one-stop center system. About 17 categories of programs, totaling over
$15 billion from four separate federal agencies, are required to
provide services through the system. (See table 1.):
Table 1: WIA's Mandatory Programs, Their Related Federal Agencies, and
Fiscal Year 2003 Program Appropriations:
Federal agency: Department of Labor; Mandatory program: WIA Adult;
Fiscal Year 2003 appropriations: $898,778,000.
Mandatory program: Federal agency: WIA Dislocated Worker; Fiscal Year
2003 appropriations: Federal agency: 1,461,145,495.
Mandatory program: Federal agency: WIA Youth; Fiscal Year 2003
appropriations: Federal agency: 994,458,728.
Mandatory program: Federal agency: Employment Service (Wagner-Peyser);
Fiscal Year 2003 appropriations: Federal agency: 756,783,723.
Mandatory program: Federal agency: Trade adjustment assistance
programs; Fiscal Year 2003 appropriations: Federal agency:
972,000,000.
Mandatory program: Federal agency: Veterans' employment and training
programs; Fiscal Year 2003 appropriations: Federal agency:
167,199,097.
Mandatory program: Federal agency: Unemployment Insurance; Fiscal Year
2003 appropriations: Federal agency: 2,634,253,000.
Mandatory program: Federal agency: Job Corps; Fiscal Year 2003
appropriations: Federal agency: 1,522,240,700.
Mandatory program: Federal agency: Welfare-to-Work grant-funded
programs; Fiscal Year 2003 appropriations: Federal agency: 0.
Mandatory program: Federal agency: Senior Community Service Employment
Program; Fiscal Year 2003 appropriations: Federal agency: 442,306,200.
Mandatory program: Federal agency: Employment and training for migrant
and seasonal farm workers; Fiscal Year 2003 appropriations: Federal
agency: 77,330,066.
Mandatory program: Federal agency Department of Education: Employment
and training for Native Americans; Fiscal Year 2003 appropriations:
Federal agency Department of Education: 55,636,000.
Federal agency: Department of Education; Mandatory program: Vocational
Rehabilitation Program; Fiscal Year 2003 appropriations:
2,506,948,000.
Mandatory program: Federal agency: Adult Education and Literacy;
Fiscal Year 2003 appropriations: Federal agency: 571,262,500.
Mandatory program: Federal agency Department of Health and Human
Services: Vocational Education (Perkins Act); Fiscal Year 2003
appropriations: Federal agency Department of Health and Human Services:
1,513,170,925.
Federal agency: Department of Health and Human Services; Mandatory
program: Community Services Block Grant; Fiscal Year 2003
appropriations: 645,762,085.
Federal agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development; Mandatory
program: HUD-administered employment and training; Fiscal Year 2003
appropriations: 65,000,000.
Federal agency: Total; Mandatory program: [Empty]; Fiscal Year 2003
appropriations: $15,284,274,519.
Source: GAO-03-589 and Labor.
[End of table]
WIA allows flexibility in the way these mandatory partners provide
services through the one-stop system, allowing co-location, electronic
linkages, or referrals to off-site partner programs. While WIA requires
these mandatory partners to participate, WIA did not provide additional
funds to operate one-stop systems and support one-stop partnerships. As
a result, mandatory partners are expected to share the costs of
developing and operating one-stop centers. However, several of the
programs have limitations in the way the funds may be used, giving rise
to one-stop funding challenges.[Footnote 3]
Beyond the mandatory partners, one-stop centers have the flexibility to
include other partners in the one-stop system. Labor suggests that
these additional, or optional partners, may help one-stop systems
better meet specific state and local workforce development needs. These
optional partners may include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF)[Footnote 4] or local private organizations, for example. States
have the option of mandating particular optional partners to
participate in their one-stop systems. For example, in 2001, 28 states
had formal agreements between TANF and WIA to involve TANF in the one-
stop system.[Footnote 5] In addition, localities may partner with other
programs to meet the specific needs of the community.
One-stop centers serve two customers--job seekers and employers (see
fig. 2). In serving job seekers, one-stop centers are encouraged to
develop strategies to achieve a streamlined set of services. In past
reports, we identified key areas critical to successfully integrating
services under WIA, such as ensuring that job seekers have ready access
to employment and program information, reducing job seekers' confusion
by providing them with a streamlined path from one program to another,
providing job seeker services that are tailored and seamless, and
helping job seekers identify and obtain needed program services without
the burden of completing multiple intake and assessment
procedures.[Footnote 6] One-Stop centers provide job seekers with job
search and support services, while the job seekers act as an available
labor pool for the one-stops' employer customers. In serving employers,
one-stops have the flexibility under WIA to provide a variety of
tailored services, including hiring, assessments and training services
that meet the specific needs of each employer.[Footnote 7] The degree
to which the one-stop system engages and provides services to employers
is left to the discretion of state and local officials. However, Labor
suggests that employer involvement is critical for one-stop officials
to better understand what skills are needed, what jobs are available,
and what career fields are expanding.
Figure 2: One-Stop Customers Include Job Seekers and Employers:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the WIA programs, WIA
requires that states and localities track performance and Labor holds
states accountable for their performance. The measures gauge outcomes
in the areas of job placement, employment retention, and earnings
change, as well as skill attainment and customer satisfaction.[Footnote
8] In addition to the WIA programs, most of the 17 employment and
training programs have their own performance measures. There are no
overall one-stop performance measures.
One-Stops Used Strategies to Streamline Services for Job Seekers:
The one-stop centers we visited embraced the customer-focused
provisions of WIA by streamlining one-stop services for job seekers.
All 14 one-stop centers we visited used at least one of three different
strategies to build a streamlined one-stop system--ensuring job seekers
could readily access needed services, educating program staff about all
of the one-stop services available to job seekers, and consolidating
case management and intake procedures (see fig. 3). To ensure that job
seekers could readily access needed services, one-stops we visited
allocated staff to help job seekers navigate the one-stop system,
expanded services for one-stop customers, and provided support to
customers with transportation barriers. Ensuring access is designed to
minimize confusion for job seekers as they navigate one-stop services.
To educate program staff about one-stop services, centers used cross-
training sessions in which partners informed one another about the
range of services available at the one-stop. Finally, centers sought to
reduce the duplication of effort across programs and the burden on job
seekers navigating programs by consolidating case management and intake
procedures across multiple programs through joint service plans for
customers and shared computer networks.
Figure 3: Promising Strategies in Streamlining and Integrating Services
for Job Seeker Customers:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
One-Stop Staff Ensured Job Seeker Access to Needed One-Stop Services:
Nearly all of the one-stop centers we visited implemented specific
strategies to ensure that job seekers had access to needed services. We
previously reported that the range of services provided by multiple
programs in the one-stop center caused confusion for job seekers. To
minimize confusion, nearly all of the sites we visited looked for ways
to ensure job seekers would have ready access to program information
and a clear path from one program to another within the one-stop
system. For example, when one-stop center staff in Killeen, Texas, and
Clarksville, Tennessee, referred job seekers to another partner, the
staff personally introduced the job seeker to the referred program
staff to prevent job seekers from getting lost between programs.
Similarly, officials in Erie, Pennsylvania, positioned a staff person
at the entrance to the one-stop to help job seekers entering the center
find needed services and to assist exiting job seekers if they did not
receive the services they sought. (See app. II for more examples from
each of the sites we visited.):
In addition to improving access to one-stop center services on-site,
some of the one-stops we visited found ways to serve job seekers who
may have been unable to come into the one-stop center for services. For
example, in Boston, Massachusetts, the one-stop placed staff in off-
site locations, including family courts, correctional facilities, and
welfare offices to give job seekers ready access to employment and
program information. Specifically, Boston one-stop staff worked with an
offender re-entry program that conducted job fairs inside the county
prison to facilitate incarcerated offenders' transition back into the
workplace.
One-stops also improved job seeker access to services by expanding
partnerships to include optional service providers--those beyond the 17
program partners mandated by WIA. These optional partners ranged from
federally funded programs, such as TANF, to community-based
organizations providing services tailored to meet the needs of local
job seekers. The one-stop in Dayton, Ohio, was particularly proactive
in forming optional partnerships to meet job seekers' service needs. At
the time of our visit, the Dayton one-stop had over 30 optional
partners on-site, including the Montgomery County Combined Health
District, which operated a health clinic on-site; Clothes that Work!,
which provides free business attire to low-income women; and an
alternative high school. The most common optional partner at the one-
stops we visited was the TANF program--which was an on-site partner at
13 of the 14 sites. One-stop managers in Clarksville told us that co-
location with the Tennessee Department of Human Services, which
administers TANF, benefited all job seekers because the department
helped to fund various services, including computer classes, soft
skills classes, and parenting classes that could be provided to those
not eligible for TANF. Additionally, Killeen, Texas, one-stop staff
told us that co-location with TANF helped welfare recipients address
barriers to employment by facilitating easier access to other services,
such as housing assistance and employment and training programs.
Many one-stop centers, such as in Killeen, Texas, and Vineland, New
Jersey, ensured access to one-stop services by addressing customers'
transportation challenges. Staff in Killeen partnered with the
libraries in rural areas to provide computer access to one-stop resume
writing and job search services and an on-line TANF orientation. In
Kansas City, Missouri, the one-stop management decided to locate the
one-stop center next to the bus company, the Area Transit Authority
(ATA). This strategic decision meant that all bus routes passed by the
one-stop center, thus ensuring that customers with transportation
challenges could access one-stop center services. Additionally, the ATA
partnered with the one-stop to create an Urban Employment Network
program to assist job seekers with transportation to and from work. The
ATA provided bus service 7 days a week from 5:00 in the morning until
midnight and set up a van service to operate during off-peak hours.
