This emergency
collection is approved as submitted. OMB notes that this collection
is is comprised of small components of two larger studies. This
approval is limited to the site visits discussed here. DOL will, if
approval will be needed for more than 6 months, begin the process
of obtaining PRA approval under normal processing.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
07/31/2012
6 Months From Approved
756
0
0
1,046
0
0
0
0
0
The U.S. Department of Labor's
Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is seeking approval to
collect site visit data from organizations that received grants
under four Solicitations for Grant Applications (SGAs) that were
issued under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA):
Pathways Out of Poverty (POP), Energy Training Partnership (ETP),
State Energy Sector Partnership (SESP), and Health Care and Other
High Growth and Emerging Industries Training grant initiative. POP,
ETP and SESP are all Green Jobs training programs.
Emergency clearance is
necessary for several reasons. The POP and ETP grants expire at the
end of January 2012; consequently data from the POP and ETP grant
sites included in two evaluations of these grants' performance must
be collected while they are still in operation. Losing this
opportunity to visit the POP and ETP grants would mean the studies
would lose its ability to look at green jobs. The POP grants are
the only green jobs training grants available for the impact
evaluation and there is only one site from the POP grants that met
the selection criteria for the impact study. There is keen interest
in learning more about the POP grants in general of which site
visits to eleven are included in the implementation study. Failure
to collect site visit data will affect rigorous evaluations of
these grants. For example, site visits are the only way the
research team can observe the training programs in operation and
collect real time data that amplifies the findings through other
documentation. Lack of a rigorous evaluation process will mean that
no information will be available on the potential of training for
green jobs as a strategy for reducing poverty or increasing
employment. Finally, approximately 9 million dollars of ARRA funds
are dedicated to evaluating these grants. Failure to conduct a
rigorous evaluation through site visits will make these evaluations
less usable in terms of guiding future policy initiatives.
Conducting these evaluations without appropriate operational data
collection would be a waste of the taxpayer stimulus dollars that
are currently dedicated to these evaluations. In summary, delaying
the site visits will make it impossible to record the operational
information on the green jobs training program to better interpret
the impacts on participants earnings of training in green and
emerging and high growth occupations.
US Code:
29
USC 2917 Name of Law: Workforce Investment Act
PL:
Pub.L. 106 - 303 414(c) Name of Law: American Competitiveness
in the Twenty-First Century
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.