EXEMPLARY PRACTICES IN HIGH-SKILL 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR H-1B TRAINING PROGRAMS 

March 2002 

Submitted to: 

U.S. Department of Labor 

Employment and Training Administration 

Office of Workforce Security 

200 Constitution Avenue, N.W. 

Washington, DC 20210 

Submitted by: 

Coffey Communications, LLC 

6917 Arlington Road, Suite 224 

Bethesda, Maryland 20814 

Lester Coffey 

President 

Prepared by: 

Subcontractor: 

Burt S. Barnow 

Institute for Policy Studies 

Johns Hopkins University 

Consultants: 

Joyce Kaiser 

TTW Consulting Group, Inc. 

and 

John Trutko 

Capital Research Corporation 

This project has been funded, either wholly or in part, with Federal funds from the 

Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under Contract Number 

AF-10616-00-30. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or 

policies of the Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial 

products, or organizations imply endorsement of same by the U.S. Government.
ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

I. INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................................1

A. STUDY BACKGROUND.............................................................................................................................1 

B. STUDY METHODOLOGY..........................................................................................................................2

II. FINDINGS.........................................................................................................................................................5

A. PROJECT GOALS........................................................................................................................................5

B. OPERATING ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................................12

C. GRANT AMOUNTS AND MATCH, DURATION, AND PROJECT PARTNERS .................................16

D. PROJECT ENROLLMENT ........................................................................................................................23

E. RECRUITMENT, SCREENING, AND ASSESSMENT ...........................................................................27

F. TRAINING..................................................................................................................................................31

G. SUPPORT SERVICES AND POST-PROGRAM ASSISTANCE .............................................................38

H. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION................................................................................................................40

III. INTERESTING PRACTICES..............................................................................................................................45

A. APPLICATION, SCREENING, AND PAPERWORK REQUIREMENTS...............................................47

B. RECRUITMENT.........................................................................................................................................49

C. EMPLOYER INVOLVEMENT..................................................................................................................49

D. JOB COMMITMENT (Employer and Employee Commitments)...............................................................50

E. CASH CONTRIBUTIONS FOR TRAINING ............................................................................................50

F. UTILIZATION OF WORK INVESTMENT BOARDS, ADVISORY BOARDS, OR INDUSTRY 

ASSOCIATIONS ........................................................................................................................................51

G. TRAINING METHODOLOGY..................................................................................................................51

H. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................................54

I. DATA SYSTEMS.......................................................................................................................................56

J. SERVICE AREA.........................................................................................................................................57

IV. SITE SUMMARIES.............................................................................................................................................58

APPENDIX A: BACKGROUND ON H1–B TRAINING GRANTEE RECIPIENTS (GRANT ROUNDS 1-3) ...118

APPENDIX B: DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR H-1B PROJECT DIRECTOR AND KEY PROJECT STAFF .........126

APPENDIX C: CROSS-SITE COMPARISON OF FEATURES OF THE H-1B TRAINING PROJECTS ............138
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ACKNOWLEGEMENTS 

The authors of this report would like to thank a number of people who assisted us 

in producing the report. In each of the six sites the designated contact person helped 

us schedule our visit, and they spent many hours answering our detailed questions. 

The contacts in the six sites were Charles Casey (Pima County, Arizona); Christine 

Abramowitz (Hampden County, Massachusetts); Ruth DeCamp (Anchorage, Alaska); 

Mark Mussolani and Shelton Jones (New York City, New York); and Greg Voorheis 

(State of Vermont); Diane Lynch (Clarksville, Tennessee). Not only did the site contacts 

help us arrange the site visits, they also spent several days with us on site and reviewed 

our draft report. In each of the sites, many other individuals, too numerous to mention, 

also were very helpful in providing their time and information for the study. We are also 

very grateful to Stephen Wandner and Richard Muller of the Employment and Training 

Administration for their guidance and helpful comments throughout the project. Although 

we have attempted to respond to the comments of these and other reviewers, the 

authors are responsible for any remaining errors. 
iii

ABSTRACT 

In October 1998, Congress enacted the Competitiveness and Workforce 

Improvement Act of 1998. A major provision of the Act was the establishment of a fee 

to be paid by those employers importing foreign workers to the United States under the 

H-1B visa authority. The H-1B visas are used by employers to bring high-skilled 

workers to the United States for a period of up to three years. The fee, initially set at 

$500 per H-1B worker and subsequently increased to $1,000, is to be used, in part, for 

U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) “demonstration programs and projects that provide 

technical skills training for U.S. workers in an attempt to increase the pool of workers in 

the United States with the skills necessary to fill high-tech jobs.” Demonstration 

projects have been funded through a series of grant competitions. This report provides 

an assessment of six of the 43 projects funded in the first three rounds of competition 

awarded in 2000: Pima County, Arizona; Hampden County, Massachusetts; 

Anchorage, Alaska; New York City, New York; the State of Vermont; and Clarksville, 

Tennessee. Sites were identified based on whether they were close to meeting their 

enrollment targets, occupations targeted for training, employer involvement, training 

methods, and location. Meeting enrollment targets had the highest priority in site 

selection, and we sought diversity for the other criteria. Once a preliminary list had 

been established, consultations were held with officials in the national and regional 

offices of the Department of Labor to determine the suitability of the selections. Finally, 

any sites that were included in another evaluation of the H-1B sites were dropped. 

Semi-structured interview guides were used to interview site directors, other key staff, 

employers, training institutions, and participants. Site visits took place in late 2001 and 

early 2002. 

The projects shared similar goals, including upgrading incumbent and 

unemployed/underemployed workers’ skills to enable these workers to fill jobs in highskill occupations for which local employers face shortages; facilitating worker job 

retention, career advancement, and wage growth; offsetting training costs for local 

employers to encourage investment in training; and increasing worker productivity. The 

sites generally had low unemployment rates at the time their projects started, but the 

economy had worsened by the time of our visits. Most of the training involved training 

for information technology (IT) and health occupations and included a mix of incumbent 

workers and unemployed workers. 

This project provided an early look at the H-1B projects, so outcome data are not 

available. Instead, the project focused on identifying interesting practices that might be 

of use to other local areas implementing similar projects. The report documents 

interesting practices in the categories of applications, screening, and paperwork 

requirements; recruitment; employer involvement; job commitment by employers and 

participants; matching contributions for training; utilization of workforce investment 

boards, advisory boards, and industry associations; training technology, training 

management; institutional development, data systems, and service area covered. The 

report also includes a summary of each project, a listing of all projects funded in the 

three rounds of competition and an illustrative interview guide. 
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

In October 1998, Congress enacted the Competitiveness and Workforce 

Improvement Act of 1998. A major provision of the Act was the establishment of a fee 

to be paid by those employers importing foreign workers to the United States under the 

H-1B visa authority. The H-1B visas are used by employers to bring in high-skilled 

workers to the United States for a period of up to three years. The fee, initially set at 

$500 per H-1B worker and subsequently increased to $1,000, is to be used, in part, for 

U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) “demonstration programs and projects that provide 

technical skills training for U.S. workers in an attempt to increase the pool of workers in 

the United States with the skills necessary to fill high-tech jobs.” 

Demonstration projects have been funded through a series of grant competitions. 

This report provides an assessment of six of the 43 projects funded in the first three 

rounds of competition awarded in 2000: Pima County, Arizona; Hampden County, 

Massachusetts; Anchorage, Alaska; New York City, New York; the State of Vermont; 

and Clarksville, Tennessee. Sites were identified based on whether they were close to 

meeting their enrollment targets, occupations targeted for training, employer 

involvement, training methods, and location. Meeting enrollment targets had the 

highest priority in site selection, and we sought diversity for the other criteria. Once a 

preliminary list had been established, consultations were held with officials in the 

national and regional offices of the Department of Labor to determine the suitability of 

the selections. Finally, any sites that were included in another evaluation of the H-1B 

sites were dropped. Semi-structured interview guides were used to interview site 

directors, other key staff, employers, training institutions, and participants. Site visits 

took place in late 2001 and early 2002. 

