This is the accessible text file for GAO report number GAO-03-725 
entitled 'Workforce Investment Act: One-Stop Centers Implemented 
Strategies to Strengthen Services and Partnerships, but More Research 
and Information Sharing is Needed' which was released on June 18, 2003.

This text file was formatted by the U.S. General Accounting Office 
(GAO) to be accessible to users with visual impairments, as part of a 
longer term project to improve GAO products' accessibility. Every 
attempt has been made to maintain the structural and data integrity of 
the original printed product. Accessibility features, such as text 
descriptions of tables, consecutively numbered footnotes placed at the 
end of the file, and the text of agency comment letters, are provided 
but may not exactly duplicate the presentation or format of the printed 
version. The portable document format (PDF) file is an exact electronic 
replica of the printed version. We welcome your feedback. Please E-mail 
your comments regarding the contents or accessibility features of this 
document to Webmaster@gao.gov.

This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright 
protection in the United States. It may be reproduced and distributed 
in its entirety without further permission from GAO. Because this work 
may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the 
copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this 
material separately.

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.

GAO's Mission:

The General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, 
exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional 
responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability 
of the federal government for the American people. GAO examines the use 
of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides 
analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make 
informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO's commitment to 
good government is reflected in its core values of accountability, 
integrity, and reliability.

Obtaining Copies of GAO Reports and Testimony:

The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no 
cost is through the Internet. GAO's Web site ( www.gao.gov ) contains 
abstracts and full-text files of current reports and testimony and an 
expanding archive of older products. The Web site features a search 
engine to help you locate documents using key words and phrases. You 
can print these documents in their entirety, including charts and other 
graphics.

Each day, GAO issues a list of newly released reports, testimony, and 
correspondence. GAO posts this list, known as "Today's Reports," on its 
Web site daily. The list contains links to the full-text document 
files. To have GAO e-mail this list to you every afternoon, go to 
www.gao.gov and select "Subscribe to e-mail alerts" under the "Order 
GAO Products" heading.

Order by Mail or Phone:

The first copy of each printed report is free. Additional copies are $2 
each. A check or money order should be made out to the Superintendent 
of Documents. GAO also accepts VISA and Mastercard. Orders for 100 or 
more copies mailed to a single address are discounted 25 percent. 
Orders should be sent to:

U.S. General Accounting Office

441 G Street NW,

Room LM Washington,

D.C. 20548:

To order by Phone:  

 Voice: (202) 512-6000:

 TDD: (202) 512-2537:

 Fax: (202) 512-6061:

To Report Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in Federal Programs:

Contact:

Web site: www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm E-mail: fraudnet@gao.gov

Automated answering system: (800) 424-5454 or (202) 512-7470:

Public Affairs:

Jeff Nelligan, managing director, NelliganJ@gao.gov (202) 512-4800 U.S.

General Accounting Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 7149 Washington, D.C.

20548: