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Employment and Training Administration: More Actions Needed to Improve Transparency and Accountability of Its Research Program

GAO-11-285 Published: Mar 15, 2011. Publicly Released: Apr 14, 2011.
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Highlights

To help guide the nation's workforce development system, the Department of Labor's (Labor) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) conducts research in areas related to job training and employment. Building upon our earlier work, GAO examined the following: (1) To what extent do ETA's research priorities reflect key national employment and training issues and how useful were the studies funded under them? (2) What steps has ETA taken to improve its research program? (3) How has ETA improved the availability of its research since our last review in January 2010? To answer these questions, GAO reviewed ETA's research reports disseminated between January 2008 and March 2010 costing $1 million or more, as well as ongoing studies costing $2 million or more. GAO also convened a virtual expert panel, interviewed Labor and ETA officials, and reviewed relevant documents.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor To improve ETA's research program, the Secretary of Labor should require ETA to formally incorporate into its research process the routine involvement of the Chief Evaluation Officer at key milestones, including at the development of ETA's annual research agenda and spending priorities, as well as at the early stages of developing specific research projects.
Closed – Implemented
The Department of Labor concurred with our recommendation, and stated in FY14 that ETA has fully incorporated routine involvement of the Chief Evaluation Officer (CEO) in its research process for the past two years. Some of the key research milestones where the CEO is involved include: agenda-setting, planning and design, procurement, implementation, report review, and dissemination. The CEO and senior staff meet regularly with ETA's Division of Research and Evaluation to review progress on current projects, and planning for new projects.
Department of Labor To improve ETA's research program, the Secretary of Labor should require ETA to develop a mechanism to enhance the transparency and accountability of ETA's research program. For example, such a mechanism might include involving advisory bodies or other entities outside ETA, in efforts to develop ETA's research policies and processes.
Closed – Implemented
ETA stated that it has engaged in efforts to involve outside experts to develop its research policies and processes. In 2010, ETA began a series of meetings with a panel of outside experts to develop its 5-year research plan, which was submitted to Congress and posted on ETA's web page in May 2013. For large scale ETA contracted evaluations, the agency now requires the identification of experts as members of a technical working group to provide assistance at key points in the research process. Members are involved in reviewing evaluation design plans and preliminary report drafts. The agency has also engaged third party organizations to help with peer review, and engaged colleagues at the Departments of Health and Human Services and Education to review reports prior to publication.
Department of Labor To improve ETA's research program, the Secretary of Labor should require ETA to develop a formal plan for ensuring that ETA's research products are easily accessible to stakeholders and to the general public through its searchable database. Such a plan could involve requiring Labor to assess the overall effectiveness of its Web-based search page, including user satisfaction with search features.
Closed – Implemented
ETA has established several methods to ensure its products are easily accessible to stakeholders and the general public through its research database. ETA maintains contractor support to enhance and facilitate the dissemination of its research findings and methods, and evaluation activities. The contractor, for example, updates annotated bibliographies of ETA-funded and other research, pilots and demonstrations, and evaluation studies; analyzes alternative approaches to disseminate findings; and provides peer review of ETA-funded or other research studies, and other dissemination support activities. ETA is also collaborating with DOL's Chief Evaluation Officer (CEO) in the development of a web-based clearinghouse of program research. In addition, ETA hosts briefings to disseminate new research and evaluation findings to internal and external stakeholders. In May 2013, ETA sponsored a workshop for DOL agencies that provided an overview of evidence-based policy making. Finally, all research products are available on ETA's website and by request.

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Topics

AccountabilityEmployee trainingEmployeesEmployment assistance programsEvaluation methodsProgram evaluationResearch and developmentResearch program managementResearch programsStandards evaluationTransparency