Job Training Partnership Act: Comments on H.R. 2039, the JTPA Amendments of 1989

GAO discussed proposed legislation which would amend both adult and youth titles of the Job Training Partnership Act. GAO noted that the proposed legislation: (1) unnecessarily required that at least 50 percent of adult participants have at least one employment barrier, since 71 percent of adults in the JTPA program had at least one barrier; (2) could instead require greater service to adult participants with more than one employment barrier; (3) should require individual assessment of participants' needs upon program entry, and individual service strategy design and review; (4) should eliminate the provision of only job search assistance to some individuals; (5) would add a performance evaluation standard for placement in jobs with career potential; (6) should add another performance standard for measuring the extent to which participants receive skill training which helps them to get better jobs in growth occupations; (7) would establish more specific and uniform definitions and expand reporting requirements, but needed to ensure accurate analysis of participant characteristics in relation to services received and employment outcomes; (8) would increase state administrative and support cost allowances, although such an increase would reduce funds available for job training services; and (9) would limit the duration of on-the-job training.