59

Mr. SNowBARGER. If I can just followup real quickly, you just
said you didn’t have any trouble with the Job Corps definitions of
job training versus job placement.
wot GETEK. Training-related placement in this particular audit?

jo, sir.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Well, I don’t know if you have had an oppor-
tunity to see the testimony of the GAO——

Mr. GETEK. Yes, sir, I have.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. And I have lost the page. Here it is. I think
the example that you gave in your testimony was an automobile
mechanic as a key-cutter, a cook as a car hop. I have a problem
with that definition because if we are looking for training that puts
them in self-sufficient kinds of jobs that earn a living wage, is what
you have said is the criteria, training a person as a cook who ends
up being a car hop, that seems like training gone to waste.

Mr. GETEX. I think in terms of distinction, if we go to other than
the National training contractors, the issue is probably easier to
define. The National contractors hopefully have an inroad with the
unions and relationships with employers, so one would hope that
they certainly could do placements that were training-related.

If we are dealing with the general population other than the Na-
tional contracts, we have reported certainly in prior reports that
when you look at the training-related placement, there is a lot of
room to fit what that criteria is. And certainly in the plasterers
case it would seem it would be easier to do, as opposed to some of
the generalized training that is done in the Job Corps centers and
trying to make that training-related.

Ms. DALTON. I think one of the things you see in the National
contractors is you are dealing with some very specific trades and
some pretty clear definitions of jobs in those areas, so there is a
much closer relationship. In the more general labor market you are
going to see some more nebulous comparisons and we are work-
ing——

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Let me give you an example. Again, it wasn’t
a National contractor, I presume, but I would think that the cat-
egory of welder would be fairly specific in the kinds of tasks and
job availability and a number of things like that, fairly easy to de-
fine and yet apparently the definition for a welder includes an anti-
squeak filler—I have no idea what that is; it has something to do
with shoes—a casket-liner—I don’t think you have to be trained in
welding to know how to line a casket, I presume—general laborer,
a hacker who lifts bricks of clay.

Again, all of those were classified as meeting the job training
that was given to a person as a welder, and I have problems with
those definitions. Once we see the data that you send back on the
National Plasterers, we will have a little better feel how broad that
job placement definition was and maybe it is narrower for those
National contractors, but what we see in these other areas I find
disturbing.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.

Mr. Suays. I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Pappas, do you have any questions?

Mr. Pappas. Yes. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.


123

"Clothe and groom themselves appropriately for the positions for which they are applying.

= Understand and practice business etiquette.

‘The fact that we are located on the Humphrey Center is important. Our Placement Coordinator has
thorough and easy access to student records, instructor feedback and evaluations of the student. Our
location also enables us to develop partnerships with employers that may involve the employer
meeting with the students, touring the center, providing instruction on interviewing and discussing

employer expectations.

Itis imperative for students to obtain work experience while in the Job Corps program. The school-
to-work initiative has provided students with important work skills while also providing the center
with valuable feedback on each student's performance on the job. With this work experience under
their belts, the students gain the confidence and skills necessary to seek employment upon

termination.

‘The Placement Specialists’ mission is to place students in full-time positions that match their
training, but the reality is that students sometimes place themselves in non-related jobs. Students
who are non-completers in their trade frequently do not have the skills to be placed in their field.
‘The fact is that many students have never been employed prior to enrolling in Job Corps or have had
a poor work history. Job Corps’ mission is to provide students with the skills to become self-

sufficient.


2

visited. We attempted to contact the employers of more than 400 randomly selected
placements and found that, in more than 7 percent of the cases, employers reported
either that they had never hired the participant or that the individual had never shown up.
for work, and we were unable to locate the employer of record for about 8 percent of the
placements.

Although Job Corps has procedures for verifying contractors’ placements, Labor

may need to take steps to ensure that it fully implements such procedures and that it
adequate oversight. In a recent report, Labor's Inspector General pointed out

that Job Corps had not adequately managed or controlled the resolution of questionable
placements identified in a sample of Job Corps terminees by the Job Corps’ placement
verification contractor."* Discrepancies in data reported by placement contractors are
referred to appropriate Job Corps regional offices for review. The Inspector General's
report found a backlog of questionable placements stemming from Job Corps’ not
adequately monitoring the resolution of such placements. In addition, the report said that
the verification process had limited benefit because Job Corps did not take timely
corrective actions.

In a memorandum to Job Corps regional directors, the Director of the Office of Job
Corps pointed out that program guidance on what constitutes a valid placement is clear.
In addition, placement contractors are required to verify and document 100 percent of
their placements. She stated further that “if this is being done, there is really no excuse
for a reported placement to be found invalid at a later date.” The Director pointed out
‘that the federal responsibility in this area is oversight. We agree and strongly encourage
that oversight be adequate to ensure that placement data are accurately reported.

‘Training-Related Placement
‘Measure Is Flawed

‘The value of the current job-training match data is questionable. The job-training
match measure is used to evaluate the effectiveness of vocational training programs and
placement contractors by determining the percentage of jobs participants obtain that
match the training they receive while in Job Corps. Labor allows placement contractors
wide discretion in deciding whether a job placement they obtain for a participant is
related to the training he or she receives. At the same time, Labor requires that
participants who receive little vocational training be included in the calculation of this
‘measure. Labor is developing a new system to determine job-training matches that, it
believes, will be more accurate.

"Office of Inspector General,
Placements (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor, Sept. 22, 1997).

9 GAO/T-HEHS-98-37


154

student's placement.

These staff members are not the only ones involved in student placement.
Every Center employee is assigned an objective as part of the annual
performance appraisal which requires them to submit job placement leads.
And, Vocational Training instructors are given released time to go into the

community and obtain placements for their graduates.

1 am perplexed by the comparison of a “trained position placement” and a
“training related position placement.” | don’t know what the first term
means, but a training related placement is an employment position that is.
related to the Vocational Training course completed. This determination is
made by comparing the job to jobs related to the vocational course

completed as listed in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

I have focused on the uniqueness of the Carrasco Center and some of our
practices that have been effective in preparing our students to be
productive. ! am proud to say that our Center has consistently been
evaluated as one of the highest performing Job Corps Centers in the

nation.


149

And the TEF Outreach, Admissions and Placement operation re-
ceived three awards: best overall center outreach and admissions
performance; attainment of commitment standard, which relates to
student retention; and, attainment of female arrival goal of 100 or
more.

The impact of any Job Corps Center can best be measured by the
success of its graduates. I can attest to the fact that more than
12,000 graduates of the David L. Carrasco Job Corps Center have
been gainfully employed by many companies, both in El] Paso and
throughout the country.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you about
the recruitment and placement of our students and I will be
pleased to respond to any questions you may have.

[The prepared statement of Ms. Young follows:]


COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM AND OVERSIGHT
DAN BURTON, Indiana, Chairman

BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York HENRY A. WAXMAN, California

J. DENNIS HASTERT, Illinois TOM LANTOS, California

CONSTANCE A. MORELLA, Maryland ROBERT E. WISE, Jr. West Virginia

CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut MAJOR R. ‘OWENS, New York

STEVEN SCHIFF, New Mexico EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York

CHRISTOPHER COX, California PAUL E. KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida GARY A. CONDIT, California

JOHN M. McHUGH, New York CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York

STEPHEN HORN, California THOMAS M. BARRETT, Wisconsin

JOHN L. MICA, Florida ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, Washington,

‘THOMAS M. DAVIS, Virginia DC

DAVID M. McINTOSH, Indiana CHAKA FATTAH, Pennsylvania

MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland

JOE SCARBOROUGH, Florida DENNIS J. KUCINICH, Ohio

JOHN B. SHADEGG, Arizona ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH, Illinois

STEVEN C. LaTOURETTE, Ohio DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois

MARSHALL “MARK” SANFORD, South JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts
Carolina JIM TURNER, Texas

JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire THOMAS H. ALLEN, Maine

PETE SESSIONS, Texas HAROLD E. FORD, JR., Tennessee

MICHAEL PAPPAS, New Jersey —

VINCE SNOWBARGER, Kansas BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont

BOB BARR, Georgia (Independent)

ROB PORTMAN, Ohio
KEVIN BINGER, Staff Director
DANIEL R. MOLL, Deputy Staff Director
Wiiam MoscHELLa, Deputy Counsel and Parliamentarian
dupita McCoy, Chief Clerk
PHIL SCHILIRO, Minority Staff Director

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES
CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut, Chairman

VINCE SNOWBARGER, Kansas EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York

BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York DENNIS J. KUCINICH, Ohio

DAVID M. MCINTOSH, Indiana THOMAS H. ALLEN, Maine

MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana IM LANTOS, California

MICHAEL PAPPAS, New Jersey BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont (Ind.)

STEVEN SCHIFF, New Mexico THOMAS M. BARRETT, Wisconsin
Ex OFFICIO

DAN BURTON, Indiana HENRY A. WAXMAN, California

LAWRENCE J. HALLORAN, Staff Director and Counsel
VINCENT CHASE, Chief Investigator
R. JARED CARPENTER, Clerk
CHERRI BRANSON, Minority Counsel

(i)


119

The first thirty days are difficult. Some of our students have lived independently for several years
with no rules, no parameters and no expectations. Suddenly they are thrust into a situation where
they are expected to be out of bed at 6:30 a.m., have their room clean, have showered, have eaten
breakfast, and be in class by 8:00 a.m, They must also cope with drug testing, observe a curfew and

interact with students from different cultures while living in an environment foreign to them.

We ask students to make tremendous changes in their lifestyles, and it is often frightening and
confusing. We like to believe that parents would be supportive of their children’s staying in Job
Corps, but, sadly, this is often not the case. | recall a young woman who had a very difficult time
staying focused at Job Corps, and she kept leaving, thus putting her future at Job Corps at serious
risk. After speaking with her several times, she finally admitted that she was the first person in her
family who had attempted to get a GED and get off welfare. One would think that her family would
be quite proud of her, but instead they ostracized her and threatened her because they felt she was
trying to be better than them. She had to choose between her future and her family. What a difficult

decision that would be for anyone, and what courage it took for her to ultimately choose Job Corps.

Commitment to Serve the State. The Minnesota outreach, admissions and placement contract has
made a commitment to the Humphrey Center, Minnesota youth and our agency network to provide
quality services consistent with our mission to make the Humphrey Center a Minnesota resource.
‘As mentioned previously, we have spent considerable effort traveling throughout Minnesota meeting
with people who need to hear about our program. We cannot afford to sit in our office and wait for

the phone to ring. Our close connections with the center, our commitment to Minnesota youth, and


68

In order for placement contractors to meet their own performance standards,
centers must adequately prepare students, retaining them until education, vocational
training and other skills development are complete. Placement and center standards
link back to admissions counselors, who must identify capable and committed students.

Job Corps' Outcomes Measurement System (OMS) system ties the efforts of
outreach and admissions contractors, Job Corps centers, and placement contractors
together in a common goal -- post-program placement. Our experience has shown that
the longer a student is enrolled, the more likely he or she is to obtain a GED, complete
vocational training, and enter a job at a higher average starting wage than a
non-completer. In fact, the GAO report which was just released recommends that Job
Corps establish separate placement performance standards for participants who attain
different levels of program accomplishment. We are currently issuing separate reports
for 16 and 17 year olds to give us an opportunity to analyze their outcomes as
compared to those of all other students. We also are considering the establishment of
different standards for students based on their level of program accomplishments in
view of GAO's recommendation and the workforce development legislation reported out
by the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, which establishes core
measures for program graduates.

Our strong accountability system continues to drive performance, and our
improved performance trends continue. Our Government Performance and Results Act
(GPRA) performance measures also focus on outcomes -- placement rates of students
leaving the program and average wage of students entering employment

To provide longer term follow-up information. Jeb Corps is working with four
States to test use of Unemployment insurance (U!) wage data to ascertain student
employment status up to one year after he or she leaves the program. Because Job
Corps is @ national program, in which currently 40 percent of students cross State lines
to participate in the program, and because 10 percent go on to education or further

training rather than finding immediate employment, we are well aware of the difficulties


152

students and staff, and be interviewed by Center administrators. At the
conclusion of the day, the applicant has sufficient information and staff
guidance to make an intelligent decision regarding an enrollment

commitment.

This is not a “creaming” process. Center staff members make every effort
to determine how the potential enrollee can succeed in the program. A
number of individuals come to mind who—by all reasonable expectations

should not have been Job Corps successes.

1 will refer to one graduate, Eddie Hall, who recently addressed our
Community Relations Council. Eddie received a standing ovation at the
conclusion of his speech in which he described his struggles with his
Attention Deficit Disorder. Not only does Eddie have this disorder, he also

has a physical deformity in his spinal structure.

He saw Job Corps as his last hope. Through his exceptional determination
and the special help of many Center staff, he completed the Job Corps
program and has earned an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice from El

Paso Community College.


79

quality jobs for our students.

Workforce development legislation under consideration by Congress will provide
an opportunity to further strengthen the Job Corps program by increasing coordination
between the Job Corps and State and local workforce development systems and
between Job Corps centers, their communities, and local employers. The
House-passed workforce development legislation retains Job Corps as a national
program carried out in collaboration with States and localities and establishes specific,
objective eligibility criteria for enrollment in the Job Corps program. The Senate
workforce development legislation also retains Job Corps as a national program, and
requires even greater collaboration between centers and their communities and States,
local employers, and State and local workforce systems. In addition, the Senate
legislation modifies and strengthens Job Corps center assignment policies for new
students, establishes specific core measures for Job Corps which focus on outcomes
for program graduates, and requires that Job Corps students receive follow-up
placement services for up to 12 months after graduation. Both the House and Senate
legislation call for greater accountability with regard to centers through emphasis on
past performance in the selection process for center operators.

Mr. Chairman, we look forward to working with you to continue to improve the
Job Corps program. This concludes my prepared statement. At this time I would be

pleased to answer any questions that you or other Subcommittee members have.


15

related placements could include someone trained as an automobile
mechanic and getting a job as a key cutter, trained as a cook and
getting a job as a car hop, or trained as a heavy equipment opera-
tor and getting a job as a porter.

Because of these shortcomings, we are uncertain as to how well
Job Corps is performing with regard to placements. Labor has told
us that it is revising the methodology for determining job training
matches and hopes to have the new methodology in place by July
1, 1998.

T would now like to talk briefly about the Job Corps’ performance
measures under the Government Performance and Results Act of
1993. The strategic plan submitted by Labor’s Employment and
Training Administration appropriately includes the role of Job
Corps within its mission and the strategic goal of increasing the
participation of at-risk youth in the work force, resulting in self-
sufficiency.

However, ETA’s measure for the two performance goals related
to Job Corps could be improved. The plan identifies proposed per-
formance measures for one of the goals but not the other. It states
that performance indicators for the goal of increasing job retention
and earnings will eventually include post-program job retention
and post-program earnings gains. Job Corps is in the process of de-
veloping these indicators by collecting data over the next 2 years
to develop baseline measures. In the interim, its proposed meas-
ures for program years 1998 and 1999 included placement rates
and placement wages. As we noted previously, we question the va-
lidity of placement rates as currently determined. In addition,
while wages provide some measure of program success, an addi-
tional indicator of program quality that would be useful is an im-
proved measure of job training match.

The second goal, enhancing employability and increasing edu-
cational attainment, has no related performance indicators in-
cluded in ETA’s strategic plan. Nonetheless, Job Corps’ current
performance measurement system contains measures directly relat-
ed to the second goal. These include measures of functional lit-
eracy, GED attainment, and vocational completion. In our opinion,
measures such as these would be useful as performance indicators
for the second goal.

In conclusion, for Job Corps to be most effective, it is imperative
that outreach and admissions contractors select from among Job
Corps’ eligible population applicants who both need Job Corps’ com-
prehensive services and have the commitment, attitude and moti-
vation to complete the training. Furthermore, without meaningful
and accurate performance information, Labor’s ability to effectively
manage the program is jeopardized.

In our report being released today, we make several rec-
ommendations to the Secretary of Labor to help ensure that Job
Corps uses its resources to serve the most appropriate participants.
Labor disagreed with our recommendation that it clarify and ex-
pand its program eligibility guidance, indicating that sufficient pol-
icy guidance had been provided.

Although Labor expressed some concern with our remaining rec-
ommendations, it acknowledged that they had merit and warranted


128

10. Center tours should be conducted for potential students as part of the admissions process
whenever possible.

In closing, I want to reiterate that Job Corps is a needed program for the disadvantaged youth. It has
been a pleasure and an honor to be a part of a program that effectively assists young people to
become successful.

1 would like to tell you about one of the Humphrey Center's many success stories (see
Attachment 6). In 1989, Kay Kleinschmidt graduated from the Humphrey Center. She went on to
complete an Advanced Career Training program as a dental assistant and eam a bachelor’s degree
in biology. In 1995, she received her doctor of chiropractic degree and is currently working on a
post-graduate degree in neurology. Dr. Kleinschmidt is now also in the process of setting up her
own chiropractic office in St. Louis, Missouri. While Dr. Kleinschmidt may not be a typical Job

Corps student, she certainly demonstrates how Job Corps enables youth to reach their full potential.

It is an incredible experience to see how youth are transformed to become confident, empowered,
productive and contributing citizens, and I am proud to be part of their successes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.


184

ATTACHMENT 3

28


74

skills development (such as how to look for a job, getting to work on time, appropriate
workplace dress and behavior) and support services to help them acquire the
information and skills they need to obtain and retain jobs or enter further education. To
ensure students receive full benefit from their training, placement contractors are
responsible for assisting them find suitable employment or enter further education or
training when they leave Job Corps.

A number of changes have been made in the Job Corps placement process over
the last two years to improve outcomes and follow-up. Placement contractors have
formal performance standards for the percentage of students they place in jobs or
further education, the percentage of students placed in a job or school full-time, the
average wage of all students placed, and the percentage of students placed in
training-related jobs.

In addition, a system is under development to follow-up with all students 13
weeks after their placement to verify the placement and determine whether or not they
were still working or in school. During Program Year 1996 data was collected, and the
follow-up and verification system was revised to increase response rates from students
and a performance standard was established for Program Year 1997 based on the
percentage of students who are working or in school 13 weeks after their initial
placement,

Because of our emphasis on student outcomes, through Job Corps performance
standards and the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), Job Corps’
placement rate has increased steadily over the last five years from 57% to 80% and the
average wage at placement from $5.33 to $6.21. The percentage of training-related
placements has also risen over the same time period, trom 37% to 62%. Given the
severely disadvantaged target group we serve and the fact that our outcomes are
based on all terminees -- whether they were for enrolled 1 day or 2 years ~ we are very
proud of this significant improvement in outcomes.

We continuously strive to improve services and increase positive outcomes for


32

Although Labor expressed some concer with our remaining recommendations,
it acknowledged that they had merit and warranted consideration, and the agency
identified actions that it would take.

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared statement. We would be happy to
answer any questions that you or Members of the Subcommittee may have.

(205357)

16 GAO/T-HEHS.98.37


103

Please understand, my colleagues and I could thoroughly expound on all the
good that Job Corps does for the individual student and what it has done for
hundreds of thousands of young Americans who are now solid citizens because of
this wonderful program. It ranks up there with Head Start, the Peace Corps and
VISTA and is one of our country’s more effective government-funded training
programs. It tells the world we are still a caring people and that we continually try
to improve these programs to meet the constantly changing needs of the young

people we serve.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.


39

. Job Corps’ performance measures to be augmented to measure and document,
on a continuing basis, the long-term outcomes of Job Corps students;

. Vocational training to be refined to ensure that training provided is consistent
with occupations that are in demand in the geographic areas to which the
majority of students return;

+ Addressing the needs of employers for skilled workers by ensuring that Job
Corps curricula adequately prepare students; and

+ Developing contacts with businesses to ensure that jobs are available for
students upon completion of their training.

Best Practices of High Performing Centers

Moreover, to help Job Corps improve performance at low-ranked centers, the
OIG conducted a survey, in cooperation with Job Corps, to identify best practices
currently used at high performing centers. Best practices are those practices,
processes and systems that have a positive effect on operating efficiency or
performance. We surveyed outreach, admissions and placement contractors to identify
their impact on successful center performance. The survey also addressed the
oversight and support activities of corporate management, regional offices, Job Corps
administrators of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior, and the Job Corps’
national office.

At every level, from Job Corps' national office to the centers, the OIG found
common threads that helped improve the students’ opportunities for success. It is
important to note that no single practice alone will ensure success. Across the board,
we found that high performing centers had sound management practices that included:

. Establishing an outcome-oriented program of academic education, vocational
and social skills training with clear, attainable goals;

+ Encouraging an atmosphere of teamwork and effective communication between
students, staff, and the local community; and

+ Establishing accountability over performance by identifying problems; taking
prompt corrective action; tracking, monitoring and reporting performance; and
ensuring staff has necessary and adequate training.

Through this audit we also identified the need to establish a unique focus and
different performance standards for 16 and 17-year old Job Corps students because
younger students have different needs and are harder to serve than older students.

4


164

I am going to ask Cherri Branson if you have any questions you
would like to ask. This would be the minority staff that I would
like to icipate in this and ask questions.

Ms. BRANSON. Thank you, Mr. Shays.

Let’s see. I think first of all, I wanted to ask the Center Directors
whether they believe that the difference in the students they saw
before and the students they see now, what role drugs in the com-
munities have played in the difference that people show in present-
ing themselves to your centers.

's. YOUNG. I will go ahead. One of the terrible differences that
we have noted, and this is part of the horror of the family life that
our students come from, is that sometimes when a student whom
we have has a substance abuse problem and we, as usual, attempt
to bring the parents into it, sometimes the student is getting it
from the parents.

So, consequently, our solution to that is that they will reside at
the center and truly extricate themselves from the family environ-
ment, even though the family lives in town.

Mr. Crosby. You bring up a very interesting question, the fact
that the drugs do have an im on the students. It is just a dif-
ferent time we live in. The Job Corps had a wonderful drug rehab
program within its organization but then we were given direction
that one strike and you are out as far as the kids are concerned.

There is no other program like it in America. I mean, the 12-step
method and support groups give you more than one chance. Now
Job Corps doesn’t do that, and we were very successful in working
with young people who had drug problems. We had counselors
working with them and, for the most part, we were very successful.
It is an unfortunate part of our culture today and it is something
that certainly needs to be addressed, along with the other things
that Ms. Young has mentioned. We live in a different time now.

Ms. BRANSON. I wanted to ask Mr. Bethea if he thought that—
I noticed that you were 21 when you started in Job Corps. There-
fore you were probably older than a lot of the people who were
there. Do you think that that difference may have made some
difference in how you approached Job Corps training?

Mr. BETHEA. Yes, it did because it was like I was 21 and if I
didn’t complete this, I wasn’t going to complete anything. Yes, it
made a difference.

Mr. Suays. Mr. Towns, she was in front of you.

Mr. Towns. Any time. She does a superb job.

Do you believe that welfare reform, the work requirement, will
have any effect on your programs?

Ms. ROBINSON. Are you asking me?

Mr. Towns. All of you. I’m going to go right down the line. Ev-

erybody except Mr. Bethea.
ir. SHAYS. I'd like all the witnesses to answer that.

Ms. Younc. I think it will. I think it will be an impetus to appli-
cants to look at Job Corps perhaps even more so than they do now
because there will be requirements that will require them to enter
the work force. As somebody referred to it, the welfare safety net
will not be there.

I could give an example. I always remember a particular student
who, when she got her first paycheck as a switchboard operator,


64

erated Job Corps center last year to a private company because of
chronic poor performance.

In conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General, we have
identified best practices for our Job Corps centers and we are doing
so right now for placement contractors. I would hope we would do
this for our outreach and admissions contractors in the future. And
we have made significant performance improvements in student
outcomes over the last 5 years.

GED or high school diploma attainments have increased from
less than 12,000 to 16,000 a year. Vocational completion rates have
gone from 32 percent to 48 percent, almost one-half. Our overall
placement rate has gone from 57 percent to 80 percent. The aver-
age placement wage is now $6.21 an hour. For our job training
match students the average wage is $6.55 an hour.

We are proud of these results. We have accomplished these re-
sults through continuously improving our program based on Oe
formance assessments, input from the GAO, input from the OIG,
from Congress, from employers and students. We have accom-
plished these results through more effectively integrating the three
major components of Job Corps—outreach admissions, center and
placement. We have done that while serving the hardest to serve
young people from hundreds of communities across the United

tates.

Our accountability systems continue to drive performance and we
expect our performance in terms of post-program outcomes to im-
prove significantly. The results will be better services for seriously
at-risk young people as they prepare for self-sufficiency.

Thank you very much for inviting me here today and I am pre-
pared to answer any questions you might have. .

[The prepared statement of Ms. Silva follows:]


148

his attention deficit disorder. Not only does Eddie have this dis-
order; he also has a physical deformity in his spinal structure.

He saw Job Corps as his last hope. Through his exceptional de-
termination and the special help of many center staff, he completed
the Job Corps program and has earned an associate degree in
criminal justice from El Paso Community College.

Typically, youth seeking to enter the center have no job skills
and an inadequate academic education. However, I confidently
promise orientation students that, if they will commit a year of
their lives to this program, they will possess employment skills
which will enable them to obtain and fold a job. I also promise
that they will earn either a high school diploma or a GED certifi-
cate of high school equivalency.

A tremendous longevity exists in our staff but as we employ new
staff members, we ask two questions. Does the prospective em-
ployee possess the required job skills? And, most importantly, does

e or she meet the center standard of caring for and serving stu-
dents? I am proud to tell you that 25 of our 140 staff positions are
filled by our graduates, including two members of our senior man-
agement team.

dob Placement for a Carrasco Center student begins on the day
of enrollment. Actually, the placement commitment is secured prior
to enrollment.

Counselors at our center are members of the counseling and
placement activities department. It is the counselor’s responsibility
to develop the entire spectrum of employability skills in the stu-
dent and to assist with the student’s placement.

These staff members are not the only ones involved in student
placement. Every center employee is assigned an objective as part
of the annual performance appraisal process which requires them
to submit job placement leads. And, vocational training instructors
are given released time to go out into the community and obtain
placements for their graduates.

I am perplexed by the comparison of a trained position placement
and a training-related Position placement. I don’t really know what
the first term means, but a training-related placement is an em-
ployment position that is related to the vocational training course
the young person has completed. This determination is made by
comparing the job to jobs related to the vocational course com-
pleted, as listed in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

I have focused on the uniqueness of the Carrasco Center and
some of our practices that have been effective in preparing our stu-
dents to be productive. I am proud to say that our center has con-
sistently been evaluated as one of the highest performing Job
Corps Centers in the Nation.

Since the outreach, admissions and placement function was
added as part of the contractual responsibility of TEF, Inc., excel-
lence also has: been achieved in this area. In the announcement of
the National Job Corps Director’s Awards for the 1996 program
year, the Carrasco Center was recognized for top performance in
that year and for sustained excellent performance in program years
1994 to 1996.

The center also was accorded the Student Safety Seal of Accom-
plishment because of the results of student satisfaction surveys.


35

Mr. Chairman, the OIG looks forward to continuing to work with
the Department and the Congress to ensure the success of the Job
Corps program. This concludes my prepared statement and I would
be pleased to answer any questions.

(The prepared statement of Ms. Dalton follows:]


67

GEDs. Eighty percent of all students leaving the program were placed in jobs or
enrolled in further education; 64% of these were placed in training-related jobs.

Job Corps’ performance outcome measurement system is designed to measure
student progress from assignment to a center through post-program placement. The
system is integrated so that all Job Corps contractors -- outreach, center, and
placement -- have standards related to their specific functions as.well as standards
related to program outcomes. Outreach contractors have standards for meeting
assignment goals and 30-day retention rates of students; centers have standards for
student learning gains, vocational completion, placement, full-time placement, average
wage, job training match placement and 13-week post-placement status. Placement
contractors also have standards for placement of students leaving the program, full-time
placements, average wage, job training match, and 13-week post-placement.

This system links all phases of the program. The 30-day retention standard for
outreach and admissions contractors provides an incentive for enrollment of students.
who need and are likely to remain enrolled in and benefit from the program. Center
operators’ performance standards are terminee-based (applied to all participants
leaving the program, not just graduates), and successful performance against these
measures is heavily dependent on the length of time students are enrolled. Successful
performance requires the center operator to appropriately assess individual student
needs and to provide the services needed to address these needs so that students are
prepared to obtain quality placement upon leaving the program. Job Corps’ Vocational
Evaluation System (VES) provides an analysis uf performance (completion, placement,
average wage) by vocation and center to assist us determine whether a training
program is meeting both students’ and employers’ needs. If the analysis indicates a
particular vocational training program at a center is not effective, whether it is operated
by the center or a national training contractor, the vocational program is put on
probation -- and if performance does not improve, the vocation is dropped and replaced

with another.


104

Mr. Suays. Thank you. You have a good sense of humor and you
also were very astute to mention the Peace Corps.

Mr. Crospy. After I retire, sir, I’m going to give it a shot.

Mr. SHays. You would be a great volunteer.

I think what we will do is we will vote and we will come right
back, so we will adjourn. We stand in recess.

[Recess.]

Mr. Suays. Calling the hearing to order, Miss Robinson, why
don’t you begin?

Ms. ROBINSON. Thank you. Chairman Shays and distinguished
members of the committee, it is an honor to appear before you to
discuss Job Corps. My testimony today is based on my 4% years
of experience as the Outreach, Admissions and Placement Manager
for the Dynamic Educational Systems, Inc., office located at the
Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center in St. Paul, MN.

While you have my written testimony detailing the outreach, ad-
missions and placement process, there are a few points I would like
to reiterate.

Outreach is a comprehensive system of activities designed to
communicate information about the Job Corps program to eligible
youth, influencers of youth, agencies, youth organizations and the
general public. In order to successfully recruit youth for Job Corps,
the admissions counselors must develop a comprehensive list of re-
ferral sources—those organizations that have daily contact with
youth, such as schools, human service agencies, welfare depart-
ments, employment service offices, One-Stop Shops and youth orga-
nizations. This referral network must be nurtured by establishing
on-going contact with them.

In order to provide better State-wide coverage, we have estab-
lished an office in Duluth, MN, to cover northern Minnesota and
an office in Rochester to cover southern Minnesota. It is important
to note that the Rochester office is closely aligned with the One-
Stop in southeast Minnesota. This connection ensures that Job
Corps is effectively promoted throughout the 11 counties in south-
eastern Minnesota served by the One-Stop Shop youth counselors.
We have also made it a priority to establish other connections with
the Minnesota One-Stop Shops to ensure complete coverage
throughout the State.

These connections are extremely important in assisting and
reaching youth who may benefit from Job Corps. The youth we
serve have few, if any, support systems. They live in horrendous
conditions and they have experienced a great amount of failure in
their lives. It isn’t easy for them to call Job Corps, to face another
potential rejection. These agency connections are their first line of
their support.

The admissions process is often lengthy and time-consuming. The
admissions counselor must establish rapport with each applicant
during the interview process to make a full and complete assess-
ment of a student’s potential success at Job Corps while also deter-
mining if the applicant meets all 11 eligibility criteria.

I understand that there “are some. questions about, 16- and 17
year-ol icipating in lob Cor rogram. ile I admit
they bring a unique set of problems wit them I believe Job Corps
is a viable option for them. However, I also believe Job Corps pro-


167

tion when you come here and you testify to the Members of Con-
gress in terms of what it has meant to you. That, to me, means a
great deal.

So I want to thank you for it and I want to thank all of the direc-
tors for the job that you are doing out there in the field.

ir. Chairman, on that note I yield back.

Mr. Maave Thank you very much for yielding back. We are just
going to be coming to a conclusion here.

I just want a quick question, Mr. Bethea, Sergeant, rather. Ser-
geant, in answer to the question about welfare reform, do you think
the whole emphasis on trying to encourage, in many cases, young
women to get into the work force is a positive thing and something
that the Job Corps can take a role in?

Mr. BETHEA. Yes, I do.

Mr. SHays. I have a relatively quick question; I don’t know if the
answer will be quick. You basically had a group of peers who you
enjoyed their compan: y. When you went through Job Corps, did you
find yourself not having those same friends? I mean, in a few in-
stances were some of your peers saying what a silly thing, for you
to want to better your life or be a part of this program?