Project Goals. The grant solicitations under the initial legislation included five 

guiding principles: partnership sustainability, business involvement, training for current 

shortages in high-skill occupations, use of Innovative and effective tools, and targeting 

on all segments of the population—low-skill as well as high skill workers, unemployed 

as well as incumbent workers, and minority workers and workers with disabilities. 
v

These goals were all accepted by the grantees visited. The grantees most frequently 

identified the following goals: 

• Upgrade incumbent and unemployed/underemployed workers’ skills to enable these 

workers to fill jobs in high-skill occupations for which local employers are facing 

shortages; 

• Facilitate worker retention of jobs, career advancement, and wage growth; 

• Offset training costs for local employers to encourage these firms to invest in training 

their workforce; 

• Increase worker productivity, particularly with respect to incorporating new 

technologies into the workplace. 

Operating Environment. The geographic areas served by the H-1B training 

programs in our sample range from remote rural areas (e.g., Alaska, Vermont) to 

center-city areas (e.g., New York). The size of service areas and the populations 

served vary substantially across sites. Several projects serve large geographic areas 

that extend across multiple counties: for example, the Alaska site serves a 26,235 

square mile area; the Vermont site covers the entire state; the Nashville site extends 

across a 12-county area; and the Massachusetts site serves a four-county area, but 

also extends services across the state boundary to workers living in the Greater 

Hartford area. Finally, the New York City site targets services on the residents of New 

York City’s five boroughs, though it includes a few indiviudals who live outside of the city 

but work for New York City-based employers. 

The project began at a time of economic growth, highly favorable economic 

conditions, and low unemployment rates. In several sites, unemployment rates were 

reaching historic lows – and employers were complaining of labor shortages, particularly 

for highly skilled workers. As the projects developed, however, the national economy 

began to cool (in the latter part of 2000 and into 2001), and with it economic conditions 

in all project sites (with the possible exception of Alaska) began to slack off and 

deteriorate. By the summer of 2001, though unemployment rates still remained low by 

historic standards in the six study sites, unemployment rates were on the rise. As the 
vi

nation’s economy slid toward recession and the bottom fell out of the “dot.com,” IT, and 

telecommunications sectors, shortage conditions for high-tech workers also abated. 

General economic conditions in the country--particularly the slide toward recession and 

weakness in the IT and telecommunications sectors--were exacerbated further by the 

events of September 11th, particularly in New York City. In several of the sites, as a 

result of the slowing economy and layoffs, some employers who had either committed 

to be part of the H-1B project or might have been willing to join the effort did not have a 

need for additional workers trained through the H1-B project. Grantees have had to 

replace their participating employers with others as labor market conditions changed. 

In the case of Vermont, for example, of the original 14 employers who signed on 

supporting the grant and who indicated they would either hire or use the services to 

train incumbent workers, only 2 remain but 23 others have taken their place. 

Finally, it is important to note, that while the high-tech and IT sectors have been 

adversely affected by general economic trends, some sectors of the economy have 

remained largely unaffected along with demand for highly-skilled workers. For example, 

the H-1B training sites included in this study that focused on nursing and other health 

professions (Vermont and Pima County) reported that the demand for health care 

workers (especially nurses) has largely been unaffected by general economic 

slowdown. In fact, shortage in all areas of nursing continues largely unabated. 

Grant Characteristics. Awards for grantees in the study sites ranged from $1.5 

million to almost $3.0 million. Grants under the second and third rounds (when the 

ceiling was increased) were in the $2.4 million to nearly $3.0 million range. All grants 

were for a two-year period, but most of the grantees have or plan to request no-cost 

extensions to either complete a training cycle or to continue to provide training in some 

areas – it was either not possible or difficult to obtain degrees needed to enter some 

high-tech fields within a two-year time frame (e.g., a four-year degree). The two-year 

period of performance also included time needed to start-up programs and recruit 

participants. Finally, some of the academic programs were scheduled to last almost 

through the life of the grant, which allowed little or no time for intensive placement 

services after graduation. 
vii

Matching Funds. Minimum non-federal match requirements were dictated by 

the grant solicitation round. Round One required that 50 percent of the grant award be 

matched by non-federal funds. Rounds Two and Three required a 25 percent match. 

Grantees dealt with the match in a variety of ways. Workforce Essentials (in 

Tennessee) required that employers pay 40% of the actual tuition costs for trainees. If 

an incumbent worker was being trained, the employer was asked to share in the tuition 

payments. If the employer would not or could not make the contribution, other sources 

of funds were sought. The grantees were very creative in identifying alternative funding 

sources, where necessary. In Vermont, the IT training program required a 25% 

payment from an outside source. 

Most of the sites used paid release time in the calculation of the match. 

Employers would give workers time off during regular working hours for H-1B 

participants to attend classroom or other types of training and record the amount of time 

and expense as part of the employer match. For example, release time was almost the 

entire match in the Vermont Nurse Training program, and amounted to more than 

$2,000,000. 

Where employers made their facilities available, a value was attributed to the 

space and overhead. This value was used as part of the match. Equipment used as 

part of the training activity and provided by the employer was also valued for the match. 

For example, in the Massachusetts site, one employer provided a fully equipped 

laboratory for the students to conduct their lab assignments.

Employer Partners. Every site reported partnerships with employers; however 

the strength of the relationships varied considerably; the number of partners ranged 

from fewer than 10 to over 50 employers. The role of employers varied within and 

across sites. In some cases, employers sent workers for training and could better be 

defined as program beneficiaries. In other sites, the employers were heavily involved in 

the program design, curricula development, and program support, as well as providers 

of incumbent workers for H-1B training activities. The Vermont nurse-training program 

provides a good example of comprehensive employer involvement. Under the Vermont 

program, employers were on the project design team; helped develop the training 

curricula; provided classroom space; contributed guest lecturers for the classroom 
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components; provided the trainees; used the program to attract unemployed workers; 

provided paid release time for their workers; and trained nurse mentors to provide onthe-job support. 

Training Partners. Sites used several types of training providers. For IT 

training, the most common training providers were community colleges and proprietary 

schools. Training for health care occupations often involved four-year colleges as well. 

The relationship of the grantees with training providers also varied. Some sites 

provided grants directly to educational institutions to develop programs as well as using 

existing curricula in public and private proprietary schools. Sites did not generally limit 

themselves to the WIA-eligible provider list. Several sites used Individual Training 

Accounts (ITAs), but set higher cost limits than those used typically under their WIA 

programs. 

Where programs were specifically designed for H-1B trainees, there was often an 

attempt to infuse greater flexibility and innovation in the delivery of the programs than 

had been the case in prior training initiatives and under the regular WIA program. For 

example, grantees and employers worked with training providers to develop new 

curricula and to adjust times and places of training to respond to the training needs and 

scarce time that incumbent workers had available for training. A common focus in 

structuring training initiatives was to work within the competing demands that workers 

often faced in balancing work, training, family, and leisure activities. In addition, in 

some sites, training providers went beyond instructional activities to provide ongoing 

support/mentoring and assist with job placement efforts for trainees who were either 

unemployed or underemployed. 

Union or Association Partners. Four of the six sites had active working 

relationships with industry or trade associations. In each case, the association played 

an important role in the operation of the program. Among the roles played by 

associations were: surveying employer members concerning needs in the target 

occupations; screening applicants for entry into the program; promoting the H-1B 

training program among its membership; developing job opportunities for program 

graduates; identifying employers who might be interested in tailored training provided 

under the grant; and, in one case, tracking employer participation. Union involvement in 
ix

this program was limited. Only a few sites dealt with employees covered by collective 

bargaining agreements, and many of the targeted occupations are not traditionally 

unionized. Where there was a union presence, certain conditions had to be met, i.e., 

paid release time and overtime pay for training after hours. 

Population Served. Five of the six sites had enrollment goals in the range of 

200 to 300 participants. One site (Tennessee) planned to serve 735 participants. Since 

one of the criteria used to select programs for this study was success in meeting 

enrollment targets, it is not surprising that all of these programs are likely to meet or 

exceed enrollment targets. By the time of our visit, three of the six sites had already 

achieved their enrollment goals (Tennessee, Arizona, and Massachusetts); two other 

sites were nearing achievement of their overall goals at the time of our visit (Alaska and 

New York); one site (Vermont) had reached about half of its goal, but was bringing new 

programs on line that would help in reaching its goal. 

All programs reviewed served both incumbent and unemployed workers. In one 

program (Tennessee) unemployed workers were only enrolled if they had a job 

commitment upon completion of training. Underemployed workers could either be in the 

field for which training was being offered or could be in the process of changing fields. 

The mix of males and females varied by the occupational focus of the training 

programs. Health training enrollees were almost exclusively female. Industrial training 

programs (e.g., several of the training programs in Massachusetts) enrolled mostly men. 

The IT programs typically attracted somewhat more men than women. 

Educational requirements varied considerably depending on the occupations for 

which training was being provided and on whether the workers were in employerspecific training programs or not. Entry-level career ladder health programs required 

high school diplomas or a GED. IT programs were typically seeking individuals with 

some college (an AA Degree or higher). If the individual had no work experience in the 

field, and at least a high school diploma, the person would be considered but not 

enrolled without extensive testing to ensure that the candidate could cope with the 

material. Grantees were aware that occupations eligible for consideration under the H1B program are generally more challenging and are often presented in an accelerated 

mode that demands that participants have good basic reading and math skills. Two of 
x

the sites instituted programs that helped prepare students for more advanced IT work, 

though both of these programs required a high school diploma, aptitude and interest 

testing, and an interview prior to entry. Most sites indicated that they targeted the 

underserved groups for their projects, but that did not mean that program requirements 

were adjusted to accommodate for lack of preparation on the part of the participants. In 

several sites, programs offered remedial courses to applicants lacking prerequisites to 

participate. 

Recruitment, Screening, and Assessment. The most common outreach 

activities were: 

• Partnering employers referred incumbent workers; 

• Web sites were used to announce the program; 

• Notice of the grant award were placed in newspapers, with additional information 

about available services and how and when to make application to the program; 

• Notification of training opportunities was provided to one-stop career centers, 

Unemployment Insurance (UI) offices, TANF agencies, Job Corps programs, other 

workforce development organizations, and to community-based organizations; and

• Training providers (public and private) publicized the program. 

None of the grantees used paid advertisements to attract participants. Several 

grantees used job fairs to spread the word to potential trainees. Because all grantees 

were established players in workforce development in their communities, it was not 

difficult for them to mount a publicity campaign where needed. One (Alaska) grantee 

had to do little more than wait after the notice was in the local newspaper about the 

project award, because the interest on the worker side was great and the need on the 

employer side was equally great. Other H-1B grantees had to work at getting the word 

out about the program to the targeted workers and employers – generally through 

contacts with one-stop career centers, trade associations, and other local human 

service agencies. 

Applicants at the program sites were generally required to have at least a high 

school diploma or GED. Some type of test or assessment instrument was used in 
xi

every site, but not all applicants were required to take the tests. Educational 

achievement and work history were cited as reasons why individuals were not tested. 

All grantees mentioned that acceptance into the program was based on more than just 

test scores. Applicants needed to demonstrate an interest in the field. Some programs 

required that the applicants identify the training program in which they wished to 

participate and justify why it was important to them. Other programs required an essay 

from applicants on what the training would mean to them in their future. For example, 

the Alaska site ensured that applications for training, whether submitted by individuals 

or employers, go through a technical review to ensure that the type of training requested 

was suitable for the student’s capabilities and to ensure that the proposed training made 

sense for the local labor market. Students enrolling in degree granting institutions also 

had to meet the enrollment requirements of the school. In addition to the paper 

process, applicants were all interviewed. The interviews might consist of a meeting with 

a career counselor or caseworker in a one-stop career center, or it might consist of a 

meeting with representatives from educational institutions, industry associations, and 

the grantee organization. 

Many of the steps involved in enrolling and assessing unemployed and 

underemployed workers in training were eliminated for incumbent workers in specialty 

training. This was because the employers in these initiatives screened the workers that 

they wanted trained – though grantees made the assessment facilities at one-stop 

career centers and/or training partners available to these employers should they desire 

to have employees screened and assessed prior to the start of training. 

 Training. All sites provided computer-related training for at least some of the H1B participants. Five of the six sites trained in computer skills which would be used in 

an IT or software environment or in an IT or software unit of a company. Three sites 

trained in the industrial applications of computer technology (Tennessee, Arizona, and 

Vermont). Courses were identified through employer surveys or discussions with 

employers as types of computer training courses needed within the workplace. At one 

site, 80 percent of the incumbent workers were enrolled in one or more of computer 

courses. Common courses generally related to systems maintenance and Web and 

Internet applications. Many of the programs were combined into a computer science 
xii

curriculum so that participants could obtain AA degrees or work toward a BA degree. 

Employers report that in addition to these technical skills, they wanted workers with 

good English, math, and communication skills. 

Three of the sites – the Tennessee, Pima County, and Vermont sites -- provided 

training in health fields (licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, specialty nurse, 

medical transcription, and radiation technology). One site (Arizona) offered training in 

fields outside of IT and health care occupations, including training for teachers, 

accountants, and electronic technicians/engineers. 

Every program included a classroom training component, which was offered at 

an educational facility or at the job site. Most programs also incorporated experiential 

learning opportunities either in a laboratory or on the job. Four of the six programs 

augmented training with some type of Web-based support. Instructors generally used 

the Web to post notices, syllabi, assignments, recommended reading, and links to other 

useful sites. One site (Massachusetts) implemented its full classroom instruction for 

one employer on the Web in an interactive mode. Another site (New York City) required 

that each student develop a Web site to demonstrate proficiency in Web design. 

Interactive TV was used by one site (Vermont) to provide classroom instruction to 

students in remote audio-video labs throughout the state. Some technical and 

instructional difficulties were encountered, causing the grantee to recommend the 

presence of a technician whenever classes were scheduled. In addition, instructors 

were required to have a briefing on techniques to use when broadcasting live to multiple 

sites. 

It is difficult to generalize about training hours and program duration. IT training 

programs ranged from two days to two academic years. Those programs offering 

training through a college setting with a degree objective required up to two academic 

years. Students enrolled in these programs could attend school full time during the 

week either during the day or at night with a scheduled Saturday class. The vendorspecific programs varied from a few days to several weeks, depending on the 

certification being sought. For example, the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer 

training was offered as a series of 7 courses lasting from two days to three weeks each. 

These classes were offered in the evening or during the day, and the format affected 
xiii

program duration. Students could take these courses as part of a degree program or 

as stand-alone certification preparation. 

Nurse training ranged from 10 weeks (including the clinical practice) for specialty 

care nurses to several years for some degree nursing programs. The grantees 

providing LPN training anticipated that some of these trainees would continue their 

formal education and become registered nurses. 

Employer-based training for incumbent workers appeared to be generally of 

shorter duration (e.g., as short as two days to three weeks) and more narrowly focused, 

in comparison to training provided for unemployed or underemployed workers. 

However, there were also examples of longer-term employer-based training provided at 

the various program sites. On-site training appeared to have considerable employer 

support as release time could be granted with the knowledge that, in case of 

emergencies, workers could return to their duties. Not all employers had the facilities or 

equipment necessary to support on-site training. 

Factors that promoted and hindered implementation. The sites visited 

reported several factors that facilitated in designing and implementing the projects: 

• Incumbent worker training. Employers were asked what they needed to 

remain competitive in the market. Even where employers were required to 

contribute funds towards the training, it was still perceived as being worth the 

investment.

• Established relationships with employers. All grantees mentioned that they 

had very little time to get projects started, and if they had not had existing, 

positive relationships with employers and employer associations, it would have 

been very difficult to meet the HI-B grant requirements. 

• Prior experience in operating a government-financed training activity. Certain of the requirements under the grant, such as matching funds, could have 

presented a problem for those not familiar with government grants. Each of 

these grantees had operated programs before or was currently involved with WIA 

or other workforce development activities. One site (Massachusetts) had piloted 

its training program using a prior government grant.

• Serious shortage of trained individuals in the target occupation coupled 

with a pool of candidates meeting minimum requirements. Clearly, there 

needed to be a demand for workers in the occupations for which training was 

planned. In addition, the training program would have failed in H-1B training 
xiv

sites if there was not an adequate supply of suitable candidates for training. 

Sites would also have had difficulty reaching full scale and achieving participation 

goals if they had attempted to mount their programs for only the unemployed 

individuals because of strong economic conditions and low unemployment rates 

at the time the initiatives started. 

• Available curricula to use as base for establishing training program. All 

grantees used standardized, pre-existing curricula for their training programs. 

This enabled them to avoid spending significant time developing curricula. 

Several sites also worked with post-secondary institutions to develop a degree 

program (AA or BA), but even those programs relied to a large extent on existing 

course that were modified. 

• Established working relationships with training providers, both public and 

private. Where there were existing relationships with training providers, it was 

easier for the grantees to develop tailored training programs for employers or to 

develop more non-traditional approaches to the delivery of credit courses. 