One-Stops Ensured That All Program Staff Understood the Range of
Services Available for Job Seekers:
To help ensure that job seekers receive services tailored to meet their
needs, nine of the one-stops we visited focused on educating all one-
stop staff about the range of services available through the one-
stop.[Footnote 9] In earlier work, we identified challenges for job
seekers in receiving the right set of services to meet their
needs.[Footnote 10] One-stop officials at the centers we visited
reported that staff who were cross-trained could better assess the
particular needs of job seekers, including identifying barriers to
getting a job, and were able to provide job seekers with more
appropriate referrals.[Footnote 11] Cross-training activities ranged
from conducting monthly educational workshops to offering shadow
programs through which staff could become familiar with other programs'
rules and operations. Officials in Salt Lake City, Utah, reported that
cross-training improved staff understanding of programs outside their
area of expertise and enhanced their ability to make referrals. The
Pikeville, Kentucky, one-stop supported cross-training workshops in
which one-stop staff from different partner programs educated each
other about the range of services they could provide. After learning
about the other programs, Pikeville staff collaboratively designed a
service delivery flow chart that effectively routed job seekers to the
appropriate service providers, providing a clear entry point and a
clear path from one program to another. In addition, the Vocational
Rehabilitation staff at the Pikeville one-stop told us that cross-
training enabled other program staff to more accurately identify hidden
disabilities and to better refer disabled customers to the appropriate
services.
In the one-stop centers we visited, cross-training occurred among the
majority of on-site co-located partners as well as between some of the
on-site and off-site one-stop programs. One-stop managers in Dayton,
Ohio, told us that cross-training staff resulted in increased referrals
to service providers that had previously been unknown, such as to
smaller programs within the one-stop or to local neighborhood programs
that could better meet the specific needs of particular job seekers.
Specifically, Dayton managers also reported that cross-training one-
stop staff dramatically improved referrals to the Child Support
program,[Footnote 12] thereby enhancing efforts to establish paternity,
a requirement for determining eligibility for TANF.
One-Stop Centers Streamlined Services for Job Seekers through
Consolidated Intake Procedures and Case Management:
To provide streamlined service delivery, 10 of the 14 one-stops we
visited consolidated their intake processes or case management systems,
reducing the need for job seekers to go through multiple intake
processes. This consolidation took many forms, including having case
workers from different programs work as a team to develop service plans
for customers and having a shared computer network across programs. As
a result, case workers reduced the duplication of effort across
programs and job seekers were not burdened with completing multiple
intake and assessment procedures. For example, the Youth Opportunity
Program and Workforce WIA Youth program staff at the one-stop in Kansas
City, Missouri, shared intake and enrollment forms to streamline the
delivery of services to youth. In Blaine, Minnesota, job seekers were
originally served by multiple service providers, meeting independently
with each provider for each program service received. Caseworkers from
the various one-stop programs in Blaine met regularly to collaborate in
developing and implementing joint service plans for customers who were
co-enrolled in multiple programs. As a result, the number of
caseworkers involved had been reduced significantly, and job seekers
received a more efficient and tailored package of services. To
efficiently coordinate multiple services for one-stop customers in
Erie, Pennsylvania, the staff used a networked computer system with a
shared case management program, so that all one-stop program staff
could share access to a customer's service plan and case file.
One-Stops Developed Strategies to Engage and Provide Services to
Employers in the One-Stop System:
All of the one-stops we visited implemented at least one of three
different approaches to engage and provide services to employers--
dedicating specialized staff to establish relationships with employers
or industries, working with employers through intermediaries, and
providing tailored services to meet employers' specific workforce needs
(see fig.4). All of the one-stops dedicated staff to establish
relationships with employers, minimizing the burden on employers who
previously may have been contacted by multiple one-stop programs. A few
of these one-stops also had employer-focused staff work with specific
industries in order to respond better to local labor shortages. Many of
the one-stops also worked with employers through intermediaries, such
as the Chambers of Commerce or economic development entities, in order
to market one-stop services and expand their base of employer
customers. Finally, most one-stops went beyond providing basic services
to employers by tailoring services to meet individual employers' needs,
such as specialized recruiting and applicant pre-screening, customized
training opportunities, and assessments using employer specifications.
Tailored services were used to maintain employer involvement and
increase employment opportunities for job seekers.
Figure 4: Promising Strategies for Engaging Employers:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
One-Stops Dedicated Specialized Staff to Establish Relationships with
Employers and Industries:
To help employers access the workforce development system, all of the
one-stops we visited dedicated specialized staff to establish
relationships with employers. One-stop officials told us that engaging
employers was critical to successfully connecting job seekers with
available jobs. Specialized staff outreached to individual employers
and served as employers' primary point of contact for accessing one-
stop services. For example, the one-stop in Killeen, Texas, dedicated
specialized staff to serve not only as the central point of contact for
receiving calls and requests from employers but also as the primary
tool for identifying job openings available through employers in the
community. A one-stop manager in Killeen told us that in the past,
staff from each partner agency would outreach to employers to find jobs
for their own job seekers. Now they have eliminated the duplication of
effort and burden on employers by designating specialized staff to
conduct employer outreach for all one-stop programs.
In addition to working with individual employers, staff at some of the
one-stops we visited also worked with industry clusters, or groups of
related employers, to more efficiently meet local labor demands--
particularly for industries with labor shortages. One-stop managers at
these sites told us that having staff work with industry clusters
helped them better respond to labor shortages because it enabled staff
to develop a strong understanding of the employment and training needs
of those industries. These one-stops were better prepared to match job
seekers with appropriate training opportunities, enabling those job
seekers to become part of a qualified labor pool for these industries.
For example, the one-stop in Santa Rosa, California, assigned staff to
work with employers in local high-demand industries, including health
care, high tech, and tourism. These staff established relationships
with employers from these industries, assessed their specific workforce
needs, and shared this information with one-stop case workers.
Specifically, when Santa Rosa's tourism industry was in need of more
skilled workers, the one-stop worked with the local community college
to ensure there were certification courses in hotel management and the
culinary arts, for exam. The one-stop in Aurora, Colorado, also
dedicated staff to work with specific industries. For example, in
response to a nursing shortage of 1,600 nurses in the Denver metro
area, staff from the Aurora one-stop assisted in the creation of a
healthcare recruitment center designed to provide job placement
assistance and access to health-care training.
One-Stops Worked with Intermediaries to Engage and Serve Employers:
In addition to dedicating specialized staff, all of the one-stops we
visited worked with intermediaries to engage and serve employers.
Intermediaries, such as local Chambers of Commerce or economic
development entities, served as liaisons between employers and the one-
stop system, helping one-stops to engage employers while connecting
employers with one-stop services. For example, the one-stop staff in
Clarksville, Tennessee, worked with Chamber of Commerce members to help
banks in the community that were having difficulties finding entry-
level employees with the necessary math skills. To help connect job
seekers with available job openings at local banks, the one-stop
developed a training opportunity for job seekers that was funded by
Chamber members and was targeted to the specific skills needed for
employment in the banking community.[Footnote 13]Similarly, staff at
the one-stop in Kenosha, Wisconsin, were in frequent contact with the
Kenosha Area Business Alliance, a community development corporation, to
identify and address hiring and training needs of the local
manufacturing industry. This partnership not only helped employers
access human resources assistance--such as recruitment, networking, and
marketing--but it also assisted employers with assessment and training
of new and existing employees. Specialized staff at most of the one-
stops we visited also worked with local economic development entities
to serve employers or recruit new businesses to the area. For example,
the staff at the Erie, Pennsylvania, one-stop worked with a range of
local economic development organizations[Footnote 14] to develop an
outreach program that assessed the workforce needs of employers, linked
employers with appropriate services, and developed incentive packages
to attract new businesses to the community.
One-Stops Provided Services Tailored to Meet Employers' Specific
Workforce Needs:
In addition to dedicating specialized staff to engage employers and
working with intermediaries, all of the one-stops we visited tailored
their services to meet employers' specific workforce needs by offering
an array of job placement and training assistance designed for each
employer. These services included specialized recruiting, pre-
screening, and customized training programs. For example, when one of
the nation's largest cabinet manufacturers was considering opening a
new facility in the eastern Kentucky area, the one-stop in Pikeville,
Kentucky, offered a tailored set of services to attract the employer to
the area. The services included assisting the company with pre-
screening and interviewing applicants and establishing an on-the-job
training package that used WIA funding to offset up to 50 percent of
each new hire's wages during the 90-day training period. According to a
company representative, the incentive package offered by the one-stop
was the primary reason the company chose to build a new facility in
eastern Kentucky instead of another location. Once the company arrived,
the Pikeville one-stop administered the application and assessment
process for job applicants and held a 3-day job fair, resulting in the
company hiring 105 people through the one-stop and planning to hire an
additional 350 employees.
To help industries address labor shortages and strengthen local
businesses, several of the one-stops we visited actively developed and
marketed training opportunities for current and potential new
employees, helping to keep jobs in the community and promote local
economic growth. For example, Pikeville, Kentucky, encountered a labor
shortage in the local coal mining industry. Because of the high cost of
training for inexperienced miners, many companies considered hiring
experienced coal miners from foreign countries. To help companies save
on training costs and hire workers from the local area--one of
historically high unemployment--the Pikeville one-stop created an on-
the-job training program using WIA funds, which paid for half of new
miners' salaries during their training period. The co-owner of a local
mining company, who hired 15 percent of his workforce through the one-
stop, told us that, without the assistance of the one-stop, he would
not have been able to hire as many miners. Because he saved money on
training costs, the co-owner said he was also able to promote his
experienced workers to more advanced positions and provide better
benefits, such as health insurance, for all his employees.
Tailored services were used not only to attract new employers, but to
retain employers in the one-stop system and train new workers for
employers struggling to find job-ready staff. For example, for over 9
years, the Clarksville, Tennessee, one-stop has provided tailored
hiring services, including drug-testing and pre-screening of
applicants, for a nearby manufacturing company. As a result, the
company has hired over 75 people through the one-stop. One-stops also
provided customized workshops and classes to help employers train new
and current workers. When a local nursing home expressed concern about
hiring non-English-speaking workers, the one-stop in Blaine, Minnesota,
created a job-specific English as a Second Language course that was
taught on-site at the nursing home by one-stop staff.