Mr. BETHEA. I went through that. It was like a 50/50 situation.
The ones that were truly my, friends stuck with me and encouraged
me, but the ones that weren’t went by the wayside, so they weren’t
my friends.

Mr. SHays. Now, having gone through the program and now hav-
ing become a police officer, do you still have some of your same
friends? You have moved your life along in a certain way.

Mr. BETHEA. The same friends I had when I was in Job Corps
are the same friends I have now.

Mr. Suays. OK. I would like to, if it is all right with you, Mr.
Towns, I would like Mr. Chase to ask one question and then we
will close.

Mr. Towns. Sure.

Mr. CHASE. Again this is for you, Sergeant. Can you help us by
describing the process that you went through to decide that the Job
Corps was for you? What kind of questions did they ask you? What
did they tell you that they expected ot of you in the program? And did
you have a sense of what you wanted to get out of the program?

Mr. BETHEA. You are talking about when I went down to Em-
ployment Services initially?

Mr. CHASE. Yes, when you went to the Job Corps counselor, the
admissions counselor, what kind of questions did they ask you?

Mr. BETHEA. It is vague. I cannot recall exactly what he asked
me but I already knew what I wanted. I wanted a GED and a
trade, so I was focussed on that, and I got it.

Mr. Crossy. Mr. Chairman, could I make an observation?

Mr. Suays. Sure.

Mr. Crossy. I wish Mr. Snowbarger were back because he had
some questions about the followup to training. When I graduated
from college, much to the shock of my parents——

Mr. Suays. That you graduated?

Mr. Crossy. Yes, sir.

Mr. Suays. That is probably a typical response of some parents.


126

In an effort to continue this tradition of accountability, I would suggest the following changes:

= Measurement standards should be different for 16- and 17-year-olds as well as for non-

completers.
= Only graduates of the program should be measured for job training matches.

= Disciplinary terminations (i

from our placement pool.

violence, drug use and non-participation) should be removed

= Terminees who are not available to be placed (such as if they are jailed) should be removed

from the placement pool.

Recommendations for Enhancing Job Corps Recruitment and Placement Services

L The same contractor should be responsible for outreach, admissions and placement. This

provides us with incentive to recruit youth who we believe will successfully complete the

program. This continuity also allows us to begin the placement process during the

2. Aplacement staff person, wherever possible, should be located on centers where they can

meet with the students on a regular basis and become more involved in their exit process.

This also increases the students’ chances of being placed prior to termination.

3. Centers should have school-to-work initiatives to provide students with valuable work

experience and provide Placement Specialists with employer feedback on each student's

employability.


45

lation to their major. This does not make a college education a
waste of time or a waste of money.

Since there is no long-term followup for Job Corps graduates, do
we know whether these graduates ultimately find jobs that are re-
lated to the training that they received or not?

Ms. BLANCHETTE. Well, as you stated, there is currently no real
followup as to what happens beyond the immediate first placement.
And, of course, that is something that needs to be determined.

With regard to our statement out the-relatively little amount of
training required for some of the jobs that Job Corps participants
are placed in once they leave the program, we are comparing the
average 10-month stay in the Job Corps program with getting a job
where the estimated training could be 1 month or less.

We were not making any evaluative comments about the nature
of the job beyond that. We just found that in terms of the match
that counts in terms of a | l|acement in a matched job, it seemed
that not only were some of the relationships between the trainin,
and the jobs not obvious, but that the amount of training required
for the job seemed to be a lot less than what would be required
for—a lot less than the stay in the job Corps program.

But you are right. Ultimately, the test is what happens to those
participants several years later.

Mr. Towns. Right. I think that is key.

You note that 2 of the 11 factors used to determine eligibility in
Job Corps should be defined more objectively. What recommenda-
tions do you have for measuring the students’ motivation to com-
plete the program? How do you measure that?

Ms. BLANCHETTE. Well, as we stated in our full testimony state-
ment and in the report that is being released today, we did look
at some promising practices of contractors that have higher reten-
tion rates among the participants they bring into the program. And
what we found those contractors were doing was No. 1, giving the
applicants information about the program and what life would be
like in the program, to help the applicants decide whether or not
that was what they wanted.

Also, there were certain things the applicants were required to
do to show their commitment. They had to show up on time for ap-
pointments. They had to dress a certain way. They had to provide
certain documents perhaps. They were required to do something, to
have some investment in their own training in order to show their
level of commitment, and we believe that these are certainly prom-
ising practices.

‘hat is not to say there aren’t other things out there that could
be done but the common thread here seems to be providing infor-
mation to prospective participants so that they themselves can
have some role in deciding whether or not they want to go into the
program and having prospective participants show something up
ront as to their level of commitment in this endeavor.

Mr. Towns. Let me say what my problem is here. A person
comes into the program and all of a sudden they wake up and say,
“Wait a minute; I want to do something else in my life. I want to
do something with my life,” and they leave and go get a job and
start working, providing leadership and supporting a family, doit
whatever else that we all do to consider ourselves successful. And,


87

terms of their economic status or their school drop-out status, they
may not choose to make a commitment to get their lives together.

Mr. Suays. Can I make an assumption that the New Haven cen-
ter is doing outreach to Bridgeport and Stamford, CT?

Ms. SILva. Yes.

Mr. Suays. And that they are working with whom in those
areas? Would they be working with any group that specializes in
employment? Would they have referrals? Would they be sending
brochures to referral organizations?

Ms. Siva. Yes, and working with the One-Stop career centers.

Mr. Suays. That is what I meant.

Ms. Sitva. Exactly. And that is one of the unique facets of Job
Corps inasmuch as we have 111 centers and while in Connecticut
we have a center in New Haven, that center is doing outreach to
other communities within the State.

Mr. Suays. Well, given that it is residential, in a State our size,
I would love to have more, but in a State our size, New Haven is
fairly well located. It would probably be better if it was in Bridge-
port, but I accept New Haven.

But what I am really having a little bit of trouble grasping is
how you could have only 1 percent and in some cases not have a
waiting list. That is, I guess, what surprises me. It would seem to
me you would be able to have more selection. Maybe you don’t have
an answer for that but it is puzzling to me.

Ms. SILVA. In some parts of the country we have a lot of waiting
lists, le: y waiting lists. Some students perhaps choose to go to
a particular center closer to home and they will be waiting for that
and not go to a center farther away. It varies from one part of the
country to another.

Mr. SuHays. Well, this has definitely piqued my interest even
more, so I guess I will be visiting the New Haven site.

Ms. SILVA. Wonderful.

Mr. Suays. I think of all the things that I can get the most emo-
tional about is thinking about the fact that we have too many kids
that don’t have any mentors. They have no one in their lives that
they can turn to as a good example, no one to help. That is an over-
statement. They can go to a teacher who is interested, but I am
talking about someone outside of a school environment in many
cases. No one who can put their arm around them sometimes and
say, “T have succeeded and this is how you do it.”

‘0 I, like my colleague, like the concept of Job Corps and would
like to see how we can improve it and t know you want the same
goal.
Mr. Towns, do you have any other questions?

Mr. Towns. Nothing further, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. SHays. Any comment you'd like to make? What I would like
to do, I would like to invite you to make a comment, if you would,
as well, if you have any general comment you would like to make
about the program.

Mr. SULLIVAN. I personally think Job Corps is a sensational pro-
gram. I think, as this committee has correctly identified, we serve
a very difficult population.

One of the exciting and one of the most challenging goals that
we have is to take it tough population and shape it, that part


sounds high, let us not forger that the success rate is almost 70 percent

Finally, in closing Mr Chairman. let me say that it cost $20,000 to house, clothe. feed and
train a Job Corp student. It cost $22,900 to incarcerate an inmate in Federal prison. Let use not
be naive, Job Corps serves the population of voung people most likely to end up in prison- the
young, male, urban. high school drop outs who have never held previous employment. ! believe
that Job Corps gives these young people an opportunity to contribute to society by becoming tax
payers and responsible citizens, As a matter of fact, a 1982 study by the Mathematica Policy
Research, Inc., showed that Job Corps retums $1.46 in benefits to society for every $1 invested
‘As a member of a committee whose mission is to ensure economy and efficiency in government
programs. it seems to me that Job Corps should be praised for its use of governmental resources.

I would be proud to have a Job Corps center in my district.

Again. | want to thank you for hoiding today’s hearing and look forward to hearing the
‘testimony of the witnesses.


JOB CORPS OVERSIGHT: RECRUITMENT AND
PLACEMENT STANDARDS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1997

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES,
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM AND OVERSIGHT,
Washington, DC.

The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:03 a.m., in room
2247, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Christopher Shays,
(chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Present: Representatives Shays, Snowbarger, Pappas, Towns,
Barrett and Kucinich.

Also present: Lawrence J. Halloran, staff director and counsel; J.
Vincent Chase, chief investigator; R. Jared Carpenter, clerk; Cherri
Branson, minority counsel; and Ellen Rayner, minority chief clerk.

Mr. SNOWBARGER [presiding]. Good morning. I think we will go
ahead and get started. The chairman, Congressman Shays, is at
another meeting right now, so in his absence, I will be chairing the
meeting, at least for the first hour or so.

We will start with the opening statements. The chairman has a
statement that he wanted read into the record, so I will do that for
him at this point.

Last year this subcommittee heard informative, moving testi-
mony from men and women whose lives had been transformed b
job training that works. They described their difficult, very dif-
ferent journeys, from unemployment to the limitless world of work,
self-esteem and self-reliance.

Why did they succeed where so many fail? Well, according to the
General Accounting Office, four common strategies or best practices
mark successful employment training: ensuring client commitment,
removing barriers to employment, improving employability skills
and linking skill training to the local job market.

As a part of our oversight mission, we are committed to measure
other job training efforts against those standards. We asked the
GAO to study the largest federally administered job training pro-
gram, Job Corps, to determine the extent to which those strategies
are present and how they might be spread throughout that $1.2 bil-
eB eciheally, GAO d the D f Labor’

speci ly, examined the Department ot 's manage-
ment of Job Co! recruitment and placement contractors, asking
how they demand and how they measure success in two of the four
strategy areas: client commitment and placing that client in a job
with long-term potential.
()


150

TESTIMONY TO BE PRESENTED
TO THE CONGRESSIONAL SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM AND OVERSIGHT
October 23, 1997
Congressman Shays and distinguished members of the committee, | am
Mary Young, Director of the David L. Carrasco Job Corps Center in El Paso,

Texas. | joined the Center staff prior to the Center's opening in 1970.

The Center has been operated since its inception by TEF, Inc., the
corporation that also has operated the Gary Job Corps Center in San
Marcos, Texas, since it opened in 1965. The third Center operated by TEF

is located in Gainesville, Florida.

Our Center is named for our founding director of 20 years, David L.
Carrasco, who established the philosophy which continues to serve as the
basis for the success of our Center and its graduates. This philosophy is
based on the firm belief that young people with very bleak futures can be
empowered to drastically change the direction of their lives through a

transformation which occurs as they progress through the program.

it is my understanding that you are interested in Job Corps recruitment and


42

disclosed that only minimum post-placement follow-up services were provided to these
former students.

The analysis, conducted an average of 14 months after the students were placed
in training-retated employment, was based on employer confirmation data as well as
state unemployment insurance (Ul) wage data. We received 129 responses to
questionnaires mailed to employers regarding 259 randomly selected training-related
job placements reported by the Trust Fund during Program Year 1995. The audit found
that of the 129, 98 students were laid-off, had quit, or were fired (19, 55, and 24,
respectively), and had an average length of employment of only 100 days. We found
that only 12 of the former students were still employed with the initial employer.
Another 11 told the initial employer that they were leaving to accept another job. The
‘employers told us that 8 were never employed. After leaving the initial employer, the
majority of these former students had very low wages, as reported in state UI wage
records. The state Ul wage data indicate that these former students were sporadically
‘employed or not employed at all, and some had applied for unemployment
compensation. The former students listed as sporadically employed had reported
wages averaging $2,400 per year, after an average of 8 months of training in plastering
or cement masonry, at a cost of about $17,000 per student.

Given the significant amount of resources invested in the students’ Job Corps
training, we recommended that additional post-placement follow-up services be
provided to improve students’ employment experience. This includes providing
students with any needed placement services for up to 1 year after the completion of
their training.

Despite concern with on our reliance on state Ul wage data to determine the
employment status of 27 former students, Job Corps agreed with the OIG that every
effort must be made to improve student employability and labor market attachment.
Through the years, greater productivity has been expected from NTCs (as compared to
Job Corps center-operated training programs) primarily because NTCs have a network
of union and industry affiliates that support the placement process. This should
increase the likelihood NTC students will be placed in jobs that match their training, pay
well, and last long enough for strong roots to be established in the labor force. To
immediately deal with this issue, Job Corps established a placement follow-up
workgroup and has requested our consultation assistance in that endeavor.

As a result of our concern in this area, we also audited the Job Corps placement
verification system. Job Corps contracts for placement verification services to ensure
the validity and accuracy of performance data related to placements. Our audit found
that Job Corps has not adequately managed or controlled the process of resolving the
questionable placement memoranda (QPMs) sent by the placement verification
contractors to Job Corps regional offices. As a result of the backlog of the memoranda
that accumulated in the regional offices, placement contractors were paid for invalid

7


161

Mr. SHays. Thank you very much, Sergeant. It is very nice to
have all of you here.

I will have questions for all of you, but let me first start by un-
derstanding the limited job opportunities that GAO reports on as
1 of the 11 criteria, I want to place it first. It is 1 of the 11. There
is a question as to how it is interpreted. Some would view it as
whether or not the applicant has job skills or the educational
background and others would view it as the economic condition of
the geographic area. How do you view it, each of you, or do you
even pay attention to it?

See, I am just going to preface this by saying in some ways I al-
most feel it is irrelevant because you are dealing with such—you
know, we are not fine-tuning it. diven that you have 600 appli-
cants and you are taking 1 percent of the large pool that is there,
you have 60,000 students.

So I guess my first question is, how significant is this question
and how do you interpret it? How significant is the concept of lim-
ited job opportunities and how do you interpret it? Let’s just go
down the line.

Mr. CrosBy. Congressman, I would interpret it as limited job op-
portunities.

Mr. SHays. So from an economic standpoint?

Mr. Crossy. From an economic standpoint.

Mr. SHayYs. Not from a skills standpoint.

Mr. Crossy. The skills standpoint would come into play but just
the basic wording of what you just said, it would be, to me, limited
job opportunities.

Like Congressman Barrett mentioned, in his part of the country
there is high unemployment, so those youngsters would certainly
have limited job opportunities.

Mr. SHays. So you view it more on the economic side of it.

Mr. Crossy. Yes, sir.

Mr. SHAYS. That there aren’t many opportunities, economic op-
portunities, not many available jobs.

How do you view it, Miss Robinson?

Ms. ROBINSON. We see it that the applicant has limited skills to
enable them to obtain or keep gainful, meaningful employment, but
it also could mean—it does mean that there may be unemployment
in the community that they reside in.

Mr. SHAYS. Miss Young.

Ms. YounGc. I have always interpreted that as being a lack of
preparation for a job in the person, not having the job skills or edu-
cation to acquire and hold a job.

Mr. SHays. So Miss Robinson, you start with the lack of jobs
available but you include both? You basically look at jobs available;
you include both and you include more the educational skill back-
ground the person has.

Ms. Younc. Definitely.

Mr. SHays. And you are not given much more guidance. It is left
to your interpretation, I gather.

Ms. YOuNG. It is, but I think it relates to whether or not the ap-
plicant needs the program. In my interpretation, he or she needs
the program because he or she does not possess the job skills to ac-
quire the job.


73

leadership and social skills training to help students learn proper workplace behaviors
and dress; instruction on money management, saving and budgeting; and job interview
techniques and clothing for students leaving the center. Students’ counselors,
instructors, and other staff deal with problems and issues as they arise. When students
leave Job Corps, they receive assistance from placement contractors and from
volunteer support services staff affiliated with Women in Community Service and Joint
Action in Community Service.

We believe these actions, and the commitment standard for outreach and
admissions contractors, are strengthening our admissions process and enabling us to
better identify those students who are serious about enrolling in Job Corps and
committed to completing the program. Thus, these actions result in improving student
retention rates.

In their most recent report, GAO criticized the Department for not providing
adequate guidance to admissions counselors for applicants to receive the full benefits
of Job Corps. The findings of the report and this hearing provide us with an opportunity
to re-examine our admissions process. We will convene a meeting with our
outreach/admissions contractors to review existing policies and practices and GAO's
recommendations and to discuss how we can best improve guidance and practices to
increase the potential for identifying applicants who are suitable and committed to fully
benefit from the Job Corps program. In addition, workforce development legislation
currently under consideration by Congress establishes more objective Job Corps
eligibility criteria. When enacted, new legislation will assist us in providing more specific
guidance to admissions counselors in determining applicant eligibility.

Placement and Follow-up

Job Corps makes a substantial investment in education and vocational training of
students. Improving participants’ employability skills is another common strategy of
successful projects identified by GAO. Job Corps students receive an integrated,

comprehensive program of academic education, vocational training, social and work


82

Mr. SHays. Now, where is this document from?

Mr. Towns. It is the U.S. Department of Education National
Center for Education Statistics, and this was in 1992. It is probably
even worse now.

Mr. Suays. That is helpful. Thank you.

(The information referred to follows:]


JOB CORPS OVERSIGHT: RECRUITMENT AND
PLACEMENT STANDARDS

HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT
REFORM AND OVERSIGHT
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED FIFTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION

OCTOBER 23, 1997

Serial No. 105-112

Printed for the use of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight

oe

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
48-355 CC WASHINGTON : 1998

For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington, DC 20402

ISBN 0-16-056570-7
3



108

general public. In order for Job Corps recruiters, known as Admissions Counselors, to be successful,

they must effectively promote Job Corps with their outreach events and activities.

Initially the Admissions Counselor develops a comprehensive list of referral sources ~ organizations
or agencies that have daily contact with youth, These primary contacts may include schools, human
service agencies, welfare departments, employment service offices, One-Stop Shops, and private,
nonprofit organizations serving youth and their families. {t is also equally important to make
connections with secondary contacts who interact frequently with youth, but in a limited capacity.
These contacts include churches, city councils, neighborhood committees, women’s shelters, public

housing authorities and military recruiters.

Once these contacts have been made, the Admissions Counselor must deliver the message about Job
Corps and the services we provide. The Admissions Counselor accomplishes this by making
presentations, establishing connections and maintaining the referral source network. Maintenance
of this network is a fundamental component of all successful outreach efforts. Referrals are a
product of relationships that have been built on trust. Admissions Counselors continually strive to

nurture these relationships through a number of activities including:

a. Providing agencies with Job Corps literature.
b. Keeping referral sources updated on any changes or acti
c. Providing agencies with feedback on the youth they have referred.

ies happening with Job Corps.

d. Being available for on-site visits to take applications, update staff, and make presentations.


181

ATTACHMENT 2

25


159

Page Two

The D.C. Police Department had at that time its police and fire clinic on the
Potomac Job Corps campus. We would see police cruisers and officers go in and
out all the time, Often I would try to ask them about their jobs.

It was actually my landscape instructor who encouraged me to pursue the
dream of becoming a police officer. He helped me fill out the forms and he also
provided sound advice. One thing Job Corps does is instill in students “personal
responsibility.” 1 knew that if | completed Job Corps I would get a good job as a
landscaper, which I did. But I also wanted to keep other professional career
options open, like becoming a police officer, so I sent in the forms in 1992,

In January of 1993 I was hired by the Winn Management Corporation as a
Groundsman/Maintenance assistant. I was assigned as a full-time employee at the
Atlantic Gardens Complex in southeast DC, 1 worked there for a year, while I also
worked part-time as a barber. In October of that same year, I decided to work full-
time as a barber at the House Barber Shop. It was during this time that I was first
contacted by the D.C. police department and they began the extensive background
checking process.

Finally in October of 1994 — nearly two years from when I first filled out
my application forms with the assistance of my Job Corps instructor --- I was
accepted into the Academy for Police Training. Today I am very happily
employed with the District of Columbia Police Department and am assigned to the
Public Housing Division. I truly feel that the training and life experience I

received in Job Corps has helped me be effective in my job today.




109

fe. Making presentations at statewide conferences for such professions as social workers,

financial workers, school counselors, altemative leaming educators and youth workers.

‘The development and implementation of an effective outreach program is time consuming, but also
quite necessary in order to successfully recruit a diverse youth population, Minnesota is a
predominately rural state, and we want to ensure that all our youth have the opportunity to utilize
Job Corps and hear our story. Outreach activities provide our referral sources with the information

necessary to educate youth about Job Corps.

In addition to our office at the Humphrey Center, we have established two off-campus offices to
provide better statewide coverage. There is an office in Duluth to serve Northem Minnesota and
an office in Rochester to serve Southem Minnesota. It is also important to note that the Rochester
office is closely aligned with the One-Stop Shop in Southeast Minnesota. This connection ensures
that Job Corps is effectively promoted throughout the eleven Southeast counties served by the One-
Stop Shop youth: counselors. We have made it a priority to establish other connections with the

Minnesota One-Stop Shops to ensure complete coverage throughout the state.

Establishing these connections is not easy. Many agencies become so involved in working with their
local youth, they often don’t think beyond the scope of what is available in their own community.
We must maintain a constant presence in these communities and keep the connection in order for
them to truly utilize and think of Job Corps as a local resource. My staff and [ have made these
connections, and we often hear about youth they work with who may benefit from Job Corps. We

must remember that we are working with disadvantaged youth — youth who have few (if any)


30

years to develop baseline measures. In the interim, its proposed measures for program
‘years 1998 and 1999 include placement rates and placement wages. As we noted
previously, we question the validity of these data. In addition, while wages provide some
measure of program success, an additional indicator of program quality that would be
useful is an improved measure of job-training match, ETA’s strategic plan has no related
performance indicators for the second goal-enhancing employability and increasing
educational attainment. Nonetheless, Job Corps' current performance measurement
system contains measures directly related to this goal, including measures of functional
literacy, functional numeracy, the attainment of a general equivalency diploma, and
‘completing vocational training. In our opinion, measures such as these would be useful
as performance indicators for this second goal

‘Table 2: Job Coms’ Performance Goals and Measures

ETA strategic goal Performance goal Performance measures
Increase the number of} Increase the number of | Existing:

America’s youths, ‘youths retaining jobs and

particularly at-risk youths, } increase earnings, — number of terminees entering

who make a successful resulting in greater self | employment or further education
transition into the labor | sufficiency
force resulting in self- ~ at an average placement wage
sufficiency
‘To be developed:

~ postprogram job retention

= postprogram eamings gains
Enhance employability _ | No measure identified
and raise educational
attainment of program
terminees

Labor also needs accurate information to effectively manage Job Corps. This is
particularly important given the program's complex structure, involving three
independent functions-recruiting, training, and placement-that are often contracted
for separately. Without accurate information on contractor performance, Labor does
not have the data for making proper decisions on contractor renewal.

4 GAO/T-HEHS.98-37


89

the National nature of the curriculum versus regional or more lo-
calized curriculum that is designed to meet that particular job mar-
ket. I just wondered if you could comment on that.

Ms. SILva. Certainly. We have curriculum that is designed Na-
tionally with the input from people at the local level. We use our
National curriculum as the means to get that curriculum down to
local centers and they then can adapt it. They can customize it for
the employer needs in their local communities.

Mr. SNOWBaARGER. Can and do are two different things.

Ms. Siva. And they do. They do. For example, in the Dallas re-
gion, the business occupation training curriculum has been exten-
sively enhanced to meet the needs of the employers in the South-
west, where they have incorporated certain software packages, for
example, in that particular curriculum that are necessary and that
are used in that part of the country.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. And that example, is that an example of one
of our better centers in terms of its success rate in job placement
and job raining?

Ms. SILva. it change has been made at the 12 centers in our
Dallas regional office, so it is all of the centers in that part of the
country tt have made the revision to this National curriculum
because they think it is necessary in that part of the country.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. But again, in GAO and the Inspector Gen-
eral’s analysis of this, we have some centers that are performing
well and we have some centers that are not performing well. My
question was are you giving me an example of the good stuff? If
so, why aren’t we spreading that elsewhere?

Ms. SiLva. In that particular region we have some outstanding
centers and we have some that are performance-challenged, so it
is a mix.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Performance-challenged. I love government
terms.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. SHays. Thank you very much for being here. We will be in
touch and the pledge I would make on the record is that I will visit
the New Haven site before Christmas, and I am going to take Vin-
cent Chase with me.

Ms. SILVA. Terrific. Thank you.

Mr. SHays. Now we are going to invite our next panel up. John
Crosby, Center Director, Clearfield Job Training Center; Sarah
Robinson, Outreach, Assessment and Placement Manager, Hubert
Humphrey Job Corps Center; Mary Young, Center Director, David
L. Carrasco Job Corps Center; and Sergeant Jerry Bethea, Metro-
politan Police Department, Job Corps graduate. It is nice to have
all of you here. Thank you.

[Witnesses sworn.]

Mr. SHays. It is wonderful to have you all here and we will be
a little stricter with the testimony time. We would like you to use
roughly 5 minutes, but we can roll with the punches a little bit if

ve to.

Mr. Crosby, I think we will start with you and go from there. I
know that some of you came from a distance and it is great that
you are here.


84

Mr. Towns. Let me go over a couple of things that I am troubled
by that are coming up. Do you believe that provisions for welfare
reform, especially the work requirements, will have any impact or
provide any special challenges for Job Corps in the coming years?

Ms. Sitva. Definitely because for a number of young people in
Job Corps, they have grown up in families that have received wel-
fare and they are facing a world where there will not be that same
safety net of welfare. There has to be a far greater realization that
they need to be trained, and Job Corps provides an opportunity for
them to get the kinds of skills they need so that in their lifetimes
they can be self-sufficient.

I would envision that we will have more young women enrolling
in Job Corps than we do now, as they realize that they, too, while
they have children, will also be full-time workers.

Mr. Towns. Thank you. I have noted that you use State employ-
ment agencies to assist in recruitment. With all of the other issues
facing these agencies, why do you use them? Some people say—not
me, though; I don’t want to be identified with this—that they are
too busy to be concerned about Job Corps’ special clients. What is
your answer to that?

Ms. SiLva. As the GAO report that was issued today indicates,
Job Corps’ reliance on State agencies has decreased significantly
over the last 10 years as we have focused more on performance out-
comes. And we believe very strongly that we need to have outreach
admissions counselors and placement specialists who are focussed
on Job Corps students specifically.

So we are moving away from using State employment services.
At the same time, one of our outstanding outreach and placement
contractors this year was the South Dakota Employment Service.
So some perform most admirably, but not all, has been our experi-
ence.

Mr. Towns. You have mentioned the standards for placement
contractors. Can you tell us who sets those standards and whether
those standards have changed over time? You alluded to it in your
testimony, or touched upon it.

Ms. SILVA. The performance standards are developed in the Na-
tional office of Job Corps based on involvement of our placement
contractors and our center staff, through a process where we look
at what our mission is and we look at the most effective ways of
measuring those outcomes that focus on our mission.

We have five performance standards in the placement area. One
is a placement rate for all terminees from Job Corps, from eve:
student who has been in there 1 day to 3 years. We have a fall
time placement rate. We have an average wage at placement. We
have a Job Training match placement and an average wage for job
training match.

Those are set every year. We issue these standards every year
in July and we monitor performance against those standards and
issue reports on a monthly basis to all of our contractors.

Mr. Towns. Let me just ask this very quickly. In our research
for this hearing we discovered that enrollees are tested for HIV.
Can you tell us whether enrollees who test positive, what happens
to them?


12

Congress of the United States ces
House of Representatives note ten seohena
‘Baashington, WE 20515461 “Saat

October 21, 1997

‘The Honorable Christopher Shays
Chairman

Subcommittee on Human Resources
U.S. House Of Representatives

B372 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Mr. Chairman:

As you proceed in conducting your oversight hearing of Job Comps to examine the
program's recruitment and placement services, I would like to reiterate my support for this
national program. Each year, some 63,000 young and disadvantaged youths enter Job
Corps' residential campuses to secure education and training to obtain entry-level jobs. As a
result, 75% of those completing the program start jobs, enter the military or pursue further
education.

Virginia's three Job Corps centers - the Blue Ridge Job Corps Center in Marion:
Flatwoods Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center in Coebumn; and Old Dominion Job Corps
Center in Monroe - serve more than 1.100 students annually. ‘According to the General
Accounting Office, an additional S00 Virginia youths attend centers outside of our
‘Commonwealth due to insufficient in-state capacity to meet their needs. The efforts made by
Job Corps administrators and campus operators to continuously improve the quality of
service to young people has been well documented and impressive.

1 support your efforts to enhance and enrich the Job Corps so it can serve more young
people throughout the nation. The tremendous need to provide a residential and
comprehensive program like Job Corps. added to the consistently positive results
demonstrated throughout the program's 32-year history, make clear that Job Corps needs and

deserves our support.
Sincerely,
rom Davis

Member of Congress

With warm regards, I remain,


54

program were particularly successful, and there are certainly a lot
of improvements that need to be made in that program.

In particular, we have emphasized followup and placement as-
sistance and that these jobs are in the construction industry where
there is quite a bit of turnover. Oftentimes the first job may be a
short-term job and we need to provide continuing placement assist-
ance, and also tracking of the students as they are coming out of
the program for employment opportunities. That is one of the rea-
sons why the Job Corps historically has contracted with these Na-
tional contractors—is their placement network, and we don’t think
that that has borne fruit in that particular case.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Let me rephrase what I think I hear you say-
ing. That is one of the reasons we have gone with some of these
National contractors is their placement network and yet, in this
particular case, their placement seems to have been pretty close to
an utter failure.

Ms. DALTON. That is correct.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. But you are not willing to go one step further
and question whether or not the assumption was right in the first
place?

Ms. DatTon. I don’t think we have done enough work, in terms
of looking at all of the contractors. We have looked at this one. Now
the question becomes, have we identified this problem and can it
be corrected? If not, the assumption may not have been the correct
one.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Does your study of the National Plasterers—
I am trying to get to both of you here. With your definition of job
training versus job Placement, you are trained for one thing and
you qualify for—or if you are in a particular job, you qualified for
having been placed in the same area.

Did you look to see, in the Naticnal Plasterer situation, if they
were trained to be a plasterer, what job they actually got within
the industry and whether or not that required the training or even
provided the Opportunity for actually using the skills that they
were trained in?

Mr. GETEK. Most of the placements were in training-related jobs.
We believe and continue to say that the critical issue here is post-
placement followup. We don’t disagree that there are times when
people do not work in the construction industry. The conclusion
that we got from this audit, and which we recommended to Job
Corps, was they needed to continue to have contact with the stu-
dents and do Post-placement followup. In fact, Job Corps responded
that they would like to form a task force in that area and had in-
vited us, the IG, to see what would be the best way to continue in
that area. And we agree that that is absolutely necessary in this
particular field.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. I guess my question, again, is about how valu-
able this training was ultimately. Again, since 98 out of 129 didn’t
even have a job, it is hard to say that it had any value whatever
ultimately.

But when they were first placed, was there any indication to you
that they were actually putting plaster on walls and ceilings or
were they carrying materials? tt kind of job within the industry
were they doing? Obviously I have never been trained in plaster-


96

have student mentors who shadow the new students, making sure they are
introduced to the variety of support groups we have on campus, along with an
extensive recreation program plus the multitude of clubs and volunteer
organizations that are ongoing. We constantly tap new sources to get our students
over that commitment barrier. My experience over the years has shown time and
time again that the longer the student stays, the better job-match and the higher the
starting wage. We produce a superior product in the way of a mature, well-trained

worker.

Where I personally have a problem is that we are also responsible for
placement of a student who stays for a short period of time and/or is 16 years old
with little education or training. It should be noted, however, at Clearfield we
place directly out of the center 83% of all students into full-time employment at an

average wage of $6.42 per hour.

Due to our size, we have an Outreach and Placement team. We coordinate a
yearly effort with DOL regions VII and VIII by assisting the agencies in
recruitment and job placement efforts. We purchase radio and TV ads, conduct
interviews, work large gatherings such as state fairs, and help out at school career

fairs, just to name a few. We also help placement agencies locate students who

3


15

our students. Job Corps is currently working with the Department's OIG on a project to
identify and share best practices of placement contractors. This effort is a follow-up to
the joint OIG/Job Corps review of centers to identify best practices which resulted in
issuance of a report by the OIG last year on best practices of Job Corps center
operators. This report was shared with all Job Corps centers.