• Access to start-up funds. One grantee was given private start-up funds to 

bridge the gap between the time the grant was awarded and when federal funds 

could be spent. This allowed the grantee to set up operations, engage staff, and 

begin developing the program. 

Although our site selection process was designed to yield sites that were 

relatively successful in enrolling participants, all sites encountered some problems that 

hindered implementation. These problems included: 

• Availability of Funds. Some grantees indicated that they did not have access 

to grant funds when the program was officially started. For some grantees, there 

were local grant approval processes that further slowed down start–up efforts. In 

two cases, grantees lost 3-4 months of operating time. 

• Grant Period. A two-year grant period hindered implementation of some degree 

programs, even AA degree programs, because there needs to be time devoted to 

recruitment and assessment prior to enrolling people into training. In addition, 

there is little time at the end of longer training (provided within a two-year time 

frame) to provide placement assistance for those needing it. An option year on 

the grant does not fully address this problem because grantees cannot plan for 

the option year as part of their initial submissions. Some site administrators 

indicated that it would be more useful if the programs were for 3 years to 5 years. 

• Employer fear of government paperwork and audits. Some employers feared 

that if they became involved with government sponsored training programs, that 

they would be engulfed by a mountain of paperwork and/or would open the door 

to government audits. 
xv

• Inflexible Training Providers. Incumbent worker training requires maximum 

flexibility on the part of training providers, and some just could not adapt. Small 

institutions and community colleges seemed to be more attuned to dealing with 

the working student. 

• Deteriorating Labor Market. A number of programs started with a list of 

employers willing to partner in the program, but some did not follow through on 

their commitments to the program because of deterioration in the business 

climate and/or cutbacks in staffing. In response, programs sought to replace 

these employers with others not as affected by the economic downturn. 

Interesting Practices. The sites visited had a number of practices that 

might be of interest to others implementing an H-1B training program. In this 

section several of the interesting practices are described. The full report includes 

more examples. 

• The Individual Training Account (ITA) training component is closely 

connected with the one-stop career system, but employs pre-screening 

criteria for determining which unemployed and underemployed individuals 

are appropriate for receiving ITAs under the H-1B grant (Massachusetts). In 

linking the H-1B project to its one-stop system, REB is able to generate a steady 

flow of unemployed and underemployed individuals with the potential for 

upgrading skills for entry into fields within the IT or telecommunications fields. 

The ITAs made available to the target population, while narrowly targeted to 

training for careers within IT or telecommunications, are more flexible in the 

sense that trainees are not limited to the WIA eligible list of providers or by the 

$5,000 cap normally placed on ITAs in the locality. However, to ensure that 

those who are recruited into the program are capable of and interested in higher 

skilled occupations in the IT or telecommunications fields, REB has developed 

pre-screening criteria and an assessment process through which individuals 

must go to receive an ITA (paid for out of the H-1B grant). Under the eligibility 

criteria, for example, the individual must have either recent employment (within 

one year) and/or current employment in an IT or telecommunications occupation 

and/or have “self-taught” skills equivalent to work experience in the field. 

• Exceptional employer involvement (Vermont). The exceptional employer 

involvement in the nursing program might not be applicable to other fields, but is 

worthy of note. The situation in Vermont hospitals in regard to nurse shortages 

was critical and appeared to be getting worse. In the case of health care, having 

several small hospitals unable to serve critical care patients or support 

physicians in the operating room only resulted in increased demand for those 

services at larger hospitals and in a potential deterioration in the care of those 

who needed it the most. To overcome this statewide problem, employers, 

educators, training professionals, state officials, associations, and other health 

care organizations had to come together to find a solution or they would all 
xvi

suffer. The grantee enlisted the aid of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and 

Health Systems and together they shared information on the H-1B training 

solicitation with all interested parties. They were able to overcome resistance by 

explaining program benefits and developing solutions to such problems as 

employee retention upon the completion of training. It is likely that severity of the 

situation made this unusual cooperation possible. 

• Unemployed workers are guaranteed jobs if they successfully complete the 

training program (Tennessee). To be enrolled in the project individuals either 

had to already be employed or to have a commitment from an employer that they 

would be hired upon completion of H-1B funded training.

• Utilization of an IT technical review board representative to determine 

whether candidates and proposed courses of study quality for support 

under the H-1B program (Alaska). There was consensus that case managers 

did not have the technical expertise to evaluate participant readiness for IT 

training, nor were they able to determine whether the course of study proposed 

by the trainee or employer was appropriate under H-1B definitions and the 

current labor market. For this reason, when a participant did not have 

demonstrated skills or educational background, his/her file was submitted to the 

Alaska High-Tech Business Council for assessment. This careful screening 

minimizes the numbers of participants dropping out of the program due to their 

inability to complete the required coursework. It is too early to tell if this policy 

will affect placement success for those unemployed at the time of entry into the 

program.

• Web-based training provided at job site (Massachusetts). REB sponsors 

training at one employer site (JDS Uniphase), which provides training to 

incumbent workers via the Internet. Participants are enrolled in college credit 

courses through the Springfield Technical Community College. Lecture notes 

and homework assignments are disseminated over the Internet, so the 

participants can learn the material when it is most convenient for them. The firm 

has made laboratory facilities available, so that individuals involved in the training 

can complete required laboratory assignments without traveling to the community 

college campus.

• Modification of training programs to provide college credit (Arizona). A 

common problem in health occupations is that one cannot build on courses 

already taken if one wants to move up to a higher-skill job. For example, LPNs 

typically take courses that do not provide college credit, so they cannot count 

their courses if they wish to become a RN. The Pima County project overcame 

this problem by negotiating with the local educational and training institutions so 

that the courses taken for a LPN program carried transferable credit. 

• Development of a Research Model for the purposes of predicting whether 

future enrollees would successfully complete the program (New York). A 

team of researchers from the Center for Advanced Study in Education at CUNY, 
xvii

representatives from the NY Workforce Alliance, and CUNY trainers identified 

185 data items to collect. Data is collected for all formal applicants for the longterm training component of the program. Pre-program, in-program, and postprogram data is scheduled to be collected. Such items as employment history, 

interview scores, interest inventory scores, self-assessment of IT skills, 

attendance, and class performance are quantified. The objective of the data 

collection effort is to establish a model profile that will help predict which 

applicants will be successful in IT training programs. The data collection effort 

also provides management information for the project. Whether the results of 

this effort will be of use or not may depend on factors beyond the project's 

control. 

This project was undertaken to provide early feedback on the H-1B 

training projects. The six sites selected for study were not drawn randomly, but 

largely because they were on track to meet their enrollment goals. The project 

has identified a number of promising practices, but conclusions on the projects’ 

success must await future studies that include outcome data. 
18
1

I. INTRODUCTION 

A. STUDY BACKGROUND 

In October 1998, Congress enacted the Competitiveness and Workforce 

Improvement Act of 1998. A major provision of the Act was the establishment of a fee 

to be paid by those employers hiring workers in the United States under the H-1B visa 

authority.1

 H-1B visas are used by employers to bring in high-skilled workers to the 

United States for a period of up to three years. The fee, initially set at $500 per H-1B 

worker and subsequently increased to $1,000, is to be used, in part2

, for U.S. 

Department of Labor (DOL) “demonstration programs and projects that provide 

technical skills training for U.S. workers in an attempt to increase the pool of workers in 

the United States with the skills necessary to fill high-tech jobs.” 

 

1

 In response to demands from industries that were experiencing skill shortages in cases such 

as information technology, Congress enacted the Immigration Act of 1990 (IMMACT). IMMACT 

created the H-1B visa category for nonimmigrants seeking to work in high skill or specialty 

occupations. The legislation, implemented in 1992, also established annual limits on the 

number of H-1B visas that could be granted. The original limit was 65,000 visas, but sequent 

legislation has increased the limit. At this time the ceiling has been temporarily increased to 

195,000. 

2

 Of the funds raised under this program, current legislation allots 55% for DOL training 

programs, 22% for NSF Scholarships, 15% to NSF for K-12 education programs, 4% to DOL for 

labor condition applications (LCA) processing and enforcement, and 4% to Department of 

Justice and INS for H-1B case processing and processing complaints relating to the recruitment 

attestation of H-1B dependent employers. 
2

For the projects covered by this study, the statute stated that “specialty 

occupations” eligible for training required “theoretical and practical application of a body 

of highly specialized knowledge and attainment of a bachelor’s or higher degree in the 

specific specialty (or its equivalent) as a minimum.”3 To comply with the provisions of 

the Act, the Department of Labor has held several grant competitions, and as of June 

2001, 43 grantees had been selected and were operating programs. 