Many of the one-stops we visited also provided employers with tailored
business support services and educational resources. One-stop managers
told us that these services helped the one-stops attract and retain
employer involvement in the one-stop system and enhanced employers'
ability to maintain a skilled workforce. For example, some one-stops we
visited allowed employers to use office space in the one-stop for
interviewing job applicants. A few of the one-stop centers had specific
business centers on-site, such as the Business Resource Center in
Killeen, Texas. The center served entrepreneurs and over 400 small
businesses by providing information about starting a small business,
such as tax information, economic development information, marketing
resources, and business workshops. Similarly, the Sunnyvale,
California, one-stop addressed the specific needs of customers seeking
entrepreneurial opportunities by co-locating with a patent and
trademark library that is electronically linked to the national
trademark office. Finally, several one-stops offered employers help
with accessing business tax credits. For example, when the employer
services staff at the one-stop in Vineland, New Jersey, realized the
application process for tax credits was cumbersome for employers, they
began automatically completing the required paperwork for employers so
that the employers could more readily apply for the tax credit
incentives.[Footnote 15]
One-Stop Centers Built a Solid Infrastructure by Strengthening Program
Partnerships and Raising Additional Funds:
To build the solid infrastructure needed to support better services for
job seekers and employers, many of the one-stops we visited developed
and strengthened program partnerships and raised funds beyond those
provided under WIA. Center operators fostered the development of strong
program partnerships by encouraging communication and collaboration
among partners through functional teams and joint projects. As shown in
figure 5, this collaboration allowed one-stop partners to better
integrate their respective programs and services. Many one-stops also
worked toward improving one-stop operations and services by raising
additional funds through fee-based services, grants, and contributions
from partners and state or local government. The revenue raised through
these activities helped one-stops improve operations and services
despite the lack of WIA funding for one-stop operations and
restrictions on the ways in which one-stop programs can spend their
funds.
Figure 5: Promising Strategies for Improving the One-Stop Center
Infrastructure:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
One-Stop Centers Promoted Strong Partnerships by Facilitating
Communication and Collaboration among Partner Programs:
In order to build a cohesive, well-functioning one-stop infrastructure,
9 of the 14 one-stop centers we visited gave partners the opportunity
to collaborate through functional teams and joint projects. One-stop
managers told us that collaboration through teams and joint projects
allowed partners to better integrate their respective programs and
services, as well as pursue common one-stop goals and share in one-stop
decision making. For example, partners at the Erie, Pennsylvania, one-
stop center were organized into four functional teams--a career
resource center team, a job seeker services team, an employer services
team, and an operations team--which together operated the one-stop
center. As a result of the functional team meetings, partners reported
that they worked together to solve problems and develop innovative
strategies to improve services in their respective functional area. For
instance, to improve intake and referral processes, the Erie job seeker
services team created a color-coded intake form shared by multiple
partners. Certain customers, such as veterans and dislocated workers,
received intake forms that were a different color from those of other
customers, so that staff could easily identify the different customer
groups and direct each toward the services that best met their needs.
Similarly, in Salt Lake City, Utah, partners created a committee to
address issues of common concern, such as cross-program referrals,
cross-training of partner staff, and employer involvement. Staff from
the Vocational Rehabilitation Program in Salt Lake City told us that
this committee helped to increase referrals to their program by
producing flow charts of the service delivery systems of various
partner programs to identify points at which referrals and staff
collaboration should occur.
In addition to fostering integration across programs, one-stop managers
said that the joint decision making done through functional teams
facilitated the development of a shared one-stop identity. Pikeville,
Kentucky, one-stop managers told us that shared decision-making was
instrumental in developing a common one-stop identity and in ensuring
partners' support for the one-stop system. The process of creating a
shared one-stop identity in Pikeville was also supported by the
adoption of a common logo, nametags, and business cards, and was
reinforced by a comprehensive marketing campaign, which gave partners a
common message to rally behind. Pikeville one-stop managers told us
that, as a result of this shared one-stop identity, partner staff no
longer focused exclusively on serving their individual program
customers; rather, staff developed a "can-do" attitude of meeting the
needs of all one-stop customers. In addition, managers told us that
because of their shared one-stop identity, partners were more willing
to contribute resources to one another and to the center as a whole.
For instance, in order to streamline services for job seekers, the
Adult Basic Education Program administered skills assessments to all
one-stop customers, regardless of which program they were enrolled in.
One-stop managers at several of the sites we visited told us that the
co-location of partner programs in one building facilitated
communication and collaboration. For this reason, one-stop managers at
several of the centers we visited reported that they fostered co-
location by offering attractive physical space and flexible rental
agreements.[Footnote 16] For example, in Pikeville, Kentucky, the local
community college donated free space to the one-stop on its
conveniently located campus, making it easier to convince partners to
relocate there. Partners were also eager to relocate to the Pikeville
one-stop because they recognized the benefits of co-location for their
customers. For instance, staff from the Vocational Rehabilitation
Program said that co-location at the one-stop increased their
customers' access to employers and employment services. Pikeville
managers also told us that co-location at the community college made it
easier for partners to share information and made them more visible to
students likely to need employment services in the near future. In
addition, because co-location sometimes presents a challenge to
partners with limited resources, several centers offered flexible
rental agreements to make it easier for partners to co-locate. For
example, the Kansas City, Missouri, one-stop enabled the Adult Basic
Education Program to co-locate by allowing it to contribute instructors
and General Educational Development (GED) classes instead of paying
rent. Partners in some locations, including Dayton, Ohio, and Kenosha,
Wisconsin, donated space to enable other partners to be on-site.
Several one-stops where all partners were not co-located found ways to
create strong linkages with off-site partners. For example, in addition
to regular meetings between on-site and off-site staff, the one-stop in
Aurora, Colorado, had a staff person designated to act as a liaison and
facilitate communication between on-site and off-site partners. When an
on-site partner specializing in senior services raised concerns about
the lack of employment opportunities for its customers, the liaison set
up a meeting with Vocational Rehabilitation, an off-site partner, to
enable both parties to begin exchanging referrals to jobs and services.
One-Stop Centers Raised Additional Funds to Improve One-Stop Operations
and Expand Services for Customers:
Managers at all but two of the one-stops we visited said that they were
using the flexibility under WIA to creatively increase one-stop funds
through fee-based services, grants, or contributions from partner
programs and state or local governments. Managers said these additional
funds allowed them to cover operational costs and expand services in
spite of the lack of WIA funding to support one-stop infrastructure and
restrictions on the use of program funds. For example, one-stop
operators in Clarksville, Tennessee, reported that they raised $750,000
in fiscal year 2002 through a combination of business consulting, drug
testing, and drivers' education services. Using this money, the center
was able to purchase a new voicemail and computer network system, which
facilitated communication among staff and streamlined center
operations.[Footnote 17] Similarly, in Sunnyvale, California, one-stop
managers said they raised $20,000 through downsizing and training
services for employers, and used this money to expand the one-stop's
training services.
Centers have also been proactive about applying for grants from public
and private sources. For example, the one-stop center in Kansas City,
Missouri, had a full-time staff person dedicated to researching and
applying for grants. The one-stop generated two-thirds of its entire
program year 2002 operating budget of $21 million through competitive
grants available from the federal government as well as from private
foundations. This money allowed the center to expand its services, such
as through an internship program in high-tech industries for at-risk
youth. One-stop centers also raised additional funds by soliciting
contributions from local or state government and from partner agencies.
For instance, Boston one-stop managers reported that the state of
Massachusetts matched the one-stop's Wagner-Peyser funds dollar for
dollar, which enabled the center to fund its resource room and library.
In addition, the Dayton, Ohio, one-stop received $1 million annually
from the county to pay for shared one-stop staff salaries and to
provide services to job seekers who do not qualify for services under
any other funding stream. Dayton one-stop partners also contributed
financial and in-kind resources to the center on an as-needed basis.
In addition to raising money through grants, managers at the one-stop
in Santa Rosa, California, told us that they made more efficient use of
existing funds by having staff use a funding source determination
worksheet to maximize training funds from various sources. The
worksheet is continually updated to show how much funding is available
through each program, allowing caseworkers to choose the most
economical source for eligible customers' Individual Training Accounts
(ITAs)[Footnote 18] based on the amount of money available through each
funding stream and the date it is scheduled to expire.
Little Is Known about the Impact of Strategies to Improve One-Stop
Services and Management:
While Labor currently tracks outcome data--such as job placement, job
seeker satisfaction, and employer satisfaction--and funds several
studies to evaluate workforce development programs and service delivery
models, little is known about the impact of various one-stop service
delivery approaches on these and other outcomes. Labor's studies
largely take a program-by-program approach rather than focusing on the
impact on job seekers of various one-stop integrated service delivery
approaches, such as sharing customer intake forms across programs, or
on employers, such as dedicating staff to focus on engaging and serving
employers. Further, Labor's efforts to collaborate with other federal
agencies to assess the effects of different strategies to integrate job
seeker services or to serve employers through the one-stop system have
been limited. In addition, one-stop administrators do not have enough
opportunities to share existing information about how to improve and
integrate services for job seeker and employer customers. While Labor
has developed a promising practices Web site to facilitate such
information sharing, it is unclear how well the site currently meets
this objective.
While Labor Currently Has Several Impact and Process Evaluations
Underway, the Scope of These Studies Is Limited:
Labor currently tracks performance measures under the three WIA
programs using 17 separate outcome measures, including job placement
and job seeker and employer customer satisfaction, designed to gauge
the success of WIA funded services.[Footnote 19] However, managers at a
few of the one-stop centers we visited told us that customer
satisfaction data, for example, could not be linked to specific
services or strategies, so one-stop managers could not use the data to
improve services for their job seeker and employer customers. While
outcome measures are an important component of program management in
that they assess whether a participant is achieving an intended
outcome-such as obtaining employment--they cannot measure whether the
outcome is a direct result of program participation.[Footnote 20] Other
influences, such as the state of the local economy, may affect an
individual's ability to find a job as much or more than participation
in an employment and training program. Many researchers consider impact
evaluations to be the best method for determining the effectiveness of
a program--that is, whether the program itself rather than other
factors leads to participant outcomes.