New Placement-Related Initiatives and Linkages

During the next year, we will be changing our system for identifying training
related job placements. We currently use classifications from the Dictionary of
Occupational Titles coding system involving over 14,000 codes: we will be changing to
a more manageable system based on Occupational Employment Statistics (OES)
codes developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics which involves only 1100 codes
We believe this will result in greater accuracy in identifying job training match
placements.

We also are expanding our efforts to build new partnerships with employers —
and their associations -- at the local community, regional, and national levels. Linking
occupational training with local labor markets is another strategy of successful projects
identified by GAO, Increased Job Corps partnerships with employers are expected to
result in greater employer involvement in curriculum design, work-based learning and
job opportunities. For example, national employers of students from the Glenmont Job
Corps Center (located in upstate New York) include the Marriott Corporation, Wal-Mart,
and Montgomery Ward. Locally, Glenmont students are hired by employers such as
Child's Nursing Homes of Albany, Monroe Muffler, Tire and Brake Distributors, the
Omni Hotel and the Bennett Consiruction Company.

A new c:aployer initiative to increase employer involvement in all facets of Job
Corps operations was launched in August and is being piloted in our Midwestern
region. Materials will be developed and targeted to increase employer awareness of
Job Corps as a resource that can benefit them. This effort also will engage employers

in such activities as curriculum design, mentoring anc work experience activities. An


36

‘STATEMENT OF PATRICIA A. DALTON
DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM AND OVERSIGHT
SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

October 23, 1997

Good Morning, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for
inviting me to testify in my capacity as Deputy Inspector General of the U.S.
Department of Labor. | am pleased to appear before you today to discuss our audit
work and recommendations concerning the Job Corps Program.

From the outset, | would like to emphasize that any views expressed today are
those of the Office of Inspector General and may not be the official position of the U.S.
Department of Labor.

BACKGROUND

The Job Corps Program was created in 1964 and is currently authorized under
the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). The Department of Labor, through its
Employment and Training Administration (ETA), administers the Job Corps Program,
with annual appropriations of over $1 billion. The purpose of this program is to provide
disadvantaged young men and women with education, vocational training, work
experience, and counseling to help them become responsible, employable, and
productive citizens. Job Corps is unique in that the program establishes residential and
non-residential centers at which intensive educational and vocational training is
provided.

Each year over 60,000 students are served at 111 Job Corps Centers around
the country. Job Corps operates through a partnership between the Government,
labor, and the private sector. The Government provides the facilities and equipment for
Job Corps centers and the funding for recruitment of students, center operations, and
placement of students upon termination. Major corporations and nonprofit
organizations manage and operate 83 of the Job Corps centers under contractual
agreements with the DOL. The Departments of Agriculture and Interior operate on
public lands 28 of the Job Corps centers, which are called civilian conservation centers.

Center operators are responsible for the day-to-day management and
administration of the Job Corps centers. Their functions in management and operation
of centers include hiring and training of staff, procuring materials and supplies,

1


48

placed ina particular job category? Is it, “What do you have an in-
terest in?” You know, “I would like to drive a Caterpillar” or some-
thing and so they let him drive a Caterpillar, even though there
aren’t any jobs Nationwide for that kind of thing?

Mr. NILSEN. You mean how does an individual participant get
put in a particular area of job training?

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Right.

Mr. NILSEN. I believe that is done both at the regional level by
the recruiter, because people are sent to centers that have particu-
lar kinds of training. Many centers have similar kinds of training
but certain areas are only handled in specific centers. But also that
would probably be addressed at the center level, as well.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Let me change directions here a little bit. Ear-
lier this year we had a hearing, and I believe representatives from
both of your offices were here at that point in time, and you may
have been the ones who were here and I apologize if you were, but
we talked about what kinds of job skills actually needed to be
taught. Outside of what does it take to be a cook or what it takes
to be a truck driver, there are certain skills that it takes to be an
employee and I believe there was some criticism, and I think it was
by GAO at that point in time, that there wasn’t enough attention
being paid to just teaching what it means to be an employee.

Did you find in your study any relationship between the good
centers and the ones that weren’t producing as well in those areas?

Ms. BLANCHETTE. We really did not focus on the content of the
training that went on within the centers for this effort. We fo-
cussed on the outreach and admissions contractors and the place-
ment contractors.

Ms. DALTON. Several poms ago we looked at the best practices
at the centers and found a number of things that would deal with
that. Some of the best practices that we identified for the good cen-
ters, included developing a philosophy that focuses everything to-
ward student needs. Not just the vocational and educational train-
ing, but general work skills—getting up in the morning, being to
work on time, and being dressed properly. Those are some of the
things that Job Corps does work on, and in the better centers it
is stressed, based on the individual student needs. And they have
implemented very aggressive evaluation and incentive systems
which encompass all of these factors.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Mr. Barrett, do you want to go now? We will
have an opportunity for a second round, so don’t feel rushed.

Mr. BARRETT. Very briefly, more of a comment than a question
because I represent a district in Wisconsin that has the ‘highest
percentage of unemployed people in the State, the highest percent-
age of minorities in the State of Wisconsin, so you would think it
would be a natural for me to be a big fan of this program.

I must say, though, when I saw what the hearing was on, it
brought back, frankly, the most bitter memories that I have had
since I have been in Congress. In my first term, when the discus-
sion was about placing new Job Corps centers, the area I represent
rated at the top of the list for placement—we do not have one in
my area—and the decision was ultimately made to expand Job
Corps centers. I don’t think it was done on a needs basis. I think
it was done on a wholly political basis.


ut

How is the environment eligibility factor determined with applicants?

Admissions Counselors must determine eligibility by personally assessing whether one of the
provisions characterized by a “poor” environment does impact on the applicant and is an appropriate
basis for eligibility. We may determine this by in-depth discussions with the applicant, personal
knowledge of the community, counseling records or other information available. Applicants are

asked to select the environmental factors which fit their life situation, and they pick one or more.

J understand that “limited job opportunities” is the environmental factor most often selected. This
factor means that the applicant does not have the skill level to obtain gainful and meaningful
employment in their community. It may also mean that there is substantial unemployment or a lack

of jobs in the community in which they reside.

Other Efforts to Support Recruitment and Retention

Center Tours. One of the most significant methods to increase retention of students is to provide
tours of the center whenever possible. We have a program called “Pre-Orientation to Job Corps”
which we hold weekly. This three-hour program provides applicants the opportunity to meet with
a representative from each department on center who goes over the rules, expectations and other
issues that may impact their life on center. They then receive a comprehensive tour of the center and
eat lunch in the student cafeteria. We call this our “no surprise” policy. This policy also includes
our two off-campus offices where they provide photos of the center, show a center video and spend

additional time discussing life on a Job Corps campus. We believe that students need to be fully

W


53

rived, there has been the estimate of 6 million people eligible for
Job Corps. Job Corps actually has about 1 percent of that number
placed in its centers.

Mr. Suays. That is 60?

Ms. BLANCHETTE. 60,000 some, 68,000, I think, in 1997. So obvi-
ously, the potential need way surpasses what is being taken care
of in the centers.

So the issue is how do you get the people in the centers who can
most benefit from being there and most need to be there and who
can most benefit because they are capable of benefiting and they
are willing? Those are the issues that we have been talking about
this morning and the issues we talked about in our statement and
in our report.

That is why it is so important that outreach and assessment con-
tractors understand the eligibility criteria, understand what they
mean and have a means for assessing applicants based on those
criteria.

Mr. SHays. The GAO has not looked at comparison programs.
How about the IG?

Ms. DALTON. Job Corps itself has had many, many success sto-
ries. In terms of effectiveness, you have to look at the population
that it is serving. It is serving one of the most difficult populations.

There has never really been a definition of what we expect in
terms of overall effectiveness of this program. I think that is some-
thing that may need to be done, and hopefully through GPRA and
some of the other work that is going on now, that will be accom-
plished. But in making any assessment of this program, as I said,
you have to look at the group that it is serving. It is one of the
most difficult populations to serve. Therefore, it is difficult to com-
pare it to other programs under JTPA, for example, that are non-
residential training. Some are short-term programs, some are
longer-term programs, but they are serving a different group. Most
times it is an adult population.

Mr. Suays. Thank you.

Mr. Snowbarger.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. I just want to followup on again, Ms. Dalton,
one of the statistics that you had in your testimony, one of your
examples, the National Plastering Industry’s program. Again, that
is the one where we talk about on your followup you found out that
98 out of 129 were no longer employed. Then you go on to talk
about the fact that some were never employed in that group and
that the ones that left ended up with average wages of $2,400 a
year.

Anyway, those are a number of startling, to me, conclusions
about that particular placement program. And I am wondering if
you could maybe give me what your conclusions are. What conclu-
sions do you draw from the statistics that you give us in that par-
ticular program and how does that compare with other National
training programs? Did you audit those, as well, or was this
just——

Ms. DALTON. We haven’t audited all of the National training pro-
grams. This was just the most recent one. We did audit one pro-
gram several years ago. It was the International Masons program.
Needless to say, we don’t think that the results of the plasterers


188

B. Attitude
L Applicant demonstrated personal interest by: Always
> Willingly responding to questions Usually
> Behaving respectfully during interview Sometimes
> Showing personal initiative to seek enrollment Never
NA
C. Capability

1. Documentation (verbal or written), as available supported the Always
applicant’s capability to fully benefit from Job Corps, for Usuall

> School records Never
» Recommendations NIA
> Former employer letter
> Court records

» Mental health records
>

Medical records

Applicant’s goal statement
Child care plan

Previous Job Corps enrollment

D. Compatibility of Applicant/Program Goals

1. Applicant's expressed goals can be realistically achieved Yes No
through Job Corps participation, for example:
» Job/school placement
» Vocational training
> Academic education
> Social skills development

ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR ASSESSMENT:

Applicant demonstrates sufficient capability and aspirations to successfully
participate in the Job Corps program. Yes No

(Provide summary justification with specific examples, based on the above, for determining either
“YES” or a “NO” response.)

Applicant's Signature Date

32


49

So I think that takes away a lot of the credibility of this pro-
gram, to me. If these placements are going to be made politically
rather than where the need is, I look at it with a very jaundiced
eye, and this is a program that I would love to love. Having a very,
very high percentage of my constituents who are in need of the pro-
gram, I find it disgraceful and an embarrassment that this pro-
gram has not come to one of the major metropolitan areas in this
country. Again, I think it is exclusively on political reasons.

That is all I have to say. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Mr. Kucinich.

Mr. Kucinicu. I think I will wait until we come back.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. We have about 5 minutes.

Mr. Towns. I will take it.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Mr. Towns.

Mr. Towns. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Let me sort of open up by saying I think my problem is that
many of these youngsters, as I envision it, are coming from homes
where no one probably has worked—getting up in the morning,
dressing to go out to work and to do all those kinds of things. ft
is a new experience. And once they do it, and maybe they might
even encounter something negative, but I support the theory tl
we learn from our vicarious experiences, be them either positive or
negative, and that if a person is terminated because of—lI still
think there is a possibility that there is a learning process that has
taken place which, to me, is important with the type of person that
we are dealing with. And I think that we should never, never lose
sight of that.

What measures do you believe should be taken to assure that
placement contractors have actually placed someone in a job?

Ms. BLANCHETTE. Well, part of the current system is that there
is an oversight mechanism for reviewing the results that placement.
contractors report and that needs to be, I guess, taken a little more
seriously. It is certainly to the advantage of a contractor to show
a high placement rate and it is the placement contractor that is re-
cording the placement and the nature of the job and indicating a
job match. there certainly has to be some type of monitoring, on
a sampling basis or some basis, to make sure that placement con-
tractors are reporting accurate results.

Mr. Towns. I debated this with myself here. I was not going to
ask this question, but I have to.

You mentioned that two of the eligibility factors—living in a dis-
oriented environment and motivation to complete the program—are
pretty subjective. Should we spend time trying to define these sub-
jective factors or should we just eliminate them from the eligibility
crite; ? I tried not to ask this, but I just couldn’t leave without

loing it.

Ms. BLANCHETTE. I don’t believe you could eliminate them or
something comparable to them from eligibility criteria because they
do get at the heart of what makes eligibility for this program dif-
ferent perhaps from some others.

The living under disorienting conditions is one of the features of
the environmental factor and that is one of the things that makes
the individual severely disadvantaged, which is the reason that the



78

‘invited the national training contractors to participate in a Job Corps work

group next month to address placement follow-up

.

provided assistance to the Plasterers program staff to develop a
post-placement follow-up system to provide assistance, after initial job
placement, to students trained in their programs.

identified strategies to redirect the work of out National Support Contractors

(Women in Community Service and Joint Action in Community Service) to

improve and strengthen their support of students requiring transition services

from the center to home and employment.
We believe the additional post-placement support provided to these students will
increase their employment retention rates and long-term employability.
Summary

We continually strive to improve the Job Corps program to obtain positive
‘outcomes for the disadvantaged youth we serve. Performance management is a key to
the program's success, and we address performance issues as they arise. For
example. we change operations contractors for centers that don't perform, close
centers which have serious problems which cannot be remedied, drop vocational
training programs that are not successful, and change outreach and/or placement
coniractors that don't perform. We have made a number of policy and programmatic
changes based on suggestions and recommendations we have received from
Congress, the GAO and the Department's OIG.
Job Corps has a vision of where it wants to be as we ente: the 21st century. Job

Corps should be a nationally recognized learning laboratory for best practices to serve
at-risk, disadvantaged, out-of-school young adults. Job Corps must be positioned to
respond to continuous technological changes in the workplace, to prepare sti:dents for
the workplace through school-to-work principles of applied academics, contextual
learning, and employment. Job Corps must work in collaboration with emerging State
and locai workforce development systems, and as partners with employers to obtain


88

of it that we bring into Job Corps, and put them in front of employ-
ers, to have those employers make the Recision on whether they ac-
cept what we have done with those individuals or reject it.

think, by any measurement, Job Corps has been successful over
the years. We are all hopeful it will continue to be successful be-
cause of many of the initiatives that are under way now. Not the
least of these is increasing the intensity to which employers are in-
volved in Job Corps. We have special efforts under way now that
were started in the last 18 months to try and give employers a bet-
ter understanding of what Job Corps is about. We want them not
only simply to be aware of it but to get them involved in the oper-
ation of Job Corps centers, to get them looking at our curriculum,
to get them looking at the equipment we use, to get them looking
at our strategies for teaching that curriculum, to get them to men-
tor some of our students, to get them to make presentations about
what the real world of work is about.

And I think these kinds of efforts, along with school-to-work
principles that we are adopting, I think will keep us on the road
we have been on and we will be able to meet those challenges.

Mr. Suays. Thank you. Miss Silva.

Ms. SILvA. I would encourage any of you to visit the three cen-
ters we have in this general area. In case you can’t do it, I encour-
age your staff to come out to any of our centers.

I would also like to mention that we have a student in the audi-
ence and when you are speaking about mentoring, there is a 17-
year-old young man here who is from El Paso. He came up. He is
the student body president at the Carrasco Job Corps Center and
his center director is one of the witnesses of the next panel whom
you invited.

This young man came up earlier this week representing his cen-
ter because the center was being recognized by the Department of
Labor. He is a 17-year-old who wowed all of us in his presentation,
in his openness about what Job Corps has meant in his life.

So as we move from one el to another I would just like to
point out Mr. Moreno is standing right back there. [Applause.]

Mr. Suays. Sir, are you going to be here for the next panel? Why
don’t you come on up and sit right up there? We are not eine to
let you ask questions, but we can have you look at their faces in-
stead of the backs of their heads. Why don’t you sit right there.
Nice to have you, sir.

Ms. SILVA. you.

Mr. Suays. Let me say that Mr. Snowbarger has some questions
he wants to ask and I am just going to comment on both of your
comments by saying I think there is a degree of success; the ques-
tion is how successful.

One of the things that I feel is that I am not sure what kind of
resources you have to really determine your success over time, 5
years away. It would seem to me that that would be our goal. An-
other is that we just want to make sure that you have the means
to determine how to maximize your resources.

Mr. Snowbarger, it is good to have you back.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. I apologize for not being here for your testi-
mony but I had asked a question to an earlier panel that perhaps
was better directed at this panel. As I recall, my concern is with


43

placements and former students were paid placement bonuses based on invalid
placement data supplied by placement contractors. We recommended that Job Corps
ensure that: the backlog of QPMs is resolved; the funds inappropriately paid to
contractors and former students be recovered; placement statistics be adjusted as
needed; and adequate controls over the Job Corps placement verification system be in
place.

Current OIG Focus

Mr. Chairman, based on our extensive oversight of this program, we have
recognized, and Job Corps has agreed, that the ultimate success of the Job Corps
Program is the placement of students into long-term employment, in which they can
earn a livable wage, and from which they can achieve self-sufficiency. In addition to
providing appropriate screening and providing a quality training program, key to
achieving this is the effectiveness of placement services. Therefore, we are currently
shifting resources to devote more attention to the placement function. Specifically, we
have begun a cooperative effort with Job Corps to identify improvements in this function
to maximize the students’ Job Corps experience and translate that into 2 meaningful
job. This joint audit will assess placement services being provided by contractors to
Job Corps students and identify affordable placement practices which, if implemented,
would provide reasonable assurance that each student would receive assistance
resulting in a quality placement.

We will be evaluating the adequacy of placement services provided to students
terminating from Job Corps under varying circumstances (i.e., completer, non-
completer, in need of support services, age, etc.) This will include determining the level
of intervention on the part of the placement contractor to assist students in finding
quality employment. We will also determine if placement practices result in quality
placements (j.e., job match, high wages, full-time employment). Finally, we will assess
whether monitoring practices by Job Corps regions are effective in evaluating the
quality of a contractor's performance and in ensuring that corrective action on any
identified deficiencies is implemented.

Our overriding geal in devoting more attention to placement services is to help
Job Corps ensure that students derive the maximum benefit from their training ~ that is,
obtaining and maintaining quality jobs at wages that makes them self-sufficient.

CONCLUSION

Mr. Chairman, the OIG looks forward to continuing to work with the Department
and the Congress to ensure the success of the Job Corps Program. This concludes my
prepared statement. | would be pleased to answer any questions you or the other
Members of the Subcommittee may have.


129

ATTACHMENT 1

23


118

receiving public assistance, be a foster child or ward of the court, or have income that does

not exceed either poverty guidelines or 70 percent of the lower-living standard income level.

Selective Service Registration. All male applicants 18 years of age or older must register

with the Selective Service System in order to participate in Job Corps.

Legal United States Resident. The applicant must be a legal resident of the United States.

Requires Additional Education/Training. The applicant must be in need of further
academic or vocational training, or support services in order to participate successfully in a

job, in school or other training program, or in the military.

Environment. The applicant must live in an environment, home or community with
significant obstacles that prevent successful participation in school or other programs or

prevent obtaining or keeping a job.

Health History. The applicant must be free of any serious medical, psychological or dental
condition that would interfere with his or her ability to participate in the Job Corps program
or would interfere with other students’ participation in the program. If an applicant has been
hospitalized for a mental health or substance abuse condition, he or she must wait six months
from release to be eligible to apply. An applicant who is more than three months pregnant

may not be approved for or allowed to enroll in Job Corps.


122

disappointing. This scenario of high demand for low results also reduces the time the Placement
Specialists can devote to motivated graduates who have completed their training.

When a student is terminated, it becomes the responsibility of the Placement Specialist to locate and
‘educate the student as to what is expected of him or her. Whenever possible, face-to-face counseling
is utilized. When travel distances preclude face-to-face meetings, counseling is conducted over the
telephone. When telephone counseling is necessary, the Placement Specialist must ensure the
student receives adequate time and resources as would be allotted for face-to-face counseling.

Dynamic Educational Systems, Inc., has established a series of steps that each Placement Specialist
‘must take to properly counsel students. These steps are outlined below:

Step 1: Get acquainted with student and establish a measure of trust.
Step 2: Leam the student’s needs.

Step 3: Make the student aware of current employment trends.

Step 4: Be realistic with the student regarding employment.

Step 5: Discuss what must be done to reach the student's goal.

Step 6: Develop a plan of action.

Step 7: Leave the student feeling positive about the counseling experience.

‘Students should not be sent out on interviews until they can demonstrate the ability to:

= Communicate effectively.

= Complete an employment application.


127

Connections need to be made with employers, the military, community leaders, One-Stop
Shops and employment services in order to provide a smoother transition from school to
work. Close alliances with employers may also include employer input on curricula, labor
market training, and potential employment opportunities.

Placement Counselors need to have access to state unemployment insurance information to

verify a student's continued progress after leaving Job Corps.

Placement offices should have Intemet access to enable students to search for employment
opportunities in their own communities, even those located quite a distance from the center.
This also allows us to begin counseling the student about job options and geographical
employment issues.

‘A mutually beneficial relationship between Job Corps admissions and placement staff and
‘One-Stop Shops should be promoted to enhance the opportunities available to Minnesota's
youth,

‘Staffing needs to be increased in the rural areas to provide better support and more face-to-
face contact with students and potential employers.

County-by-county court checks are difficult to accomplish with highly mobile applicants.
A system needs to be developed to enhance our behavioral record checks, Court checks for
16- and 17-year-olds are a particular problem because court checks are not allowed for this

age group.

2


151

placement activities. | will describe some of our practices and activities in

these areas.

It has long been recognized that the Carrasco Center is unique in a number
of ways. Most of our students are from the local community. This enables
us to involve parents in the recruitment process and in the progress of their

sons and daughters once they enter the Center.

Two entities provide recruitment and placement services for the Carrasco
Center. These are the Texas Workforce Commission and our own
Admissions and Placement staff who work under the auspices of the DOL
contract issued to TEF, Inc. This fatter arrangement gives TEF and Center

administrators important control over recruitment and placement activities.

The standards of the Carrasco Center are high and are projected to
prospective enrollees. The recruitment process involves what we call
hurdles—keeping appointments on time, submitting required documents

promptly, and complying with the Center’s dress and grooming code.

One of the practices which contributes strongly to the success of Carrasco
Center students is the preorientation program. This one-day activity

enables applicants to visit the Center, observe classes, converse with

2


155

Since the Outreach, Admissions and Placement function was added as part
of the contractual responsibility of TEF, Inc., excellence also has been
achieved in this area. In the announcement of the National Job Corps
Director's Awards for the 1996 Program Year, the Carrasco Center was
recognized for Top Performance in that year and for Sustained Excellent
Performance in Program Years 1994-96. The Center also was accorded the
Student Safety Seal of Accomplishment because of the results of student
satisfaction surveys. And, the TEF Outreach, Admissions and Placement
operation received three awards: Best Overall Center Outreach and
Admissions Performance, Attainment of Commitment Standard, and

Attainment of Female Arrival Goal of One Hundred or More.

The impact of any Job Corps Center can best be measured by the success
of its graduates. | can attest to the fact that more than 12,000 graduates of
the David L. Carrasco Job Corps Center have been gainfully employed by

many companies in El Paso and throughout the country.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you about the
recruitment and placement of our students. | will be pleased to respond to

any questions that you may have.


CONTENTS

Hearing held on October 23, 1997 .. wove
Statement of:

Blanchette, Cornelia, Associate Director, Education and ba ee
Issues, U.S. General Accounting Office, accom npanied by
Nilsen, Ph.D., Assistant Director, Education anc Bmploent ss Issues;
and Patricia A. Dalton, Deputy Inspector General, Department
of Labor, accompanied by John Getek, Assistant Inspector General,
U.S. Department of Labor

Crosby, John O., Center Director, Clearfield Job Corps Center; Sarah
Robinson, Outreach, ‘Assessment and Placement Manay r, Hubert H.
Humphrey Job Corps Center, Mary Young, Center Director, David
L. Carrasco Job Corps Center; and Jerry Bethea, sergeant, Metropol
tan Police Department, jol » job rps graduate ”

Silva, Mary H., director, Office of Job Cor
accompanied by Tim Sullivan, Division Chief, Office of Job Corps, U.
Department of Labor

Letters, statements, etc., submitted for the record follews:

Bethea, Jerry, sergeant, Metropolitan Police Department, job corps grad-
uate, prepared statement of

Blanchette, Cornelia, Associate Director, Education and Employment
Issues, U.S. General Accounting Office, prepared statement of

Crosby, John . Center Director, Clearfield Job Corps Center, prepared
statement of

Dalton, Patricia A, Deputy Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor,
prepared statement of

Davis, Hon. Thomas M., a
of Virginia, correspondence of Jo

Ford, Hon. Harold a Representative in Congress from the tate o of
Tennessee, correspondence

Getek, John, Assistant Inspector Gene:
information concerning io, training match

Robingon, Sarah, Outreach, Assessment and Placement Manager

Hump! Job Corps Center, prepared statement of .
te topher, a Representative in Congress
Connecticut, prepared statement of ..
Director, Office of Job

U.S. Department of Labor,

resentative in Congress from the State

sive statement of
Towns, Hon. paotphus,
of New York:
Information conc drop out rates
Prepared statement ¢ of
Young, Mary, Ci
prepared Statement, ee

(im)

aB


145

ATTACHMENT 8

39


106
a program that effectively assists young people in getting on their

feet.

I have detailed in my written testimony the outreach, admissions
and placement procedures, as well as enhancements and sugges-
tions for increased performance. I am happy to answer any ques-
tions you may have.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and members of the committee.

[The prepared statement of Ms. Robinson follows:]


66

focus, and integrated accountability systems. We currently operate through 111 Job
Corps centers, but we have a much greater impact because we serve more than 111
communities -- we serve students from all 50 States and Puerto Rico.

Job Corps has a 30-year history of success in providing education and training
for these youth to enable them to make better futures for themselves and their families.
We are proud of this history and are working hard to ensure that Job Corps continues to
improve and to measure up to the critical and complex challenges of helping these
young people in the future. We have initiated several actions to address issues raised
by Congress, the OIG and the GAO. These focus on: (1) promoting program
integration and enhancing accountability; (2) strengthening procedures for outreach,
admissions and assignment of youth to centers; and (3) improving placement outcomes
and follow-up (including national training contractor programs). | will summarize our
initiatives in each of these areas.

Program Integration and Accountability

The Employment and Training Administration places a high priority on measuring
and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of all of its at-risk youth programs,
including Job Corps. We collect detailed data on Job Corps students through our
management information system, we monitor results through an outcome measurement
system, and we evaluate Job Corps through rigorous study of costs and net impacts.
We provide feedback monthly to our centers and to our outreach and placement
contractors on their performance against standards.

Job Corps has a strong student-based performance outcome measurement
‘system which was developed over time with input from the Department's OIG and
which, until recently, focused solely on immediate program outcomes, including GED
attainment, learning gains, vocational training completion, and job placement or
enroilment in further training. These are attainments which are necessary for Job
Corps students to get jobs and proyress in their careers. During Program Year 1996,
over 48 percent of all students completed vocational training and over 16,000 obtained


52

Job Corps is a very expensive program and whether the Federal
Government wants to invest $15,000 or more and then have a per-
son go to work at McDonald’s I geess to some extent is a policy
call, but that does not seem to be the policy call that has been
made so far.

A question also exists as to what happens to that person later.
Initi: tting a job at McDonald’s or getting a job anywhere is
not a ba thing, particularly if it teaches someone employability
skills that would expand or go beyond what he or she learned at
the Job Corps center and helps him or her to understand the im-
portance of getting to work on time and how to treat people, cus-
tomers and so forth, that that is a good thing.

But if that person doesn’t go beyond that or if that person leaves
the job at McDonald’s because the person is frustrated because he
or she cannot beyond that, it is a problem.

Mr. Towns. Would the gentleman yield?

Mr. Suays. I would be happy to.

Mr. Towns. I am hap yy to hear you say that because my coun-
sel’s first job was at McDonald’s. Of course, she is an outstanding
lawyer now and does a fantastic job but her first job was at
McDonald’s. She is right behind me.

Mr. Suays. I am tempted to say that she would be in front of
you, but I didn’t say that, did it?

In my own community the typical example of a dead-end job is
at McDonald’s. If I ever told my dad that I didn’t want to work at
McDonald’s because it was a dead-end job he would have said,
“Son, how many hours are you working there?” I would have said,
“Fifteen,” and he would have said, “It just increased to 20” because
he would have known that it would get me up in the morning; he
would have known that I would have gotten used to the fact that
T am of service to someone else and that I am earning something
and that out of what I earn I pay taxes.

He would have known that and he also would have recognized
that McDonald’s has one of the better job training programs that
exists, and the government does not have to pay for their job train-
ing program.

In the town of Darien, where I grew up, there are two McDon-
ald’s on the through-way. They are the two busiest operations in
the top 5 to 10 in the country. They are both run by Spanish-speak-
ing individuals who worked their way up through, (cDonald’s.

And what I have a problem defining is the whole issue of a living
wage. If living wage is defined by 40 hours, then none of us should
be here because I have never worked 40 hours in my life.

Then I am thinking of the Job Corps and I know it is viewed as
expensive; yet I am saying that my daughter, just to go to high
school, they spent about $10,000 and if she were in prison they
would spend $40,000 plus.

I realize that in terms of other job training programs but on bal-
ance, I would like both of you tell me how you weigh the Job Corps
as a program versus other kinds of job training programs. Then I
am going to go to Mr. Snowbarger.

‘8. BLANCHETTE. We did not do work that would allow us to as-
sess the effectiveness of Job Corps versus any other employment
training program. But the issue, as I stated earlier before you ar-


101

true for Job Corps’ recruitment and placement systems. Enhancement of these

systems could include:

Giving strong consideration to identifying centers for 16 year old
students only. They cannot now get their GED (General Education
Development) certificate nor high school diploma at this age, and
because of the labor laws and insurance considerations, they
generally cannot be placed in full-time employment. It is, for the mos
part, a no-win situation for everyone - the recruiting and placement
agencies, the centers, and, most of all, the young man or woman who

has just turned 16.

Conducting mandatory drug testing as a criterion to eligibility for
enrollment. If the youth tests positive, re-test would be given in 30
days. If the youth is still positive, entry should be delayed for six

months.

Instituting, at the admission counselor level, a "PRE-TESTING" for

reading and math abilities, utilizing the Slosson test, for example.


26

Placement contractors are responsible for recording whether or not participants
are placed in jobs requiring skills similar to those included in their training. Labor's
guidance for such decisions consists of 16 broad categories of training programs, and
within each category are a number of detailed occupations in which Job Corps
participants could have received training. In addition, each of the 16 broad categories
contains a list of jobs that would be considered a match with the training a participant
receives, To illustrate, the broad training category of construction trades includes 47
detailed training occupations and 357 placement occupations. An individual who was
trained in any one of the 47 training occupations and was then placed into any one of the
357 placement occupations would be counted as a job-training match. For example, an
individual trained as a carpenter (1 of the 47 training occupations) who was placed as a
plumber, janitor, or cable television installer (3 of the 357 placement occupations) would
be considered to have obtained a training-related placement,

‘Among the wide range of jobs that are considered to be training matches under
each of the broad training categories, Labor's guidance includes jobs that appear to bear
little, if any, relationship to Job Corps training. For example, a position as a key cutter
would be considered a training match for any of the 51 training categories under the
broad category of mechanics and repairers, which includes automobile mechanic,
electronics assembler, and parts clerk. A position as a general laborer would be
considered a job-training match for any of the 30 training occupations under the precision
production category, which includes mechanical drafter, sheet metal worker, and welder.
Table I lists examples of some possible matches under Labor's guidance.

10 GAO/T-HEHS-98.37


22

disorienting conditions," such as "limited job opportunities,” and (2) limits eligibility to a
set of factors that does not include “cultural deprivation,” an environmental factor
specified in the law. Further, Labor has not provided adequate guidance regarding
another eligibility requirement-that participants have the capability and aspiration to
complete and secure the full benefits of Job Corps. Without complete and unambiguous
guidance, outreach and admissions contractors may not be enrolling the most appropriate
applicants for the program under the law.

