Improve Evaluation and Management of Employment and Training Programs

Since the implementation of the workforce investment system under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), little information exists on what employment and training services work and for whom. Labor has only recently begun to evaluate the impact of WIA services, even though the law required an impact evaluation by 2005.

Highlights of GAO-07-1051T (PDF)

Labor has funded pilots and demonstrations under three initiatives intended to change the workforce system but failed to initially collect data that would allow it to evaluate the success of the initiatives or to compare initiative outcomes with those of WIA-funded services. Moreover, Labor has said that it does not intend to make such a comparison. Labor’s investment in a robust research agenda that includes conducting important impact evaluations will be key to knowing what employment and training approaches are working and where to invest scarce resources.

Highlights of GAO-08-486 (PDF)

Labor has not taken actions to require all states to fully integrate all of its Wagner-Peyser-funded employment services into the system, potentially causing confusion for individuals and employers and promoting duplication of effort and inefficient use of resources.

Highlights of GAO-07-1096 (PDF)
Labor faces the following management challenges:
- WIA’s statutory formulas used to allocate funds to states do not reflect current program design and have caused wide fluctuations in funding levels from year to year that do not reflect actual needs.
- Labor’s single focus on expenditures when estimating workforce system needs fails to acknowledge the role that obligations play in providing training services and overestimates the amount of funds states have available. Little is known about what the system is achieving because only a small minority of participants is captured in the performance measures.
  
  Highlights of GAO-07-1051T (PDF)
- While Labor has taken some steps to improve guidance and communication, it does not involve key stakeholders in the development of some major initiatives and provides too little time for states and local areas to implement them.

^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done

Labor should require all stand-alone Employment Service offices to be affiliated or linked , either electronically or through direct referral, with a one-stop system to ensure that program participants receive the complete range of services they need to gain employment or other job-related assistance and to avoid duplication of effort and inefficient use of resources.

Highlights of GAO-07-1096 (PDF)