While Labor is currently supporting a large number of impact and
process evaluations[Footnote 21] of various workforce development
programs and initiatives, none of these studies include an evaluation
of the impact of different integrated service delivery approaches on
outcomes, such as job placement or retention, or job seeker and
employer satisfaction (see table 2). Examples of integrated service
delivery initiatives that we observed at one-stops and that Labor could
evaluate include cross-training one-stop staff, sharing customer intake
across programs, and consolidating case management for customers
enrolled in multiple programs. While these integrated service delivery
approaches were common at the one-stops we visited, little is currently
known about their impact on one-stop customer outcomes and
satisfaction. In addition, there is a lack of information about which
approaches to serving employers are most effective, such as dedicating
staff to engage and serve employers or tailoring services for employers
by offering customized training or pre-screening job applicants, for
example. Employment and Training Administration (ETA)[Footnote 22]
officials provided us with information on their current research, such
as the Microanalysis of the One-Stop--a process evaluation that Labor
has initiated to analyze how job seekers and employers access the array
of available one-stop services. While this study offers an analysis of
the implementation and operation of integrated service delivery, it
does not measure the impact of this integration on one-stop customers'
satisfaction or outcomes. In addition, the impact evaluations that
Labor is currently undertaking typically take a program-by-program
approach and do not measure the effectiveness of integrated services.
For instance, Labor's evaluation comparing the impact of various
approaches to implementing Individual Training Accounts only includes
WIA program participants, and its evaluation of self-directed job
search in a one-stop environment focuses only on UI recipients.
Table 2: Selected Studies Supported by ETA:
Title: Center for Employment Training (CET) Replication Impact Study;
Description of study: Impact evaluation that examines the post-program
impacts on employment, earnings, and arrests among youth who
participated at CET replication sites. Includes control group.;
Expected release date: Mid-2003, with a follow-up report in late 2004.
Title: Connecting UI Remote Services to One-Stop Services Demonstration
Project; Description of study: Process evaluation that examines how
best to strengthen the connection between UI and one-stop services.;
Expected release date: Information not available.
Title: Employment Retention and Career Advancement Evaluation;
Description of study: A joint study with HHS, Labor is contributing
funds for an impact, process and cost-benefit analysis of the role of
one-stops in job retention and advancement. Includes control groups.;
Expected release date: Fall 2007.
Title: Evaluation of Self-Directed Labor Exchange Services in a One-
Stop Environment; Description of study: Impact evaluation that examines
the impact, efficiency and effectiveness of self-directed labor
exchange services on UI recipients' earnings and job search behavior.
Includes comparison group.; Expected release date: Summer 2005.
Title: Evaluation of the Individual Training Account Experiment;
Description of study: Impact evaluation to determine the effectiveness
of three progressively more intensive job search assistance approaches.
The most intensive approach includes a training component. Includes
control group.; Expected release date: Late 2003.
Title: Evaluation of the School-to-Work Out-of-School Youth
Demonstration and Job Corps Model Centers; Description of study: A
joint study with Education, Labor contributed funds for a process
evaluation of the implementation of school-to-work strategies at Job
Corps Model Centers and other programs serving out-of-school youth.;
Expected release date: Released 2000.
Title: Evaluation of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program (planned);
Description of study: Impact evaluation to measure the impacts of the
Trade Adjustment Assistance Program on participants' employment,
earnings, and receipt of fringe benefits. Includes comparison group.;
Expected release date: Interim reports 2005/2007, final 2008.
Title: Evaluation of WIA Implementation; Description of study: Process
evaluation to assess the early experience of states implementing WIA,
including those states that opted to implement before July 1, 2000.;
Expected release date: Interim report published, final 2004.
Title: Growing America Through Entrepreneurship (GATE) Demonstration
Project; Description of study: Process, impact and cost-benefit
analysis to measure the effectiveness of combining a variety of small
business initiatives into one program offered through the one-stop
system. Study is in collaboration with the Small Business
Administration. Includes control group.; Expected release date:
Information not available.
Title: H1-B High Skills Training Grant Evaluation; Description of
study: Process and impact evaluation to determine the near and long-
term impacts of the H1-B Technical Skills training initiative,
including impacts on society, employers, participants, and the
government sector. Impact evaluation includes control group.; Expected
release date: Interim report released, impact study report late 2006.
Title: Low-Wage Worker Retention and Advancement Demonstration
Projects; Description of study: Process evaluation to assess the
effectiveness of new strategies for improving low-wage workers'
employment status, retention rate, wage gain, career advancement,
public assistance usage, and other elements.; Expected release date:
Oregon in late 2004; California in late 2005.
Title: Microanalysis of the One-Stop; Description of study: Process
evaluation that analyzes how individuals flow through one-stops and the
extent to which they access the array of available services.; Expected
release date: Information not available.
Title: National Job Corps Study; Description of study: Impact
evaluation to evaluate the impact of the Job Corps program on student
employment outcomes. Includes control group.; Expected release date:
Released 2001.
Title: Worker Profiling and Reemployment Service Significant
Improvement Demonstrations; Description of study: Process evaluation to
identify promising strategies for improving reemployment services
administered to unemployed individuals through state worker profiling
and reemployment service systems.; Expected release date: Released
2002.
Title: Youth Opportunity Areas Demonstration Evaluation; Description of
study: Impact and process evaluation to measure the effectiveness of
the Youth Opportunity Area Demonstration. Impact evaluation includes
comparison group.; Expected release date: Late 2005.
Title: Quantum Opportunities Program (QOP) Replication; Description of
study: Impact evaluation to assess whether the QOP program has a
positive effect on high school graduation rates, enrollment in
postsecondary education, employment, and earnings. Includes control
group.; Expected release date: Interim report released 2003, final
report 2005.
Source: ETA, 2003.
Note: GAO identified approximately 40 studies supported by ETA of
workforce development programs and initiatives. This table is
indicative of studies that ETA is supporting; we excluded studies that
were similar to studies listed here or that did not assess programs
involved in the one-stop system. For more information about these and
other studies that ETA is supporting, see the ETA Five-Year Strategic
Plan for Pilots, Demonstrations, Research, and Evaluations July 2000-
June 2005 (http://wdr.doleta.gov/opr/fulltext/
document.asp?docn=6162.):
[End of table]
ETA officials told us that a major barrier they face to conducting a
broader array of impact studies is their limited research budget--$35
million for demonstration grants and $9 million for evaluations in
fiscal year 2003. In a few cases, Labor has sought to address these
funding limitations by collaborating with other federal agencies to
fund studies. For example, Labor is helping HHS fund the $26 million
Employment, Retention and Advancement Study, an evaluation assessing
strategies to promote employment retention and advancement among
welfare recipients and low-wage workers. Labor is also collaborating
with the Department of Education on a process evaluation examining the
implementation of school-to-work programs at selected Job Corps
centers. Such collaboration not only enables Labor to address funding
limitations, but it also has the potential to facilitate evaluations of
service delivery approaches that span multiple programs overseen by
different agencies. However, in spite of these benefits, Labor is
currently engaging in only a limited number of such collaborations.
Moreover, none of these collaborative studies are specifically directed
towards evaluating the impact of one-stop services or integrated
service delivery approaches.
One-Stop Administrators Do Not Have Enough Opportunities to Share
Information about Promising Strategies in Serving One-Stop Customers:
While Labor has developed several mechanisms for providing guidance and
allowing local one-stop administrators to share information on how to
move beyond the basic requirements of WIA toward improving and
integrating one-stop services, these efforts have been limited. Labor's
primary mechanisms for disseminating information about promising
practices at one-stop centers are a Web site, forums, and conferences.
The promising practices Web site, which is funded by Labor and is
operated by Northern Illinois University's Center for Governmental
Studies, represents a promising step toward building a mechanism to
support information sharing among one-stop administrators. However,
neither ETA nor the Web site's administrators have conducted a customer
satisfaction survey or user evaluation of the site, so little is known
about how well the site currently meets its objective to promote
information sharing about promising practices. Much of the information
available on the Web site comes from submissions by one-stop centers or
research organizations, yet Web site administrators told us that these
submissions have not been screened to ensure that their content is
useful. Furthermore, relevant literature stresses that information
presented through Web sites should be accessible, useful, and well
organized. When we attempted to use the Web site, we found that useful
information on the site was difficult to access. In order to find
information about promising practices through the site, one must
conduct a search by key word, which often did not yield satisfactory
results. Search results were organized alphabetically, not by
relevance, and some of the results addressed the search topic only
marginally. In addition, search results included a disorganized mixture
of external documents, links to other Web sites, and submissions. For
instance, a search under the keywords "service integration" yielded six
results, including two links to external Web sites, two external
documents, and two promising practices submissions. Of these six
results, two did not directly address promising practices in the area
of service integration.
In addition to the Web site, Labor hosts regular regional meetings and
cosponsors several national conferences to promote information
dissemination and networking opportunities for state and local grantees
and stakeholders. Labor also hosted several forums during WIA
implementation to allow information exchanges to occur between the
department and state and local one-stop administrators. While these
conferences and forums provide a venue for one-stop managers to talk
with one another about what is and is not working at their centers,
participation is limited to those who can physically take part.
Conclusions:
The workforce development system envisioned under WIA represents a
fundamental shift from prior systems, and barely 3 years have passed
since it was fully implemented. States and localities are learning how
to use the flexibility afforded by WIA to develop systems that work for
their local areas and that implement WIA's vision of a customer-focused
system. The one-stop centers we visited are coordinating with the 17
mandatory partners, and often multiple optional partners, to create a
one-stop system that strives to streamline services for job seekers and
make employers a significant part of the one-stop system. While the
one-stops we visited ranged in terms of their location--from urban to
suburban to rural--we saw numerous examples of one-stops streamlining
services for job seekers, developing business-related services to meet
the needs of employers, and supporting a one-stop infrastructure that
provides the full range of assistance needed by job seekers and
employers to serve local workforce needs.
