Proposed Information Collection Request for the Extension of the Individual Training Account Experiment; Extension With Changes of Approved Collection; Comment Request, 42597-42598 [E8-16666]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 141 / Tuesday, July 22, 2008 / Notices
budget and award amount will be
negotiated between NIC and the
successful applicant. Funds may only be
used for the activities that are linked to
the desired outcome of the project.
Following award of the cooperative
agreement, NIC will work with the
awardee to refine the identification of
additional topics, plus the review and
final acceptance of each deliverable. A
specific funding amount is not
disclosed. Both the cost and the
development strategy are to be
completed. Selection will be based on a
determination of the best value for the
government to achieve the goals of the
award.
This project will be a collaborative
venture with the NIC Community
Corrections Division.
Eligibility of Applicants: An eligible
applicant is any public or private
agency, educational institution,
organization, individual or team with
expertise in the described areas.
Review Considerations: Applications
received under this announcement will
be subjected to a 3-to-5 person NIC Peer
Review Process.
Number of Awards: One.
NIC Application Number: 08C79.
This number should appear as a
reference line in the cover letter, in box
4a of Standard Form 424, and outside of
the envelope in which the application is
sent.
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance Number: 16.601.
Executive Order 12372: This project is
not subject to the provisions of
Executive Order 12372.
Thomas J. Beauclair,
Deputy Director, National Institute of
Corrections.
[FR Doc. E8–16684 Filed 7–21–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410–36–P
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training
Administration
Proposed Information Collection
Request for the Extension of the
Individual Training Account
Experiment; Extension With Changes
of Approved Collection; Comment
Request
Employment and Training
Administration, Department of Labor.
ACTION: Notice.
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of
Labor, as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, conducts a preclearance
consultation program to provide the
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:47 Jul 21, 2008
Jkt 214001
general public and federal agencies with
an opportunity to comment on proposed
and/or continuing collections of
information in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This
program helps to ensure that requested
data can be provided in the desired
format, reporting burden (time and
financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly
understood, and the impact of collection
requirements on respondents can be
properly assessed. Currently, the
Employment and Training
Administration is soliciting comments
for a proposed extension with revisions
to an approved information collection
(OMB 1205–0441, expires November 30,
2009) to evaluate long-term impacts of
participants in the Individual Training
Account Experiment.
A copy of the proposed information
collection request (ICR) can be obtained
by contacting the office listed below in
the addresses section of this notice or by
accessing: https://www.doleta.gov/
OMBCN/OMBControlNumber.cfm.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section below on or before
September 22, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments
to Janet Javar, Room N–5641,
Employment and Training
Administration, 200 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210.
Telephone number: 202–693–3677 (this
is not a toll-free number). Fax: 202–693–
2766. E-mail: javar.janet@dol.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of
1998 brought about substantial changes
in the way training and other
employment services are provided. WIA
required workforce investment areas to
establish Individual Training Accounts
(ITAs), which provide vouchers or other
related funding methods that customers
can use to pay for training. ITAs are
intended to empower customers to
choose the training services they need
and raise the accountability of states,
local areas, and service providers for
meeting these needs.
The ITA Experiment was conducted
between June 1999 and September 2006.
It was designed to test different
approaches for managing customer
choice in the administration of ITAs.
States and local offices have a great deal
of flexibility in deciding how much
guidance to provide to customers in
choosing WIA-funded training. The
experiment tested three approaches that
differed widely in both the resources
made available to customers and the
involvement of local counselors in
PO 00000
Frm 00056
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
42597
guiding customer choice. The three
approaches included a highly structured
approach (in which customers were
steered to the highest-return training
options), a moderately guided approach,
and a true voucher approach (in which
customers were offered a lump sum and
allowed to choose any state-approved
training). The three approaches were
tested through an experiment that
randomly assigned new customers to
one of the three ITA approaches. The
advantages of randomly assigning
customers are increased precision and
accuracy in the impact estimates. ETA
selected six grantees through a
competitive process to participate in the
evaluation. The experiment was
conducted in Chicago, Illinois;
Charlotte, North Carolina; Atlanta,
Georgia; Phoenix, Arizona; Bridgeport,
Connecticut; and Jacksonville, Florida.
