Comments on JTPA Bills

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO commented on its review of the impact of participant support on the program outcomes experienced by Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) enrollees. GAO noted that: (1) analysis at five service delivery areas indicated that single parents with a child under 6 years of age more often obtained jobs or experienced some positive outcome; (2) pending legislation would substantially improve the JTPA program and strengthen its operations through additional recordkeeping and reporting requirements; (3) the proposed legislation would target JTPA services to individuals with certain characteristics, such as school dropouts, welfare beneficiaries, or disabled persons; and (4) both bills would require state on-site monitoring of each service delivery area and substate area to ensure compliance with procurement standards.