While these strategies show promise for improving services to job
seekers and employers alike, there is no clear understanding of whether
these integrated service delivery approaches are actually increasing
job seeker and employer satisfaction or outcomes, such as job placement
and retention. Labor's current research efforts focus within individual
programs and have yet to take into account that customers are now
served by a one-stop system where multiple programs from four federal
agencies provide services. Moreover, few efforts have been made to
share information on promising practices. It is unclear whether one
effort, a promising practices Web site supported by Labor, is effective
in meeting its objective to promote information sharing about promising
practices. Without the right research or information sharing tools, it
is difficult to know which one-stop practices are, in fact, successful
and how the system might be improved in the long run.
Recommendations for Executive Action:
In order to better understand and disseminate information on how well
different approaches to program integration are meeting the needs of
one-stop job seekers and employers, we recommend that the Secretary of
Labor:
* collaborate with the Departments of Education, Health and Human
Services, and Housing and Urban Development to develop a research
agenda that examines the impacts of various approaches to program
integration on job seeker and employer satisfaction and outcomes, such
as job placement and retention and:
* conduct a systematic evaluation of the promising practices Web site
and ensure that it is effective.
Agency Comments:
We provided a draft of this report to Labor for comment. Labor agreed
with our recommendations and expressed appreciation for our
acknowledgment of the progress made by local one-stop centers. However,
Labor suggested we recognize other research activities undertaken by
ETA and its efforts to share promising practices. We have incorporated
Labor's comments in our report, as appropriate. A copy of Labor's
response is in appendix III.
Specifically, Labor agrees with our recommendation that better
information is needed to assess the impact of integrated services on
customer outcomes and satisfaction, but noted that it collects
performance information that includes job seeker and employer customer
satisfaction data. In addition, Labor told us it is working on
implementing common performance measures for the one-stop system. As we
noted in the report, outcome measures are an important part of program
management, but alone, do not allow for an understanding of whether the
outcome is a direct result of program participation. We continue to
stress the need for more impact studies in order to understand whether
integrated services are making a difference.
Labor agrees with our recommendation that Labor conduct a systematic
evaluation of the Web site to ensure that it is effective. Labor told
us that it is undertaking a strategic review of its Web sites,
including the promising practices site that is intended to identify
ways to improve customer access to information. Labor also said that it
is engaged in other activities to effectively share information about
what is working well in one-stop centers. For example, ETA hosts
regular regional meetings for state administrators and funds a number
of efforts that produce, recognize, and share promising practices
within the workforce system.
We are sending copies of this report to the Secretary of Labor,
appropriate congressional committees, and other interested parties. In
addition, the report will be available at no charge on GAO's Web site
at http://www.gao.gov.
Please contact me on (202) 512-7215 if you or your staff have any
questions about this report. Other major contributors to this report
are listed in appendix IV.
Sigurd R. Nilsen
Director,
Education, Workforce and Income Security Issues:
Signed by Sigurd R. Nilsen:
[End of section]
Appendixes:
Appendix I: Characteristics of the 14 One-Stop Centers GAO Visited:
GAO one-stop center site visits: Aurora, CO; Name of one-stop center:
Arapahoe/Douglas Works!; Operator: Arapahoe/Douglas Works! (local
government consortium); Geographic location: Suburb of Denver; Major
industries: Retail, construction, accommodation & food services;
Estimated monthly customer flow: 6,000.
GAO one-stop center site visits: Blaine, MN; Name of one-stop center:
Anoka County Workforce Center; Operator: Partner consortium; Geographic
location: Suburb of Minneapolis; Major industries: Manufacturing,
retail, healthcare; Estimated monthly customer flow: 5,100.
GAO one-stop center site visits: Boston, MA; Name of one-stop center:
The Work Place; Operator: Partnership between Jewish Vocational Service
(nonprofit) and the City of Boston; Geographic location: Located in
downtown Boston; Major industries: Healthcare, finance & insurance,
professional & technical services; Estimated monthly customer flow:
800.
GAO one-stop center site visits: Clarksville, TN; Name of one-stop
center: Workforce Essentials, Inc.; Operator: Workforce Essentials,
Inc. (nonprofit); Geographic location: Close to Nashville, otherwise
rural; Major industries: Manufacturing, retail, healthcare; Estimated
monthly customer flow: 4,600.
GAO one-stop center site visits: Dayton, OH; Name of one-stop center:
The Job Center; Operator: Consortium of partners, led by an independent
director; Geographic location: Urban city; Major industries:
Manufacturing, retail, healthcare; Estimated monthly customer flow:
42,500.
GAO one-stop center site visits: Erie, PA; Name of one-stop center:
Erie Team PA CareerLink; Operator: Partner consortium, led by Greater
Erie Community Action Committee (nonprofit); Geographic location: Small
urban metropolitan area; Major industries: Manufacturing, healthcare,
retail; Estimated monthly customer flow: 2,800.
GAO one-stop center site visits: Kansas City, MO; Name of one-stop
center: Full Employment Council; Operator: Full Employment Council
(nonprofit); Geographic location: Covering rural, urban, and suburban
areas; Major industries: Healthcare, retail, manufacturing; Estimated
monthly customer flow: 4,500.
GAO one-stop center site visits: Kenosha, WI; Name of one-stop center:
Kenosha County Job Center; Operator: Kenosha County; Geographic
location: Mixed urban and rural county located on Lake Michigan; Major
industries: Manufacturing, retail, healthcare; Estimated monthly
customer flow: 4,000.
GAO one-stop center site visits: Killeen, TX; Name of one-stop center:
Central Texas Workforce; Operator: Central Texas Workforce Center;
Geographic location: Suburban, rural area. Fort Hood is nearby.; Major
industries: Healthcare, retail, manufacturing; Estimated monthly
customer flow: 11,000.
GAO one-stop center site visits: Pikeville, KY; Name of one-stop
center: Pike County JobSight Center; Operator: Eastern Kentucky
Concentrated Employment Program (nonprofit); Geographic location:
Located in rural Appalachia in eastern Kentucky; Major industries:
Retail, mining, healthcare; Estimated monthly customer flow: 500.
GAO one-stop center site visits: Salt Lake City, UT; Name of one-stop
center: South County Employment Center; Operator: Utah Department of
Workforce Services; Geographic location: Located in Salt Lake City;
Major industries: Retail, manufacturing; Estimated monthly customer
flow: 24,500.
GAO one-stop center site visits: Santa Rosa, CA; Name of one-stop
center: Job Link; Operator: Partner consortium; Geographic location:
Largely rural; Major industries: Manufacturing, retail, healthcare;
Estimated monthly customer flow: Not available.
GAO one-stop center site visits: Sunnyvale, CA; Name of one-stop
center: Connect!; Operator: NOVA (North Valley Job Training
Consortium), 6 -county consortium with city of Sunnyvale as lead
member; Geographic location: Urban and suburban, located in the heart
of Silicon Valley; Major industries: Manufacturing, professional &
technical services; Estimated monthly customer flow: 2,500.
GAO one-stop center site visits: Vineland, NJ; Name of one-stop center:
Cumberland County One-Stop; Operator: Cumberland County Office of
Employment & Training; Geographic location: A mix of urban, suburban,
and rural communities in southwestern New Jersey; Major industries:
Manufacturing, retail, healthcare; Estimated monthly customer flow: Not
available.
Sources: U.S. Census county Business Patterns, U.S. Department of
Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, and GAO site visits, 2003.
[End of table]
[End of section]
Appendix II: Promising Practices from Site Visits:
While sites were identified as exemplary based on their promising
practices in one of three key areas--serving job seekers, engaging
employers, and operating the one-stop center--we found that all 14 of
the one-stops we visited exhibited numerous promising practices in
multiple areas. The selection of promising practices described below
represents some of the strongest or most unique examples from each
site.
Aurora, Colorado:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
Arapahoe/Douglas Works! Colorado Workforce Center 14980 E. Alameda
Drive Aurora, CO 80012:
* Working with intermediaries to engage and serve employers - Arapahoe/
Douglas Works! works closely with local Chambers of Commerce and
economic development entities to conduct outreach to employers. Each
year Arapahoe/Douglas Works! and the local Chamber hold an employer
recognition awards event, which not only markets the one-stop system to
business, but also encourages workplace innovation by honoring three
employers with awards for work-life balance, community partnerships,
and outstanding youth employer.
* Dedicating specialized staff to address local industry needs -
Because of a local nursing labor shortage, the one-stop dedicated
specialized staff to establish an on-site healthcare recruitment center
to help job seekers find training opportunities in the healthcare
field.
* Promoting partner collaboration - In addition to regular meetings
between on-site and off-site staff, the one-stop has a staff person
designated to act as a liaison and facilitate communication between on-
site and off-site partners.
* Developing optional partnerships to expand services - Arapahoe/
Douglas Works! partners with the Department of Corrections to provide
transition services for juvenile offenders.
* Raising additional funds to expand services - Arapahoe/Douglas Works!
raised about $620,000 through contracts with local schools to provide
workforce development services for at-risk high school students. The
one-stop also raised about $80,000 through an on-site learning lab for
students at risk of dropping out of school.
:
Blaine, Minnesota:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
Anoka County Workforce Center 1201 89TH Avenue NE Blaine, MN 55434:
* Ensuring partner staff understand the range of services -Staff
periodically participate in center-wide meetings where they make
presentations to one another about their program's services and role at
the center. In addition, partners lead workshops on how to better serve
their particular customer base. Officials reported that cross-training
results in increased referrals across partner programs.
* Streamlining services through consolidated case management - The
caseworkers from the various one-stop programs meet regularly to
collaborate in developing and implementing joint service plans for
customers who are co-enrolled in multiple programs.
* Tailoring services to meet employers' specific workforce needs - The
one-stop developed an English-as-a-Second-Language course tailored to
the needs of a local nursing home. The course was taught on-site at the
nursing home by one-stop staff.
* Promoting partner collaboration - Partners collaborate in functional
teams to manage the one-stop. Collaboration among partners was enhanced
when they jointly applied for a One-Stop Implementation grant from the
state of Minnesota. Because of the strong sense of cooperation among
them, partners pooled their resources when possible to ensure the
continued funding of services.