Contractors With Lower Dropout
Rates Have Better Screening Procedures

In our most recent study, we found that placement contractors with lower dropout
rates differ discernibly in outreach and assessment approaches and practices when
compared with contractors having higher dropout rates." We noted that admissions
contractors with lower dropout rates~10 percent or less-tend to have better procedures
for identifying applicants with the commitment and motivation to remain in and benefit
from the program. These contractors emphasize making sure that applicants have the
capability and aspiration to complete and secure the full benefit of the program, which is
‘one of the program's statutory eligibility criteria. These more-successful contractors’
procedures include “commitment checks" and preenrollment tours and briefings that give
applicants a more realistic basis for deciding whether they want to enroll. This emphasis
by these contractors is consistent with the finding we reported in a May 1996 report on
successful training programs-namely, that a key job-training strategy shared by successful
programs is a focus on ensuring that participants are committed to their training and to
getting a job."

‘The "commitment checks” that contractors use to test Job Corps applicants’
initiative take a variety of forms. For example, several admissions counselors require
individuals interested in Job Corps to set up application appointments. Four admissions
‘counselors also mentioned that they require applicants to arrive for their meetings
dressed in proper attire; otherwise, they have to schedule another appointment. In
addition, three admissions counselors require applicants to submit written statements
explaining why they want to participate in the program and what they hope to
accomplish. Several admissions counselors require applicants to call weekly between the
date of application and the enrollment date to determine the status of their application
and to demonstrate their continued interest. Finally, one contractor uses a nine-point

Strategy (GAO/HEHS.96-108,

May 7, 1996).

6 GAO/T-HEHS-98-37


105

vides greater benefit to older students, who may be more self-di-
rected.

A second question is how admissions counselors determine an ap-
plicant’s capability and aspiration to participate in Job Corps. The
tool we use provides a tangible assessment of the applicant which,
if coupled with observations made by the admissions counselor,
should provide evidence of the applicant’s eligibility under this cri-
terion.

Other efforts to support recruitment and retention of students
are center tours, assisting a center with 30-day retention and pro-
moting the Humphrey Job Corps Center as a Minnesota resource.

Placement really begins during the admissions process, when
students are told that Job Corps is a job training program designed
to provide them with the skills to be fully employed upon comple-
tion. Once students enroll in Job Corps, the placement staff meet
with them during their orientation phase to discuss placement
goals, a career plan and placement services. Additionally, a career
development plan is put together to help guide the student’s aca-
demic and vocational education.

The attitude that placement is something that happens after
training has become obsolete. Staff and students now view place-
ment as a process which parallels and focuses their educational, vo-
cational and social skills training. By the time a student is ready
to terminate, they should be well versed on Placement services.

Unfortunately, some youth do not complete their training, and
noncompleters can be difficult to place. They may lack motivation,
lack education and skills to get a job, or they may have family
problems that make it difficult or impossible to work. The place-
ment person must expend a disproportionate amount of time and
effort placing these students, and the results are frequently dis-
appointing. itever the situation is, the goal is to place students
in full-time positions that match their training.

Please understand that many students have never been em-
ployed or have had a poor work history prior to enrolling in Job

‘orps. Job Corps’ mission is to provide students with the skills to
become self-sufficient. Our priority is to place students in positions
that match their training, as they would have the skills to allow
for greater success and growth within that job. But even if it is not
a job training match, the student may have learned very valuable
skills, including motivation to find employment and be self-suffi-
cient.

The Department of Labor has set standards that we, as place-
ment contractors, strive to meet or exceed. These stan: are
necessary to provide accountability and measurable results. This
system “arives our behavior and I believe this is a strength of Job
Corps. I also believe there is no other program anywhere else that
can match the Job Corps measurement system.

Job Corps provides youth with much-needed skills to become suc-
cessful in the workplace, but we must always remember that Job
Corps was designed to serve disadvantaged youth who have had
difficulty in obtaining or keeping a job.

Over the past 4¥2 years I have seen many changes in Job Corps
that have brought about increased accountability and results. Job
Corps is a successful program, and I am very proud to be part of


162

Mr. Suays. Given that this was a part of the question, I want
to answer it. If I were interpreting it, I think I would basically do
both. In other words, there clearly would have to be limited skills
because there are some jobs available for some people if they have
the skills to take them. So I would think almost in any urban area
we could argue that we have an overabundance of unemployed 16-
to 2e-year-ol lds. So that test would be no test because everybody
meets it.

Then the next question, it would seem to me, is do they have,
for the few jobs that are there, do they have the skills to have
those jobs? I would probably have focused more on the skills
side of it.

Basically, Sergeant Bethea, you were part of the new generation
of Job Corps that fits the kind of dialog that I read when I come
to your comment:

Today it is a very different situation. The routine has gone. The make-up of stu-
dents has turned upside down. They are younger, down to age 16. They come from
dysfunctional families. They have either one or no parent. Fathers are never seen
or heard from. The students’ social and health experiences have produced mnal-
ities based on poor self-image and absence of motivation, illiteracy, chemical depend-
ency and criminal activity.

Would it be fair to say that the generation that you find yourself
in would fit this criteria?

Mr. BETHEA. That I find myself personally?

Mr. SHays. Whether your peers would. fit this: “There often
seems to be no concept of what you and I know as a work ethic.”

Mr. BETHEA. Yes.

Mr. Suays. OK. And Miss Robinson, your comments,

We must remember that we are working with disadvantaged youth, youth who
have few, if any support networks, youth who live in horrendous conditions at home
and in communities where it is common to hear gunfire and see drug-dealing. We
work with youth who have experienced a great amount of failure in their lives.
When they hear about Job Corps, they begin to visualize some hope for the future.

Did you have any job before you went into Job Corps?

Mr. BETHEA. Yes.

Mr. SHays. So you had some sense of a work ethic, in your own
environment. Can I ask you what those jobs were?

Mr. BETHEA. Basically it was the same. It was a retail store,
Murray’s Steaks. That is where I worked.

Mr. Suays. Did you get to work on time before Job Corps? Did
you have a basic work ethic, do you think?

Mr. BETHEA. Yes.

Mr. Suays. It would be interesting. You are a clear success story
and the burden of the world is on you because you are representing
all of them here, and there have been thousands who have gone
through the program. We rejoice in your success.

But would you describe yourself as typical, above average in
terms of the potential that you presented to the Job Corps? Did you
bring more to that facility than most probably did? Did you have
a mom or a dad or an uncle or brother who had a “get off your ass
and get to work,” attitude?

Mr. BeTHEA. OK.

Mr. Suays. You had a little bit of that in your life beforehand.

Let me ask all three of you, since Miss Young, I didn’t pick up
in your statement the same kind of reflection as both Mr. Crosby



165

came and said very, very proudly, “I am the first member of my
family to be able to relinquish welfare.”

I think we make a mistake if we think that our clientele wants
to remain on welfare. I don’t think they do, for the most part.

Mr. Towns. Yes?

Ms. ROBINSON. In Minnesota, for those women who are on wel-
fare, and I don’t know if this is Nation-wide but Job Corps is con-
sidered a training program, not a work program. What that means
is that a woman must also work full-time in addition to working
at Job Corps full-time. That is virtually impossible to do. Job Corps
is a full-time program, 8 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. Monday through Friday,
and they would have to work another 30 hours a week to meet the
work requirements to have their day care provided for them and
to be in Job Corps.

So we have had significant difficulties bringing in those folks
that are on welfare and the welfare reform has not helped. Prior
to welfare reform, a woman who wanted to come to Job Corps was
able to obtain day care while going to Job Corps without having the
work requirement.

Mr. Crossy. I pretty well second what they have both said, as
far as maybe the disadvantages of this program now, especially the
impact on child care. It is just a very tough situation to deal with
right now, as it was before that.

ir. TOWNS. Right. Many of you have students that come from all
over the country. Do you feel that if they come from far away, that
they have a tendency to stay with the program? Or do you think
that training locally would be better?

Mr. Crossy. At Clearfield we have a tremendous mix. We have
students from every State in the Union. Like I mentioned in my
testimony, we are also a center for refugees. We have students
from 25 foreign countries.

So what we have found is that the tours that are given to the
different students who are interested in Job Corps, if they are 18
and older and they come to Clearfield they say, “Wow, look at this
menu of opportunities” but if they are 16 and 17-year-olds they go
to the smaller center and say, “What a neat little safe harbor for
me to get into.”

So, in my opinion, I think it depends on the age of the student.
If they’re 16 or 17 years old I would encourage them to stay closer
to home but if they are older, the opportunities are all over the
country to go into the vocational trade that they truly want.

Mr. Towns. Do you want to comment on that?

Ms. ROBINSON. The region 5 Department of Labor has initiated
an 80 percent in-state enrollment initiative, which means that 80
percent of the students at any given center in region 5 are going
to be from that State that the center is located in.

This is a policy that we are very supportive of because we be-
lieve, as admissions counselors, that the better prepared a youth is
to enroll in Job Corps, the more likely it is that they are going to
stay.

So we make it mandatory for every student within the 30-mile
radius to see the center and attend what we call pre-orientation to
Job Corps. We are also able to really become experts in our center,


169

be somebody behind yous pushing you, in order to go forward. They
will never let you fall behind.

Mr. SuHays. Well, we could ask some more questions or we could
adjourn.

ir. Towns. Let me just make a comment, Mr. Chairman. That
was a very powerful, powerful statement. To me, it points out that
it is really, really worth it. I want to thank you for taking the time
to come by and to allow us to meet you and to hear from you.

And, Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for your creativity,
knowing that he was not a part of the panel, that you felt to ask
him to make comments. I think I want to applaud you for that, too,
because we could have gone without hearing that and I am so
happy that I had an opportunity to hear it. So thank «you.

r. SHAYS. Well, thank you. I would like to say the same thing
and just that I thought it was a nice way to end up. And unless
there are any comments, we appreciate all the witnesses, all three
panels, and we very much appreciate your observations and con-
tribution, Mr. Moreno. Thank you.

Mr. Moreno. Thank you.

Mr. Suays. This hearing is adjourned.

(Whereupon, at 1:40 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]

oO


34

tion, tracking, monitoring and reporting performance, and ensuring
staff have necessary and adequate training.

Mr. Chairman, the development of outcome-related goals and
performance measures is of major importance in ensuring the suc-
cess of this program. It is also what is needed for the program to
meet the spirit of GPRA, which requires Federal programs, like Job
Corps, to demonstrate their value.

In the case of Job Corps, it is our opinion that this would help
its students to attain long-term employment resulting in self-suffi-
ciency.

In response to our many audits, Job Corps has instituted policies
or taken corrective actions to improve performance in many of
these areas. Examples of these have been detailed in my full state-
ment. However, due to resource limitations, we in the Inspector
General’s Office have not been able to audit the implementation or
effectiveness of some of these changes.

With respect to placement services, as you may be aware, the Job
Corps program relies on contractors to find jobs for students after
they terminate their training. Job Corps placement efforts are sup-
posed to focus on jobs related to students’ vocational training, but
they may also include enrollment in other educational or training
programs, or enlistment in military service.

Despite the many improvements implemented by Job Corps over
the years, we continue to identify problems related to placement
services provided to students, after they terminate their training.
Audits o! specific training and placement services have consistently
identified deficiencies in the level and quality of placements.

A recent example of our work in this area is our performance
audit of the training programs operated by the National Plastering
Industry’s Joint Apprenticeship Trust Fund. An analysis of the
post-program. employment experience of former students disclosed
that a sizable number of students are having difficulty keeping
and/or obtaining employment. For example, we found that in our
sample of 129 students placed, 98 had either been fired, had quit
or were laid off.

The audit disclosed that only minimum post-placement followuy
services were provided to these former students. Given the signif
cant amount of resources invested in Job Corps students, we rec-
ommended that additional post-placement followup services be pro-
vided to improve students’ employment experience. To immediately
deal with this issue, Job Corps established a placement followup
work group and has requested our assistance in this endeavor.

We have also audited the Job Corps placement verification sys-
tem. Our audit found that Job Corps had not adequately managed
or controlled the process for resolving questionable placements
identified by its verification contractors.

Based on our extensive oversight of this program we have recog-
nized, and Job Corps has agreed, that the ultimate success of the
Program is the placement of students into long-term employment.

erefore, our most recent audit efforts have focussed on the place-
ment function. Our overriding goal in devoting more attention to
placement services is to help Job Corps ensure that students derive
the maximum benefit from their training; that is, obtaining and
maintaining quality jobs at wages that make them self-sufficient.


115

The Admissions Counselor must filter through the facts to determine the applicant's eligibility. It
is surprising how honest these youth are about their current life situation, and their stories are often
heartbreaking to hear. We see youth who are so afraid of rejection that when they speak, their voices
are so soft that one must strain to hear them. We also see youth full of bravado, desperately trying
to prove that they will be good students in spite of their background. Admissions Counselors must
be sensitive, compassionate listeners while also being pragmatic about the students’ potential success

in Job Corps.

There are concerns about the admissions process, which I will address below.

Are 16- and 17-year-olds appropriate for Job Corps?

Yes, although some bring with them a unique set of problems because of their age and lack of
maturity, parental support and education. There are very few programs available for this age group,
and I believe Job Corps is a viable option for many of them. Youth in this age group change jobs
frequently and do not have the work experience or skills to make career decisions. Job Corps’
strength is that it offers not just vocational training but also social skills training and education. The
extra steps we take with 16- and 17-year-olds help us identify those that may stay longer. We ask
that they bring in their school records and write an essay on why they want to enroll in Job Corps.
Those that follow through may very well benefit from and complete our program. The reality is that
youth in this age bracket are more difficult than older youth, and while [ believe Job Corps can play
a role in the lives of 16- and 17-year-olds, Job Corps provides greater benefits to older students who

may be more self-directed.


136

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112

based on the answers, that further information is necessary to make a determination of eligibility,
or that the application process may proceed. The Admissions Counselor makes a notation whether
cf not the applicant supplied all the requested documents as this assists in determining the youth's
commitment level and willingness or ability to follow directions. In the event that a youth appears
immature or has not followed through with obtaining the requested documents, the Admissions
Counselor may ask the applicant to write an essay (Attachment 3) outlining their employment goals
and what they hope to gain by coming to Job Corps. This essay will be used later to help determine

the capability/commitment level of the applicant.

The interview process is designed to allow the Admissions Counselor to establish a rapport with the
applicant, answer any questions the applicant may have and determine eligibility at a deeper level
than the phone screening tool. It is during this interview that the Admissions Counselor and
applicant will make the decision to complete the application and move toward enrollment in Job
Corps.

Application Process

‘The application process is fairly straightforward and primarily involves the national computerized

application system that each Admissions Counselor uses. There are eleven eligibility criteria:

1. Age. The applicant must be at least 16, but not yet 25, on the day of enrollment.

2. Economically Disadvantaged. The applicant must receive or be a member of a family


76

employer database will be created, and if successful, we will expand the program
nationwide. :

During the last two and a half years, three Job Corps centers piloted ways to
strengthen School-to-Work concepts already incorporated in the Job Corps program
and to increase the role of local employers. These centers -- located in Maine,
Louisiana, and Oregon -- used different approaches to integrate school-based learning,
work-based learning, and connecting activities. They succeeded in working with local
employers to secure hands-on training and experience and job placement for Job
Corps student

The School-to-Work initiative was expanded to 30 additional Job Corps centers
in June. Center approaches to expand use of School-to-Work principles in their
operations vary based on the needs of students, local employers, and local
communities. Information on the implementation, operation, and performance of each
center will be collected, and best practices will be disseminated to all Job Corps centers
to strengthen School-to-Work environments --including active local employer
Participation -- at each center. We plan to expand the pilot to another 30 Job Corps
centers by June 1998.

To assist in our continuing effort to improve the quality of placements, several
Job Corps centers and outreach/admissions and placement contractors have
developed links with One-Stop Career Centers. One-Stop Career Centers provide job,
career and labor market information (including access to America's Job Bank on the
Internet), referrals for training, and assistance to individuals in scheduling job interviews
and in finding employment.

For exaraple, lowa is a pilot state for One-Stop linkages, and Job Corps
admissions counselors are co-located with One-Stop staff in Des Moines, Burlington,
Waterloo, and Davenport. In Arizona, students leaving Job Corps are currently assisted
by all thre Workforce Development Centers iti Maricopa County. The Phoenix Job
Corps Center uses searchable job banks on the websites of the Arizona Job Service


28

training match credit for occupations such as fast-food worker, cashier, and laborer that
require relatively short training time, even though participants spend, on average, about 7
months in the program. While we recognize that some of these positions provide entry
into an occupational area that may lead to a better job, it is questionable in our view to
consider such positions to be a job-training match until a participant advances into a job
commensurate with the training he or she has received.

Further, Labor guidance encourages placement contractors to search among the
allowable jobs for a job-training match. Its policy handbook states that, if a job-training
match is not generated when a job-placement code is entered in its automated system, thé
placement contractor is allowed to enter a different code that may generate a job-training
match, ’so long as integrity of data is maintained." We found that the placement
contractors’ practice of recording job-training matches does indeed raise questions about
the integrity of the data. One contractor told us that if a placement specialist obtains a
Job for a participant that is not a job-training match under Labor's guidance, then the
‘manager and placement specialist meet to determine how to make it a match. This same
contractor claimed that it is possible to get a job-training match for participants who
were trained as bank tellers, secretaries, and welders and were subsequently placed in
fast-food restaurants. For the most part, the placement contractors we visited similarly
indicated that they use creativity when entering the code for the placement job in order
to obtain a job-training match and raised concerns about the validity of reported job-
training match statistics.

‘The job-training match performance measure may also unfairly hold placement
contractors accountable for placing certain participants in training-related jobs. All
individuals placed in a job or the military are included in the calculation of job-training
match, regardless of how long they received vocational training. Thus, individuals who
were in the program for a few days or weeks and had litle chance to participate in
vocational skill-training would be included in the calculation of the job-training match
measure. Most of the placement contractors and regional staff we spoke with agreed that
it would be more meaningful to include only participants who entirely or substantially
completed their vocational skills training when this measure was calculated.

According to Labor officials, they are revising the methodology for determining job-
training matches, which is currently based on the Dictionary of Occupational Tides. The
proposed methodology will use a system that the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses to
collect occupational employment data by various industry classifications, with about 830
five-digit codes rather than the 5,700 nine-digit codes taken from the dictionary.
According to Labor, the proposed system will be more accurate and easier to maintain
and monitor in terms of egregious job-training matches. Labor hopes to have the new
methodology in place by July 1, 1998. In addition, Labor stated that the job-training
match issue is primary on the agenda of a committee established by Job Corps to improve
the quality of vocational outcomes.

12 GAO/T-HEHS-98-37


94

Testimony of John O. Crosby
Before the Congress of the United States
Subcommittee on Human Resources
October 23, 1997
Chairman Shays and distinguished members of the committee, it is a
pleasure to speak to you today about the Job Corps and its contribution to the
American social and economic mainstream. I won't go into the history of this 33-
year old program because it would take a bit longer than my allotted time.
However, it should be pointed out that almost 2 million American youths have
benefitted from this program - a program that gives the less fortunate a second

chance, and I believe that all of us, no matter our economic or social status, have

had a second chance.

As I understand, this hearing is focused on the recruitment and placement of
Job Corps students. | am the center director of the 3 largest center in the country,
which serves 1,350 students, who are offered over 25 vocational trade
opportunities. Educational benefits are provided through our high school which is
certified by the State of Utah. Our students come from primarily eleven mid-
westem states and California and, due to advance training programs, we have

students referred from centers in the other 38 states. We are also a center for


9

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Thank you, Mr. Towns.

If you all would excuse us for a minute, we have some house-
keeping details to take care of. First, I ask unanimous consent that
all members of the subcommittee be permitted to place any opening
statement in the record and that the record remain open for 3 days
for that se. Without objection, so ordered.

I ask further unanimous consent that all witnesses be permitted
to include their written statements in the record, and without ob-
jection, so ordered.

I also ask for unanimous consent to Place in the hearing record
correspondence from Representative Harold E. Ford from Ten-
nessee and Representative Tom Davis from Virginia expressing
su] pport for the Job Corps program. Without objection, so ordered.

H correspondence of Hon. Harold E. Ford and Hon. Thomas
M. Davis follow:]


TT

One-Stop Career Center and the City of Phoenix One-Stop Career Center to aid
students in job searches and placement referrals.

Akey Job Corps concern is to ensure that former Job Corps students have
greater access to follow-up career counseling and referral services. Thus, Job Corps is
expanding linkages to strengthen coordination with One-Stop Career Centers,
employment services, and other job training, education and employment programs.
One-Stop Centers will serve as a valuable resource for referral of eligible young people
to Job Corps and for job placement and advanced training referral for former students,
as well as a source for local labor market information and for assistance in development
of linkages between centers and local employers

National Training Contract

Job Corps awards national contracts to eight national unions as well as one
building industry association to provide vocational training at selected Job Corps
centers across the country. Training is primarily in the construction trades, but national
contractors also offer advanced training in automotive repair and in clerical and
computer-based occupations.

‘Some national contractors have provided a range of services to Jab Corps for
over 25 years. We have continued these contracts, which are awarded in accordance
with Federal acquisition law and procurement regulations, because they provide us with
access to national networks through the unions and the Homebuilders Association for
both union and non-union jobs throughout the country. These organizations offer high
quality instruction which is well recognized by employers throughout the industry and
opportunities for Job Corps students to be placed in high-paying jobs.

Your letter requested that | address the recently completed performance audit of
the National Plastering Industry's Joint Apprenticeship Trust Fund, which indicated that
76% of students placed in training-related employment remained employed with the
initial employer for an average of only 100 days. To address the OIG's findings and

concerns, Job Corps has implemented the following actions


83

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Mr. SNOWBARGER. Mr. Towns.

Mr. Towns. Thank you very much. Please convey to the chair-
man that I appreciate him holding this hearing today.

A former Labor Secretary referred to Job Corps as the jewel in
the crown of job training programs. I agree with that assessment
because of the comprehensive mix of integrated and coordinated
services provided by this program to a population of young people
who face multiple barriers to employment.

According to a 1996 GAO report, a successful employment project
will have four components. It will ensure that participants are com-
mitted to training and getting a job. It will assist participants in
removing barriers that could limit the clients’ ability to finish
training and get and keep a job. It will improve the participants’
employability skills—dependability, promptness, cooperation and
conflict resolution. And finally, it will link occupational skills train-
ing with the local labor market.

it appears that Job Corps has accomplished these four compo-
nents and we say it is a job well done. Job Corps services include
intensive remedial education, vocational training, social skills
training, work experience, counseling, health care, day care and
substance abuse programs.

Job Corps centers are operated by private industry with contract-
ing arrangements carried out through cost reimbursements and
fixed fees. Many sites are run by the nonprofit educational subsidi-
aries of large corporations. Job Corps li the most unlikely play-
ers—the government, private industry and labor unions. This co-
operation has allowed the program to serve more than 1.7 million
disadvantaged young people since 1964.

Some people are troubled by Job Corps’ 33 percent drop-out rate
and that is all they want to talk about. Nationally, a little over
one-third of the 63,000 who enroll annually do not complete their
vocational training.

I must say I am not troubled by the drop-out rate because I know
four things. The drop-out rate for private vocational training is 50
percent, and I repeat, the drop-out rate for private vocational train-
ing is 50 percent. Job Corps takes troubled young people and pro-
vides them with stability, shelter and supervision. And those who
do complete their vocational program are five times more likely to
obtain a training-related job. They also get a job with a wage that
is 25 percent higher than that earned by non-Job Corps attendees.

Therefore, although a 33 percent drop-out rate sounds high, let
us not forget that the success rate is almost 70 percent. And I
think that when you think about that, it sounds a little better.

Finally, in closing, let me say that it costs $20,000 to house,
clothe, feed and train a Job Corps student. It costs $22,900 to in-
carcerate an inmate in Federal prison. Let us not be naive. Job
Corps serves the population of young people most likely to end up
in prison—the young male, urban, high school drop-outs who have
never held previous employment. I believe that Job Corps gives
these young people an opportunity to contribute to society by be-
coming taxpayers and responsible citizens.

As a matter of fact, a 1982 study by Mathematica Policy Re-
search, Inc., showed that Job Corps returns $1.46 in benefits to so-
ciety for every $1 invested. As a member of a committee whose mis-


lll

to make a preliminary susface-level assessment of the youth's eligibility for Job Corps
(Attachment 1). Questions encompass such areas as previous hospitalization, prior treatment for
drug or alcohol abuse, court history, age and income level. At this time we also answer any
questions a youth may have about our program. If the youth appears eligible at this level and is
interested in applying for enrollment, we ask the youth to bring in several items: picture ID, social
security card and several altemative contacts (name, address and telephone number). Additionally,
the youth is told to dress in appropriate interview clothing and to arrive on time. If the youth is
unable to arrive at that time or date, he or she is instructed to call and reschedule. This in itself is

a screening tool to observe the youth's attitude toward professional appointments.

Pre-Application and Interview Assessment

When the youth arrives, he or she is instructed to watch a video about our center which may answer
(or raise) questions about the center or the program. After viewing the video, the youth completes
a comprehensive questionnaire called the Applicant Information Sheet (Attachment 2) to enable the
Admissions Counselor to have a better understanding of the youth's past and/or present situation.
These questions cover such areas as school issues, mental health and medical problems, drug and

alcohol use, court history, and vocational choices.

Interview

The Admissions Counselor then meets with the applicant and together they review the applicant’s

responses. At this time, the Admissions Counselor may determine that the youth is not eligible

5


81

Ms. SILVA. You walk into a Job Corps center and there are aca-
demic classrooms and there are vocational classrooms. There are
also classrooms for health education——

Mr. Suays. And they don’t live onsite?

Ms. SILva. Yes, they do; 90 percent of our students live onsite.

Mr. Suays. You are really like a university with 40,000 students.

Ms. SILvA. Exactly. It is like being a school superintendent or a
university administrator of a residential program where young peo-

le come together, frequently for the first time in terms of a group-
ving environment.

Mr. SHays. These must be tough kids, to have a drop-out rate of
30. Either that or the program just must be very ineffective, and
I would like to think it is not that.

Ms. SILVA. These are very tough kids.

Mr. Suays. But in essence, they are not having to pay. Some-
times when you don’t pay you don’t always appreciate what you
have. They have some kind of small stipend, correct?

Ms. SILVA. Yes, minimal.

Mr. SHays. How small is it?

Ms. SILva. Fifty dollars every 2 weeks.

Mr. Suays. But still they can go to a movie. This is the issue con-
cerning the legislation which I asked you about early on. Some of
these students come from a distance?

Ms. SILVA. Yes, some do.

Mr. Suays. And the issue is how do you localize it? In some cases
are we trying to get them away from their home environment?

Ms. Siva. Yes. In many cases young people need to stabilize by
removing themselves from the temptations of the environment in
which they live. And sometimes getting them removed from the
ghetto or from the barrio, wherever they happen to live, and put-
ting them in a group environment where there are a number of
adults to mentor and connect with them, where we have student
governments——

Mr. Suays. I erred by not going to the Job Corps that we have
in New Haven. I should have been there first and we just were not
able to make it happen.

Let me go to Mr. Towns. Then I would like to ask some other
questions.

Mr. Towns. I know we are dealing a lot here with drop-out rates
and I think rightfully so because we are concerned to make certain
that dollars are not being wasted. But I don’t want to lose sight
of some other programs that we put money into that have dropout
rates even higher. I would like to put this in the record, Mr. Chair-
man, the drop-out rates for other educational institutions. Let me
just sort of run down through it.

Post-secondary 9-month vocational educational certificate pro-
grams, 49.5 percent. Public educational institutions providing asso-
ciate degree programs, 65.3 percent. Public educational institutions
providing bachelor degrees, 44.9 percent. Private educational insti-
tutions having associate degree programs, 29.7 percent. Bachelor
degree programs, 46.9 percent. Urban drop-out rates for one out of
four large school districts, 35 percent.

Mr. SHays. What is it in Congress?

Mr. Towns. That is even higher.


107

Testimony of Sarah P. Robinson
Before the United States House of Representatives
Committee on Government Reform and Oversight,
Subcommittee on Human Resources
October 23, 1997
Chairman Shays and distinguished members of the committee, it is an honor to appear before you
to discuss this very important program. I appreciate this committee's interest in Best Practices in

Recruitment and Placement, and I thank you for the opportunity to share with you some of Job

Corps’ successes.

My testimony today is based on my four and one-half years of experience as the Outreach,
‘Admissions and Placement Manager for the Dynamic Educational Systems, Inc. (DESI), office
located at the Hubert Humphrey Job Corps Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Humphrey Center
offers 300 students a variety of career training options (five vocations), as well as advanced training
programs to provide students with more specialized and diverse educational opportunities, while also

meeting employers’ demands for higher-skilled workers.

Thave been asked specifically to speak on outreach, admissions and placement. What follows is a

detailed description of the systems put in place to enable staff to more effectively perform their jobs.

Outreach

Outreach is a comprehensive system of activities designed to communicate information about the

Job Corps program to eligible youth, influencers of youth, agencies, youth organizations and the


92

Mr. Crossy Job Corps is not for everyone. The key is our recruit-
ing system. It must thoroughly and accurately identify those nega-
tive situations and provide referrals to appropriate services.

It is an unnecessary expense of time and money and individual
hope to recruit and enroll a student whose social or medical status
will invariably prevent success in Job Corps. Problem students,
those having problems beyond what Job Corps can and should ad-
dress, create a disruptive and negative influence among other stu-
dents who are successfully oriented.

Thorough recruiting is tied directly to job placement. When we
recruit a student who can be motivated to learn, that student stays
in the Program longer. Job Corps’ goal is to train the students to
an employable status and then effect a full-time permanent place-
ment in a job that matches the student’s training.

This is a short summary of the changes I have seen in Job Corps
over the last quarter century. Our National response could, I feel,
be more productive by initiating new and expanded recruiting prac-
tices. It goes without saying that any program can be enhanced to
improve its present outcomes and I would suggest the same holds
true for Job Corps recruitment and placement systems.

Enhancements of these systems could include giving strong con-
siderations to identifying centers for 16-year-olds only. They cannot
now get their GED certificate or high school diplomas at this age.
And because of labor laws and insurance considerations, they gen-
erally cannot be placed in full-time employment. It is, for the most
part, a no-win situation for everyone—the recruiter and placement
agencies, the center and, most of all, the young man or woman who
is 16 years old.

Conducting mandatory drug testing as a criterion to eligibility
for enrollment. If the youth tests positive, retests would be given
in 30 days. If the youth is still positive, entry should be delayed
for 6 months.

Institute, at the admissions counselor level, a pretesting for read-
ing and math abilities. Administer the Beck Inventory test for de-
pression, which would save time and money. It is a one-page docu-
ment that is standard among many mental health professionals.
Administering a standardized vocational test.

And on the admissions forms, recruiters should note the local
labor demands so that the enrolling students would be guided to-
ward those trades. Approxima tely 90 percent of our students go
back home when they leave the ‘Job Corps.

And last, every prospective student and all recruiters should visit
a dob Corps center before entry, to garner some of the ideas of
what they would be getting into and what the expectations would
be of them.

The tests that I mentioned can be administered in a short period
of time and certainly the results would be beneficial to the center
by allowing it to immediately start preliminary work with these
young people.

Please understand; my colleagues and I could thoroughly ex-
pound on all the good that the Job Corps does for the individual
students and what it has done for hundreds and thousands of
yor Americans who are now solid citizens because of this won-
dei program. It ranks up there with Head Start, the Peace


60

Ms. Blanchette, this is a question for you. It is from your written
testimony that was submitted, the second page, the first full para-
graph. In it you state that Job Corps needs to improve selection of
program applicants in order to decrease the early drop-out rate for
program participants. And then the last sentence you indicate that
you folks have found that the Job Corps policy guidance for 2 of
the 11 eligibility criteria is ambiguous and incomplete, and that
paragraph concludes.

I am not sure if this question is best asked of you or maybe of
the next panel, but I wil throw it out to you. A statement first,
I guess, then a question, to tell you where I am coming from.

Prior to my dlection to Co: ss I was a county-elected official
and I have long maintained that the ability to make a difference
in people’s lives is best carried out by people in our communities.