DOL engaged a contractor, Bruno and Associates, to conduct a major evaluation 

of the H-1B grants program. Because findings from that study will not be available for 

some time, DOL also decided that that a smaller effort to identify exemplary practices 

would be useful. This report is the result of the smaller effort to identify exemplary 

practices. 

B. STUDY METHODOLOGY 

A task order was issued to Coffey Communications to conduct visits to six H-1B 

funded sites featuring what appeared to be promising practices. Sites were identified 

based on whether they were close to meeting their enrollment targets, occupations 

targeted for training, employer involvement, training methods, and location.4

 Meeting 

 

3 Legislation passed in 2000 modified the requirement and stated that training funded with the 

H-1B visa fees could be used to prepare workers to advance along an appropriate career 

ladder. The 2000 legislation also reduced from 100 percent to 75 percent the proportion of 

demonstration grants that were to be made to workforce investment boards or regional 

consortia of such boards. The remaining 25 percent of the grants can now go to partnerships of 

at least two businesses or a business-related nonprofit organization that represent more than 

one business, and which could include any educational, labor, community organization, or 

workforce investment board. 

4

 A complete listing of the 43 sites with a brief description of the project objectives is provided in 

Appendix A. 
3

enrollment targets had the highest priority in site selection, and we sought diversity for 

the other criteria. Once a preliminary list had been established, consultations were held 

with officials in the national and regional offices of the Department of Labor to determine 

the suitability of the selections. Finally, any sites that were included in the major study 

being conducted by Bruno and Associates were dropped. The team developed 

interview protocols for grantee program administrators and staff, partnering training 

providers, employers, and participants; a sample interview guide for the H1-B Program 

Director/Key Staff is attached in Appendix B. 

 Following each visit, project summaries were developed, which detailed project 

implementation history, key factors required to implement projects, barriers and how 

they were overcome, and interesting practices. 

The objectives of the report are to compare and contrast approaches undertaken 

across the six sites and to highlight interesting practices that might be replicated by 

current and future grantees. The team focused on program implementation, adherence 

to proposal design, innovation, and potential for replication rather than compliance with 

authorizing legislation. This final report first provides a synthesis across sites of major 

study findings, which includes discussion of project goals, environmental/contextual 

factors, grant features and partnering, enrollment levels, and project design features 

(e.g., recruitment, training provided, and support services). 

The next section highlights a series of interesting practices that were evident at 

various sites. The final section provides the six site visit summaries, which provide 

more detailed information about each of the sites visited as part of this study. Several 

appendices are attached to this report: (a) a chart that summarizes key features of the 
4

43 grantees receiving H-1B training grants under the first three rounds of funding, (b) a 

copy of the discussion guide used for the H-1B project director and key project staff, 

and (c) a chart that provides a comparison of key project features across the six H-1B 

projects included in this study. 

The reader should keep in mind that these are pilot projects—the initial efforts by 

the nation’s workforce investment system to train a new group of workers for 

occupations that have not been traditionally served by the workforce investment system. 

It is likely that performance will improve as experience is gained, and the authors hope 

that this report will provide assistance to future projects. 
5

II. FINDINGS 

A. PROJECT GOALS 

The authorizing legislation for the H-1B training program was enacted in 1998 

and modified in 2000. In both statutes, the primary purpose of the legislation was to 

deal with labor shortages in the United States by enabling employers to import 

temporary workers under the H-1B authority and to increase the domestic supply of 

skilled workers through several means. In this section, we first discuss the goals from a 

national perspective and then present the goals articulated in the six projects reviewed 

for this study. 

The 1998 legislation, which covered all grantees reviewed for this project, 

allocated 56.3 percent of the funds collected from H-1B visas for the Department of 

Labor’s H-1B demonstration program. Another 28.2 percent of the money collected was 

to be used by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund scholarships for lowincome students enrolled in programs leading to degrees in mathematics, engineering, 

or computer science. The remainder of the funds obtained from H-1B visas was to be 

used for purposes such as expanding academic enrichment courses in mathematics, 

engineering, or science; implementing systemic reform activities by NSF; processing 

petitions received by the Attorney General from nonimmigrant petitioners; and for 

improving application processing and enforcement of nonimmigrant petitions by the 

department of Labor. 
6

Applicants for grants under the 1998 legislation were restricted to local private 

industry councils (PICs) or consortia of PICs operating Job Training Partnership Act 

(JTPA) programs (similar to the workforce investment boards (WIBs) operating under 

the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which became operational in July 2000). An 

occupation was considered suitable for training under the program if the occupations 

included theoretical and practical application of highly specialized knowledge and 

attainment of a bachelor’s or higher degree in the specific specialty is a minimum entry 

requirement for the occupation in the United States. In the first round of awards, the 

Department of Labor required applicants to provide a match of 50 percent of the grant 

award, but the match requirement was decreased to 25 percent for the second and third 

round of grants. The grant solicitations under the initial legislation included five guiding 

principles: 

• Partnership sustainability. The projects should be able to last beyond the period 

covered by the grant. 

• Business involvement. The grant solicitations indicate that it isimperative that 

businesses with shortages who intend to hire participants be included in the project. 

• Current skills grant. The grant solicitations indicate that the proposed training should 

target occupations with current shortages in the area covered by the grant 

application. 

• Innovative and effective tools. The projects are supposed to use innovative or 

proven tools to provide training to the participants. 

• Target population. The grant solicitations encourage grantees to include all 

segments of the population—low-skill as well as high skill workers, unemployed as 

well as incumbent workers, and minority workers and workers with disabilities. 

The American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act of 2000 

increased the number of H-1B visas and made some changes to the H-1B skill training 
7

program.5 On the visa side, the number of visas that could be granted annually was 

increased, and the fee was increased from $500 to $1,000. The training program goals 

remained the same, but several modifications were instituted: 

• Eligibility for grants was extended to include partnerships including at least 

two businesses or a business-related nonprofit organization representing 

more than one business. This newly defined group is eligible for 25 

percent of the funds, and the remaining 75 percent is reserved for 

workforce investment boards or consortia of boards. Applicants in the 25-

percent pool must show why they cannot apply under the 75 percent pool 

rules. 

• The matching requirement is set at 50 percent for the 75-percent funds 

and at 100 percent for the 25-percent funds. Matches can be in cash or in 

kind. 

• Although training is generally to be for H-1B occupations, training is not 

limited to skill levels commensurate with four-year degrees. Training can 

be for occupations along a career ladder leading to an H-1B skill-level job. 

• At least 80 percent of the grants are to be awarded to projects that train 

workers in high technology, information technology, and biotechnology 

skills. 

• No more than 20 percent of the grants may be awarded to grants that train 

for skills related to a single specialty occupation. 

• The funds must be distributed fairly across the country. 

• Accountability goals for those who complete training include employment 

of unemployed trainees, increasing wages of incumbent workers, skill 

certification or linking training to industry. 

• In addition to the section criteria used under the 1998 legislation (need, 

service delivery strategy, target population, sustainability, linkages with 

key partners, outcomes, and cost effectiveness), added criteria are use of 

funds to demonstrate an ability to expand a training program through 

collaboration with small business or with a labor management program; 

 

5 The changes in the legislation and implication for the program are summarized in a paper issued by the 

Employment and Training Administration, and these points are drawn from that paper. See Employment 

and Training Administration (2001). “Consultation Paper on ACWIA 2000: Proposed Approach for H1B Grants in 2001 and Beyond.” Washington, DC: Employment and Training Administration, April 2.
8

partnership that involves and benefits two or more small businesses; 

meeting the accountability criteria specified above; 

All grantees accepted the charge that the grant was to train workers for high-skill 

technical/professional occupations, and recognized that in the process, they had the 

opportunity to structure interventions that would continue to increase the supply of 

skilled workers within their program area beyond the period of their H-1B grants. As 

shown in Exhibit 1, key project goals cited in our interviews with program 

administrators/staff, training partners, employers, and participants at the six study sites 

broadly support the intended goals identified in the authorizing legislation for the H-1B 

training program. Among the key goals most frequently identified across the six sites 

are the following: 

• upgrade incumbent and unemployed/underemployed workers’ skills to enable these 

workers to fill jobs in high-skill occupations for which local employers are facing 

shortages; 

• facilitate worker retention of jobs, career advancement, and wage growth; 

• offset training costs for local employers to encourage these firms to invest in training 

their workforce; 

• increase worker productivity, particularly with respect to incorporating new 

technologies into the workplace. 