Intake began in 2001.
Findings from the initial evaluation of
the ITA Experiment suggested that a
longer-term follow-up was necessary in
order to reach more definitive
conclusions regarding the impacts and
cost-effectiveness of the ITA
approaches. For most ITA study
participants, the initial data collection
permitted examination of employment
outcomes for 18 months following
random assignment. At that time, a
substantial number of ITA participants
were still in training, so that the
ultimate effects of the ITA approaches
had not yet been completely realized.
This extension of the evaluation
examines the longer-term outcomes of
ITA study participants, with a second
follow-up survey administered between
four and seven years after random
assignment and with longer-term
employment and earnings data,
including updated unemployment
insurance (UI) wage records.
This request for a second participant
follow-up survey includes only minor
modifications to the first follow-up
survey (OMB 1205–0441). It collects the
same critical information that can only
be collected using survey data on the
employment, training, and earnings
experiences of the ITA study
participants. The second follow-up
survey and additional UI data collection
are needed to examine a more extensive
employment history for each ITA study
participant and update the experimental
estimates of net impacts and return-oninvestment analyses for the three ITA
approaches.
To determine the relative long-term
impacts of different ITA approaches on
training experiences and on labor
market outcomes, updated stateadministrative data and second followup survey data will be used. These data
E:\FR\FM\22JYN1.SGM
22JYN1
42598
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 141 / Tuesday, July 22, 2008 / Notices
will make it possible to compare the
outcomes of the three ITA approaches
and evaluate their cost-effectiveness at
three to five years after random
assignment. These comparisons will be
based on the experiences and outcomes
of ITA customers, such as participation
in education and training, employment
and earnings, and participation in
government support programs. These
comparisons will yield estimates of the
relative impacts of different ITA
approaches on key outcomes in the
long-term.
To compare the three ITA approaches,
administrative and survey data to
compute summary statistics, such as
means, separately for each ITA
approach will be used. For example, the
percentage of ITA customers served by
each approach that received trainingrelated services will be computed and
compared to how much training they
received. This percentage will be
compared across approaches to
determine whether the different
approaches vary in the amount and type
of training that customers completed.
The evaluation findings can provide
local workforce investment boards with
guidance on possible modifications to
their ITA programs. The goal of the
experiment is to determine the relative
long-term impacts and cost-effectiveness
of different approaches to administering
ITAs. The updated data collected from
states and the second participant follow-
up survey will provide critical
information to make those assessments.
The planned data collection efforts are
therefore essential to evaluating the
different ITA approaches tested in the
experiment.
II. Review Focus
Data will be collected from study
participants only once. The survey will
provide the only source of long-term
data for ITA customers at the six
grantees on the following outcomes:
• Participation in education and
training programs;
• Job search behavior after random
assignment;
• Characteristics of post-training jobs;
and
• Participation in government
programs, including UI.
Therefore, if this second follow-up
survey were not conducted, the
evaluation would be unable to assess
the impacts of different ITA approaches
on these outcomes in the long-term.
The Department of Labor is
particularly interested in comments
which:
• Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
• Evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
Total
respondents
Cite/Reference
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
• Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and
• Minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
are to respond, including through the
use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology,
e.g., permitting electronic submissions
of responses.
III. Current Actions
Type of Review: Extension of a
currently approved collection with
revisions.
Agency: Employment and Training
Administration.
Title: Extension of the Evaluation of
the Individual Training Account
Experiment.
OMB Number: 1205–0441.
Affected Public: Individuals.
Total Respondents: 3,366.
Frequency: One time.
Total Responses: 3,366.
Average Time per Response: 30
minutes.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,680
hours.
Total Burden Cost: $24,192.
Average time
per response
(minutes)
Frequency
Burden (hours)
ITA Follow-up survey ......................................
3,366
One time .........................................................
30
1,680
Totals .......................................................
3,366
.........................................................................
........................