Iam wondering if the fact that 2 of the 11 eligibility criteria are
ambiguous and incomplete and if there is difficulty in having the
applicants following through, is the problem, in your estimation,
which end of the program? Is it the criteria that is in the central-
ized bureaucracy or is it in the agencies that are actually not
screening people accurately?

Ms. BLANCHETTE. Well, in this case the 11 criteria are all factors
that get at the nature of Job Corps versus some other employment
training program. The two specifically that we are addressing here,
one has to do with an environmental factor and specifically one of
the features that allows the environment criteria to be checked off,
so to speak, is limited job opportunities.

And the interpretation of that is very different, depending on the
contractor you talk to. Some contractors interpret it as being limi-
tations because of the individual’s characteristics—lack of skill,
lack of education, et cetera. Others interpret it to be features or
factors associated with the greater geographical area—high unem-
ployment rates.

And there is no guidance that would allow a contractor to know
what is meant, what the law meant, what the Department of Labor
interprets it to mean or any policy guidance at the Job Corps level
that would help the contractor in this case.

This is a feature that is being used, I believe we found, 92 per-
cent of the time. That is the feature that is justifying checking off
the environmental criterion.

Now, if you don’t understand what it means or it can mean such
a broad range of things, then certainly it leaves open the possibility
that people are getting into the program that are not the people
most in need of being there.

The second criterion had to do with the capability and aspira-
tions, and we have been talking about that all morning. GAO iden-
tified in a separate report four features of successful job training
programs. One of those was the commitment of the clientele, the
clientele’s commitment and capability to benefit from the training.
That is also one of the eligibility criteria for this program.

If there is no way of really assessing that and no common means
of assessing that then again, applicants can be admitted to the pro-
gram who do not have the necessary capability and aspiration to
be successful.


56

U.S. Department of Labor Ottiee of inspector General ss,

Washington, OC. 20210 Ce)
OCT 29 1997 key

The Honorable Vince Snowbarger
Subcommittee on Human Resources

Committee on Government Reform and Oversight
U.S. House of Representatives

B-372 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Snowbarger:

Thank you for your interest in the Office of Inspector General's work regarding the Job
Corps Program, particularly our recent audit of the training and placement services
provided by the National Plastering Industry's Joint Apprenticeship Trust Fund. During
last week's hearing on Job Corps, you requested a breakdown of the jobs into which
the 98 participants were initially placed. Enclosed is the breakdown of the jobs, by
occupation, which indicates that most of the participants of the program were initially
placed in employment that matched their training. As | indicated during my testimony,
‘our major concern with this particular contractor was the fact that most of the former
students in our sample were having difficulty maintaining or obtaining employment at
the time of our audit and had received minimal follow-up services after their training and
job placement.

if we can be of further assistance to you or your staff, please contact me or Sylvia Horowitz
on 219-7296.

Sincerely,

Patricia A. Dalton
Deputy inspector General

Enclosure

cc: The Honorable Christopher Shays, Chairman. a
The Honorable Edolphus Towns, Ranking Member

Working for America’s Workforce


18

perform outreach and admissions functions as well as placement functions. We selected
them in order to obtain detailed information on the processes the contractors use to
admit applicants into Job Corps and place them upon their leaving the program.

In summary, Job Corps needs to improve the selection of program applicants in
order to decrease the early dropout rate for program participants. It needs to identify
participants, from among its eligible population of about 6 million, who have the
commitment, attitude, and motivation to complete the training and benefit from Job
Corps' comprehensive and intensive services. We found that the procedures that the
more successful outreach and admissions contractors use include commitment checks as
well as preenrollment tours and briefings, which give applicants a more realistic basis for
deciding whether to enroll in the program. We also found that Job Corps' policy
guidance for 2 of the 11 eligibility criteria is ambiguous and incomplete, leading to an
eligibility determination process that fails to follow the requirements of the legislation and
program regulations.

Further, although Labor uses performance measures to make decisions about
renewing placement contractors, we found that two of the four measures Labor uses do
not provide information meaningful for assessing the performance of placement
contractors. In addition, related measures regarding overall program performance are
flawed, thus inaccurately assessing program performance. Although Job Corps reports
that about 65 percent of its. participants are placed in jobs and about 46 percent of these
placements are related to the training participants receive, our work has raised questions
about the accuracy and relevancy of both of these figures. These flawed measures
Jeopardize the ability of Job Corps, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
(which administers Job Corps), and Labor in general to determine whether the goals
stated in Labor's strategic plan are being achieved.

BACKGROUND

Job Corps currently operates 109 centers throughout the United States, including
centers in Alaska and Hawaii, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Most states
have at least one center, and several states have four or more centers. Private
corporations and nonprofit organizations, selected through competitive procurement,
operate the majority of the centers. However, the departments of Agriculture and the
Interior operate 28 centers, called civilian conservation centers, under interagency
agreements.

To address the needs of students with multiple employment barriers, Job Corps
provides a comprehensive range of services, primarily in a residential setting” It provides

“in an earlier study, we compared the characteristics of Job Corps terminees with
‘comparable youths in the Job Training Parmership Act (JTPA) youth training program

2 GAO/T-HEHS-98.37,


AT

but just to give me a little background, can you describe the aver-
age participant? I know there is not an average participant but I
mean who gets into the Job Corps programs? Are these people out.
for a first-time job? Are they people who have been in the job mar-
ket and have dropped out for some reason or other and are now
trying to get back in? Both?

Ms. DaLton. Mr. Chairman, it could be both. Youth from the age
of 16 to 24 are eligible for the program. They have come from se-
verely disadvantaged backgrounds and they are assessed as to
whether or not a residential program would be of maximum benefit
to them. Oftentimes, they come from a very disruptive family envi-
ronment.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. I am very concerned, Ms. Blanchette, about
the matching here of the job training with the jobs that they actu-
ally get. I am looking at the chart on page 11 in your testimony
as just an example of the various job training programs versus the
jobs that they actually received afterwards. It seems pretty clear to
me that the jobs they received afterwards not only seem very unre-
lated to skills that might have been taught, but seem to be entry
level positions where not much training would have been involved

anyway.

am looking at, for instance, cosmetologist handing out towels in
a hot room, being a hot room attendant. I don’t think it takes a
whole lot of training to hand out a towel, but I may be wrong.

And I guess what concerns me in an overall sense is to what ex-
tent do these programs attempt to train people in programs where
there are jobs actually available? The other statistic, and I can’t re-
member which one of you used this, the 98 out of 129 that were
employed for 100 days or less, even in that specifically highly-
trained area. Are we matching the job training to what is actually
available in the area and likely to have jobs available?

Ms. BLANCHETTE. As Ms. Dalton stated in her opening remarks,
the curriculum is determined at a National level and not——

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Why?

Mr. NILSEN. It is a federally administered program.

Mr. SNowBaRGER. I understand that. Sometimes we have had
the wisdom to defer to State and local levels to make some deci-
sions, apparently not here.

Mr. NILSEN. I think it is an appropriate question for the program
director.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. OK.

Ms. BLANCHETTE. But because of the National curriculum, there
is certainly no guarantee that that curriculum will tie in with the
local job market.

Also, as we reported in one of our recent reports on Job Corps,
about 40 percent of the participants actually go out of State to at-
tend the Job Corps center. They don’t get trained in the States in
which they reside, but a high percentage, 80 some, I believe, once
they complete their training, go back to their home State. So this
is also an issue.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. When a student comes into the Program, and
you are right am probably asking the wrong panel these ques-
tions and I will try to remember to ask the right panel the ques-
tions—but even this out-of-State situation, how does a person get


51

We also feel, though, in terms of looking at the continued bene-
fits of the program, that Job Corps should be continually tracking
students, at least a sample of students, in the out-years, to see
what has happened to those students. Are they continuing to work?
Are they making a living wage?

Mr. Towns. Let me ask you, with the new computer system
which is used by Job Corps, will that be sufficient to be able to sup-
ply us with all this information?

Ms. DALTON. It would be sufficient if it has adequate controls on
it to give you assurance of the accuracy of the information that is
being put into it. At this time we have not audited that computer
system. We did find problems in their prior system and we do in-
tend to be looking at the new system as part of our on-going re-
views related to the Government Performance and Results Act.

Mr. Towns. Thank you Were much.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.

Mr. Suays. Thank you.

I am sorry I wasn’t here for your statements and I appreciate
Mr. Snowbarger’s chairing this committee.

I would just like to ask about an attitude, and I am also going
to ask the next panel. Why would an organization like McDonald’s
be so criticized by opponents or supporters of job training and
viewed as an example of a dead-end job that provides no value to
a participant who works for McDonald’s? I would like to know the
attitudes of both the IG and the GAO. We will start with the IG.

Ms. DALTON. I believe if a Job Corps graduate obtains a job, that
is a positive outcome for the program.

Mr. Suays. Start over again, please.

Ms. DaLTon. If a graduate, a Job Corps participant, obtains a
job, that is a positive outcome of the program. One of the things
that we look at, though, is does the person have an opportunity to
make a living wage? We believe that is a critical factor for the long-
term future of that participant.

Mr. SHays. You mean they have to start out, their first job, with
a living wage?

Ms. DALTON. No, they don’t. We are talking long-term outcome
for the program. The fact that they get a job—that is definitely a
significant and very positive outcome, if they maintain that em-
ployment. Within someplace like McDonald’s, there is that poten-
tial. They may be making minimum wage at the beginning, but as
they continue to work, they could very well be making a sustain-
able wage.

Ms. BLANCHETTE. If I understand your question——

Mr. Suays. It is a trick question.

Ms. BLANCHETTE. I thought it might be. What you seem to be
asking is do I or we inherently find anything wrong with working
at McDonald’s.

Mr. SHays. You've got it.

Ms. BLANCHETTE. And the answer is no. But in the context of the
issues we are addressing this morning, and that is Job Corps and
Job Corps’ outreach and admissions efforts and its placement ef-
forts, I think we have to look beyond the fact that someone is work-
ing at McDonald’s versus someone who is not working.


80

Mr. SHays. Let me start by asking how does the Department re-
spond to the legislation that is currently before the 105th Con-
gress? What is your response? What is your guidance to the com-
mittee as it relates to the Job Corps?

Ms. Siva. We have worked in providing technical assistance
with the Senate in terms of its approach to providing changes to
Job Corps. There are a number of areas in the Senate language,
the proposed Senate language, that address concerns about out-
reach, admissions and about improving our connections with em-
ployers in the home communities from which Job Corps students
come and we support those.

We have provided technical assistance in discussions about the
core performance measures and the followup 6 and 12 months after
the students leave Job Corps.

Mr. SHays. The basic areas that you have are academic training,
vocational training, and the social skills training. I am unclear as
to whether someone has on-the-job training. In other words, as part
of your program is it on the job or do they go—do they stay in the
program and all of a sudden they are in a job?

Ms. Sitva. We have traditionally provided onsite vocational
training. One of the things that we are doing now, through our
school-to-work centers primarily, and encouraging all centers, is to
have students have work-based learning opportunities while they
are in Job Corps, off the Job Corps center.

So that is one way that we are working more closely with em-
ployers to get work sites, so that young people, while they are in
Job Corps, can have those kinds of work-based opportunities.

Mr. SHays. When you divide up your cost between the three—
academic, vocational and social skills—what represents the bigger
cost?

Ms. Siva. The center operations——

Mr. SHays. How would you allocate your resources? Am I right
to think of it in terms of academic, vocational and social skills
training?

Ms. Sitva. Exactly. There are the three components. And in
terms of —-

Mr. Suays. You don’t have to be the only one who answers the
questions. You're not taking a test here. Seriously, if you don’t
mind, I am happy to have-——

Ms. SILva. Social skills training.

Mr. Suays. Social skills tend to be the most costly?

Ms. SiLva. Yes. The investment of resources, and that is because
social skills training is budgeted in terms of not only classroom ex-
periences, but also the interactions that students have with coun-
selors and with their residential advisers.

So this is one of the unique aspects of Job Corps, is that we have
academic and vocational training in the daytime. Since we are resi-
dential, 7 days a week, we can have social skills training in life de-
velopment skills enhanced in the evenings and on weekends, in ad-
dition to having them reinforced in classroom.

Mr. SHays. Maybe I need to have a better picture. Describe to
me the environment these students find themselves in.


142

‘The following article is reprinted from the winter 1997 issue of The Complerer, the newsletter of the
Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center. The author is Chris Kuhn

Practice Makes Perfect

Ten years after arriving at HHHJCC as a new student
Kay Kleinschmidt opens her own chiropractic clinic

I's a waiting game now. Tie office space
first has to be vacated and the bank loan
processed before the new furniture and
equipment can be moved in. The sign should go
up sometime in April-including the one that
reads “Grand Opening.” Finally, after years of
hard work, Kay Kleinschmidt
owmership of her long-awaited dream: Opening
he own medical practice

“I stepped foot in my new office for the first
time today,” shared Dr Kleinschmidt recently
from her home in greater St. Louis, “It's a great
feeling-almost overwhelming-to know that in
another couple of months I'll have my own
business. I'm ecstatic!”

Kay has been busy working toward this goal
since she graduated from Job Corps in 1989.
‘After completing the dental assistant program at
Northeast Metro Technical College through the
center's Advanced Carcer Training program,
she went on to eam a bachelor's degree in
biology from Marion College in Fond du Lac,

36

Wisconsin. Kay continued her studies at Logan
Chiropractic College, in Chesterfield, Missouri,
receiving her doctor of chiropractic degree in
1993. “School will never end for me,” says
Kay, who i$ currently working on a post-
graduate degree in neurology.

‘A member of the American Chiropractic
Association and the Illinois Chiropractic
Society, Kay just passed the state licensure
exam to practice in Missouri. She had worked
as an associate at the Eastland Chiropractic
Center in Bloomington, Illinois, for nine
months before deciding t» move out on her
own. “This is ‘an opportunity to practice the way
I want and to reach more people,” explains Kay,
who picked a visible location in a strip mall for
her clinic site.

Actively involved with WICS (Women in
Community Service) during her stay in Job
‘Corps, Kay looks back with gratitude. “I’m not
sure | would’be where | am today if I hadn't
started at HHIWICC 10 years ago.” Oh, Kay!


135

JOB CORPS RECRUITMENT & PLACEMENT TRAIN
ClO HUBERT H. HUMPHREY JCC
FOR YOUR
1480 N. SNELLING AVE.
‘ST. PAUL, MN 55108 FUTURE

(612) 642-1133 + 1-800-934-5627
FAX (612) 642-0123

GUIDELINE FOR ESSAY
You have been asked to write an essay on why you want to enroll in Job Corps so
that your Admissions Counselor can determine if you are a good candidate for the
Job Corps Program.
Please use these questions as a guide to writing your essay.
7. What are your employment goals?
8. | Howcan Job Corps help you reach your goals?
9. What do you expect to get from Job Corps?
10. What are some of the reasons why Job Corps should admit you as a student?

11. How do you feel about being in a program that has many rules (for
example: no drugs, curfew and mandatory attendance)?

12. Is there anything else about you that we should know that would help us

understand your willingness to make the commitment to complete your
training at Job Corps?

We thank you for your honesty.

‘Operated for the U.S. Department of Labor by Dynamic Educational Systems, Inc.

29


13

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Our first panel today is Ms. Cornelia
Blanchette, accompanied by Sigurd Nilsen; also, Patricia A. Dalton
accompanied by John Getek. As we do with all witnesses before the
committee, I would ask that you rise and take an oath.

[Witnesses sworn.]

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Just for the record, the witnesses have re-
sponded affirmatively.

Please have a seat and, as I indicated with the unanimous con-
sent request, all your full statements will be put in the record and
any other information, please feel free to ask as we go through. I
believe, with that, we will start with Ms. Blanchette.

STATEMENTS OF CORNELIA BLANCHETTE, ASSOCIATE DIREC-
TOR, EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT ISSUES, U.S. GENERAL
ACCOUNTING OFFICE, ACCOMPANIED BY SIGURD R. NILSEN,
PH.D., ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, EDUCATION AND EMPLOY-
MENT ISSUES; AND PATRICIA A. DALTON, DEPUTY INSPEC-
TOR GENERAL, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, ACCOM-
PANIED BY JOHN GETEK, ASSISTANT INSPECTOR GENERAL,
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Ms. BLANCHETTE. Members of the subcommittee, we are pleased
to be here today to discuss the selection and placement of Job
Corps participants. My testimony is based on the Job Corps report
being released today that we prepared at the request of the sub-
committee, as well as on other reports we have issued over the past

years.

Job Corps Provides comprehensive services in a residential set-
ting to severely disadvantaged clientele with multiple employment
barriers at an average cost of over $15,000 per participant. In spite
of this considerable investment, about 25 percent of the partici-
pants drop out within 60 days and 57 percent of those who leave
the program do so without completing their vocational training.
However, those who remain in the program and complete their vo-
cational training obtain higher skill jobs at better wages.

In summary, Job Corps needs to improve the selection of pro-

‘icipants to reduce the early drop-out rate. It needs to
individuals from among its eligible population of about 6
million who have the commitment, attitude and motivation to com-
plete the training and benefit from Job Corps’ comprehensive serv-
ices.

We found that Job Corps’ policy guidance for 2 of the 11 eligi-
bility criteria is ambiguous and incomplete. We also found that the
most successful outreach and admissions contractors use proce-
dures to assess applicants’ degree of commitment and to give appli-
cants a realistic basis for deciding whether to enroll in the pro-

Further, our work has raised questions about the accuracy and
relevancy of Job Corps’ reported job placement rates and the extent
to which placements are related to the training participants re-
ceived. These flawed measures jeopardize the ability of Job Corps
and ultimately the Department of Labor to determine whether
strategic goals are being achieved.

In order to be eligible for Job Corps, applicants must meet 11 cri-
teria that relate to age, economic status, education or training


187

JOB CORPS RECRUITMENT & PLACEMENT TRAIN
CIO HUBERT H. HUMPHREY FOR YOUR
1480 N. SNELLING AVE.
ST. PAUL, MN 88108 FUTURE
(812) 642-1133 + 1-800-934-6627
FAX (612) 642-0123

CAPABILITY AND ASPIRATIONS ASSESSMENT TOOL (CAAT)

Applicant's Name: .

The Capability and Aspirations Assessment Tool (CAAT) must be completed for each applicant to
censure suitability to participate fully in the Job Corps Program. Assessment must be made of the
applicant's personal commitment, attitude and capability to fulfill program requirements. The
Admissions Counselor should circle the appropriate response for each factor, based on personal
observation, document review and other relevant information. If a particular factor is not applicable
to the applicant, circle N/A. (Items listed under each factor are intended as examples of the types
of information which may be used by the Admissions Counselor in assessing the applicant’s
suitability, and are not required to be included for each applicant.)

A Commitment

1. Applicant showed commitment by meeting scheduled Always
appointments, or call ins, in a timely manner. Usually

2. Applicant showed commitment by securing requested Always
documentation: ¢.g., medical, court records, immunization Usually
records, birth certificate, social security cards, etc. Sometimes

3. Applicant understood and reacted favorable to program Always

requirements, for example: Usually

© Center rules Sometimes
» Zero tolerance policy Never

> Daily center life NIA

» Living with ethnic and cultural diversity

> Signing consent forms

> Living away from home

.

Living allowance

31


55

ing, but I can figure out how to carry materials into the job site
and keep the plasterers supplied. Was that the kind of job they
were doing?

Mr. GETEK. I don’t know the specific answer, sir. We can get that
for you if you would like.

. SNOWBARGER. You do have the information, though?

Mr. GETEK. I know we were looking at the placements to see if
they were training related. We did not have an issue with training-
related. What those jobs were, I don’t have the answer right now.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Well, ust putting the two reports together, my
guess is that they were doing things that anybody off the street
would be brought in as an apprentice and taught the plastering
trade by beginning to carry materials in and watching how it is
being done and that type of thing.

Mr. GETEK. If we are saying we had no difficulty with the train-
ing-related Eipcement, then it would be within the range that Job
Corps had defined, and we had no difficulty agreeing with that def-
inition,

Mr. Says. If the gentleman would yield for a second?

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Sure.

Mr. SHays. We will followup on that. We have a pretty good sys-
tem of following up on requests and we would like you to provide

t.

Mr. GETEK. We will see if we can do that, yes.
Mr. SHays. One way or the other, we need an answer.
[The information referred to follows:]


2

The results of the GAO study, released today, point to the need
for a stronger focus on performance and accountability in both
areas.

Job Corps is unique among the 163 federally funded job training
programs, mandated to provide an unusually intensive regimen,
usually in a residential setting, to Prepare at-risk young men and
women for a good job and a better life. It costs about $18,000 to
house and train the average Job Corps participant, with more than
60,000 young people moving through the program each year.

So unique a program demands unique efforts to assess the readi-
ness of those who would enroll. And so intensive a Program should
produce demonstrably positive outcomes for those who stay the
course.

But, according to both GAO and the Department of Labor Inspec-
tor General, high drop-out rates may mean that contractors are not
being careful enough about who gets into Job Corps, while poor job

lacements mean we can’t be sure what they’re getting out of it.

'e look to the department and other witnesses, Job Corps contrac-
tors, center operators and a graduate, for suggestions to improve
these two long-standing problems.

Successful job training programs achieve much because they
strive for much. For more t. 30 years, the Job Corps has given
young people a chance to strive, to reach beyond past failures and
present disadvantages. It is not a chance everyone is prepared to
make and not every Job Corps student will find a job. But the pro-
gram, as it has in the past, should strive for more and achieve
more, through better recruitment and stronger job placements, two
indispensable hallmarks of job training that work.

Welcome to all of you. We look forward to the testimony of all
of our witnesses today.

(The prepared statement of Hon. Christopher Shays follows:]


163

and Miss Robinson, would you describe the students, the young
people that you have as being similar? And have you been in the
program long enough to have seen a difference?

is. YOUNG. Yes, I have a total of 29 years in the Job Corps pro-
gram, but I was very young when I started.

Mr. SHays. Why am I laughing? It is just that that is a typical
comment said by anyone.

Ms. YOuNG. Seriously, I agree with Mr. Crosby totally. Our stu-
dents—we are ranked as one of the most successful centers in the
country—but that does not mean that we have students without
problems. We have students with tremendous problems. Very few
of our parents are a pair. Most of them are single parents, the
woman in the home.

Recently I have seen a tremendous increase in our population in
terms of both sexual and physical abuse and sometimes a combina-
tion of both. And tremendous burdens, horrific home situations
from which they come.

The youn man whom I am very proud to have here with me
today, he speaks of it as his past life and his past life was full of
terrible things, terrible things. But he has been with us a year and
a month and he is graduating this month and I have full con-
fidence that this young man and the majority of our graduates will
be like Sergeant Bethea, successes, largely because of their turn-
around in the Job Corps program.

Mr. Suays. I have hired a few individuals who have basically
come off welfare. One was a rough situation at first. I hired this
young woman who graduated from high school but had been raised
where she had really never had a job before but wanted one. I
ended up hiring her because she said something that touched me.
She spoke to me. Unfortunately, the story didn’t end positively but
I said, “What happens if you fail?” She said, “Ill try harder the
next time.” So that was a wonderful thing.

What was the challenge, though, was that working in my con-
gressional office, the first phone call was from a veteran and she
did exactly what we asked her to do. “If you don’t know what some-
one is telling you, ask. Ask them to spell out the name. Ask them
a question.” ‘She did it perfectly and she said, “Excuse me; what’s
a veteran?” I immediately had to contend with veterans around my
district who said, “This office is so screwed up his staff doesn’t even
know what we are.”

But we continued to work with her for 6 months and we said,
“As long as you continue to make progress, you've got a job.” It was
ever so slight. Ultimately, she just gave up, which was sad.

Another one, though, ended up coming off the same kind of cir-
cumstance and ends up now she bought a house. I wanted someone
on my staff to go to the housing fair that we had. She wasn’t sched-
uled to be on duty but I said, “I really think you should come and
hear about it ‘and we need your help.” So she came and a month
later, she didn’t even ask me; she ends up buying a house. By ask-
ing I mean, you know, she didn’t even boast to me that she was
doing it. The next thing I know she had listened and she figured
out how she and her brother and sister could buy a home. They
bought a very nice home in one of our urban areas. So it is inter-
esting.


72

* entrance into Job Corps is a privilege available only to those individuals who

qualify and show commitment,

* they will have specific responsibilities relating to living in a group environment,

* they will be on a 30-day probationary period and failure to successfully

perform during that period will result in termination, and

* they must abide by Job Corps’ zero tolerance for drugs-and violence policy.

In this month's report on Job Corps, GAO makes a number of recommendations
to require Job Corps applicants to further demonstrate their commitment. These
include actions such as requiring applicants to:

make and keep interview appointments

* arrive at appointments on time in proper attire

* submit written statements of goals and aspirations

* check in weekly between the time they submit their applications and enter the

program.
A number of outreach/admissions contractors already use these approaches, but they
are not federally required. We agree with GAO's recommended approaches and will
share them with all outreach and admissions contractors.

Asecond strategy of successful projects identified by GAO in 1996 is removing
barriers that might limit a participant's ability to finish training and enter employment.
Job Corps begins to address these barriers during the application phase. For example,
all students with dependent children that are assigned to centers without child
development centers are required to have suitable child care arrangements prior to their
enrollment in the program. Job Corps outreach contractors and centers work with
‘students to make sure they have transportation to residential centers when they enroll,
and to and from centers on a daily basis for nonresidential students.

Once students are enrolled, centers continue to address barriers to employment
through the provision of medical and dental care, counseling and ulated services; a

continuous emphasis on employability through programs such as world of work,


Table 1: Some Occupations Considered Job-Training Maiches for Selected Vocanonal
‘Training Programs

Instructional Occupation
category
Automobile Band attacher (attaches wrist bands to watches)
mechanic Feeder (stacks paper in offset presses)

Key cutter

Washer (clock parts)
Cook Bar attendant

Carhop

Housecleaner (hotels)
Fast-food worker

Cosmetologist _| Hot-toom attendant (gives patrons towels)
Sales person for weed eradication services

Shaver (brushes suede garments after they have been cleaned)
Shaver (shaves hog carcasses)

Heavy-equipment | Baggage checker ~
‘operator Freight elevator operator
Porter

Ticket seller

Medical secretary | Coin counter and wrapper
General cashier

Hand packager
Linen-room attendant

Welder Antisqueak filler (shoes)

Casket liner

General laborer

Hacker (lifts bricks of clay tiles from conveyor belt and stacks
them)

Many of the positions that are considered to be related to Job Corps training
require relatively little training to perform. The job placement occupational categories
contained in Labor's guidance for job-training match come from its Dictionary of
‘Occupational Titles. The dictionary includes, for each occupation, the average time
required to learn the techniques, acquire information, and develop a facility for average
performance in a specific job situation. For more than 700 of the jobs in Labor's
guidance, the average training time is indicated as requiring either only a short
demonstration or training up to and including 1 month. Thus, Labor is allowing job-

u GAO/T-HEHS-98.37


10

placement contractors;

. Dropping recruitment and placement contracts with State agencies that
did not perform; and

* Dropping contracts of vocational training providers who did not perform,

such as the National Maritime Union.

The Department also is very pleased that two Job Corps Centers -- Hubert H.
Humphrey (MN) and Denison (IA) -- were recognized last year, and one center -- David
Carrasco (TX) -- was recognized Tuesday of this week along with other exemplary
youth programs by the Promising and Effective Practices Network (PEPNet) for their
effective practice in youth employment and development. Job Corps will continue to
disseminate best practices as an important tool in continuously improving performance
among its 111 centers.

Outreach, Admissions and Assignment of Youth to Job Corps Centers

The first step in Job Corps’ enrollment process is attracting eligible students into
the program. Young people who want to enroll in the program must submit applications
through outreach/admissions contractors. These contractors include private for-profit
firms, non-profit organizations, and state employment service agencies. Some Job
Corps center operators also have contracts to recruit applicants for the program. With
the exception of the State employment service agencies, outreach/admissions
contractors are selected through a competitive procurement process.

Job Corps rectuitment contractors are responsible for conducting outreach,
obtaining applications for Job Corps enrollment and parental consent for enrollment of
minors, determining applicant eligibility and suitability, and preparing eligible youth for
enrollment and assignment to a center. In order to ensure that maximum use is made
of Job Corps enrollment opportunities, each recruitment contractor has a specific goal
for enrollment of new students. Recruitment contractors must follow Job Corps policy

and procedures for dete: ining eligibility and assessing suitability to ensure that the


146

Dynamic Educational Systems, Inc. (DESI), is a subcontractor to the Vinnell Corporation
(12150 E. Monument Drive, Fairfax, Virginia, 22033) at the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center.
Vinnell is the prime contractor with the Department of Labor, Region V, Chicago, Illinois, for this
contract, Vinnell has selected DESI to provide the outreach, admissions and placement services that
are required in the RFP.

Below is the funding amount which DEST has invoiced to the Vinnell Corporation during the
last three years.

Minnesota Outreach, Admissions and Placement

Subcontract VC467-93-001

Contract Year Amount of Funding
June 1, 1995 - May 31, 1996 $362,485
June 1, 1996 - May 31, 1997 $375,862
June 1, 1997 - May 31, 1998 $389,876



63

Mr. SHays. Well, it is nice to have you join Ms. Silva. It is nice
to have both of you here. You have time to make your statement
and we will just roll the clock if you go on.

STATEMENT OF MARY H. SILVA, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF JOB
CORPS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, ACCOMPANIED BY TIM
SULLIVAN, DIVISION CHIEF, OFFICE OF JOB CORPS, U.S. DE-
PARTMENT OF LABOR,

Ms. Siva. Chairman Shays, Congressman Towns and sub-
committee members, thank you for the opportunity to appear today
to discuss Job Corps, the Nation’s largest and oldest comprehensive
residential training program for seriously at-risk young people.

Job Corps seeks continuous improvement in how we deliver our
services. Every day we serve 40,000 young people ages 16 to 24, all
of whom are economically disadvantaged, nearly 80 percent of
whom are high school drop-outs. Almost two-thirds have never held
a full-time job. Over 40 percent are members of families receiving
public assistance; 70 percent are minorities; 60 percent are young
men.

These are at-risk young people with multiple barriers to employ-
ment. Job Corps is the only positive alternative for many of these
young people. And how do we serve them? We provide academic,
vocational and social skills training in a residential setting. We
serve young people at 111 Job Corps centers Nationally, includin,

oung people from hundreds of communities across the Unite:
‘tates, from all 50 States and Puerto Rico.

And what are we accomplishing? The bottom line is we are pre-
paring young people for self-sufficiency and we are always striving
to do a better job. We have established integrated performance
measurement systems for our outreach contractors, our center op-
erators and our placement contractors. We are implementing a for-
mal performance measurement system for 13-week followup this
year so that we will be tracking students 13 weeks after placement.

We have initiated a pilot using unemployment insurance wage
records in four States so that we can explore to see whether we can
use this type of information and conduct 6- and 12-month followy
after placement. We are cl ing the basis for determining the jol
training match placements. We have revised the contracting meth-
odology for outreach admissions and placement contractors.

We have implemented a zero tolerance policy Nationally at all of
our centers for drugs and violence. We have implemented school-
to-work principles at 33 centers and we anticipate adding another
30 this year.

We are increasing our employer connections through establishing
work-based learning for our young people, business roundtables, a
major employer outreach initiative in the Midwest, connection with
One-Stop career centers as they are developed and more direct in-
volvement for employers in the vocational change process.

We are implementing a completely revised curriculum for social
skills training, emphasizing employability skills, interpersonal rela-
tions, handling conflict and teamwork. We have established a work
group to determine options regarding service provision to 16- and
17-year-olds. We closed one Job Corps center this year for chronic
poor performance and high costs. We contracted out a federally-op-


20

program year 1995, Job Corps spent about $60 million on outreach and admissions and
placement contracts.*

Job Corps is a performance-driven program and outreach and admissions
contractors and placement contractors must meet certain levels of achievement in order
to continue to participate and to receive program funding. Two performance standards
have been established for outreach and admissions contractors for the enroliment of
certain numbers of male and female youths and for the proportion of enrollees who
remain in the program for more than 30 days. A third standard relates to the percentage
of participants who are eventually placed in jobs, the military, schools, or other training
programs following program termination. Similarly, placement contractors are required to"
meet standards related to the percentage of participants placed. Additional placement
contractor standards are applied to participants who are placed in jobs, such as the
percentage of participants obtaining full-time jobs, jobs directly related to the vocational
training they receive, and the average wage they receive at placement.