These project goals are reflected in all of the projects visited (see site visit 

summaries for additional details about the specific goals in each site). For example, in 

the Tennessee site, the goal of the program was not only to increase the pool of trained 

workers, but also to ensure that both the employee and employer benefit from the 

process. In this case, they wanted to partially offset employer training costs to 

encourage investment in training of workers; at the same time, they wanted to improve 
9

worker skills and productivity – leading to increased chances of career advancement 

and higher wages for workers. The Regional Employment Board (REB) in 

Massachusetts recognized that it needed to encourage employers to continue to train 

and upgrade workers -- and through the H-1B training program, they hoped to 

demonstrate the benefits of the investment. 

Workers in Alaska needed more formal training that would prepare them for 

certification examinations. Without this training, these individuals would not be eligible 

for emerging high-skill, information technology (IT) jobs. This meant that one of 

Alaska's goals was to institutionalize a course of study in the University of Alaska that 

would prepare workers to pass the certification examinations that would promote entry 

into and advancement in IT jobs. This was also an important goal of the Work Alliance 

in the New York site. In Pima County, the grantee decided that it would not be possible 

to implement training that would prepare most people for high-tech jobs without 

investing in the development of career ladders for these jobs. Finally, as a result of 

current labor force shortages and an analysis of future needs, Vermont determined it 

needed to create a formal system to train specialty nurses and to reduce turnover in the 

nursing field in general. 

EXHIBIT 1: PROJECT GOALS 

Project 

Characteristic 

Workforce 

Essentials, Inc. 

(Tennessee) 

Pima County 

Community 

Services Dept. 

(Arizona) 

Municipality of 

Anchorage 

(Alaska) 

State of Vermont

(Vermont) 

REB of 

Hampden 

County, Inc. 

(Massachusett

Project Goals -Enhance 

employability of participants -Upgrade skills and worker productivity -Improve wages (10% for employed workers; 15% for new hires) -Offset employer training costs -Reduce worker turnover 

-Facilitate career advancement, wage growth, and self-sufficiency -Create new career paths to reduce local shortages (particularly in nursing field) -Offset employer training costs 

-Provide career ladder and highskill training to unemployed, underemployed , and incumbent workers in IT occupations. -Develop IT curricula that can be replicated throughout the State - Partially offset employer training costs 

-Provide high skill training to employed Registered Nurses in critical shortage areas -Establish lasting training partnerships among participating organizations in health care and high-tech programs -Reduce dependency on temporary workers in health care field. - Develop webbased training tools 

-Facilitate careeadvancement, wage growth, anself-sufficiency -Offset employetraining costs -Encourage employers to traand upgrade workforce 
 

 

12

B. OPERATING ENVIRONMENT 

The geographic areas served by the H-1B training programs in our sample of 

sites range from serving populations in remote rural areas (e.g., Alaska, Vermont) to 

center-city areas (e.g., New York). The size of service areas and the populations 

served vary substantially across sites. Several projects serve large geographic areas 

that extend across multiple counties: for example, the Alaska site serves a 26,235 

square mile area; the Vermont site covers the entire state; the Nashville site extends 

across a 12-county area; and the Massachusetts site serves a four-county area, but 

also extends services across the state boundary to workers living in the Greater 

Hartford area. The Arizona site, while limiting H-1B training to the residents of a single 

county – Pima County (which includes Tucson) – actually serves a very large 

geographic area because the county is one of the largest in the United States (about the 

size of Massachusetts). Finally, the New York City site targets services on the residents 

of New York City’s five boroughs, though it includes small numbers of residents who live 

outside of the city but work for New York City-based employers. 

As might be expected, a critical environmental factor affecting skills shortages in 

each program site and the need for specific types of training is local economic 

conditions – particularly, unemployment rates. As shown in Exhibit 2, for the six H-1B 

programs examined as part of this study, the project began at a time of economic 

growth, highly favorable economic conditions, and low unemployment rates. In several 

sites, unemployment rates were reaching historic lows – and employers were 

complaining, as a result, of labor shortages, particularly for more highly skilled workers. 
 

 

13

For example, New York City started 2000 with a 6% unemployment rate. By the time 

the grant had been awarded in August, the rate had dropped to 5.3%. The Springfield/ 

Worchester/ Hartford Area served by the Regional Employment Board of Hampden 

County, Inc. began 2000 with rates of 3.4%-4.2%, and by the time of the grant award 

(three months later), those rates had declined further to 2.7%-3.5%. Anchorage started 

2000 at 5.8%, and by August 2000 the rate was 3.8%. Unemployment for every 

grantee except Workforce Essentials (in Tennessee) was on the decline. Even in the 

area served by Workforce Essentials, unemployment declined by 0.6% in the month 

after the grant was awarded. 

As the projects developed, however, the national economy began to cool (in the 

latter part of 2000 and into 2001), and with it economic conditions in all project sites 

(with the possible exception of Alaska) began to slack off and deteriorate. By the 

summer of 2001, though unemployment rates still remained low by historic standards in 

the six study sites, unemployment rates were on the rise. As the nation’s economy slid 

toward recession and the bottom fell out of the “dot.com,” IT, and telecommunications 

sectors, shortage conditions for high-tech workers also abated. General economic 

conditions in the country -- particularly the slide toward recession and weakness in the 

IT and telecommunications sectors -- were exacerbated further by the events of 

September 11th (especially in one of the H-1B training sites [New York City]).
EXHIBIT 2: OPERATING ENVIRONMENT 

Project 

Characteristics

Workforce 

Essentials, Inc. 

(Tennessee) 

Pima County 

Community 

Services Dept. 

(Arizona) 

Municipality of 

Anchorage 

(Alaska) 

State of Vermont 

(Vermont) 

REB of Ham

County, I

(Massachus

Project Service Area 

-12-county area in N. Tennessee (includes Nashville) -Mostly rural, some urban and suburban 

-Pima County (with focus on Tucson metropolitan area) -Urban and suburban 

-Comprises 26,235 square miles and includes the Municipality of Anchorage, as well as the MatanuskaSusitna Borough -Urban and rural 

-Statewide initiative -State characterized as primarily rural; however, program serves small cities and town as well 

-4-counties in MA (HampdeFranklin, Hampshire, Worcester); aGreater HartfoCT. -Mostly rural, urban and suburban 

Unemployment Rate (Seasonally unadjusted) 

-Start of grant: Nashville: 3.1% Clarksville: 3.7% - As of 11/2001: Nashville: 3.4%, Clarksville: 5%, & other counties as high as 8.7% 

-Start of grant: 2.7% - As of 11/2001: 4% 

-Start of grant: 3.8% - As of 11/2001: 3.7% 

-Start of grant: 2.6% - As of 11/2001: 3.4% 

-Start of grant2.7% to 3.5% - As of 11/2002.9 - 4.3% 

Environmental/ Contextual Factors 

-Economic conditions vary by county -Local economy deteriorating by mid-2001, affecting demand for workers in some high-skill occupations 

-Much low-wage employment -Service sector dominates -Large Hispanic population; high concentration of youth/young adults -Problems with high school dropouts 

-State isolated from lower 48 states has not experienced increase in unemployment -Program serves very large geographic area (including one major city and large rural expanse) – affecting how training is delivered 

-High-tech sector hard hit by slowing economy -Industry to service sector shift; job growth outpacing labor force  -Declining school age population & slow growing workage population, but boom in elderly - Aging nurses 

-Project servemulti-state reg(MA/CT) -WIB co-locatwith economic development agency & Chaof Commerce helps with linkemployers -Local economslowing by mi2001 
 

 

15

The unemployment rate does not, however, present a complete picture of 

conditions faced in each of the six H-1B project sites. More important than generally 

increasing unemployment for the project sites have been the industry sectors affected 

by rising unemployment. According to most grantees, the demand for IT workers in 

particular – and many other types of high-tech workers – has seriously declined as a 

result of layoffs in the IT industry and other sectors that require IT workers. For 

example, in the San Jose, California metropolitan area (home of Silicon Valley), 

unemployment went from 2.2 percent in March 2000 to 6.6 percent in November 2001. 

Many of those who became unemployed in San Jose (and in other localities around the 

nation) were formerly working for IT firms and have high-tech skills – which adversely 

affected demand conditions for high-tech workers generally (including the H-1B project 

sites included in this study). A general decline in manufacturing has further 

exacerbated the problem. 

