When the COVID-19 pandemic plunged the economy back into recession in early 2020, it laid bare a fragile and profoundly inequitable labor market. The economic expansion that reigned from 2009 through 2019 brought historically low unemployment and inflation but failed to reduce income inequality or arrest the decline in the number of high-quality,…

Although random assignment is generally the preferred methodology in impact evaluations, it raises numerous ethical concerns, some of which are addressed by securing participants' informed consent. However, there has been little investigation of how consent is obtained in social experiments and the amount of information that can be conveyed--and…

The mission of New York's Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) is to provide educational, vocational, and counseling services to people whose disabilities impose barriers to employment; to increase the access of all people with disabilities to the full range of services offered within the State…

The Western Job Training Partnership Association (WJTPA) supports the periodic evaluation of the scope and effectiveness of national, state, and local work force preparation and work force education programs. The WJTPA believes that future programs must correct the problems inherited from earlier work force preparation programs, such as the…

A survey of 10 states indicated the presence of hiring procedures that discourage or limit public-sector supported employment for persons having severe disabilities. Survey results, and recommendations for state system change to promote supported employment, are presented in 4 areas: civil service examination requirements, job classification…

This technical assistance guide was developed to help state policy makers develop performance-standard incentive policies that are effective tools in accomplishing state and federal goals for Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs. The guide is organized in three sections. The first section introduces incentive policies as tools to further…

This report profiles three workforce organizations across the country--in Colorado, Georgia and New York--and explores the strategies they used to grow their programs locally. The report examines the dilemmas workforce organizations frequently face in meeting not only the needs of their dual customers--job seekers and employers--but also the needs…

These Congressional hearings contain testimony dealing with the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). Included among those persons providing testimony at the hearings were representatives of the following agencies and organizations: the National Governors' Association, the Department of Labor, the Office of Management and Budget, the National…

This paper provides an overview of federally sponsored training programs. For the major programs identified, it discusses the level of federal support, the eligibility requirements for the program, the characteristics of the participants, and the types of training provided. An important issue for this study is the definition of training; the…

This document contains transcripts of oral and written testimony from witnesses at a hearing on H.R. 18 and H.R. 460, which would create a National Youth Corps. The National Youth Corps proposal links two other proposals, the Conservation Corps bill and the National Youth Service bill, into a comprehensive bill to provide alternatives for youth in…

This document contains transcripts of oral and written testimony from witnesses at a hearing on H.R. 18 and H.R. 460, which would create a National Youth Corps. The National Youth Corps proposal links two other proposals, the Conservation Corps bill and the National Youth Service bill, into a comprehensive bill to provide alternatives for youth in…

A study examined the role of the U.S. Department of Labor in implementing the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). Staff from the General Accounting Office (GAO) interviewed officials from the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and Office of Inspector General (OIG); ETA regional officials in four cities; state JTPA officials in five…

This report describes the Jobs-Plus approach, an attempt to transform low-work, high-welfare public housing developments into high-work, low-welfare communities. It highlights the rationale of the approach, the way the demonstration has been set up to test the approach in the field, and what has been accomplished so far by the seven cities chosen…

Concern for performance management has increased sharply in recent decades in both the public and private sectors. This has been particularly true in the management of state and federally funded human resource development programs. Legislative purpose, level of use, the role of performance standards, appropriate measures of performance, target…

There have been numerous attempts over the past seven years to replace the federally-funded Work Incentive Program (WIN) with another type of work program. As a result of increased flexibility, decreased federal funds, and continuing debate about welfare reform, there is now considerable variability among states in the types of employment and…