* Raising additional funds to expand services - An H1-B grant and a
grant from the McKnight Foundation enabled the center to expand
services for customers. The grants enabled the center to implement a
training program in healthcare-related fields and develop a social
services and car donation program for people who do not qualify for any
other program.
Boston, Massachusetts:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
The Work Place 99 Chauncy Street Boston, MA 02111:
* Ensuring job seekers' access to services - Because the majority of
the Work Place's partners are located off-site, the one-stop placed
staff in off-site locations, including family courts, correctional
facilities, and welfare offices to give job seekers ready access to
employment-related services.
* Dedicating specialized staff to establish relationships with
employers - The Work Place has staff dedicated to recruiting, engaging,
and maintaining employer involvement. The Work Place has focused on
measuring employer satisfaction and soliciting employer feedback to
guide them in improving their employer services. The center has
established employer focus groups to identify the services employers
used and their satisfaction with those services.
* Tailoring services to meet employers' specific workforce needs - The
Work Place screens applicants and provides referrals to the Marriott
Hotel's Pathways to Independence program, a nationwide job readiness
program for people with multiple barriers to employment. About 75
percent of program graduates over the past 5 years were recruited
through The Work Place.
* Developing optional partnerships to expand services - The Work Place
has developed an optional partnership with the Suffolk County House of
Corrections to provide community reintegration services for prisoners
prior to their release. One of the programs is an offender re-entry
program that conducts job fairs inside the county jail to facilitate
incarcerated offenders' transition back into the workplace.
* Raising additional funds to expand services - The state of
Massachusetts matches the Boston one-stop's Wagner-Peyser funds dollar
for dollar, which enables the center to fund its resource room and
library.
Clarksville, Tennessee:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
WorkForce Essentials, Inc. 110 Main Street Clarksville, TN 37040:
* Ensuring job seekers' access to services - The Clarksville one-stop
provides a clear path for job seekers to follow between one-stop
services. When job seekers are referred to another partner program,
staff personally walk them over to the referred program staff to
prevent them from getting lost between programs.
* Dedicating specialized staff to establish relationships with
employers - WorkForce Essentials, Inc., dedicates staff to conduct
employer outreach in order to provide employer services and identify
employment opportunities for job seekers. One-stop operators said that
outreach to employers has helped engender employer trust in the
organization and the job seekers it serves.
* Working with intermediaries to engage and serve employers - The
Clarksville one-stop staff worked with Chamber of Commerce members to
provide math training in order to improve the pool of entry-level
employees for the local banking industry. This helped connect job
seekers with available job openings at local banks.
* Tailoring services to meet employers' specific workforce needs - The
one-stop provided tailored hiring services, including drug testing and
pre-screening of applicants, for a manufacturing company, resulting in
the company hiring over 75 people through the one-stop.
* Developing optional partnerships to expand services-Managers in
Clarksville told us that co-location with the Tennessee Department of
Human Services, which administers TANF, benefits all job seekers
because the department helps fund various services, including computer
classes, soft skills classes, and parenting classes that can be
provided to those not eligible for TANF.
* Raising additional funds to expand services - WorkForce Essentials,
Inc., raised $750,000 in fiscal year 2002 through drivers' education
courses, drug testing, recruitment, and skills assessment services.
This money was used to pay salaries and to purchase voicemail and a
computer network system. In addition, the one-stop received a $2.8
million H-1B Technical Skills Training Grant from DOL, through which it
has provided high-skills training to over 900 workers so far.
Dayton, Ohio:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
The Job Center 111 S. Edwin C. Moses Boulevard Dayton, OH 45422 :
* Streamlining services through consolidated case management -
Caseworkers from various programs, including TANF, Medicaid, Food
Stamps, and WIA share caseloads and coordinate their service plans for
job seekers.
* Ensuring partner staff understand the range of services - One-stop
managers reported that cross-training on-site and off-site partners
dramatically improves referrals to the Child Support Program, thereby
enhancing efforts to establish paternity, a requirement for determining
eligibility for TANF. Additionally, they indicated that their cross-
trained staff referred job seekers to service providers that had
previously been unknown, such as to smaller programs within the one-
stop or local neighborhood programs.
* Promoting partner collaboration and co-location - Partners
collaboratively operate the one-stop through four councils. All
partners are asked to participate and all have equal voice in decision-
making. Additionally, partners contributed space and other resources to
help other partners co-locate. The Center is housed in a former
shopping mall, which offers plenty of flexible space to allow all
partners to co-locate.
* Developing optional partnerships to expand services - At the time of
our visit, the Dayton one-stop had over 30 optional partners on-site,
including the Montgomery County Combined Health District, which
operates a health clinic on-site; and Clothes that Work! which provides
free business attire to low-income women; and an alternative high
school.
* Raising additional funds to expand services - The one-stop receives
$1 million annually from the county to pay for shared one-stop staff
salaries and to provide services to job seekers who do not qualify for
services under any other funding stream. Dayton one-stop partners also
contribute financial and in-kind resources to the center on an as-
needed basis.
Erie, Pennsylvania:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
Pennsylvania CareerLink 1309 French Street Erie, PA 16501:
* Streamlining services through consolidated case management - To
efficiently coordinate multiple services for one-stop customers, Erie
one-stop staff use a networked computer system with a shared case
management program, so that they can share access to a customer's
service plan and case file.
* Ensuring job seekers' access to services - The one-stop positions a
staff person at the doors to the center to help job seekers entering
the center find needed services and to ensure that exiting job seekers
received the services they sought.
* Working with intermediaries to engage and serve employers -
CareerLink staff collaborated with numerous local economic development
entities to develop an outreach program that assesses the workforce
needs of employers and links employers with appropriate services.
* Promoting partner collaboration - The one-stop staff is organized
into four functional teams that meet weekly to work on common goals and
develop new strategies. These teams have developed innovative
strategies to improve service delivery, including the creation of a
resource guide for caseworkers and a color-coded intake form.
* Strengthening relationships among partners - Staff at CareerLink
participate in frequent team-building activities, such as social events
and recognition ceremonies, to promote a positive, integrated working
environment.
Kansas City, Missouri:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
Full Employment Council 1740 Paseo Kansas City, MO 64108:
* Streamlining services through consolidated intake procedures - Youth
Opportunity and the WIA Youth program staff share intake and enrollment
forms to streamline the delivery of services to youth. This process
alleviates the burden of multiple intake and assessment forms when
registering participants.
* Ensuring job seekers' access to services - The one-stop management
decided to locate the one-stop center next to the bus company, the Area
Transit Authority, (ATA). This strategic decision meant that all bus
routes passed by the one-stop center, ensuring that customers with
transportation problems could access one-stop services. Additionally,
the ATA partners with the one-stop to create an Urban Employment
Network program to assist job seekers with transportation to and from
work, 7 days a week from 5:00 in the morning until midnight and has set
up a van service to operate during off-peak hours.
* Working with intermediaries to engage and serve employers - The Full
Employment Council uses the Chamber of Commerce as an intermediary with
employers. The chamber has a workforce issues division that does
outreach to educate employers about recruitment and retention
strategies and services offered at the one-stop center. While staff at
the Kansas City one-stop assist job seekers with disabilities, the
Chamber works with local employers to educate them about hiring
disabled workers and integrating them into the workplace.
* Promoting partner co-location - The one-stop enabled the Adult Basic
Education program to co-locate by allowing it to contribute instructors
and GED classes instead of paying rent.
* Raising additional funds to expand services - The Kansas City one-
stop has a staff person specifically designated to researching grant
opportunities and writing grant applications. Through pursuing grant
opportunities, the center has been able to raise about $14 million,
which represents two-thirds of its total budget in program year 2002.
These additional funds enable the one-stop staff to address local
workforce concerns and provide services, such as internship
opportunities in high-tech industries for at-risk youth.
Kenosha, Wisconsin:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
Kenosha County Job Center 8600 Sheridan Road Kenosha, WI 53143:
* Streamlining services through consolidated and case management - Case
files for economic support, case management, job placement, and
childcare services are shared on a networked computer system that staff
from these four programs can access. Staff from these programs
collectively develop an action plan for their customers and share an
electronic calendar for scheduling customers' appointments and
workshops.
* Working with intermediaries to engage and serve employers - The one-
stop collaborates with local community colleges and the Kenosha Area
Business Alliance, an economic development association, to identify
labor and skills shortages in local industry. These partnerships have
not only helped employers with human resources assistance--such as
recruitment, networking, and marketing--but they have also assisted
employers with assessment and training of new and existing employees.
For example, the one-stop's relationship with a local community college
led to the development of a Certified Nursing Assistant course taught
in Spanish.
* Promoting partner collaboration - Regular functional team meetings
allow partners to share ideas, work together to solve problems, and
develop strategies to improve services. For example, through functional
teams, partners were able to establish an on-site childcare center.
* Promoting partner co-location - Goodwill Industries, a one-stop
partner, pays rent for smaller partners that cannot afford to pay rent
on their own to expand services for job seekers.
Killeen, Texas:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
Central Texas Workforce Center 300 Cheyenne Killeen, TX 76541 :
* Ensuring job seekers' access to services - To serve customers with
transportation challenges, staff in Killeen partner with the libraries
in rural areas to provide computer access to one-stop resume writing
and job search services. They also provide an on-line TANF orientation,
so that customers can access it remotely. Additionally, when one-stop
center staff refer job seekers to one of their many partners, the staff
personally introduce the job seeker to the referred program staff to
prevent job seekers from getting lost between programs.
* Developing optional partnerships to expand services - The one-stop
improved job seeker access to services by forming relationships with
optional partners such as TANF. One-stop staff told us that co-location
with TANF services helps welfare recipients address barriers to
employment by facilitating easier access to services, such as housing
assistance and employment and training programs.
* Dedicating specialized staff to establish relationships with
employers - The one-stop has specialized staff serving not only as the
central contact for receiving calls and requests from employers but
also as the primary source for identifying job openings available
through employers in the community.
* Tailoring services to meet employers' specific workforce needs - In
collaboration with local community colleges and the Chamber of
Commerce, the one-stop created a Business Resource Center that offers
services specifically for entrepreneurs and new businesses, including
tax assistance and workshops on starting or improving a business.
