Workforce Investment Act: Labor Should Consider Alternative Approaches to Implement New Performance and Reporting Requirements
Highlights
In a period of significant budget constraints, it is more vital than ever for federal programs to have good performance information. The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 took a significant step in that direction by introducing greater accountability for employment and training programs than prior programs. WIA established performance measures to look at a broad array of participant outcomes such as job placement and retention, earnings, skill gains, and customer satisfaction. WIA also required 17 programs, funded by four different agencies, to centralize service delivery through a one-stop center system. More recently, as part of efforts to link program performance to the budget, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) introduced common performance measures--similar to some of the WIA measures--for most federally funded job training programs that share similar goals. The U.S. Department of Labor's (Labor) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) further defined the common measures for all programs it oversees and proposed a new, standardized reporting format, known as the ETA Management Information and Longitudinal Evaluation (EMILE) reporting system to facilitate reporting them. However, state workforce agencies and others raised substantial concerns about the timing and scope of the EMILE reporting system. Despite delaying EMILE, Labor recently took steps to move ahead with reporting changes for the common measures, requiring states to implement these changes by July 1, 2005. Given the importance of these issues and their potential impact on the quality of the performance data, Congress asked us to examine (1) states' concerns about implementing Labor's proposed EMILE reporting system and (2) the effect that the implementation of common measures and other new reporting changes might have on states' ability to collect data and report on WIA's performance.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Labor | To ensure states' ability to implement proposed reporting system changes, Labor should consider alternative approaches to reach the goals of EMILE and perform an assessment that considers the costs and benefits. |
Closed – Implemented
In 2008, Labor's revised Workforce Investment Streamlined Performance Reporting System (WISPR) was approved by OMB for implementation on July 1, 2009. WISPR has not been implemented because of challenges to the workforce investment system by the economic downturn and budgetary constraints. However, Labor is working with its partners and stakeholders to meet information and reporting needs associated with ARRA and reassessing its approach to performance reporting in light of amendments to the Trade Act of 1974 and impending WIA reauthorization.
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| Department of Labor | To help states and local areas develop the capacity to track all jobseekers who use one-stop services in a consistent manner, Labor should use the first year as a test phase and work with states to identify promising practices in collecting and reporting this data, and provide technical assistance to states that do not have this capacity. |
Closed – Implemented
In 2009, Labor has implemented an approach to collect summary information on all participants who access services under each of the workforce programs, including those who access self-services.
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