In several of the H-1B training sites, as a result of the slowing economy and 

layoffs, some employers who had either committed to be part of the H-1B project or 

might have been willing to join the effort did not have a need for additional workers 

trained through the H1-B project. Grantees have had to replace their cadre of 

participating employers with others as labor market conditions changed in their local 

area. In the case of Vermont, for example, of the original 14 employers who signed on 

supporting the grant and who indicated they would either hire or use the services to 

train incumbent workers, only 2 remain but 23 others have taken their place. 
 

 

16

Finally, it is important to note, that while the high-tech and IT sectors have been 

adversely affected by general economic trends, some sectors of the economy have 

remained largely unaffected along with demand for highly-skilled workers. For example, 

the H-1B training sites included in this study that focused on nursing and other health 

professions (Vermont and Pima County) reported that the demand for health care 

workers (especially nurses) has largely been unaffected by general economic 

slowdown. In fact, shortage in all areas of nursing continues largely unabated. 

C. GRANT AMOUNTS AND MATCH, DURATION, AND PROJECT 

PARTNERS 

Grant Amounts and Period of Performance. Awards for H-1B grantees in the 

study sites ranged from $1.5 million to almost $3.0 million (see Exhibit 3).6 Grants 

under the second and third rounds (when the ceiling was increased) were in the $2.4 

million to nearly $3.0 million range. 

 

6

 The first round grants were capped at $1.5 million. Rounds two and three had increased 

ceilings. 
EXHIBIT 3: GRANT AMOUNTS AND MATCH, DURATION, AND PROJECT PARTNERS 

Project Characteristics 

Workforce 

Essentials, Inc. 

(Tennessee) 

Pima County 

Community 

Services Dept. 

(Arizona) 

Municipality of 

Anchorage 

(Alaska) 

State of Vermont 

(Vermont) 

REB of Hampde

County, Inc. 

(Massachusetts

Grant Round 

3rd 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 

Grant Start 11/2000 3/2000 8/2000 11//2000 3/2000 Grant End 10/2002 3/2002 7/2002 11/2002 3/20002 Funding Amount $2.8 million $1.5 million $2.425 million $2.658 million $1.5 million Match 40% (minimum for 

each employer) 

Variable – 25% local match sought across all sources 

60% cash match covering tuition and release time 

Over 100% - Salary continuation-in kind contributions and tuition payment 

Variable – sought 85% in-kind & 10% cash from employers 

# of Employer Partners 

28 ~10 50+ 39 7 

Types of Employer Partners 

Health sector & variety of manufacturers 

Health sector (especially hospitals), teleservices, IT, electronics, aviation, and education 

Eclectic array including: telecom, social service, hospital, IT service firms, banks, communications, local, state, and federal government, and Native Alaskan groups 

Hospitals and employers of IT workers 

IT, telecommunications 

Leading Employer Partners 

St. Thomas/IT, CEI Company, Aerostructures, Baptist Hospital, Standard Gypsum, 

Kino Hospital, Sunquest, Universal Avionics, Convergys, Honeywell, Opinion 

Science Applications International Corporation, United States Airforce, 

Fletcher –Allen Hospital Mt. Ascutney Hospital Rutland Regional 

JDS Uniphase; Coghlin Electrical Contractors, Inc.; Valley Communication; Systems, 
Project Characteristics 

Workforce 

Essentials, Inc. 

(Tennessee) 

Pima County 

Community 

Services Dept. 

(Arizona) 

Municipality of 

Anchorage 

(Alaska) 

State of Vermont 

(Vermont) 

REB of Hampde

County, Inc. 

(Massachusetts

& others Research, 

Teletech, Cross County, USA Relay 

State of Alaska, General Communications, Inc., First National Bank of Alaska,

Alaska Communications Systems 

Medical Center No leading employer partners in the High-Tech , but 23 participating employers in incumbent worker program. 

Software, & Support (SSS); Yankee Candle; Electechs 

Training Partners -Limited to training 

providers on Governor’s WIA approved list -Most skill training provided by community colleges, Tennessee Technical Centers, Nashville State Technical School, & several proprietary schools 

~1/2 of training provided through community colleges, but also use universities & proprietary schools -Partners include: Pima Co. Community College, SAIAT, U. of Phoenix, AZ State U, U. of AZ, Prescott College, and New Horizons 

-University of Alaska, Anchorage -Mat-Su campus of U of A, Anchorage, - private proprietary schools (2-3) 

-University, of VT, -Vermont Community Colleges -Individual participating hospitals -Vermont Technical College - Vermont Interactive Television 

-Most training provided through community collegand proprietary schools -Partners include: Springfield Technical CC; Northeast Center for Telecom Technologies; Capital CC; and IKON 

Union and or Association Partners 

International Association of Machinists 

Tucson Education Association 

Alaska High Tech Business Council 

Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems 

None 
 

 

19

All grants were for a two-year period, but most of the grantees have or plan to request 

no-cost extensions to either complete a training cycle or to continue to provide training 

in some areas – it was either not possible or difficult to obtain degrees needed to enter 

some high-tech fields within a two-year time frame (e.g., a four-year degree). As 

discussed later in this report, the constraints on moving participants to higher skill levels 

was also hampered because the two-year period of performance on programs also 

included time needed to start-up programs and recruit participants. Finally, some of the 

academic programs were scheduled to last almost through the life of the grant, which 

allowed little or no time for intensive placement services after graduation. 

Matching Funds. Minimum non-federal match requirements were dictated by 

the grant solicitation round. Round One required that 50 percent of the grant award be 

matched by non-federal funds. Rounds Two and Three required a 25 percent match. 

Grantees dealt with the match in a variety of ways: 

• Employers required to share in the payment of tuition: Workforce Essentials 

(in Tennessee) required that employers pay 40% of the actual tuition costs for 

trainees. To ensure that payments were made, the employer was billed by 

Workforce Essentials. Anchorage required that 60% of tuition payments be 

made from sources outside the grant. If an incumbent worker was being trained, 

the employer was asked to share in the tuition payments. If the employer would 

not or could not make the contribution, other sources of funds were sought, and 

in some cases, the individual being trained had to contribute to the cost of 

training. Unemployed workers were supported through the grant and through 

grants from state-financed programs. The grantees were very creative in 

identifying alternative funding sources, where necessary. In Vermont, the IT 

training program required a 25% payment from an outside source. Generally, the 

employer paid, but in some cases the trainee had to provide the match. The 

REB of Hampden County (in Massachusetts) requested that employers pay 10% 

of the tuition costs. 
 

 

20

• Paid employee release time: Most of the sites used paid release time in the 

calculation of match. Employers would give workers time off during regular 

working hours for H-1B participants to attend classroom or other types of training 

– and record the amount of time and expense as part of the employer match. 

For example, release time was almost the entire match in the Vermont Nurse 

Training program, and amounted to more than $2,000,000. New York had 

anticipated using internship wages for their match, but the internships did not 

materialize due to economic declines in the software industry – and so the 

program turned to other types of match to meet the requirement. 

• In-kind contributions for training facilities and equipment: Where employers 

made their facilities available, a value was attributed to the space and overhead. 

This value was used as part of the match. Equipment used as part of the training 

activity and provided by the employer was also valued for the match. For 

example, in the Massachusetts site, one employer provided a fully equipped 

laboratory for the students to conduct their lab assignments.

• Match generated by training partner: New York was able to negotiate a 

reduced overhead rate for its training conducted by the City University of New 

York (CUNY). This savings was calculated and included as part of the nonfederal match. 

Employer Partners. Every site reported partnerships with employers; however 

the strength of the relationships varied considerably. As shown in Exhibit 3, the number 

of partners ranged from fewer than 10 to over 50 employers. The role of employers 

varied within and across sites. In some cases, employers sent workers for training and 

could better be defined as program beneficiaries. In other sites, the employers were 

heavily involved in the program design, curricula development, and program support, as 

well as providers of incumbent workers for H-1B training activities. The Vermont nursetraining program provides a good example of comprehensive employer involvement 

(see site visit summaries later in this report for additional examples). Under the 

Vermont program, employers: 
 

 

21

• were on the project design team; 

• helped develop the training curricula; 

• provided classroom space; 

• contributed guest lecturers for the classroom components; 

• provided the trainees; 

• used the program to attract unemployed workers; 

• provided paid release time for their workers; and 

• trained nurse mentors to provide on-the-job support. 