1,680
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
The total burden cost represents 30
minutes to complete the survey
multiplied by the number of completers
(3,366 or 70 percent of the 4,800 sample
targeted for the survey) and by an
estimated average hourly wage of $14.40
per hour.
Comments submitted in response to
this comment request will be
summarized and/or included in the
request for Office of Management and
Budget approval of the information
collection request; they will also
become a matter of public record.
Signed in Washington, DC, this 16th day of
July 2008.
Thomas M. Dowd,
Administrator, Office of Policy Development
and Research Employment and Training
Administration.
[FR Doc. E8–16666 Filed 7–21–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–FN–P
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:47 Jul 21, 2008
Jkt 214001
Mine Safety and Health Administration
Petitions for Modification
Mine Safety and Health
Administration, Labor.
ACTION: Notice of petitions for
modification of existing mandatory
safety standards.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Section 101(c) of the Federal
Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 and
30 CFR part 44 govern the application,
processing, and disposition of petitions
for modification. This notice is a
summary of petitions for modification
filed by the parties listed below to
modify the application of existing
mandatory safety standards published
in Title 30 of the Code of Federal
Regulations.
PO 00000
Frm 00057
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
All comments on the petitions
must be received by the Office of
Standards, Regulations, and Variances
on or before August 21, 2008.
ADDRESSES: You may submit your
comments, identified by ‘‘docket
number’’ on the subject line, by any of
the following methods:
1. Electronic mail: StandardsPetitions@dol.gov.
2. Facsimile: 1–202–693–9441.
3. Regular Mail: MSHA, Office of
Standards, Regulations, and Variances,
1100 Wilson Boulevard, Room 2349,
Arlington, Virginia 22209, Attention:
Patricia W. Silvey, Director, Office of
Standards, Regulations, and Variances.
4. Hand-Delivery or Courier: MSHA,
Office of Standards, Regulations, and
Variances, 1100 Wilson Boulevard,
Room 2349, Arlington, Virginia 22209,
Attention: Patricia W. Silvey, Director,
DATES:
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
E:\FR\FM\22JYN1.SGM
22JYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42597-42598]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-16666]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Proposed Information Collection Request for the Extension of the
Individual Training Account Experiment; Extension With Changes of
Approved Collection; Comment Request
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance
consultation program to provide the general public and federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format,
reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed.
Currently, the Employment and Training Administration is soliciting
comments for a proposed extension with revisions to an approved
information collection (OMB 1205-0441, expires November 30, 2009) to
evaluate long-term impacts of participants in the Individual Training
Account Experiment.
A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be
obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addresses section
of this notice or by accessing: https://www.doleta.gov/OMBCN/
OMBControlNumber.cfm.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section below on or before September 22, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to Janet Javar, Room N-5641,
Employment and Training Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20210. Telephone number: 202-693-3677 (this is not a
toll-free number). Fax: 202-693-2766. E-mail: javar.janet@dol.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998
brought about substantial changes in the way training and other
employment services are provided. WIA required workforce investment
areas to establish Individual Training Accounts (ITAs), which provide
vouchers or other related funding methods that customers can use to pay
for training. ITAs are intended to empower customers to choose the
training services they need and raise the accountability of states,
local areas, and service providers for meeting these needs.
The ITA Experiment was conducted between June 1999 and September
2006. It was designed to test different approaches for managing
customer choice in the administration of ITAs. States and local offices
have a great deal of flexibility in deciding how much guidance to
provide to customers in choosing WIA-funded training. The experiment
tested three approaches that differed widely in both the resources made
available to customers and the involvement of local counselors in
guiding customer choice. The three approaches included a highly
structured approach (in which customers were steered to the highest-
return training options), a moderately guided approach, and a true
voucher approach (in which customers were offered a lump sum and
allowed to choose any state-approved training). The three approaches
were tested through an experiment that randomly assigned new customers
to one of the three ITA approaches. The advantages of randomly
assigning customers are increased precision and accuracy in the impact
estimates. ETA selected six grantees through a competitive process to
participate in the evaluation. The experiment was conducted in Chicago,
Illinois; Charlotte, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Phoenix,
Arizona; Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Jacksonville, Florida. Intake
began in 2001.