* Raising additional funds to expand services - The one-stop has
applied for multiple transportation grants to improve access to jobs
for rural job seekers. In addition, the one-stop raised $309,000 in
fiscal year 2001 by renting out space to local businesses and by
providing services to employers.
Pikeville, Kentucky:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
Pike County JobSight Center 120 South Riverfill Drive Pikeville, KY
41501:
* Ensuring partner staff understand the range of services - Cross-
training workshops taught by partner staff educate staff about the one-
stop's diverse array of services. Although partners specialize in a
particular area of expertise, cross-training has improved referrals and
enabled staff to better ensure that job seekers get the tools they need
to become successfully employed.
* Tailoring services to meet employers' specific workforce needs - When
eastern Kentucky encountered a labor shortage in the coal mining
industry, the one-stop recruited a large pool of local applicants and
created an on-the-job training program using WIA funds, which paid for
half of new miners' salaries during their training period.
* Dedicating specialized staff to establish relationships with
employers - Specific JobSight staff are dedicated to employer outreach
and customizing services. These staff were able to help attract a large
cabinet manufacturer to the area by offering a customized service
package, including prescreening and assessment, on the job training,
and a 3-day job fair.
* Promoting partner collaboration - When the one-stop was created,
partners participated in intensive workshops and collaboratively
designed a service delivery plan to reduce service duplication. In
addition, partners collaboratively designed a common intake form and a
service delivery flow chart.
* Creating a shared one-stop identity - One-stop managers told us that
shared decision making was instrumental in developing a common one-stop
identity and in ensuring partners' support for the one-stop system. The
process of creating a shared one-stop identity in Pikeville was also
supported by the adoption of a common logo and nametags, and was
reinforced by a comprehensive marketing campaign.
* Promoting partner co-location - The local community college donated
free space to the one-stop on its conveniently located campus, making
it desirable for partners to relocate there.
Salt Lake City, Utah:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
South County Employment Center 5735 S. Redwood Road Taylorsville, UT
84123:
* Streamlining services through consolidated case management - The
caseworkers at the Salt Lake City one-stop are divided into four teams
that share case management of customers. The Job Connection Team is
stationed at the front desk and helps customers by doing quick
assessments, referrals, UI profiling, and assisting with computer
access. Caseworkers from the three Employment Teams specialize in a
particular program and all caseworkers meet once a month to discuss
program requirements and how to streamline services for co-enrolled
customers.
* Ensuring partner staff understand the range of services - Department
of Workforce Services and Vocational Rehabilitation caseworkers
participate in frequent cross-training sessions, so they are capable of
assisting co-enrolled customers. One-stop managers reported that cross-
training has improved staff understanding of programs outside their
area of expertise and enhanced their ability to make referrals. There
is also a shadow program in which staff members shadow one another for
a few hours to learn about one another's jobs and the programs they
administer.
* Ensuring job seekers' access to services - The one-stop established a
Web-based job search program on which job seekers can post resumes and
look for jobs. This Web site reduces customer flow, saves money, and
makes it more convenient for people to look for jobs from their homes
or offices.
* Dedicated specialized staff to establish relationships with employers
- Employers have a separate one-stop center where they can conduct
interviews, access labor market information, attend seminars, and use
computers. The center has specialized employer outreach and business
services staff that act as liaisons to employers, organize job fairs,
and assist with job placements.
* Promoting partner collaboration - Partners created a "MOUse"
committee to address Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) issues,
including referrals, information systems, employer involvement, cross-
training, and service accessibility. Staff from the Vocational
Rehabilitation Program in Salt Lake City told us that this committee
helped to increase referrals to their program by producing flow charts
of the service delivery systems of various partner programs to identify
points at which referrals and staff collaboration should occur.
Santa Rosa, California:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
Sonoma County Job Link One-Stop Center 2245 Challenger Way Santa Rosa,
CA 95407:
* Dedicating specialized staff to establish relationships with
industries - In Santa Rosa, staff are dedicated to specific industries
in order to better address local labor shortages. When Santa Rosa's
tourism industry was in need of more skilled workers, the one-stop
worked with the local community college to ensure that job seekers were
connected to certification courses in hotel management and the culinary
arts. Also, the one-stop center has a Small Business Development
Center, funded by the Small Business Administration, that provides
consulting services to small businesses.
* Working with intermediaries to engage and serve employers - The one-
stop focuses heavily on using existing partnerships with
intermediaries, such as the Economic Development Board, to market their
services to employers and to utilize information gathered from employer
surveys. Managers told us this partnership has helped caseworkers
better understand particular industries and job market fluctuations.
* Developing optional partnerships to expand services - The one-stop is
collaborating with CalWORKS, the state TANF program, which allows them
to provide additional services, such as the employer account
representatives. These representatives work with employers, the
Workforce Investment Board, and caseworkers to gather and disseminate
information about the labor market, particularly high-demand
industries.
* Raising additional funds to expand services - Santa Rosa has been
better equipped to receive national grants and grants from the state of
California by collaborating with three other Workforce Investment
Boards in the area. In addition, this collaboration has improved local
labor market information and sharing of promising practices.
* Improving one-stop operations - Partner staff use a Funding Source
Determination Worksheet to ensure that customers' services are paid for
by the most appropriate grant or by a variety of funding streams to
maximize funding in the long run. The funding sheet helps alleviate
some cost burden on partners with tighter training budgets.
Sunnyvale, California:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
Connect! 420 S. Pastoria Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94086:
* Dedicating specialized staff to establish relationships with
employers - Connect! has dedicated staff to providing a variety of
services (both free and fee-based) to meet business needs, including
staffing services, such as prescreening of job applicants and on-site
recruiting; transition/outplacement services to help downsizing
businesses assist displaced workers; educational resources; and
training, such as technical training for small business IT workers.
* Tailoring services to meet employers' specific workforce needs - The
one-stop is co-located with a patent and trademark library that is
electronically linked to the national trademark office to assist
customers seeking entrepreneurial opportunities.
* Gathering labor market information on local industries - Connect!
conducted Labor Market Information Plus (LMI+) studies of local
industries to gather information on current workforce issues and
challenges and predict future labor market trends.
* Raising additional funds to expand services - One-stop managers
raised $20,000 through fee-based downsizing and training services for
employers and used this money to expand the one-stop's business
services.
* Improving one-stop operations - In order to improve its operations,
Connect! conducted an assessment (Voice of the Customer Initiative) to
better understand customer expectations and needs. As a result, the
one-stop reorganized its operations, redefined relationships with
partners, developed a new outcome budget structure, and created
specialized one-stop centers for businesses, job seekers, and youth.
Vineland, New Jersey:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
Cumberland County One-stop 415 Landis Avenue Vineland, NJ 08360:
* Ensuring job seekers' access to services - By addressing customers'
transportation challenges, the Cumberland County One-Stop enhanced
access to training and employment opportunities for rural customers.
The one-stop now provides transportation to employment sites that are
difficult for customers to access, such as the Atlantic City casino
industry.
* Ensuring partner staff understand the range of services - Program
staff attend monthly meetings to educate one another about various
program rules, which improves referrals and eligibility determination
for customers. For example, all program staff attended training on how
to assess customers' eligibility for the TANF program.
* Tailoring services to meet employers' specific workforce needs - When
employer services staff realized the application process for tax
credits was cumbersome for employers, they completed the required
paperwork themselves so that employers could receive the tax credit
incentives.
* Working with intermediaries to engage and serve employers - The
Cumberland County One-Stop negotiated an agreement with the local
Empowerment Zone Office, requiring that new businesses use the one-stop
center for recruitment before using their own private resources. This
arrangement allows the one-stop to stay informed of employer needs and
potential opportunities for job seekers.
* Working with intermediaries to engage and serve employers - The
Vineland one-stop belongs to the three Chambers of Commerce in the area
and attends many of their events. Business services staff make
presentations about the one-stop's services at professional
conferences, chamber meetings, and other local events.
[End of section]
Appendix III: Comments from the Department of Labor:
U.S. Department of Labor
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training
Washington, D.C. 20210:
JUN 11 2000:
Mr. Sigurd R. Nilsen Director:
Education, Workforce and Income Security Issues:
U.S. General Accounting Office 441 G Street, N.W. Washington, D.C.
20548:
Dear Mr. Nilsen:
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the draft report entitled,
Workforce Investment Act: One-Stop Centers Implemented Strategies to
Strengthen Services and Partnerships but More Research and Information
Sharing is Needed (GAO-03-725).
We appreciate the work of the General Accounting Office (GAO) on this
report and the acknowledgement of the progress made to date by local
One-Stop Career Centers in providing integrated services to customers,
engaging the business community and building a solid One-Stop
infrastructure. We agree that it is impressive that the Workforce
Investment System has been able to integrate services in the One-Stops
in local communities in the past three years. We also agree with your
recommendations. However, we believe that other activities undertaken
by the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) in support of these
three areas have not been recognized in your report and should have
been. Because of this, the recommendations appear starker than they
should as they are not mitigated by the efforts and activities of the
system to find better information through research, gauge the results
of One-Stop Career Centers through performance measurement and customer
satisfaction surveys, or share promising practices through other
avenues.
Our specific comments are provided below:
Page 27 - "Labor's studies largely take a program-by-program
approach..." ETA is proposing several cross-program evaluations in its
multi-year evaluation strategy, subject to evaluation funding levels.
In addition, ETA is proposing evaluations of services to target groups
such as services to Limited English Proficient (LEP) customers
regardless of what "program" provides the services, again subject to
evaluation funding levels. As you know, OMB and Congress have been very
interested in evaluations of specific programs consistent with the
separate funding streams in the current legislation. Our response is
not to discontinue program evaluation but to expand our evaluation
strategy to encompass evaluations across the One-Stop system and
across target groups.
Page 28 - "little is currently known about ... customer outcomes and
satisfaction." ETA agrees that we need better information to assess the
impact of integrated services on customer outcomes and satisfaction.