Individuals enroll in Job Corps by submitting applications through outreach and
admissions contractors. Enrollment in the program is open entry and its training courses
are self-paced, allowing students to enroll throughout the year and to progress at their
‘own pace. Students leave Job Corps for a variety of reasons, including successful
completion of the program objectives, voluntary resignation, disciplinary termination, and
being absent without leave (AWOL) for 10 consecutive training days. With a few
exceptions, participants terminating from Job Corps are assigned to a placement
contractor for assistance in finding a job or enrolling in other education or training
programs. Placement contractors are to give priority to finding full-time, training-related
Jobs for participants.

Participation in Job Corps can lead to placement in a job or enrollment in further
training or education. It can also lead to educational achievements such as attaining a
high school diploma and gains in reading or mathematics skills. According to Labor data,
75 percent of the more than 60,000 program terminees in program year 1995 were placed—
65 percent in jobs and 10 percent in education or other training-and 46 percent of the
placements were in training-related jobs. The average wage for all placements was $5.98;
for training-related placements, $6.44.

Labor has long recognized that participants who complete their vocational training
courses tend to do better after program termination-that is, they have significantly higher
placement rates. Information we developed during our 1995 study of Job Corps verified

*About $8 million of this amount was for media support contracts. According to Labor,
this high level of media expenditure should be regarded as a one-time but necessary cost
to counteract a decline in Job Corps enrollments in program year 1994 and early program
year 1995.

4 GAO/T-HEHS-98.37


37

providing basic educational and vocational skill training, providing student orientation
and residential living supervision, managing center finances, maintaining center
facilities and equipment, ensuring security and safety, and fostering community
relations. In addition to the center-sponsored training programs, Job Corps also
contracts with National Training Contractors (NTCs) to operate vocational training
programs and provide placement services. NTCs are mainly national trade unions and
affiliated organizations that provide hands-on training for over 12,000 students annually.

In its 33-year history, Job Corps has enjoyed a great deal of success. It has
served as the critical turning point in the lives of thousands of young men and women.
However, as is usually the case for programs of this magnitude, there is a need to
provide continuous oversight and continue to identify what works, what does not work,
and where improvements can be made. In addition, with enactment of the
Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993, Congress and the
Administration are explicitly mandating that programs such as Job Corps be effective,
have a positive impact, and — most importantly -- demonstrate a positive return on the
taxpayers’ investment.

OIG OVERSIGHT OF JOB CORPS PROGRAM

Over the years, the OIG has conducted numerous audits of this program to
provide management with information critical to its administration and to provide
Congress with relevant oversight information. These audits have focused primarily on
assessing the results of the program -- both from the perspective of student outcomes
and the effectiveness of the program as a whole. Through these audits we have
identified or pointed to weaknesses in the key aspects of the program -- namely the
quality of training, contractor performance, center operations, the level and quality of
placements, and the level and effectiveness of follow-up services. While we have not
assessed the effectiveness of recruitment contractors, which is of particular interest to
this Subcommittee, the weaknesses we have identified -- particularly with respect to
student outcomes — may indicate that the individuals entering the program may not
always receive the appropriate screening to ensure they have the aspirations and
capabilities to succeed in the program, as required by law. We have also identified best
practices for the program as a whole and made recommendations on needed
improvements and corrective action. In many cases, management has agreed with us
and taken necessary corrective action.

Mr. Chairman, our most pressing concern with respect to the Job Corps Program
is to ensure that the significant investment of taxpayers’ dollars results in students
obtaining long-term employment at a wage that ensures their self-sufficiency. Today |
will first discuss our work related to the program as a whole and then focus on the issue
of placements, which we have identified as critical to the success of this program.


157

Police Department and I am assigned to the Public Housing Divi-
sion. I truly feel that the training and life experiences I received
from Job Corps have helped me be effective in my job today.

I would like to conclude by telling you and the committee that
I feel that Job Corps was an important turning point in my life.
It worked so well for me that I recommended it for my sister. She,
too, benefits greatly from Potomac Job Corps Center. She grad-
uated as an advanced completer in nursing and is now in college
pursuing a nursing career.

Job Corps was good to me and that is why I still visit Potomac
Job Corps to speak to the students enrolled there. They are just
like I was many years.ago. It is important for them to see that the
path you take to finding a career can take different routes. The
inal decision of whether they will be successful really relies on
their own ambition, goal-setting and determination to use their
own skills. Job Corps helps them sort through it all. It did it for
me and it can do it for them. Thank you.

(The prepared statement of Mr. Bethea follows:]


57

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23

checklist of documents that all interested persons have to acquire before they set up their
application appointment.

Some outreach and admissions contractors consider preenrollment tours of Job
Corps centers and briefings to be extremely useful, although they are not practical in
every situation. They provide applicants with a firsthand opportunity to obtain a
thorough understanding of Job Corps' rules and requirements, observe the living
conditions, erase false expectations, and determine whether they are suited for the
regimented life of Job Corps. Some preenrollment briefings occur before application;
others take place afterward. For example, one contractor requires all interested
individuals to participate in a prearranged tour, briefing, and question-and-answer session,
after which those stil interested must set up an appointment to complete an application.
Another contractor requires potential enrollees to take a tour after the application

process. After the tour, applicants attend a briefing and a question-and-answer session,
followed by one-on-one interviews with center staff. The value of preenrollment tours
and briefings was also confirmed at two of the centers we visited by Job Corps
participants who thought the tours and briefings were definitely worthwhile and by two
regional directors who said that preenroliment tours and briefings are very effective in
preparing applicants for Job Corps and in improving the prospect of retention.

Several regional directors commented-on the importance of identifying applicants
who are ready for Job Corps and can benefit from its training. For example, one regional
director stated that because the program cannot afford to squander its resources on
applicants who do not really want to be in the program, admissions counselors should
ensure that applicants are ready and can benefit from the investment. Another regional
director noted that because so many people are eligible (more than 6 million), it was
important to provide the opportunity of Job Corps to those most likely to benefit and that
commitment should be “first and foremost” when assessing applicants.

To identify other factors that might be related to program retention, we analyzed
the relationship between participant characteristics and the likelihood of remaining in the
program for at least 60 days. We found that the participants who are more likely to leave
the program within the first 60 days included those who are younger (15 to 17 years old),
have less than 12 years of education, have a dependent child, or reside more than 50
miles from the assigned center. The most clear-cut use of this information on participant
characteristics may be for designing efforts to improve the retention of participants
whose characteristics are associated with leaving the program early.

GAO/T-HEHS-98-37.


144

SARAH P. ROBINSON
Education

= MSS., Guidance and Counseling, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, Wisconsin.
. B.S., Vocational Rehabilitation, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, Wisconsin.

Employment History

May 1993 to Present. Manager of Outreach, Admissions and Placement, Dynamic Educational
Systems, Inc., Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center, St. Paul, Minnesota. Responsible for overall
supervision and administration of project including staff taining, public relations, marketing and
contract obligations. Recognized by the Department of Labor, Region V, for outstanding outreach,
admissions and placement services in PY 94, PY 95 and PY 96.

January 1992 to May 1993. Sales Representative, GTE, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Established new
business accounts, made sales and marketing presentations, monitored market and responded to
competitive changes. Named Sales Representative of the Month twice in one year for outstanding
sales. Met 97 percent of quota in recessionary economy.

‘September 1989 to May 1991 and October 1986 to December 1987. Sales Representative, TOMA
Publishing/Skyway Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Established new business accounts via
extensive sales canvassing for new publications. Designed advertisements for clients, Significantly
contributed to a rapid growth of advertising volume. Consistently performed as top sales
representative for company.

Task Force Membership

National Task Force on Eligibility Criteria. (1993)

National Task Force for PRH Chapter One. (1994)

National Trainer for New Eligibility Requirements. (1994)
National Task Force for Improving Admissions Procedures. (1996)

Speaking Engagements

National Executive Seminar Series for Developing Partnerships. (1997)

National One-Stop Shop Conference. (1997)

Region IV Conference on Improving Placement Systems. (1996)

Region V Conference on Work Force Development Demonstration Project in Rochester.
(1996)

38


90

STATEMENTS OF JOHN O. CROSBY, CENTER DIRECTOR,
CLEARFIELD JOB CORPS CENTER; SARAH ROBINSON, OUT-
REACH, ASSESSMENT AND PLACEMENT MANAGER, HUBERT
H. HUMPHREY JOB CORPS CENTER; MARY YOUNG, CENTER
DIRECTOR, DAVID L. CARRASCO JOB CORPS CENTER; AND
SERGEANT JERRY BETHEA, METROPOLITAN POLICE DE-
PARTMENT, JOB CORPS GRADUATE

Mr. Crossy. Mr. Chairman, before I present my testimony, in
deference to McDonald’s and the time of day, I could sure use a Big
Mac right now. I just want you to know that.

Mr. SHays. Well, you have a good sense of humor, so you are
even more welcome.

Mr. Crossy. Chairman Shays and the distinguished members of
the committee, it is a pleasure to speak to you today about the Job
Corps and its contribution to American social and economic main-
stream.

Almost 2 million American youth have benefited from this pro-

am, a program that gives the less fortunate a second chance, and
Pbelieve that all of us, no matter our economic or social status,
have had a second chance.

I am the Center Director of the third largest center in the coun-
try, with 1,350 students and over 25 vocational trades. Education
ig rovided through our high school, which is certified by the State
of Utah.

Our students come from primarily 11 midwestern States and
California. We also have students referred from 38 States for our
advanced training programs and we serve refugee students rep-
resenting 25 countries where civil war and social strife are com-
mon.

Recruiters of Youth Corps youth represent private for-profit, non-
profit and State governmental agencies.

At Clearfield, we work hard to maintain an on-going communica-
tion program with recruiters who serve our center. To minimize the
early drop-out rate at Clearfield we want applicants to be in rel-
atively good health, to have an ability to benefit from what the cen-
ter offers and to adjust to being away from home. We, in turn,
pledge a safe learning environment, to obtain a quality education
and learn a career-oriented vocational trade.

At Clearfield, most of the students are far from home and home-
sickness can take its toll. We have student mentors, support
groups, extensive recreation programs and many clubs and volun-
teer organizations. My experience over the years has shown that
time and time again, the longer the student stays, the better the
job match and the higher the starting wage. Job Corps can produce
a mature, well-trained worker.

Where I personally have a problem is that we are also respon-
sible for placement of students who stay for a short period of time
and/or are 16 years old with little education or training.

Due to our size, we have an outreach and placement team to as-
sist the agencies in recruitment and job placement efforts. We pur-
chase radio and TV ads, conduct interviews, work large gatherings
such as State fairs and help out school career fairs, just to name
a few. We also help placement agencies locate students after com-
pletion, as needed.


44

Mr. SNowBARGER. Thank you.

To start questioning, we will turn to Mr. Towns.

Mr. Towns. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Let me begin; there seems to be a disagreement with GAO about
whether every participant should be counted or whether only those
who complete training should be counted. There seems to be a dis-
agreement between the two of you on that. Am I correct?

Ms. DatTon. That is correct, Mr. Towns. We believe that in order
to evaluate the Job Corps program as a whole, you need to look at
what happens to every student that comes into the program. And
that will provide information to see what is working, what is not
working and what needs to be corrected. And even though a stu-
dent has dropped out of a program, we still have an obligation to
provide them some type of assistance.

Mr. Towns. Right.

Ms. BLANCHETTE. Well, there is a difference between outcome
measures, or there is a possibility of a difference between outcome
measures that would evaluate the program as a whole and outcome
measures that one would use to assess placement, outreach and ad-
missions contractors. And our statement with regard to the partici-
pants to be included in calculating the measure had to do with as-
sessing the contractors.

We do not take issue with the need to look at what happens to
every participant that enters the program when you are assessing
the pro ‘am as a whole.

ir. NILSEN. In fact, we agree that you have to look at, if you are
looking at the performance of the program as a whole, you have to
look at what happens to everybody coming in the program. Where
we disagree, as Ms. Blanchette said, is when you are looking at,
say, placement contractors. You do not necessarily, if you are look-
ing at their performance, we have made recommendations that you
do not necessarily hold them accountable for everyone coming in
the program.

There are certain people that we suggest should be included,
such as those who go AWOL or are kicked out of the program for
drugs or violence or drop out of the program in a very short period
of time because the program really has not benefited them and
they are not the people you want to be focussing your efforts on in
placement.

Mr. Towns. You know, I am having a problem with all of this.
Let me tell you why. It is because I think that when a person has
been exposed to the program, and even though it might be a short
period of time, sometimes some positive things take place at that
point which could move a person in another direction.

Of course, I know these kinds of things are pretty hard to meas-
ure but I think that when I look at what is happening overall, in
many States, in the State I come from, to house and incarcerate
somebody is about $57,000 per annum. When you start looking at
that kind of cost versus what we are talking about here, maybe we
need to set up some other ways to further evaluate; I do not know.

Anyway, let me just go to some of your testimony here. You men-
tioned that many Job Corps students obtain jobs that they could
have obtained without any training. And I have some problems
with this because the first job of many college graduates has no re-


85

Ms. Siva. Enrollees who are tested positive for HIV remain on
center. They are assessed in terms of their medical condition and
they are counseled about what being HIV-positive is and what it
means. Their behavior is tracked while they are on center but they
remain part of the program. They are given medical services and
we hope that they acquire the necessary education and vocational
training that they need.

Mr. Towns. I think these are the things that are not readily
known and I have a lot of respect for what you are doing. I want
to share that with you. I think when people know about the client
population that you are dealing with and some of the problems, I
think they will find that it really is not that expensive, based on
the health part that you are involved in and the kind of on-going
supportive ands of services. To me, that is different from what
other programs are doing.

I applaud you and want you to know that you have one Member
on this side of the aisle who is in strong support of you.

Ms. SILVA. Thank you very much.

Mr. SHays. Thank you. I would like to talk just a second about
the drop-out rate. I realize that we cannot have it both ways. There
are a lot of different issues.

One, you are a special program. We spend more. So we would
like to make an assumption that being a superior program, that
the drop-out rate would be low. Yet I am going to also say to you
that I believe that you have to have some very tough standards
and if you have tough standards, one of the messages to the par-
ticipants is if you don’t measure up, you are out of here. And if you
are not out of here and we allow you to stay in, then it is a mes-
sage to everyone else that you cannot have the standards.

So I don’t know if I am going to evaluate—and frankly, when I
went into the Peace Corps, our drop-out rate by the time people got
back was 50 percent. You know, some didn’t make it through train-
ing and some got there and then they left.

I don’t know quite how I am going to interpret the drop-out
rate issue, but I would like to know, and let me just read this ques-
tion because it speaks to it. How are outreach and admissions con-
tractors ensuring candidates are committed to participate in train-
ing and getting a job? And how are job placement contractors en-
suring participant training corresponds with realities of the local
labor market? It is a good question. I will just ask it that way.

Ms. SILVA. First of all, outreach admissions contractors, in their
responsibilities to recruit young people, inform them about the pro-
gram. They inform them of our zero tolerance policy for drugs and
violence, inform them that if they test positive for drugs, once we
test them when they come on centers, if they test positive at the
end of 30 days, they are out. There are specific offenses which if
they commit, they are out.

So this information is provided up front to the students by the
admissions counselors.

We have an applicant commitment statement that is completed
by the admissions counselor working with the student and signed
by every student before he or she enrolls in the program, where the
admissions counselor talks with the young person about the com-


62

we try here because when I look at the Job Corps program, if I un-
derstand it and I need you to help me here if I am off-base, there
is a mixture of health care and also supportive services that we
find in Job Corps and in a lot of the other programs that we are
trying to compare Job Corps with, that is not the case. Am I cor-
rect’

Ms. BLANCHETTE. That is correct. Job Corps offers comprehensive
services that would include things such as health care, if that is
what is needed by the participant.

Mr. Towns. So maybe you should caution us about our eagerness
to try to compare. Am I right about that?

Ms. BLANCHETTE. Well, I don’t know about your eagerness to
compare. Certainly Job Corps is unique.

Mr. Towns. You have heard the testimony this morning; you
have heard it from Members here this morning trying to compare.
In fact, I think I even tried it one time.

Ms. BLANCHETTE. I have heard comparisons of drop-out rates and
placement rates and so forth. I don’t know whether or not there are
any other areas in which one would want to compare. But we make
the point in our statement and in our report that Job Corps is
unique.

First of all, it is a residential program. The other programs are
not. It certainly aims at serving the most severely disadvantaged.
We made that point here several times, and that makes it different
than some other programs. And it is a comprehensive program. It
aims to reach the participant wherever the participant is in terms
of needs. So if it is health care or training someone to be dis-
ciplined and punctual, if it is job training, if it is education, what-
ever is needed to allow the person to be employable.

So it is different than the other programs. I would agree with
you.

Mr. Towns. And I think we should not lose sight of that. So I
yield back Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Suays. Thank you very much.

Do any of the four of you have any comment you want to say be-
fore we go to the next panel?

[No response.]

Mr. Suays. OK, I appreciate your being here. Thank you.

I will next call Mary H. Silva. We welcome you. Will you be hav-
ing anyone with you, as well?

Ms. Siva. No.

Mr. Suays. No one else might respond to a question? I am not
used to someone not having an entourage.

Ms. Sitva. Perhaps Tim Sullivan of my staff may.

Mr. Says. Why not? Why not have him come up and be sworn
in? I'll swear both of you in.

(Witnesses sworn.]

Mr. Suays. For the record, both of our witnesses responded. I
need your name, sir. I know it is not Mary Silva.

Mr. SULLIVAN. Tim Sullivan.

Mr. Suays. Thank you, Mr. Sullivan. And your position is?

Mr. SULLIVAN. Division Chief in the Office of Job Corps.


86

mitments that are necessary for them to make to come into Job
‘Orps.

In addition, we have prepared an assessment tool which is used
by admissions counselors for every student, through which they as-
sess the capabilities and aspirations of the young people before
they come into the program.

So we do this up front, try to make it very clear to the young

ple that we want them in, it is up to them, and that if they be-
ve themselves they stay and if they don’t, then they are termi-
nated.

Mr. SHays. The GAO report had made a number of recommenda-
tions regarding a demonstration of the students’ commitment and
you basically accept the GAO’s recommendations?

Ms. SILVA. We find those suggestions very helpful. We are going
to share those with our admissions and outreach contractors.

Mr. Suays. Then tell me where you disagree and agree with the
GAO report, where you would be most comfortable with the find-
ings and least comfortable.

‘s. SILVA. The very strong focus on limited job opportunities and
ay ariee deprivation, definitional issues I think is not as significant
a finding.

I believe that limited job opportunities speak to not only the
skills that the student may have or may not have, as well as the
geographic area. The GAO report says apparently that this is too
vague. I don’t think it is, so I would take issue with that. We will
try to clarify it to the extent we can to make people understand the
intention here.

Mr. SuHays. Just give me a little more detail. I am not fully
grasping the significance of their comment and your comment.

Ms. SILva. In their report they state that Job Corps has not pro-
vided significant guidance——

Mr. SHays. To whom?

Ms. SILva. To our admissions and outreach counselors.

Mr. Suays. OK, we are talking about admissions and outreach.

Ms. SILVA. Yes, that is the one segment, particularly in 2 of the
11 eligibility criteria, 1 being the determination of cultural depriva-
tion and another being limited job opportunities. They do not feel
that we have sufficiently defined those.

Mr. Suays. And in terms of who then qualifies to enter the pro-

Ms. SILVA. Yes.

Mr. Suays. You are accepting 1 percent of those who are eligible
and they are questioning how you define eligibility, correct? But
whether you define it in a way that determines who is the most—
do you have a waiting list?

Ms. SiLva. We have a waiting list in a number of centers, not
in all centers.

Mr. SHays. OK, which is a fascinating thing. That is basically
saying a lot of participants have no interest whatsoever, either
don’t know about you or have no interest in participating.

Ms. SILva. That is right. And a lot, in terms of the student popu-
lation we serve, a lot of these young people are disconnected and
don’t know about Job Corps. And while they may be eligible in


121

The Humphrey Center has developed many systems to prepare students for placement. One such
system is called School, Transition, Employability and Placement (STEP). STEP was our response
to keeping pace with the national trend in school-to-work programming. The STEP team, which
consists of representatives from the center's educational, vocational, counseling, student records, and
placement departments, refocuses the center’s efforts toward the goal of increasing high-quality
placements. Initiatives of the team include developing career portfolios for the students,
‘emphasizing applied academics and work-based learning, expanding work experience and holding

transitional living classes.

By the time a student is ready to terminate, he or she is well-versed in the placement services and
is ready to complete the job search phase. The job search consists of reviewing job leads we have
obtained for each of the vocational trades offered, an Internet job search, registering with the State
Employment Service, reading through classified ads and determining a plan of action for their
‘employment. We may also provide guidelines for preparing cover letters and resumes, filling out

applications, interviewing, obtaining references and other job-hunting skills.

Unfortunately, some youth do not complete their training due to drug or alcohol use, violence, or an
inability to conform to Job Corps rules and expectations. Some, quite simply, drop out. Non-
completers are always difficult to place. They may not have the motivation, they may be soured on
their Job Corps experience, they may lack the education and skills to get a job, or they may have
family problems that make it difficult or impossible to work. The Placement Specialists expend a

disproportionate amount of time and effort to place these students, and the results are frequently


124

Asa placement contractor, we do everything in our power to place students in positions that are job
training matches. We provide them with job leads and employer names, and we discuss with them
the importance of obtaining a job in their field. We remind them that their training has provided
them the skills that will help them be successfully employed. There is a portion of students who
choose not or are unable to find employment in their training field, but do find employment. Is this
a successful placement? Yes. It is my belief that students leam very valuable skills at Job Corps
including the motivation to find employment and be self-sufficient. It is also my belief that these

youth may eventually seek out employment to match their Job Corps training.

In your invitation to testify, you mentioned that you wanted to understand the difference between
a trained position placement and a training-related position. The definition of a job training match

as stated in our Policy Requirements Handbook is as follows:

Job training match is an assessment tool used to evaluate effectiveness of vocational
training programs, Placement in ajob requiring skills similar to those included in the
student's training constitutes a job training match, and is determined by comparing
the training D.O.T. code to the placement D.0.T. code on the 6-78 utilizing 8
crosswalk system. There are several placement codes that will result in a job training
match for each training code. Training codes and placement codes that constitute a
job training match are grouped in the Job Corps Crosswalk Job Training Match
Guide for easy reference. Accurate reporting of training and placement codes is
crucial to the determination of a job training match.


31

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Job Corps is the nation’s most expensive job-training program, with an average
cost of more than $15,000 per participant. And, although there are reasons for this
high cost, a considerable amount of this investment is being spent on participants who
drop out early and who fail to complete their vocational training. It has been
recognized that those who complete their vocational training do berter-that is, they
get higher-siall jobs at better wages. To ensure that Job Corps operates the most
effectively and that benefits accrue to the greatest number of eligible youths, it is
imperative that the program identify, from among its eligible population, the applicants
who both need Job Corps’ intensive services and have the commitment, attitude, and
motivation to complete the training and benefit from the program. Furthermore,
without meaningfu) and accurate program performance information, Labor's ability to
effectively manage the program is jeopardized.

In the report we are releasing today, we make several recommendations to the
Secretary of Labor to help ensure that Job Corps uses its resources to serve the most
appropriate participants. We recommend that the Secretary provide clear and
complete guidance on program eligibility criteria and provide better guidance to
ensure that outreach and admissions contractors assess each applicant's capability and
aspirations to complete training and obtain 2 positive outcome. We also recommend
improvements in the measures Labor uses to assess placement contractor
performance, to make them more meaningful as tools for improving the selection and
retention of contractors,

In commenting on a draft of our report, Labor disagreed with our
recommendation that it clarify and expand its program eligibility guidance in order to
ensure that it is consistent with the law and gave no indication of any formal action it,
planned to take on this recommendation. Labor expressed concem with our
characterization of program eligibility guidance as inadequate. It commented that
guidance on one eligibility factor-limited job opportunity-was provided to all
admissions counselors during training conducted in program year 1995. Labor also
stated that another eligibility factor—cultural deprivation-was not included in its policy
handbook because other specific factors were more useful. We disagree that
sufficient policy guidance was provided on both factors. Providing guidance on the
term "limited job opportunity" during a training program was not adequate because,
even if all admissions counselors at that time attended this training, contractors and
staff have since tured over. And, as mentioned in our report, the admissions
counselors we interviewed interpreted this term in different ways, as they did ‘cultural
deprivation,” thus indicating that contractors need clearer guidance for interpreting
these terms consistently. In addition, Labor fails to explain how its guidance on either
term satisfies other specific provisions contained in the legislation and program
regulations.

15 GAO/T-HEHS-98.37


156

Mr. Suays. Thank you very much.

Sergeant Bethea, you are next. I would just comment that usu-
ally when we see a sergeant, they are dressed in their navy blue
uniforms or white uniforms, Now I get to see how a sergeant
dresses when he is not on duty. You look pretty terrific.

Mr. BETHEA. Well, I got a field promotion.

Mr. SHAYS. It is great to have you here.

Mr. BETHEA. Thank you. I want to thank Chairman Shays and
other members of this committee for inviting me to talk about how
Job Corps helped me.

My name is Jerry Bethea. I am currently an officer for the Dis-
trict of Columbia and very proud of the work I do. Years ago when
I was 21, it was different for me. I grew up in D.C. I dropped out
of school and, quite frankly, I never finished anything I started. Re-
alizing I was no longer a kid, but an adult, I became restless. I was
working in a job without opportunity. Then my stepfather rec-
ommended Job Corps.

I read about how Job Corps rovided education and training and
job Placement, so I visited lepartment of Employment Services
in D.C. and enrolled in the Potomac Job Corps Center in Southwest
in April 1992. At the time, I was still uncertain what I wanted to
do with my future, but I wanted to set a course. While at Job
Corps, all the pieces started to fall into place.

First, I completed my GED. Next, I enrolled in the center’s land-
scaping program, which was offered to me by the Home Builders
Institute. My instructor was very instrumental in helping me set
my goals. For the first time, I was setting goals and achieving
them. Once I completed a goal, it inspired me to set another. I won
awards for my performance.

My instructor noticed that I was also interested in law enforce-
ment. The D.C. Police Department had at the time its fire and po-
lice clinic on the Potomac Job Corps campus. We would see the po-
lice cruisers and officers going into it all the time. Often I would
try to ask them about their jobs.

It was actually my landscape instructor who encouraged me to
pursue my dreams of becoming a police officer. He helped me fill
out the forms and he also provided sound advice. One thing Job
Corps does is instill in students personal responsibility. I knew
that if I completed Job Corps, I would get a good job as a
landscaper, which I did, but I also wanted to keep other profes-
sional career options open, like becoming a police officer, so I sent
the forms in in 1992.

In January 1993, I was hired by Winn Management Corp., as a
groundsman/maintenance assistant. I was assigned as a full-time
employee at Atlantic Gardens complex in Southeast D.C. I worked
there for a year while also working part-time as a barber. In Octo-
ber of that same year I decided to work full-time as a barber at
the House Barber Shop. It was during this time that I was first
contacted by the D.C. Police Department and they began their ex-
tensive background check process.

Finally in October 1994, nearly 2 years from when I first filled
out my application forms with the assistance of my Job Corps in-
structor, I was accepted into the Academy for Police Training.
Today I am very happily employed with the District of Columbia


‘ONE MNORED F~ CONGRESS

Congress of the Umted States
Douse of Representatives
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM AND OVERSIGHT
2157 Rareunw House Orrce Buna
Wasuoron, DC 20815-6149,

‘OPENING STATEMENT

REP. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

RANKING MINORITY MEMBER
SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES

OCTOBER 23. 1997

Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding today’s hearing on the Job Corps Program. A.
former Labor Secretary referred to Job Corps as the “jewel in the crown" of jab training
programs. | agree with that assessment because of the comprehensive mix of integrated and
coordinated services provided by this program to a population of young people who face multiple
barriers to employment.

According to a 1996 GAO report, a successful employment project will have four
components: (1) it will ensure that participants are committed to training and getting a job: (2) it
‘will assist participants in removing barriers that could limit the clients’ ability to finish training and
‘get and keep a job; (3) it will improve the participants’ employability skills (eg. dependability,
Promptness. cooperation and conflict resolution). and (4) it will ink occupational skills training
with the local labor market. [t appears that Job Corps has accomplished these four components.
Job Corps services include: intensive remedial education: vocational training; social skills training;
work experience; counseling; health care, day care. and substance abuse programs.

Job Corps centers are operated by private industry with contracting arrangements carried
‘out through cost reimbursements and fixed fees. Many sites are run by the nonprofit educational
subsidiaries of large corporations. Job Corps links the most unlikely players: the government,
private industry and labor unions. This cooperation has allowed the program to serve more than
1.7 million disadvantaged young people since 1964

Some people are troubled by Job Corps’ 33% drop out rate. Nationally, alittle over one
third of the 63,000 students who enroll annually do not complete their vocational training, | am
‘not troubled by the drop out rate because I know four things: the drop out rate for private
‘vocational training is 50 percent; Job Corps takes troubled young people and provides them with
stability, shelter and supervision: and those who do complete their vocational program. are five
times more likely to obtain a training related job. ‘They also get a job with a wage that is 25%
higher than that earned by non-Job Corps attendees Therefore. although a 33% drop out rate


139

ATTACHMENT 5

33


147

Mr. SHays. Thank you very much. I will look forward to talking
to you both about the type of student you are having to serve and
questions related to that.

Miss Young.

Ms. YouNG. Congressman Shays and distinguished members of
the committee, I am Mary Young, Director of the David L. Carrasco
Job Corps Center in El Paso, TX. I joined the center staff prior to
the center’s opening in 1970.

The center has been operated since its inception by TEF, Inc.,
the corporation that also has operated the Gary Job Corps Center
in San Marcos, TX since it opened in 1965. The third center oper-
ated by TEF is located in Gainesville, FL.

Our center is named for our founding director of 20 years, David
L. Carrasco, who established the philosophy which continues to
serve as the basis for the success of our center and its graduates.
This philosophy is based on the firm belief that young people with
very bleak futures can be empowered to drastically change the di-
rection of their lives through a transformation which occurs as they
progress through the program.

It is my understanding that you are interested in Job Corps re-
cruitment and placement activities. I will describe some of our
practices and activities in these areas.

It has. long been recognized that the Carrasco Center is unique
in a number of ways. Most of our students are from the local com-
munity. This enables us to involve parents in the recruitment proc-
ess and in the progress of their sons and daughters once they enter
the center.

Two entities provide recruitment and placement services for the
Carrasco Center. These are the Texas Workforce Commission and
our own admissions and placement staff, who work under the aus-
pices of the DOL contract issued to TEF, Inc. This latter arrange-
ment gives TEF and center administrators important control over
recruitment and placement activities.

The standards of the Carrasco Center are high and are projected
to prospective enrollees. The recruitment process involves what we
call hurdles—keeping appointments on time, submitting required
documents promptly, and complying with the center’s dress and
grooming code.

One of the practices which contributes strongly to the success of
Carrasco Center students is the preorientation program. This 1-day
activity enables applicants to visit the center, observe classes, con-
verse with students and staff and be interviewed by center admin-
istrators. At the conclusion of the day, the applicant has sufficient
information and staff guidance to make an intelligent decision re-
garding an enrollment commitment.

This is not a creaming process. Center staff members make every
effort to determine how the potential enrollee can succeed in the
program.

A number of individuals come to mind who, by all reasonable ex-
pectations, should not have been Job Corps successes. I will refer
to one graduate, Eddie Hall, who recently addressed our Commu-
nity Relations Council. Eddie received a standing ovation at the
conclusion of his speech, in which he described his struggles with


153

Typically, youth seeking to enter the Center have no job skills and an
inadequate academic education. However, | confidently promise
orientation students that, if they will commit a year of their lives to this
Program, they will possess employment skills which will enable them to
obtain and hold a job. | also promise that they will earn either a high school

diploma or a GED certificate of high school equivalency.

A tremendous longevity exists in our staff, but as we employ new staff
members, we ask two questions. Does the prospective employee possess
the required job skills and, most importantly, does he or she meet the
Center standard of caring for and serving students? | am proud to tell you
that 25 of our 140 staff positions are filled by our graduates, including two

members of our senior management team.