Findings from the initial evaluation of the ITA Experiment
suggested that a longer-term follow-up was necessary in order to reach
more definitive conclusions regarding the impacts and cost-
effectiveness of the ITA approaches. For most ITA study participants,
the initial data collection permitted examination of employment
outcomes for 18 months following random assignment. At that time, a
substantial number of ITA participants were still in training, so that
the ultimate effects of the ITA approaches had not yet been completely
realized. This extension of the evaluation examines the longer-term
outcomes of ITA study participants, with a second follow-up survey
administered between four and seven years after random assignment and
with longer-term employment and earnings data, including updated
unemployment insurance (UI) wage records.
This request for a second participant follow-up survey includes
only minor modifications to the first follow-up survey (OMB 1205-0441).
It collects the same critical information that can only be collected
using survey data on the employment, training, and earnings experiences
of the ITA study participants. The second follow-up survey and
additional UI data collection are needed to examine a more extensive
employment history for each ITA study participant and update the
experimental estimates of net impacts and return-on-investment analyses
for the three ITA approaches.
To determine the relative long-term impacts of different ITA
approaches on training experiences and on labor market outcomes,
updated state-administrative data and second follow-up survey data will
be used. These data
[[Page 42598]]
will make it possible to compare the outcomes of the three ITA
approaches and evaluate their cost-effectiveness at three to five years
after random assignment. These comparisons will be based on the
experiences and outcomes of ITA customers, such as participation in
education and training, employment and earnings, and participation in
government support programs. These comparisons will yield estimates of
the relative impacts of different ITA approaches on key outcomes in the
long-term.
To compare the three ITA approaches, administrative and survey data
to compute summary statistics, such as means, separately for each ITA
approach will be used. For example, the percentage of ITA customers
served by each approach that received training-related services will be
computed and compared to how much training they received. This
percentage will be compared across approaches to determine whether the
different approaches vary in the amount and type of training that
customers completed.
The evaluation findings can provide local workforce investment
boards with guidance on possible modifications to their ITA programs.
The goal of the experiment is to determine the relative long-term
impacts and cost-effectiveness of different approaches to administering
ITAs. The updated data collected from states and the second participant
follow-up survey will provide critical information to make those
assessments. The planned data collection efforts are therefore
essential to evaluating the different ITA approaches tested in the
experiment.
II. Review Focus
Data will be collected from study participants only once. The
survey will provide the only source of long-term data for ITA customers
at the six grantees on the following outcomes:
Participation in education and training programs;
Job search behavior after random assignment;
Characteristics of post-training jobs; and
Participation in government programs, including UI.
Therefore, if this second follow-up survey were not conducted, the
evaluation would be unable to assess the impacts of different ITA
approaches on these outcomes in the long-term.
The Department of Labor is particularly interested in comments
which:
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
Minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
III. Current Actions
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection with
revisions.
Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
Title: Extension of the Evaluation of the Individual Training
Account Experiment.
OMB Number: 1205-0441.
Affected Public: Individuals.
Total Respondents: 3,366.
Frequency: One time.
Total Responses: 3,366.
Average Time per Response: 30 minutes.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,680 hours.
Total Burden Cost: $24,192.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average time
Cite/Reference Total Frequency per response Burden (hours)
respondents (minutes)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ITA Follow-up survey.................. 3,366 One time................ 30 1,680
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals............................ 3,366 ........................ .............. 1,680
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The total burden cost represents 30 minutes to complete the survey
multiplied by the number of completers (3,366 or 70 percent of the
4,800 sample targeted for the survey) and by an estimated average
hourly wage of $14.40 per hour.
Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be
summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and
Budget approval of the information collection request; they will also
become a matter of public record.
Signed in Washington, DC, this 16th day of July 2008.
Thomas M. Dowd,
Administrator, Office of Policy Development and Research Employment and
Training Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-16666 Filed 7-21-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-FN-P