However, for the past three years, as required by WIA, we have
collected performance information including customer satisfaction data
from jobseekers and employers who use the One-Stop delivery system.
Although this does not provide details regarding the impact of the One-
Stop model, it does provide good overall information on the results of
the One-Stop experience and the satisfaction of our customers. The
report ignores the fact that these data exist in all local workforce
investment areas. The report should be changed to reflect the existence
of these data.
Page 31 - "When we attempted to use the Web site, we found that useful
information on the site was difficult to access." We have undertaken a
strategic review of our Web sites. The promising practices Web site,
and its holdings and functionality, are a part of this review which
will be completed this summer. Among other things, this review is
intended to identify and implement ways to improve customer access to
Web site information.
Page 32 -"While these conferences and forums provide a venue for One-
Stop managers to talk with one another ... they do not take place
frequently and participation is limited to those who can physically
take part." ETA hosts regular regional meetings for state
administrators and funds (or has funded) a number of efforts that
produce, recognize and share promising practices with the workforce
investment system. The report leaves the wrong impression that little
effort and few activities have been undertaken by ETA to identify and
share promising practices. While we agree with the recommendation, we
believe this misleading impression should be corrected.
Page 32 - "While these strategies show promise ... there is no clear
understanding of whether these integrated service delivery approaches
are actually increasing job seeker and employer satisfaction or
outcomes...." WIA is an outcomes-based system. ETA recognizes that we
need additional data and research to determine whether the integrated
service delivery is more effective and responsive to the needs of our
customers. However, the report should recognize all of the activities
and efforts which have been undertaken to measure both customer
satisfaction and program outcomes, as well as our plan to implement
common performance measures.
Thank you again for the opportunity to comment. If you have questions
regarding these comments, please contact me at (202) 693-2700 or Grace
Kilbane at (202) 693-3980.
Sincerely,
Emily Stover DeRocco:
Signed by
Emily Stover DeRocco:
[End of section]
Appendix IV: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments:
GAO Contacts:
Dianne Blank (202) 512-5654
Katrina Ryan (202) 512-3214:
Staff Acknowledgments:
Elisabeth Anderson, Elizabeth Caplick, and Tamara Harris made
significant contributions to this report. In addition, Shana Wallace
assisted in the study design; Jessica Botsford provided legal support;
and Patrick DiBattista assisted in the message and report development.
[End of section]
Related GAO Products:
Workforce Investment Act: Exemplary One-Stops Devised Strategies to
Strengthen Services, but Challenges Remain for Reauthorization. GAO-03-
884T. Washington D.C.: June 18, 2003.
Workforce Investment Act: Issues Related to Allocation Formulas for
Youth, Adults, and Dislocated Workers. GAO-03-636. Washington D.C.:
April 25, 2003.
Multiple Employment and Training Programs: Funding and Performance
Measures for Major Programs. GAO-03-589. Washington, D.C.: April 18,
2003.
Food Stamp Employment and Training Program: Better Data Needed to
Understand Who Is Served and What the Program Achieves. GAO-03-388.
Washington D.C.: March 12, 2003.
Workforce Training: Employed Worker Programs Focus on Business Needs,
but Revised Performance Measures Could Improve Access for Some Workers.
GAO-03-353. Washington, D.C.: February 14, 2003.
Older Workers: Employment Assistance Focuses on Subsidized Jobs and Job
Search, but Revised Performance Measures Could Improve Access to Other
Services. GAO-03-350. Washington, D.C.: January 24, 2003 :
Workforce Investment Act: States' Spending Is on Track, but Better
Guidance Would Improve Financial Reporting. GAO-03-239. Washington,
D.C.: November 22, 2002.
Workforce Investment Act: States and Localities Increasingly Coordinate
Services for TANF Clients, but Better Information Needed on Effective
Approaches. GAO-02-696. Washington, D.C.: July 3, 2002.
Workforce Investment Act: Coordination of TANF Services Through One-
Stops Has Increased Despite Challenges. GAO-02-739T. Washington, D.C.:
May 16, 2002.
Workforce Investment Act: Youth Provisions Promote New Service
Strategies, but Additional Guidance Would Enhance Program Development.
GAO-02-413. Washington, D.C.: April 5, 2002.
Workforce Investment Act: Coordination of TANF Programs and One-Stop
Center Is Increasing, but Challenges Remain. GAO-02-500T. Washington,
D.C.: March 12, 2002.
Workforce Investment Act: Better Guidance and Revised Funding Formula
Would Enhance Dislocated Worker Program. GAO-02-274. Washington, D.C.:
February 11, 2002.
Workforce Investment Act: Improvements Needed in Performance Measures
to Provide a More Accurate Picture of WIA's Effectiveness. GAO-02-275.
Washington, D.C.: February 1, 2002.
Workforce Investment Act: Better Guidance Needed to Address Concerns
Over New Requirements. GAO-02-72. Washington, D.C.: Oct. 4, 2001.
Workforce Investment Act: New Requirements Create Need for More
Guidance. GAO-02-94T. Washington, D.C. October 4, 2001.
Workforce Investment Act: Implementation Status and the Integration of
TANF Services. GAO/T-HEHS-00-145. Washington, D.C.: June 29, 2000.
(130173):
FOOTNOTES
[1] U.S. General Accounting Office, Workforce Investment Act:
Coordination of TANF Services Through One-stops Has Increased Despite
Challenges, GAO-02-739T (Washington D.C.: May 16, 2002) and Workforce
Investment Act: Implementation Status and the Integration of TANF
Services, GAO/T-HEHS-00-145 (Washington, D.C.: June 29, 2000).
[2] While WIA was enacted in 1998, Labor did not require states to
implement major provisions of WIA until July 1, 2000.
[3] Several of the mandatory one-stop partner programs are subject to
restrictions on the use of their funds, such as which populations they
may serve and limits on the amount of allowable administrative
spending. See U.S. General Accounting Office, Workforce Investment Act:
Better Guidance Needed to Address Concerns Over New Requirements, GAO-
02-72 (Washington D.C.: Oct. 4, 2001).
[4] TANF provides low-income families with income support and
employment-related assistance.
[5] For more information on TANF participation in one-stop centers, see
GAO-02-739T.
[6] For more information, see GAO-02-739T and GAO/T-HEHS-00-145.
[7] WIA has a general requirement for local boards to promote the
participation of private sector employers in the workforce investment
system and specifically requires that employers and the private sector
community represent a majority of the state and local workforce
investment boards' memberships and that the chairperson of each board
be elected from those members.
[8] For more information, see U.S. General Accounting Office, Workforce
Investment Act: Improvements Needed in Performance Measures to Provide
a More Accurate Picture of WIA's Effectiveness, GAO-02-275 (Washington
D.C.: Feb. 1, 2002).
[9] While WIA requires that specific programs provide services within
the one-stop system, WIA does not require that one-stop staff are
cross-trained to understand the array of one-stop services.
[10] GAO-02-739T and GAO/T-HEHS-00-145.
[11] Officials from some of the sites we visited told us that they
believe the best service delivery approach included one-stop staff that
specialized in their own program area but were also cross-trained in
the services and basic eligibility requirements of other programs in
the one-stop system.
[12] The Child Support Enforcement and Paternity Establishment Program
collects support from noncustodial parents and helps establish
paternity for TANF families.
[13] The one-stop in Kansas City, Missouri, provides another example of
how specialized staff at the one-stop worked with the local Chambers of
Commerce to better connect employers with job seekers, specifically
disabled job seekers. While staff at the Kansas City one-stop
identified job seekers with disabilities, the Chamber worked with local
employers to educate them about hiring disabled workers and integrating
them into the workplace.
[14] Erie CareerLink worked with numerous economic development
entities, such as the Erie County Executive, Economic Development
Corporation of Erie County, and Northwest Pennsylvania Industrial
Resource Center, which are agencies and organizations dedicated to
promoting the local economy by attracting new employers to the region
and by providing support for local employers.
[15] Officials at the Vineland one-stop told us that tax credits serve
as an incentive for businesses to participate in certain federal
workforce programs such as the Empowerment Zone, Welfare-to-Work, and
Education Opportunity Programs.
[16] In fostering co-location of partner programs, the one-stops we
visited were following a trend toward increased co-location at one-stop
centers nationwide. We found that the number of states with co-located
mandatory and optional programs increased appreciably between 2000 and
2001. We considered a mandatory program to be co-located in a state if
more than 50 percent of the state's one-stops had the program on-site.
For more information, see GAO-02-696.
[17] While several centers had adopted fee-based services as a method
of raising funds, it is important to note that managers of at least one
center said they chose not to charge for services because they felt
this might deter some employers or job seekers from accessing needed
services.
[18] Individual Training Accounts are training vouchers that
participants can use to procure the training of their choice, so long
as the training program is on a state's eligible training provider
list.
[19] WIA's measures are only tracked for those customers who receive
staff-assisted core, intensive or training services using WIA funding.
They are not tracked for those who receive self-service core services.
For more information, see GAO-02-275.
[20] For more information, see U.S. General Accounting Office, Food
Stamp Employment and Training Program: Better Data Needed to Understand
Who Is Served and What the Program Achieves, GAO-03-388 (Washington
D.C.: Mar. 12, 2003).
[21] Impact evaluations measure a program's effect on participant
outcomes, such as job placement and retention, by isolating the program
effect from the effects of other factors. Process evaluations, on the
other hand, offer an analysis of the processes involved in program
implementation. To isolate a program's effect, impact evaluations often
divide participants into two groups: those who receive program services
and a similar group who do not (the control or comparison group). Some
impact evaluations assign participants randomly to one group or the
other, which increases the likelihood that the two groups are roughly
equivalent on all characteristics that could affect outcomes. When
participants are randomly assigned, the comparison group is called a
control group. Aspects of program implementation that process
evaluations typically assess include the extent to which a program is
reaching the appropriate target population, whether a program's
delivery of services is consistent with its design specifications, and
the amount of resources being spent on the program.
[22] ETA is an agency within the U.S. Department of Labor that oversees
WIA and provides job training, employment, labor market information,
and income maintenance services primarily through state and local
workforce development systems.
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