Job placement for a Carrasco Center student begins on the day of
enrollment. Actually, the placement commitment is secured prior to

enrollment.

Counselors at our Center are members of the Counseling and Placement
Activities department. It is the counselor’s responsibility to develop the

entire spectrum of employability skills in the student and to assist with the


46

of course, this is not really measured in any way but those few
days or few weeks or few months that they were involved in the
program, some positive things could happen and nowhere along the
line is anybody measuring this. This really bothers me. Go ahead.

Ms. BLANCHETTE. The issue, i believe, there has been an esti-
mate of about 6 million people eligible for Job Corps and Job Corps
actually has participants of about 1 percent of that amount. And
it is an expensive program. There are various estimates of how
much it costs and really how much it costs depends on how lon,
a participant stays in the program but, on average, over $15,00
per participant.

To the extent that participants could have gotten training else-
where that would have satisfied their needs, that would have been
less costly, or to the extent that there were other potential partici-
pants that did not get into the program because this person got a
slot and left after a few weeks or months, the program is not being
as effective as it could be. That is the issue.

It. is not an issue of whether someone shows up for one day, that
that person might not get some value from having been there that
one day. That is not something we can determine and it is certainly
something that is possible. But in terms of a program that has
such a great population in need of its services, we would like to see
the participants most capable and willing to take advantage of
those services actually get in the program and have that oppor-
tunity.

Mr. NILSEN. I would like to add one other thing. When we looked
at what happens to those who stay in the Pe and complete
their training versus those who do not, as I ink you noted in your
opening remarks, those who stay in the program are more likely
to get a job, more likely to get a job related to the training and get
a job at a higher wage. :

Those who drop out and do not complete the training, on aver-
age, two-thirds of them get a low-skill job. So there are major dif-
ferences. And while you are right, that people could wake up and
change their orientation after a short period of time, as Ms.
Blanchette says, it is a matter of is this the most effective use of
Federal dollars?

Mr. Towns. Remember, I stated that it costs more to put a per-
son in prison. Don’t lose sight of that number, as well. Let me ask
this, Mr. Chairman, and then I will close.

You stated the Department of Labor does not have appropriate
data for determining contractor renewals. Can you tell us what
kind of data should be collected to make that determination?

Ms. BLANCHETTE. That was in relation to our assessment of the
placement measure that is one of the criteria, placement rate and
placement in jobs that match the skills training. Those are two di-
mensions or two measures that are used to assess contractors and
we found both of them to be flawed.

Mr, TOWNS. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Will there be a second
round?

Mr. SNOWBARGER. I think we will have time for a second round,

yes.
Let me ask a few fuestions real quickly and then Mr. Barrett
will inquire. This really isn’t the specific topic of your testimony


6

sion is to ensure economy and efficiency in government programs,
it seems to me that Job Corps should be praised for its use of gov-
ernmental resources. I would be proud to have a Job Corps center
in my district and I am going to work hard to be able to get one,
one day.

Mr. Chairman, on that note, I yield back.

{The prepared statement of Hon. Edolphus Towns follows:]


40

Mr. Chairman, the development of outcome-related goals and performance
measures is of major importance in ensuring the success of this program. It is also
what is needed for the program to meet the spirit of GPRA, which requires Federal
programs like Job Corps to demonstrate their value. In the case of Job Corps, that
would be for its students to attain long-term employment resulting in self-sufficiency.
Therefore, the Department needs to clearly define the outcomes expected from Job
Corps in terms of the number of students who will achieve self-sufficiency, what
constitutes self-sufficiency, and over what period of time. After the goals and measures
have been established, Job Corps must begin collecting the long-term outcomes
information needed to measure program performance against their goals. To collect
this information, Job Corps needs to have access to social security and unemployment
insurance wage data, which the program currently does not have.

IMPROVEMENTS BY JOB CORPS

In response to these audits, Job Corps has instituted policies or taken corrective
action over the last few years in efforts to improve performance in many of these areas.
For example, Job Corps:

+ Revised its performance management system to improve performance in certain
key areas such as: increasing placements in training-related employment,
decreasing the number of students that terminate from the program without any
measured gains, and decreasing the number of students whose career or
education status is unknown once they leave the program.

. Implemented a new code of conduct for Job Corps students that requires the
termination of any student committing any act of violence or testing positive for
drugs.

. Developed a technical assistance guide to assist center operators in identifying
performance problems, provided special training to key management staff, and
Provided certain iow-performing centers with intensive on-site technical
assistance.

. Implemented a screening process to ensure that students entering the program
possess the capabilities and aspirations necessary to secure the full benefits of
the program.

+ Increased job placement assistance to 6 months following termination from the
program and the follow-up on student employment status to 13 weeks after
placement.


120

‘our desire to build networks across the state have enabled us to keep the center filled with youth who

are willing to make the commitment to Job Corps.

Placement

Placement really begins during the admissions process when students are told that Job Corps is a job
training program designed to provide them with the skills to be fully employed upon completion.
As we discuss their goals and aspirations, we let the students know that by coming to Job Corps they
are making the commitment to become more employable. We even have the students sign an
employer release form (Attachment 5) that will allow us to talk with their employers to verify their
placement and follow up with them. Students acknowledge that their goal is to obtain full-time

meaningful employment when they terminate from Job Corps.

Once students enroll in Job Corps, the placement staff meet with them during their orientation phase
to discuss placement goals, a career plan and placement services. Additionally, a career
development plan is put together to help guide the students’ academic and vocational education.
This ensures that students enter Job Corps in the frame of mind to begin working toward
employment goals. Throughout students’ enrollment in Job Corps, they receive reminders of the
placement services they will be receiving. The attitude that placement is something that happens
after training has become obsolete. Staff and students now view placement as a process which

parallels and focuses their educational, vocational and social skills training.


19

services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including basic education, vocational skall
training, social skill instruction, counseling, health care, room and board, and recreation
Job Corps also offers training in several vocational areas. such as business occupations,
automotive repair, construction trades, and health occupations. Because of the
comprehensive services Job Corps provides, it is a relatively expensive program.
According to Labor's program year 1995 figures, the average cost per Job Corps student
was more than $15,000." In contrast, the cost per participant in the Job Training
Parmership Act title II-C year-round program for youths is $1,673. Cost varies according
to how long Job Corps participants remain in the program-we estimated that, at the six
centers included in a previous study, those who completed vocational training stayed an
average of 13 months with an associated cost of about $26,200

Considerable Job Corps’ resources are spent on participants who drop out early
and others who fail to complete their training, Although the length of time students stay
in Job Corps can vary substantially-from 1 day up to 2 years-a large number of Job
Corps participants leave within a short time after enrollment.” In program year 1995,
about 15 percent of the enrollees left within 30 days of entering the program and more
than one-fourth left within 60 days. Still others who stayed longer failed to complete
their training. In total, 57 percent of program year 1995 terminees did not complete their
vocational training, We estimated in our 1995 report that about 40 percent of program
funds at the six centers we visited was spent on participants who did not complete
vocational training.

Outreach and admissions services and placement services are provided by private
contractors, the centers, or state employment service agencies under contract. During

and found that a greater proportion of Job Corps youths (about 68 percent) than JTPA.
youths (39 percent) had multiple barriers to employment. See Job Corps: High Costs and
Mixed Results Raise Questions About Program's Effectiveness (GAO/HEHS-95-180, June
30, 1995).

‘On average, students spend about 7 months in the program.
*The average length of stay for JTPA title I-C is about 10 months. However, JTPA does

not provide the comprehensive array of services provided by Job Corps nor is it a
residential program.

(GAO/HEHS-95-180, June 30, 1995).

“Job Corps participants may be enrolled in the program for up to 2 years and may enroll
for an additional year to attend advanced career training.

3 GAO/T-HEHS-98.37


14

needs, environment, health history, behavioral adjustment history,
capability and aspirations, U.S. resident status, child care provi-
sions, parental consent and Selective Service registration. Job
Corps policy guidance for 2 of the 11 criteria is ambiguous and in-
complete.

‘ith respect to the environment criterion, Job Corps’ policy guid-
ance does not define a key term used to describe one of the features
of a qualifying environment and it limits eligibility to a set of fac-
tors that does not include another qualifying environmental feature
specified in the law.

With respect to capability and aspiration, Job Corps does not pro-
vide sufficient guidance for outreach and admissions contractors to
determine whether applicants meet this criterion. Without com-
plete and unambiguous guidance on the meaning of each criterion
and how to assess applicants with respect to each criterion, out-
reach and admissions contractors must rely on their own interpre-
tations. As a result, they may not be enrolling the most appropriate
applicants, thereby potentially contributing to the high drop-out
rate.

We found that contractors with lower drop-out rates took steps
to identify applicants with the commitment and motivation to re-
main in the program. The more successful contractors’ procedures
included commitment checks that were designed to test applicants’
initiative. For example, applicants interested in Job Corps are re-
quired to set up application appointments, arrive for their meetings

ressed in proper attire, submit written statements explaining why
they wanted to participate in the program and what they hoped to
accomplish and call weekly to determine the status of their applica-
tions. While not practical in every situation, pre-enrollment tours
of Job Corps centers and briefings were used to give applicants a
realistic basis for deciding whether they wanted to enroll in the
program.

Job Corps uses performance measures to evaluate program per-
formance and to make contract renewal decisions. However, two of
the measures Labor uses in assessing placement contractor per-
formance are not meaningful. One, placement in jobs, holds con-
tractors accountable for placing participants who are realistically
unemployable. These include participants who are in the pi
for as little as 1 day, those who were AWOL and those who were
kicked out for using drugs or committing violent acts. This could
lead to an understatement of actual performance. At the same
time, however, the job placement measure could be overstating per-
formance. Our previous work showed that many reported p)
ments could not be confirmed.

A second measure, placement in training-related occupations,
probably overstates performance, as well. According to Labor guid-
ance, a job training match results when a participant is placed in
a job requiring skills similar to those included in the participant’s
training. Placement contractors are responsible for recording this
information. However, Labor’s guidance provides a wide range of
jobs that would be considered a training match for the various
training categories and includes jobs that appear to bear little, if
any, relationship to the training received and, in some instances,
appear to require relatively little training. For example, training-


(ONE HURORED FIFTH CONGRESS

Congress of the United States

Bouse of Representatives:
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM AND OVERSIGHT
2157 Ra-eunn House OFFice BULOIG
Waswncton, D6 20515-6143

‘SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES
‘Chnatopher Shays, Connesticut
‘Chasrnan

‘Room 8-372 Reyourn Balding
‘Weshington,0.C. 20516
"Tot 202 226-2648
Fax: 202 2252382
EMat: hrgrec@mal outs gov

Statement of Rep. Christopher Shays
October 23, 1997

Last year this Subcommittee heard informative, moving testimony from men and women
‘whose lives had been transformed by job training that works. They described their difficult, very
different journeys from dependence and failure to the limitless world of work, self-esteem, and
self-reliance.

Why did they succeed where so many fail? According to the General Accounting Office,
(GAO) four common strategies, or best practices, mark successful employment training: ensuring
client commitment, removing barriers to employment, improving employability skills, and linking
skill training to the local job market.

Asa part of our oversight mission, we committed then to measure other job training
efforts against those standards. We asked the GAO to study the largest federally administered
training program, Job Corps, to determine the extent to which those strategies are present, and
how they might be spread, throughout that $1 2 billion endeavor.

Specifically, GAO examined the Department of Labor's (DoL) management of Job Corps
recruitment and placement contractors, asking how they demand, and how they measure, success
in two of the four strategic areas client commitment and placing that client into a job with long
term potential

The results of the GAO study, released today, point to the need for a stronger focus on
performance, and accountability, in both areas.

Job Corps is unique among the 163 federally funded job training programs, mandated to
provide an “unusually intensive” regimen, usually ina residential setting, to prepare at-risk young
‘men and women for a good job and a better life. It costs about $18,000 to house and train the
average Job Corps pasticipant, with more than 60,000 young people moving through the program
each year,


182

JOB CORPS RECRUITMENT & PLACEMENT TRAIN
1480 N. SNELLING AVE. FOR YOUR
ST. PAUL, MN 86108 FUTURE
(612) 642-1133 + 1-800-934-6627
FAX (612) 642-0123

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Today's date

Name
Age

= SS#

All information on this questionnaire is confidential and is used to determine your eligibility, your
ability to participate in the Job Corps program and services needed during your stay at the Job Corps
Center. BE HONEST WITH YOUR ANSWERS AS WE DO BACKGROUND CHECKS.

PERSONAL HISTORY @

1

List the names of the cities you have lived in over the past 3 years.

‘Name the school you last attended and when.

If you did not graduate from high school, why did you leave the high school program?

Did you receive any special education?
If yes, do you have an active IEP?

Have you ever seen a psychologist or psychiatrist?

Have you ever been involved with any gang?
If yes, name of gang, when and what city.

‘What is your most troubling health problem?

List any time you spent the night in the hospital or had to see a doctor for a period of time.
When? Why?

Have you been a patient in the emergency room? When? Why?

Have you ever used drugs or alcohol? (Be honest, we will test you.) If yes, how often and
what specifically do you use?

‘Operated for the U.S. Department of Labor by Dynamic Educational Systems, Inc.
26


110

support networks, youth who live in horrendous conditions at home or in communities where it is
common to hear gunfire and see drug dealing. We work with youth who have experienced a great
amount of failure in their lives, and when they hear about Job Corps they begin to visualize some
hope for the future. Job Corps becomes their dream for getting out of the darkness in which they
live. After hearing stories from the youth we enroll, | am amazed that they made it to Job Corps at
all. [can only imagine how much courage it takes for a young person to come to our office and face
another potential rejection. Making the decision to call Job Corps is, for some, one of the biggest
decisions they have ever made, so it is crucial that these youth have support and encouragement to

enroll. These agency connections are the frst line of that support.

Admissions

Clearly, not all people interested in enrolling in Job Corps are eligible, so it is imperative to establish
a system that will assist in screening appropriate and eligible youth into the program. In Minnesota
‘we have set up a series of steps a youth must follow in order to enroll in Job Corps. It is important
to note here that (1) the DESI Minnesota contract is a subcontract primarily responsible for
recruitment and placement for the Humphrey Job Corps Center and (2) Department of Labor, Region
V has also established a goal to have 80 percent in-state enrollment, which means that the majority

of the youth we recruit do enroll in the Humphrey Center. Our systems are based on these two facts.

Pre-Screening

Each youth who calls the Job Corps office is asked a series of questions designed to enable the office


69

of relying solely on U! wage data. The pilot project will help us determine the
usefulness of UI wage record data in tracking students’ post-program employment
experiences. We also are working with the OIG to identify other alternatives for
post-program follow-up.

Currently, the Department is conducting a major national evaluation of the Job
Corps. In terms of national representation, this Job Corps study is perhaps the most
ambitious evaluation of a social program ever conducted by the federal government.
We have completed the random assignment phase of the study which produced a
sample of over 15,000 youth who will be tracked over a four-year period. The first
results, which will be a descriptive process study, will be available next year. An earlier
independent evaluation done by Mathematica showed that the program returns to
society $1.46 for every dollar invested

Mr. Chairman, we also have taken a number of actions to address the problems
of poor performing centers, outreach/admissions and other Job Corps contractors.

These include:

+ Providing intensive onsite technical assistance to poor performing centers
by teams of experts;
+ Changing operators of nine centers since July 1995;

. Expanding the number of companies involved in Job Corps through the
award of contracts for center operations to eight corporations that never
before operated Job Corps centers;

* Revising the procurement system for center contractors to place
increased weight on past performance;

* Contracting out the operation of the Iroquois Job Corps Center, formerly
operated by the Department of Interior;

« __ Inpartnership with the National Park Service, closing the Gateway Job
Corps Civilian Conservation Center;

* — Recompeting contracts for poor performing outreach and admissions and


IMPROVED MEASURES ARE NEEDED TO EVALUATE
PLACEMENT CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE

While Job Corps is a performance-driven program, and Labor uses performance
measures in evaluating program performance and in making contract renewal decisions,
we found that Labor does not have the information it needs to accurately assess either
the program or placement contractor performance. Two of the four measures Labor uses
in assessing placement contractor performance are not meaningful. One of the measures
placement in jobs-holds contractors accountable for placing participants who are
realistically unemployable and, therefore, could lead to an understatement of actual
placement performance. At the same time, this measure could overstate placement
performance because, as our previous work has shown, many reported placements cannot
be confirmed. A second measure-placement in training-related occupations~probably
overstates performance for two reasons. First, it includes participants who received little
vocational training. Second, it gives placement contractors too much latitude in deciding
whether placements are training-related. Problems in these measures also result in
flawed assessments of overall program performance. Thus, we are uncertain about how
well the program is performing.

Job Placement Measures Are Flawed and
Many Reported Placements Are Unverifiable

‘The job placement measure Labor uses for assessing contractor performance has
flaws that could lead to both understatement and overstatement of actual performance.
Labor's current methodology for calculating a placement contractor's performance may
have resulted in an understatement of the placement rate at the contractors we visited by
an average of 8 percentage points. Labor's calculation includes participants who
remained in the program for as little as 1 day, those who were AWOL, and those who
‘were expelled after 30 days for using drugs or committing violent acts~all individuals a
placement contractor would have difficulty recommending for employment. During
Program year 1995, about one-third of the participants leaving Job Corps were in these
categories. We recognize that determining what happens to every program participant is
an important indicator of how well Job Corps is performing but not necessarily an
appropriate measure of placement contractor performance. If Labor's methodology were
modified to include only participants who were in the program long enough to obtain at
least minimal benefits (that is, stayed for at least 30 days) and were employable (that is,
were not terminated for drug and violence violations and were not AWOL), the average
placement rate for the 12 placement contractors we visited would have been from 2.6
percentage points to 13.6 percentage points higher.

Job placement data may also be overstated. Although Labor reports that 65
percent of Job Corps participants leaving the program are placed in jobs, our work has
raised questions about the validity of this figure. In our June 1995 report, we questioned
the validity of about 15 percent of the reported placements at six locations that we

8 GAO/T-HEHS.98.37


143

ATTACHMENT 7

37


10

i
It

2

HL
itd
if

oe Congress of the United States
cer ag ree House of Representatives:
cea on covenant ‘Walashingtan, FHC 20515-4200

October 22, 1997

‘The Honorable Christopher Shays
‘Subcommittee on Human Resources

‘Chairman,
B372 Rayburn HOB
‘Washington, D.C. 20515

‘Dear Mr. Chairman:

As you prepare for your oversight hearing on Job Corps on October 23, 1997, 1 would like to
reiterate my support for this national program. 1 also would like to thank you for the efforts to
enhance it so that many more of our country’s youth can benefit from all that Job Corps has to
offer, Each year, more than 60,000 young men and women enter Job Corps’ primarily residential
centers to secure the educational, vocational and social skills they need to become productive
members of society.

‘The State of Tennessee is fortunate to have two Job Corps Centers: the Jacobs Creek Center
located in Bristol and the Memphis Center. The citizens of Memphis and I are excited to have a
Job Corps Center located in our city, and we eagerly await the arrival of the first students. As a
matter of fact, as I am writing this letter, there are representatives from the Department of Labor
on site assessing the Center's start-up progress, program preparation, and facility construction to
deeming cs of ana ave You of Mano Tam pleased to echo and
the Department of Labor's procedure designed to ensure that all systems are in place to
Provide the stems wth exceptional felves, reps and well tuned tnd qualed sal
Prior to Center opening.

When construction is completed he Center wil be in the vanguard of providing youth with the
skills they need to compete in the technology-based 21st century

pessesici one of the lnrpert conventions o¢ henna inte anon, a5 well son uperalieled
telecommunications infrastructure. The Memphis Center will educate young people to enter
these growth industries. Residents will be prepared to eater medical technology and assistance
professions as well as computer technology, accounting, electrician, manufacturing and building
trades.

‘The operator, MINACT, INC., is a successful and experienced minority contractor which
operates several Job Corps Centers around the country. Its CEO and founder is a Memphis
native. In order to fulfill its mission, the Center will employ 113 staff members, most from the
geographical area surrounding the Center, The confluence of features which the Job Corps
program brings to the table makes it truly an all around “winning” program.

(PROTED ON PECHCLAD PAPER

i
ii


141

ATTACHMENT 6

35


JOB CORPS MEASURES UNDER THE
RESULTS ACT COULD BE IMPROVED

Labor's strategic plan with regard to Job Corps would be more useful if the
measures for the two performance goals it articulated were based on valid information
and included existing performance indicators. Further, relying on Job Corps' invalid
placement performance data compromises one of the basic purposes of the Results Act~
measuring the extent to which goals are achieved~and jeopardizes Labor's ability to
effectively manage the program. .

The Results Act requires virtually every executive agency to develop a strategic
plan, covering a period of at least 5 years from the fiscal year in which it is submitted.
The act is aimed at improving program performance. It requires that agencies, in
consultation with the Congress and other stakeholders, clearly define their missions and
articulate comprehensive mission statements that define their basic purpose. It also
requires that they establish longterm strategic goals, as well as annual goals linked to
them. Agencies must then measure their performance against the goals they have set and
report publicly on how well they are doing. In addition to monitoring ongoing
performance, agencies are expected to evaluate their programs and to use the results
from these evaluations to improve the programs.

‘The strategic plan Labor submitted under the Results Act consists of a department-
level strategic plan overview supplemented by strategic plans for 16 of its offices or units,
including ETA. The ETA strategic plan includes six goals, one of which is to increase the
number of youths, particularly at-risk youths, who successfully make the transition into
the workforce resulting in self-sufficiency. Job Corps is one of several programs aimed at
addressing this goal. In that regard, ETA’s plan includes two performance goals for Job
Corps: (1) increase the number of youths retaining jobs and increase their earnings and
(2) enhance their employability and increase their educational attainment levels.

While ETA's strategic plan structure appropriately defines the role of Job Corps
within its mission and strategic goal of increasing the participation of at-risk youths in the
workforce, resulting in self-sufficiency, we have concerns about the validity of one of the
measures articulated for one of its performance goals. As previously noted, our past
work and that of Labor's Inspector General has questioned the validity of placement
information. Thus, one of the basic measures with which Labor proposes to assess the
performance of Job Corps under the Results Act does not provide accurate and
‘meaningful information.

ETA's articulation of performance measures could be improved. As shown in table
2, its plan identifies proposed performance measures for one of its goals but not the
other. The plan states that performance indicators for the goal of increasing job retention
and earnings will eventually include postprogram job retention and postprogram earnings
gains. Job Corps will be developing these indicators by collecting data over the next 2

13 GAO/T-HEHS-98-37


166

so that we can really, really fully prepare youth for Job Corps
prior, even if they are not located nearby.

However, it is also important to note that we want to make sure
that we provide the maximum opportunity for every youth. So if
they are interested in a vocation we do not offer, such as brick ma-
sonry or carpentry or electricity, we are certainly going to ensure
that we are going to send them to the center where their needs are
going to be met vocationally.

Mr. Towns. And if it is somebody from New York you might not
be able to do that.

Ms. ROBINSON. They might not be able to do what?

Mr. Towns. If your students were from New York, you would not
be able to do those things?

Ms. ROBINSON. If the student is residing in New York they would
not be able to doa—

Mr. Towns. No, if we send a person from New York to your cen-
ter. Let me back up and ask the question. If we are talking about
youngsters coming from all over the country to Your State, at many
job centers they have children that come from all over, the question
{ am asking you is—let’s use Connecticut. If the student was from
Connecticut and enrolled in your center, you would not be able to
do the things that you just described?

Ms. ROBINSON. No, no, they would not be able to tour the center.
Also, the admissions counselor from Connecticut—we recruit just
for region 5 centers, which covers States in the Midwest area, so
that we can really understand those centers.

But I, for example, haven’t visited the Cincinnati Job Corps Cen-
ter, so I may not be able to prepare the youth as well as I would
like to, to go to Cincinnati from Minnesota.

So we become experts at our center and that is what I think part
of the Humphrey strength is, is that our students are well pre-
pared for our program.

Mr. Towns. Let me ask you to answer that question.

Ms. YOUNG. For us it has been a tremendous advantage to have
local students in our center. However, I also agree with what Mr.
Crosby has said because some of our students have gone to his cen-
ter for the advanced training programs that he has there and these
typically are the older students. It has been a very great advantage
for our operation to have students from the local area in the center.

Mr. Towns. Thank you.

Mr. Bethea, I don’t want to depress you but have you ever
tho ht, about what your life would be like if you had not gone to

lob Corps?

Mr. BETHEA. Yes, I have. It could have taken several avenues
but to sit up here and think about it, I just enjoy what I do. I am
glad I went there. I recommend it to anybody that comes up to me
that doesn’t have any idea of what they want to do or where they
are going to go. I tell them I went through it; they can do it. I don’t
even fathom the idea of where I could have been. I could have
taken a turn for the worst.

Mr. Towns. Let me just say this in closing. We are so happy that
you didn’t and we are happy that you are doing the kinds of things
that you are doing and we are very proud of you. I think that you
don’t realize how much you are doing for programs across the Na-


98

My point is that I have been in Job Corps long enough to have seen many
changes in both program operations and in the social makeup of the young people
we serve. From the different jobs I have held in Job Corps, I have been heavily
involved in designing and instituting administrative adjustments to meet these

ongoing changes.

The operational changes have been relatively simple. New responsibil
produced required adjustments in policies and procedures, increased acquisition of
materials, equipment, and facilities, and the improvement of administrative
supervision and reporting. But the most dramatic change having the strongest

impact on Job Corps has been the makeup of our students.

Initially, young men and women came to Job Corps generally motivated to
learn a trade and get a job. Their psychological and social backgrounds had
minimal effect on their training effort. As center director, my routine day was
very involved in meeting and visiting with the parents of our students. They came
to find out what their children were learning , how they were doing, and to

otherwise be involved in the program.


140

Job Corps JOB CORPS RECRUITMENT & PLACEMENT TRAIN
“ ClO HUBERT H. HUMPHREY JCC FOR YOUR
1480 N. SNELLING AVE.
| | ST. PAUL, MN 88108 FUTURE
(612) 642-1133 + 1-800-934-6627
FAX (612) 642-0123

Dear Employer,

The following person is a former student of the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center. This
is a program designed to provide students with the vocational skills necessary to obtain gainful
‘employment.

‘Our policy is to verify employment of all former students for a period of six months after
their termination. We will be collecting information on wage, hours, title and other information that
would assist our placement office in providing necessary support to the student.

RELEASE:

__________, give my waitten authorization to release all
information concerning my employment to the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center.

‘Signature Date

Thank you very much for your assistance. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate
to contact me at (612) 645-7448.

Placement Specialist


91

At Clearfield, union and Homebuilder Institute trades are offered
in which instructors and field coordinators are responsible for as-
sisting students and finding jobs throughout the country. Finally,
we have an advanced training program which is operated by the
United Auto Workers.

Mr. Chairman, Job Corps has been part of my life for more than
26 years. I have worked at numerous administrative disciplines at
several centers, including those located in Oklahoma, Texas, Or-
egon and Utah. At one time I was the Job Corps’ youngest center
director but quite possibly today I am the oldest.

The point is that I have been in Job Corps long enough to have
seen many changes in both program operations and in the social
make-up of the young people we serve. From the different jobs I
have held in the ‘Tob Carpe I have been heavily involved in design-
ing and instituting administrative adjustments to meet these on-
going changes.

The operational changes have been relatively simple but the
most dramatic change, having the strongest impact on Job Corps,
has been the make-up of our students. Initially, young men and
women came into the Job Corps generally motivated to learn a
trade and get a job. Their psychological and social background had
minimal effects on their training efforts. As center director, my
routine day was to be very much involved in meeting with the par-
ents of our students. They came in to find out how their children
were doing, how they were learning and to otherwise be involved
in the program.

Today it is a very different situation. The routine has gone. The
make-up of our students has turned upside down. They are young-
er, down to age 16. They come from dysfunctional families. They
either have one parent or no parents. Fathers are never seen or
heard from. The students’ social and health experiences have pro-
duced personalities based upon poor self-images and an absence of
motivation, illiteracy, chemical dependency and criminal activities.

There often seems to be no concept of what you and I know of
as the work ethic. Their social skills, so important to being success-
ful and beneficial in their interactions with employers, co-workers,
friends and neighbors, often fail to measure up with what could be
seen as a minimal level.

My staff and I and our counterparts at other centers spend most
of our time dealing with these pressing issues first, so we can get
the student into an educational and vocational training mode.

Mr. Suays. If I could just interrupt you for a second, just because
I am haunted by this, you say today; as opposed to how long ago?

Mr. Crossy. I started in 1971.

Mr. Suays. OK. And it’s just been gradual?

Mr. Crossy. It has been very gradual but it is apparent.

Mr. SHays. But when you look now, versus 1971, very different?

Mr. Crossy. Oh, yes. The parents would be waiting for the stu-
dents for the weekend trips. They would come up and talk to me.
Not only the parents, I knew their dparents, their aunts and
uncles. I knew everybody in the whole extended family. Today that
is not the case and it is truly sad.

Mr. Suays. Truly sad is right.


n

Honorable Christopher Shays.
Gaver, 1997
‘Page Two

‘The efforts made by Job Corps administrators and center operators to continuously improve the
~.quality of service to young people has been well documented and impressive. While

Government Cee eee eof 9S ar montanes Tob Corps had a0
‘extensive system of measurements and accountability for almost 20 years. I applaud your efforts
to review the recruitment and placement standards in light of strengthening its 32-year history of
success in serving our country’s most at-risk youth.

respectfully request that this letter be incorporsted into the official hearings record on Job
Cone slated for Thursday, October 23, 1997 by the House Subcommittee on Human Resources.

Sincerely,

hatha

Member of Cougress


97

have completed the program but have failed to show up at the admission
counselors’ offices for guidance and to receive assistance in finding employment

in their field of training.

Another dimension to Clearfield is that we have Union and Home Builders
Institute trades in which the instructors and field coordinators are responsible for
assisting students in finding jobs throughout the country. Finally, we have what is
called an advanced training trade which is operated by the United Auto Workers.
Students in the Job Corps program transfer from a smaller center to Clearfield for
advanced training after having completed a basic auto program. It is the only
school in America where all its training components are ASE (automotive service
excellent) certified. The UAW with its contacts places students in factories,
automobile agencies and in a multitude of advance training programs such as

those coordinated by Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Toyota and Honda.

Mr. Chairman, Job Corps has been a part of my life for more than 26 years.
I have worked in numerous administrative disciplines at several centers, including
those located in Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon, and Utah. At one time, I was Job
Corps’ youngest center director, but it’s quite possible that I may now be Job

Corps’ oldest.


102

d. Administering the Beck Inventory test for depression would save
time and money, and it is a one-page document that is the standard

among many mental health professionals.

e. Administering a standardized interest test such as the Strong-
Campbell, Kuder, Jackson, or COPES ( Career Orientation Placement

and Evaluation Survey) for vocational interest.

f. On the admission form, recruiters should note the local labor demand
so the enrolling student would be geared to training toward those
trades, Approximately 90% of our students go back home when they

leave the Job Corps.

g. Every prospective student should visit a Job Corps center before entry
to garner some idea of what they will be getting into and what the

expectations for them will be.

The tests that I mentioned can be administered in a short period of time and
certainly the results of which would be beneficial to the center by allowing it to

immediately start important preliminary work with these youths.


118

informed about the realities of Job Corps life in order to make the decision to enroll. This program
is also open to social workers, parents, friends and anyone who really wants an in-depth
understanding of Job Corps. This program is mandatory for all youth residing within a 30-mile
radius of the center and is highly recommended for all applicants. Current Job Corps students also

participate in the pre-orientation activities to answer any questions from a student's point of view.

In-State Enrollment. The Department of Labor, Region V, state-based recruitment policy
establishes the goal that all centers be comprised of 80 percent in-state enrollment. The policy
ensures improved access for students, parents, employers and service organizations to the Job Corps
centers in their state. Outreach, admissions and placement contractors are able to develop very close
alliances with the center in order to provide better service to students and the center. This also
allows 20 percent of each center's population to be comprised of out-of-state students to account for
center capacity, vocational offerings, parental preferences, family needs, medical conditions and

waiting periods for center openings.

‘Thirty-Day Retention Strategies. When a student enrolls in Job Corps and then leaves in the first
thirty days, the Admissions Counselor and the center counselor contact the student to determine the
reason for leaving. Some of the issues can be easily resolved (such as wanting a new roommate)
while others are more significant. The Admissions Counselor and the center counselors work
together to develop a plan to bring the student back and fully inform the student of all the benefits

of staying in Job Corps.


65

STATEMENT OF MARY H. SILVA
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF JOB CORPS
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES AND
INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM AND OVERSIGHT

October 23, 1997

Chairman Shays, Congressman Towns, and Subcommittee members, thank you
for the opportunity to appear today to discuss Job Corps -- the nation’s largest and
oldest comprehensive residential training program for seriously at-risk youth. | am
pleased to provide you with information on the Federal design of Job Corps’
outreach/admissions and placement processes and how they are connected with Job
Corps centers, particularly as they relate to the GAO report on Job Corps enrollment
practices and placement measures. | will also provide you with information regarding
the recent OIG performance audit of the Job Corps Plasterers and Cement Masons
Training Program.

Many young people need help making the successful transition to the world of
work and adulthood -- none more so than the young people served by Job Corps. All
Job Corps students are economically disadvantaged and face considerable barriers to
success in life. Nearly 80 percent are high school dropouts; 64 percent have never
held a full-time job; and over 40 percent are members of families receiving public
assistance. Seventy percent are minority, and 60 percent are young men. Eighty-eight
percent participate on a residential basis. Job Corps serves over 60,000 young people
each year and is the nation’s largest investment for at-risk youth.

The program operates through a network of centers, outreach/admissions

contractors and placement contractors juined by a shared mission statement, a specific


71

program is serving those it is intended to serve — severely disadvantaged youth. Job
Corps policy is to assign eligible youth to the center closest to their home. Workforce
development legislation recently reported out by the Senate Labor Committee focuses
attention on development of assignment policies designed to strengthen connections
between students' home communities, place of study, and the labor market they will
return to.

Job Corps outreach/admissions contractors have forma! performance standards
which relate to their specific function and which contribute to overall student outcomes
as well. The functional standards relate to achievement of contract goals for enrollment
of new students. The other standard is a commitment standard, which is a measure
based on the percentage of new students who remain at each center for over 30 days.

The commitment standard was established because outreach/admissions
contractors bear the responsibility for providing potential students with accurate
information about the Job Corps program, the center to which the applicant will be
assigned, and what daily life at a center is like. At the same time, we realize that
st: dents leave Job Corps for a variety of reasons, including homesickness,
unanticipated family problems, or difficulties adjusting to group life and the rules and
regulations of a Job Corps center. However, if an admissions counsslor is doing his or
her job, new students will go into Job Corps with a realistic picture of what center life
will be like and will be less {likely to leave because the program does not meet their
expectations. Outreach/admissions contractors share accountability with centers for
retention of siudents in the program. However, after a student has been enrolled for 30
days, we feel the primary responsibility for retention shifts from the recruiter to the
center based on the quality of programs and services it offers.

An April 1996 GAO report entitled “Successful Projects Share Common
Strategy" no‘ud that one common strategy of successful projects is ensuring clients are
commited to training and getting a job. Currently, applicants for Job Corps must sign a

commitment statement indicating they understand that:


16

consideration and it identified actions that it would take.

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, this concludes
my prepared statement. We would be happy to answer any ques-
tions you have.

[The prepared statement of Ms. Blanchette follows:]


160

Page Three

I would like to conclude by telling you and the committee that I feel that

Job Corps was an important turning point in my life. It worked so well for me that
Lrecommended it for my sister. She too benefitted greatly from the Potomac Job
Corps center. She graduated as an advanced completer in nursing and is now in
college pursuing a nursing degree.

Job Corps was good to me and that’s why | still visit the Potomac Job Corps
center to speak to the students enrolled there. They are just like I was many years
ago. It is important for them to see that the path you take to finding a career can
take different routes. The final decision of whether they will be successful really
relies on their own ambition, goal setting and determination to use their skills. Job
Corps helps them sort through it all. It did for me and it can for them.

‘Thank you.


99

Today, it’s a very different situation, The routine has gone. The makeup of
our students has turned upside down. They are younger - down to age 16. They
come from dysfunctional families. They have either one or no parent, fathers are
never seen nor heard from. The students’ social and health experiences have

produced personalities based on poor self-image, an absence of motivation,

illiteracy, chemical dependency, and criminal activity. There often seems to be no
concept of what you and I know as a work ethic. Their social skills, so important
to a successful and beneficial interaction with employers, co-workers and friends
and neighbors, often fail to measure up to what could be seen as a minimal level.
My staff and J, and our counterparts at other centers, spend most of our time
dealing with these pressing issues first so we can soon get the student into

educational and vocational training mode.

Job Corps is not for everyone, however, it is designed to address many
social and medical shortcomings so common in today’s youth. Fortunately, our
society has expanded other programs and facilities that are geared to deal with the
most serious mental health and behavioral problems beyond the capabilities of Job
Corps. The key is our recruiting system. It must thoroughly and accurately

identify those negative situations and provide referrals to appropriate services. It


21

this conclusion. We found that students who completed vocational training at the six
centers we visited were 50-percent more likely to obtain a job than students who did not
complete it (76 percent versus 49 percent, respectively). Furthermore, those who
completed such training were five times more likely to obtain a training-related job at
wages 25-percent higher than students who did not complete their training? In contrast,
about two-thirds of the jobs obtained by students who did not complete their training
were in low-skill positions such as fast-food worker, cashier, laborer, assembler, and
janitor.

BETTER ELIGIBILITY GUIDANCE AND SCREENING
ARE NEEDED TO SELECT PARTICIPANTS

The eligibility guidance that Labor provides to its outreach and admissions
contractors and the screening procedures these contractors follow need to be improved.
Labor has not provided adequate guidance on 2 of the 11 eligibility criteria-living in an
environment characterized by disorienting conditions and having the capability and
aspiration to complete and secure the full benefits of Job Corps. Without complete and
‘unambiguous guidance, outreach and admissions contractors may not be enrolling the
applicants who are the most appropriate for the program and, thus, may potentially be
contributing to the dropout rate. We found that contractors with lower dropout rates
follow procedures aimed at identifying applicants with the commitment and motivation to
remain in and benefit from the program. However, others not following such procedures
have higher dropout rates.

Guidance for Two Eligibility:
‘Critenia Is Inadequate

Job Corps' policy guidance for 2 of the 11 eligibility criteria is ambiguous and
incomplete, which has led to an eligibility determination process that fails to follow the
requirements of the legislation and regulations. One of these requirements is that, to be
eligible for Job Corps, program participants must be from an environment so
characterized by cultural deprivation, disruptive homelife, or other disorienting conditions
as to impair their ability to successfully participate in other education and training
programs. However, regarding this environmental requirement, Job Corps’ Policy and
Requirements Handbook (1) does not define key terms used to describe “other

“Because of the wide latitude Labor guidance permits for determining whether jobs
participants obtained were training-related, we analyzed each of the more than 400
placements at the six centers and, using information contained in the Dictionary of
Occupational Titles, compared the job with the vocational training provided to determine
whether the job was related to the training received. This resulted in a stricter
interpretation of a job-training match for both those who completed and those who did
not complete vocational training.

5 GAO/T-HEHS-98-37


50

Federal Government is willing to spend this amount of money on
helping the individual.

e problem there is with defining one of the qualifying factors,
and that is limited employment opportunity. And the reason that
particular factor is so important is that most of the outreach and
admissions contractors that check off the environmental criterion
use that as the reason, but there doesn’t seem to be much consen-
sus as to what it means.

Some contractors believe that it has to do with characteristics in-
herent in the person. The person has limited opportunities because
of lack of education, lack of skill, not being able to get to where the
jobs are. There are other contractors that believe that means some-
thing that has to do with the geographical area, the economic con-
ditions in the area, that the area has high unemployment rates, for
example. These are completely different sets of factors.

So yes, someone needs to define for the contractors what is
meant by this. This is a requirement in the law.

And with respect to determining commitment and aspiration, we
have been talking about that all morning. It is one of the four
things that we mentioned some time ago in a report on common
features of successful job training programs. If the participant, him
or herself, is not committed to remaining in the program and get-
ting skills and getting a job, then it certainly lessens the likelihood
of success.

So there has to be some way of communicating to the numerous
contractors what is meant by these factors. Otherwise, you
wouldn’t have equitable assessment across the board. You would
have people coming into the program in one area that were dif-
ferent from people in others because the contractors are using their
own interpretations. And the problem really seems to be not nec-
essarily getting the right people into the program; therefore, we
have the high drop-out rates. In other words, we are not getting
people into the program that have the commitment that is nec-
essary, or people that could take maximum advantage of the pro-
gram because of their situation prior to entering the program.

Mr. Towns. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I know we
have a vote on.

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Yes, we will be in recess. Let’s hurry back. We
apologize.

[Recess.]

Mr. Suays [presiding]. We will reconvene this hearing and Mr.
Towns, you have the floor.

Mr. Towns. I have GAO’s response but now I would like to get
Labor IG’s response. What measures do you believe should ee
taken to assure that placement contractors have actually placed
someone in a job?

Ms. DaLTon. Historically, we have found when we have audited
placements numbers, that there has been a fairly high error rate
in those numbers. The last time that we audited the placement
numbers there was an 18 percent error rate and based on that
audit, Job Corps has instituted a verification system where a sepa-
rate contractor verifies a sample of placements to see whether or
not they are accurate, that they have been accurately reported or
not, by contacting the student or contacting the employer.


95

refugee students representing over 25 countries where civil war and social strife

are common.

The recruiters of Job Corps youth represent private for profit, nonprofit, and
state governmental agencies. To name a few, this includes companies like
Dynamic Education Systems, Inc., DelJen, Inc., Women in Community Services,
Minorities Employment Service, and the Employment Services offices of North

and South Dakota.

At Clearfield, we work hard to maintain an ongoing communication
program with those recruiters who serve our center. To minimize the early
dropout rate at Clearfield, our objective is to let them know we expect new
applicants to be in relatively good health, to have the ability to benefit from what
our center offers, and to adjust to being away from home. We want these
applicants to know they can expect us to provide a safe learning environment in
which they may obtain a quality education and learn a career-oriented vocational

trade.

Dealing with the number of students that we do, we are aware of the fact

that the students are far from home and that homesickness can take its toll. We


33

Mr. SNOWBARGER. Thank you, Ms. Blanchette. I should have
mentioned that Ms. Blanchette and Dr. Nilsen are with the GAO.
Then Ms. Dalton and Mr. Getek are with the Inspector General,
Department of Labor. Ms. Dalton.

Ms. DALTON. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Towns. I am
pleased to appear before you to discuss our audit work in the Job
Corps program. The views I am expressing today are those of the
Office of Inspector General and may not be the official position of
the U.S. Department of Labor.

Over the years, the OIG has conducted numerous audits of this
program to provide management with information critical to its ad-
ministration, and to provide Congress with relevant oversight infor-
mation. These audits have focussed primarily on assessing the re-
sults of the program both, from the perspective of student out-
comes, and the effectiveness of the program as a whole.

Through these audits we have identified, or pointed to, weak-
nesses in key aspects of the program, namely, the quality of train-
ing, contractor performance, center operations, the level and qual-
ity of placements and the level and effectiveness of followup serv-
ices. We have also identified best practices for the program as a
whole and made recommendations on needed improvements and
corrective actions.

In many cases, management has agreed with us and taken nec-
essary corrective actions. For example, we have furnished Job
Corps with comprehensive cost analysis reports on the performance
of the program in which we identified a number of issues affecting
the overall performance of the program. These have included stu-
dents finishing the program with no measurable gains, students
not obtaining jobs in occupations for which they were trained, and
the low performance of certain centers.

We also conducted an audit of the Job Corps student outcomes
for a sample of 1,800 students. Some of our findings included our
inability to determine whether or not 56 percent of the students
were working following their participation in the program. Job
Corps had invested $12.5 million in these students.

The audit also disclosed that while the occupations in demand
were determined at the center level, the vocational curriculum for
each center is determined at the National office.

In that audit we identified several ways to improve the benefits
students derive from the program. Among our recommendations
were: the need for measuring and documenting, on a continuing
basis, the long-term outcomes of Job Corps students; refining voca-
tional training to ensure that training provided is consistent with
occupations that are in demand in the geographic areas in which
the majority of students return; and addressing the needs of em-
ployers for skilled workers by ensuring Job Corps curricula ade-
quately prepares students.

We also conducted a survey, in cooperation with Job Corps, to
identify best practices currently used in high-performing centers.
These practices included: establishing an outcome-oriented pro-
gram of academic education, vocational and social skills training
with clear, attainable goals, and establishing accountability over
performance by identifying problems, taking prompt corrective ac-


168

Mr. Crossy. They partied for a week. I went to work as a com-
mon laborer. And if anybody was doing a followup on John Crosby
after he graduated from college, well, John Crosby is a failure be-
cause he went to work as a common laborer, because there was no
job match.

Five months later I quit that job and it would have shown up on
some statistical report, well, not only is he a failure because he
doesn’t have a job match; he quit the job. Then I went into the field
of my choice.

So I think that is important. I think we have to really take a
look at this, the credibility of the followup. How far down the line
do we truly have to go? I think the proposal now is 13 weeks.
Again, if they had done it on John Crosby, he would have been a
failure. So I would just like to have that in the record.

Mr. Suays. That will be in the record.

Let me just say, with the permission of the ranking member and
his concurrence, we are going to invite Elias Moreno, who is a re-
cent Job Corps graduate who was mentioned by Mary Silva, a

aduate, I guess, in El Paso, TX, just to give us some observations
fe might have. Were you in Job Corps? Do I have that correct?

Mr. Towns. I think he is still in it.

Mr. Moreno. I am in Job Corps.

Mr. Suays. You are still in Job Comps. Well, we are not swearing
you in. We are not putting you at the witness table but we are
going to invite you to just give us your observation, if you would
like to. It is nice to have you here.

Mr. MoRENO. Well, before I first went into Job Corps I suffered
child abuse and child neglect from both my parents. There was a
point when my mother took me out of high school. I only went 4
weeks. She dropped me off for no reason and abandoned me. I
didn’t go to school for a whole year, which I donated my time to
go to middle schools, elementary schools and help other students
as in tutoring or counseling, if possible.

How I found out about Job Corps was by one of the counselors
in one of the schools. I was so excited because I was going back to
education, but there was a problem. I didn’t have a parent’s signa-
ture nor a guardian. I looked for my father all over. I found him
and he did sign legal guardianship to another person.

I was happy. The first day I was interviewed to get into Job
Corps was one of the happiest days of my life. When I walked in
Job Corps, the first thing I saw was people with their arms wide
open saying, “Come in and we will help you toward your education
and anything you need.”

Now that I am going to graduate, I feel like I don’t want to go
because for me, they are my parents. I never had real parents and
for me, they were there when I needed them. They were there
whenever I needed them and there is nothing that will separate me
from being with Job Corps.

I am planning on going to Phoenix, AZ, to go to technical school
and transferring to a co! lege. My goal is to get a doctoral degree
in computer science. I would like to go back to Job Corps and vol-
unteer my time to be a counselor to all students and telling them
there is always an opportunity there for you and there will always


133

IL. Have you ever been to court for any reason? —
12. How may times in your life have you been in court for the following offenses, even if the
charges were later dropped?
#OF CONVICTED?
CHARGES AGE YES NO

Shoplifting/Theft oe

Parole/Probation Violation .
Drug Charges
DWI

Public Intoxication
Forgery

Burglary, Larceny, BRE
Robbery

Assault

‘Arson ee
Homicide, Manslaughter —
Vandalism
m, Other

13, Are you presently awaiting charges, tial, or sentence? YES __ NO ____ if yes, when and
what for?
14. Are you currently on probation? YES NO___
If yes, please provide the following:
Probation Officer
Address & phone #

cro rem me ae oe

HATE

JOB CORPS AND YOU +

1. How did you hear about Job Corps?
2. What are your vocational goals?
3. How can Job Corps help you reach your goals?

4. List your top three choices of the vocations we offer.
1.

3.

5. What are your major concems or doubts about coming to Job Corps?

6. Help others get their future on track. Please list names and numbers of people you feel could
benefit from this program.

1 (we) certify that the above information provided is true and complete to the best of my knowledge.
I (we) understand that any false statement or dishonest answer can be grounds for termination from
Job Corps. I (Wwe) understand that Job Corps is an educational and vocational program; it is not a
program designed for people who only want their GED.

Applicant's Signature ~ Parent/Guardian Signature

Admissions Counselor Date

27


17

‘Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:

We are pleased to be here today to discuss Job Corps, a $1 billion program
administered by the Department of Labor that serves youths aged 16 to 24 who are
economically disadvantaged, in need of additional education of training, and living under
disorienting conditions, such as in a disruptive homelife. The 109 Job Corps centers are
operated under contracts with Labor, which also issues contracts for outreach and
admissions and placement services. Job Corps is the nation's most expensive job training
program with an average cost of more than $15,000 per participant. Reasons for this high
cost include that the program serves a severely disadvantaged clientele with multiple
barriers to employment and that it provides a comprehensive array of services in a
residential setting. In spite of this considerable investment, about 25 percent of the
participants in the program drop out within 60 days, and 87 percent of those who leave
the program do so without completing their vocational training. In contrast, those who
remain in the program and complete their vocational training obtain higher-skill jobs at
better wages.

My testimony today focuses on how Labor can improve the selection of Job Corps
participants and how it can improve the information it has available on program
placements in order to adequately manage the program and assess placement contractor
performance. Having the right information is particularly important if Labor is to improve
program performance as envisioned by the Government Performance and Results Act of
1993 (the Results Act). Much of my testimony is drawn from a study being released
today that we conducted atthe request of the Chairman as wel as om several other Job
Corps reports we have issued over the past 2 years.

For the report being released today, we met with Labor officials and reviewed
Labor's eligibility policy guidance in relation to applicable legislation and regulations. We
analyzed national data on the characteristics of program participants and early dropouts
enrolled during program year 1996.’ We also analyzed program retention data and
placement results for each outreach and admissions and placement contractor during
program years 1904 and 1996 to identify contractors that had higher and lower retention
‘or placement performance. From among these, we selected 14 contractors to visit-2 that
do only outreach and admissions, 1 that provides only placement services, and LI that

(GAOMEHS-96-1, Oct. 21, 1997).

*A program year begins on July 1 of a year and ends on June 30 of the following year. A
program year is designated by the year in which it begins. Thus, program year 1995
began on July 1, 1995, and ended on June 30, 1996,

GAO/T-HEHS-98-37


61

So in this particular instance, no, I would not say that these are
factors that perhaps if they were defined at a local level would be
more meaningful. They are general. The 11 really have to do with
statutory requirements. One is age. Economic status is another. A
number of them have to do with basic statutory requirements that
allow this program to serve the severely disadvantaged. Others
have to do with other ways of getting at that same basic way of
defining the People most in need of the program.

Mr. Pappas. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Says. Thank you very much.

I just have one quick comment and then I think I will let you
close. What I am wrestling with is Job Corps is the most expensive
job training program and yet it is dealing with the most disadvan-
taged, and I understand. It strikes me that no matter how well
someone is trained in a skill, they still have to go through some
of the most basic kinds of jobs before they get there. I cringe in a
way at the cosmetologist who is a hot room attendant giving pa-
trons towels, but in one sense, they are going to go through that
process.

My question is: do they go through that process at the end of the
job training program or do they do it while they are in it? And if
they are doing it while they are in it, 1 am pretty comfortable with
that. If they are doing it at the end, at their graduation point, then
Thave a little bit of question as to why it didn’t happen in the proc-
ess.

Do you know the question I am asking here? You looked at these
Programs and this is your chart, correct?

is. BLANCHETTE. Yes, the chart we included in our testimony
and in our report is a chart of possible placements, once someone
leaves the program.

Mr. Suays. And the program lasts how long?

Ms. BLANCHETTE. It could last up to 2 years. The average we
found was 10 months.

Now, I will say that participants leave the program quite often
without completing the training.

Mr. Says. Without what?

Ms. BLANCHETTE. Without completing the training. They drop
out. And drop-outs are placed also, or could be placed, also. So they
are included.

Mr. Suays. And the drop-out rate is how much? What is the per-
cent?

Ms. DatTon. It is 30 percent.

Mr. SHays. Which is extraordinarily high. I mean, considering
that their living accommodations are taken care of, they have
food—these must be tough kids.

Ms. BLANCHETTE. One of the things we say about the drop-out
rate has to do with the early drop-out rate. We found that a quar-
ter drop out in the first 60 days.

Mr. Suays. And it is 16 to 24 years old. I will ask our next panel
about that issue.

Mr. Towns.

Mr. Towns. Basically, I know that especially here, we are always
eager to try and compare. I just feel a little uncomfortable when


130

HUBERT H. HUMPHREY JOB CORPS CENTER/DESI

OUTREACH REFERRAL
DATE

How did you hear about Job Corps?

Name

Address

Telephone Number Alternate #

Female( ) — Male( )

Date of Birth Age

ss#

Highest grade completed Special Education?

Appeared in Court? Yes{ ] No[{ ] On Probation?

Do you have any fines or restitution to pay?

Have you gone to the emergency room or been hospitalized overnight in the last
four years? Yes{ ] No[ ] Comments:

Treatment? Mental Health{ ] Drug[ ] No[ ] Comments:

Children or Pregnant? Yes{] No[ ]
Do you have daycare? Yes{ ] No{ ] Comments:

What is source of income?
Welfare (| General Assistance { ]

General Comments:

(if applicant is 16-17 yr old, they must bring their school records with them to the interview.)

24



114

8 Behavioral Adjustment History. The applicant must be free of behavioral problems so
serious that he or she could not adjust to the center, would prevent others from benefitting
from the program, would require face-to-face supervision from the court system or has court-
imposed financial obligations.

9. Child Care. If the applicant has dependent children, arrangements must be made to ensure

that the children will have adequate care as long as the applicant is enrolled in Job Corps.

10. Parental Consent. An applicant of minor age must have the written consent of a parent or
legal guardian, or be an emancipated youth if under the age of 18.

11. Capability and Aspirations to Participate. The applicant must have the ability and

motivation necessary to complete the program and benefit from Job Corps.

Each of these eligibility requirements must be met in order for an applicant to be accepted into the
Job Corps program. It is important to remember that the disadvantaged youth we serve come from
environments that make it difficult to move ahead in life.

‘One young woman we worked with was responsible for her younger siblings because her mother was
addicted to drugs. Another applicant, age 17, had been on her own for several years after her mother,
‘a gambling addict, abandoned her and moved to Las Vegas. We have seen youth come from areas
so impoverished or crime-ridden that they find living on the streets safer than living at home; youth
who want to escape a life of gangs and drugs; youth who have failed school and dropped out because
they were told they would never amount to anything.


116

Is the Capability and Aspirations Assessment Tool (CAAT) (Attachment 4) an effective tool

to determine commitment level?

‘The CAAT form allows the Admissions Counselor to determine if an applicant has followed through
on expectations such as obtaining needed documents and having a good attitude. The observations
and judgment of the Admissions Counselor are critical in determining the applicant's current
attitude, What we see on paper (school records, health history, court involvement) may be an
accurate reflection of the applicant's past, but these documents may not accurately portray his or her

‘current situation.

‘The Admissions Counselor can make a comprehensive judgment based on the CAAT and all other
interactions with the applicant as well as other documentation collected for the application such as
school records. We must determine capability by assessing whether the applicant has the mental
ability and desire to successfully complete the Job Corps program. We note each applicants
attitude, dress, questions asked, enthusiasm, goals, and expressed willingness to follow all the rules.

‘The CAAT is designed to measure those characteristics that are generally displayed by individuals
who are likely to benefit from the program. The CAAT provides a tangible assessment of the
applicant which, if coupled with observations made by the Admission Counselor, should provide
evidence of the applicant’s eligibility under this criterion. Yes, itis a judgment call based upon

knowing the demands of life on center, the desired results, and the potential of the applicant.


‘So unique a program demands unique efforts to assess the readiness of those who would
enroll, And so intensive a program should produce demonstrably positive outcomes for those
who stay the course,

But, according to both the GAO and the DoL Inspector General. high drop out rates may
‘mean contractors are not being careful enough about who gets into Job Corps. while poor job
placements mean we can’t be sure what they te getting out of it. We look to the Department. and
‘our other witnesses. Job Corps contractors. center operators and a graduate. for suggestions to
improve these two to longstanding problems.

Successful job training programs achieve much because they strive for much. For more
than thirty years, the Job Corps has given young people a chance to strive, to reach beyond past
failures and present disadvantages. It's not a chance everyone is prepared to make. and not every
Job Corps student will find a job. But the program, as it has in the past, should strive for more,
and achieve more, through better recruitment and stronger jab placements, two indispensable
hhalimarks of job training that works.

Welcome. We look forward to your testimony


93

Corps and VISTA, and is one of the country’s most cost-effective
programs. It tells the world that we are still a caring people and
that we continually try to improve these pro to meet the con-
stantly changing needs of our young people that we serve.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Crosby follows:]


38

GENERAL PROGRAM FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Overall Program Performance

As | mentioned, in our oversight of this program, we have worked to identify
weaknesses, as well as best practices, which impact the overall success of the
program. For example, we have furnished Job Corps with comprehensive cost analysis
reports on the performance of the program. These reports, which were based on Job
Corps' own data for each of its individual centers, provided ETA with an additional
management tool to evaluate and maximize the program's effectiveness. As a result,
these reports did not contain specific recommendations — just information on the
program's performance. Through these reports, we identified a number of issues
affecting the overall performance of the program including: students finishing the
program with no measured gains, students not obtaining jobs in occupations for which
they were trained, and the low performance of certain centers.

Student Outcomes

We also conducted an audit of Job Corps student outcomes for a sample of
1,800 students who were placed, or whose period of placement assistance expired,
during Program Year 1991. Some 2 years following their termination from Job Corps,
the OIG could not determine the career status of 56% of the students in our sample.
Consequently, the OIG was unable to determine whether or not these students were
working following their participation in the program, for which Job Corps had invested
approximately $12.5 million. We also found that 10% of the students were
unemployed; 25% had obtained unmatched employment (i.e., employment not related
to the training received), with an average hourly wage of $5.79; 7% had obtained
matched employment (i.e., employment related to the training received), with an
average hourly wage of $6.87; and 3% were either enrolled in school or in the military.
The audit also disclosed that while the occupations in demand are determined at the
center level, the vocational curriculum for each center is determined by the Job Corps
National Office. Moreover, the geographic areas used to determine occupations in
demand are defined primarily as the local community in which the center is located,
despite the fact that many students return to their home for placement services
following their job corps training.

As a result of this audit, Mr. Chairman, we identified several ways to improve the
benefits students derive from the program. Among our recommendations were the
need for:

+ Job Corps to access wage data maintained by the states to track student's
employment after leaving the program;


158

STATEMENT OF
JERRY BETHEA
Before the Congress of the United States
‘Subcommittee on Human Resources
October 23, 1997

I want to thank Chairman Shays and the other members of this committee for
inviting me to talk about how Job Corps helped me. My name is Jerry Bethea.
Currently I am a police officer for the District of Columbia and very proud of the
work I do.

Years ago, when I was 21 it was different for me. I grew up in D.C. I
dropped out of school, and quite frankly I never finished anything ! started.
Realizing I was no longer a “kid,” but a young adult, I became restless. | was
working in a job without opportunity. Then my stepfather recommended Job
Corps.

I read about how Job Corps provided education and training and job
placement. So, I visited the Department of Employment Services in D.C. and
enrolled at the Potomac Job Corps Center in southwest D.C. in April of 1992. At
that time I was stil] uncertain what ] wanted to do with my future, but I wanted to
set acourse. While at Job Corps all the pieces started to fall into place.

First, I completed by GED. Next, I enrolled in the centers’ landscaping
program, which was offered by the Home Builders Institute. My instructor was
very instrumental in helping me set goals. For the first time, I was setting goals
and achieving them. Once I completed a goal, it inspired me to set another. | won
awards for my performance.

My instructor noticed that I was also interested in law enforcement.


125

Let us take the example of a student who was trained as a carpenter. A job training match would
occur if he were placed as a carpenter or any other job that would utilize skills developed during his
taining such as landscape gardener, drywall applicator or construction worker. Is a job-related
match any less desirable than a perfect job match? No. The fact is that the youth will be better

prepared and have greater opportunity for growth if the job is related to their training.

I want to emphasize again that Job Corps is designed to assist disadvantaged youth to become more
responsible, employable and productive citizens. To this degree, Job Corps is quite successful. We
are able to raise the employability of youth, many of whom were unemployable prior to their
enrollment in Job Corps.

‘Your letter also stated that you would like to understand whether the current Department of Labor
job classification designations are appropriate for job training matches. I would say yes; however,
I do believe the categories we use are broader than they should be. Streamlining the categories of
positions that constitute a job training match would produce a more accurate picture and more

closely related job training matches.

‘The Department of Labor has set standards that we as placement contractors strive to meet or exceed.
I believe these standards are necessary to provide accountability and measurable results. In reality,
I do not believe there is a system anywhere else that can match the Job Corps measurement system.
Tis the measurement system that drives the behavior, and I believe this is a strength of the Job Corps

program.


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is an unnecessary expense of time, money, and individual hope to recruit and
enroll a student whose social and/or medical status will invariably prevent success
in Job Corps. Every center surely faces this situation with several new students
who make up each weekly intake. Problem students, those having problems
beyond what Job Corps can and should address, create a disruptive and negative

influence among other students who are success-oriented.

Thorough recruiting is tied directly to job placement. When we recruit a
student who can be motivated to learn, that student stays in the program longer.
Each training area requires a minimum amount of time to get the student through
its various levels of achievement. The ultimate outcome of longevity is successful
completion and that means the job entry skill level employers require. Job Corps’
goal is to train the student to employable status and then effect a full-time,

permanent placement in a job that matches the student’s training.

This is a short summary of the changes I’ve seen in Job Corps over the last
quarter century. Our national response could, I feel, be more productive by
initiating new and expanded recruiting practices to meet today’s needs by Job
Corps and the youth it serves. It goes without saying that any program can be

enhanced to improve its present outcomes. And I would suggest the same holds

7


41

. Moved to cost-reimbursement contracting, rather than fixed-unit priced
contracting to control and monitor costs claimed by contractors more effectively.

However, due to resource limitations, we have not been able to audit the
implementation or effectiveness of many of these changes. Nonetheless, on the
surface, these are positive changes in the management of the program.

PLACEMENT SERVICES

With respect to placement services, as you may be aware, Mr. Chairman, the
Job Corps Program relies on contractors to find jobs for students after they terminate
their training. These contractors may be independent placement agencies, State
Employment Security Agencies, or national training contractors providing services to
various centers. Upon terminating from Job Corps, all students are instructed to report
to the designated placement contractor in the area in which the student intends to live.
Placement contractors are to make every effort to place students in jobs with promising
prospects for long-term employment. According to JTPA, Job Corps placement efforts
are supposed to focus on jobs related to a student's vocational training, but may also
include enrollment in other educational or training programs or enlistment in military
service.

Deficiencies in Placement Services

Despite the many improvements implemented by Job Corps over the years, we
continue to identify problems related to placement services provided to students after
they terminate their training. Audits of specific training and placement services have
consistently identified deficiencies in the level and quality of placements of Job Corps
students by placement contractors.

A recent example of our work in this area is our performance audit of the training
programs operated by the National Plastering Industry's Joint Apprenticeship Trust
Fund (Trust Fund). DOL contracts with the Trust Fund to provide vocational training in
plastering and cement masonry as well as placement services at various Job Corps
centers. The Trust Fund is one of nine Job Corps National Training Contractors (NTC)
and receives approximately $4.7 million annually to provide training and placement
services to about 1,200 Job Corps students. During Program Year 1995, the year for
which we reviewed performance, the Trust Fund operated 47 vocational training
programs at 30 Job Corps centers.

An analysis of the post-program employment experience of former students who
were initially placed by the Trust Fund in training-related employment disclosed that a
sizable number are having difficulty keeping and/or obtaining employment. The audit