Several sites used WIA or JTPA initiated employer advisory boards in the creation and 

implementation of the program. For example, advisory board members assisted in 

labor market surveys and program promotion. 

Training Partners. Sites used several types of training providers (see Exhibit 3). 

For IT training, the most common training providers were community colleges and 

proprietary schools. Training for health care occupations often involved four-year 

colleges as well. The relationship of the grantees with training providers also varied. 

Some sites provided grants directly to educational institutions to develop programs as 

well as using existing curricula in public and private proprietary schools. Sites did not 

generally limit themselves to the WIA-eligible provider list. Several sites used Individual 

Training Accounts (ITAs), but set higher cost limits than those used typically under their 

WIA programs. 

Where programs were specifically designed for H-1B trainees, there was often an 

attempt to infuse greater flexibility and innovation in the delivery of the programs than 

had been the case in prior training initiatives and under the regular WIA program. For 

example, grantees and employers worked with training providers to develop new 

curricula and to adjust times and places of training to respond to the training needs and 
 

 

22

scarce time that incumbent workers had available for training. A common focus in 

structuring training initiatives was to work within the competing demands that workers 

often faced in balancing work, training, family, and leisure activities. In addition, in 

some sites, training providers went beyond instructional activities to provide ongoing 

support/mentoring and assist with job placement efforts for trainees who were either 

unemployed or underemployed. 

Union or Association Partners. Four of the six sites had active working 

relationships with industry or trade associations. In each case, the association played 

an important role in the operation of the program. For example, among the roles played 

by associations were: surveying employer members concerning needs in the target 

occupations; screening applicants for entry into the program; promoting the H-1B 

training program among its membership; developing job opportunities for program 

graduates; identifying employers who might be interested in tailored training provided 

under the grant; and, in one case, tracking employer participation. 

Union involvement in this program was limited. Only a few sites dealt with 

employees covered by collective bargaining agreements, and many of the targeted 

occupations are not traditionally unionized. Where there was a union presence, certain 

conditions had to be met, i.e., paid release time and overtime pay for training after 

hours. 
 

 

23

D. PROJECT ENROLLMENT 

Enrollment Goals. Five of the six sites had enrollment goals in the range of 200 

to 300 participants. One site (Tennessee) planned to serve 735 participants. Since one 

of the criteria used to select programs for this study was success in meeting enrollment 

targets, it is not surprising that all of these programs are likely to meet or exceed 

enrollment targets. As shown in Exhibit 4, three of the six sites had already achieved 

their enrollment goals (Tennessee, Arizona, and Massachusetts); two other sites were 

nearing achievement of their overall goals at the time of our visit (Alaska and New 

York); one site (Vermont) had reached about half of its goal, but was bringing new 

programs on line that would help in reaching its goal. 

Population Served.7 All programs reviewed served both incumbent and 

unemployed workers. In one program (Tennessee) unemployed workers were only 

enrolled if they had a job commitment at the completion of training. Underemployed 

workers could either be in the field for which training was being offered or could be in 

the process of changing fields. 

The mix of males and females varied by the occupational focus of the training 

programs. Health training enrollees were almost exclusively female. Industrial training 

programs (e.g., several of the training programs in Massachusetts) enrolled mostly men. 

 

7 The site visit team was provided with enrollment data from every site, and in half the sites, 

significantly less data was collected for incumbent workers than for the unemployed. In some 

cases, data was not collected because it was considered an intrusion into worker privacy. In 

one site, enrollees were not even asked to indicate gender.
 

 

24

The IT programs typically attracted somewhat more men than women (e.g., two 

programs reported 55 percent men in IT training). 

Educational requirements varied considerably depending on the occupations for 

which training was being provided and on whether the workers were in employerspecific training programs or not. Entry-level career ladder health programs required 

high school diplomas or a GED. IT programs were typically seeking individuals with 

some college (an AA Degree or higher). If the individual had no work experience in the 

field, and at least a high school diploma, the person would be considered but not 

enrolled without extensive testing to ensure that the candidate could cope with the 

material. Grantees were aware that occupations eligible for consideration under the H1B program are generally more challenging and are often presented in an accelerated 

mode that demands that participants have good basic reading and math skills. Two of 

the sites instituted programs that helped prepare students for more advanced IT work, 

though both of these programs required a high school diploma, aptitude and interest 

testing, and an interview prior to entry. Most sites indicated that they targeted the 

underserved groups for their projects, but that did not mean that program requirements 

were adjusted to accommodate for lack of preparation on the part of the participants. In 

several sites, programs offered remedial courses to applicants lacking prerequisites to 

participate. 
EXHIBIT 4: PROJECT ENROLLMENT GOAL, CURRENT PARTICIPATION, AND SUBPOPULATIONS TA

Project Characteristics 

Workforce 

Essentials, Inc. 

(Tennessee) 

Pima County 

Community 

Services Dept. 

(Arizona) 

Municipality of 

Anchorage 

(Alaska) 

State of Vermont 

(Vermont) 

REB of Ham

County, I

(Massachus

Original Participation Goal 

735 300 300 222 210 

Actual # of Participants 

812 (as of 11/2001) 110% of goal 

312 (as of 9/2001); (est. 340 as of 11/2001) 113% as of 11/01 

281 (as of 9/30/01) 94% of goal 

108 (12/2001), with new programs coming on line after first of year. 50% of goal 

222 (as of 12/105% of goa

Date of First Enrollments 

January 2001 July 2000 Unsure February 12, 2001 April 2000 

Target Population Served 

-Employed -Unemployed -Participants must be employed or have commitment to be hired by partnering employer 

-Employed (2/3) -Unemployed (1/3) -No employer commitment required -Partnering employers refer most participants 

-Employed workers either referred by employer or self selected based on information in newspaper or through friends -Unemployed workers identified by WIA, Job Corps, One Stop, Voc. Rehab., Hi Tech Industry Council 

-53 Incumbent Operating Room Nurses -95 Incumbent Critical Care Nurses -20 unemployed / dislocated workers attempting entry into IT -45 incumbent IT workers getting skills upgrade. 

-130 incumbeworkers -80 unemploy-Partnering employers refmost participa
Characteristics of the Population Served 

-Estimated 75% female; 40 % minority -All have high school or GED 

~2/3 employed at intake -63% female -61% white; 23% Hispanic; 8% Black -Avg. 13.9 years education; avg. reading/math levels, 12.3/12.1 

-55% male -Average wage of incumbent worker was $20 per hour with median wage at $24. 

-Nursing program almost 100% female -Wage range from $17-$23/hr. -All Registered Nurses with 2 or 4 year degree -Hi Tech Program numbers not available; however participants are predominately male

-80% male -84% white; 4black; 3% His9% Other -48% high schgraduates; 8% post-high schattendees; 44college gradu-72% earning or more/hr. in recent job 
 

 

27

E. RECRUITMENT, SCREENING, AND ASSESSMENT 

Outreach and Recruitment. Effective outreach and recruitment strategies are 

vital features of H-1B training programs, because unless programs are able to identify 

and enroll eligible individuals, the effectiveness of training and other project activities 

are irrelevant. If recruitment activities are not carefully tailored to the target group and 

well executed by project staff, they can be ineffective and costly. Participant practices 

were similar across the programs included in this study. Most often they included the 

following activities (see Exhibit 5): 

• partnering employers referred incumbent workers; 

• Web sites were used to announce the program; 

• notice of the grant award were placed in newspapers, with additional information 

about available services and how and when to make application to the program; 

• notification of training opportunities was provided to one-stop career centers, 

Unemployment Insurance (UI) offices, TANF agencies, Job Corps programs, other 

workforce development organizations, and to community-based organizations; and

• training providers (public and private) publicized the program. 

No grantee used paid advertisements to attract participants. One grantee did include 

information about the program in a paid recruitment notice. It was listed as a worker 

benefit. Several grantees used job fairs to spread the word to potential trainees. 

Because all grantees were established players in workforce development in their 

communities, it was not difficult for them to mount a publicity campaign where needed. 

One (Alaska) grantee had to do little more than wait after the notice was in the local 
EXHIBIT 5: RECRUITMENT, SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT 

Project Characteristics

Workforce 

Essentials, Inc. 

(Tennessee) 

Pima County 

Community 

Services Dept. 

(Arizona) 

Municipality of 

Anchorage 

(Alaska) 

State of Vermont 

(Vermont) 

REB of Ham

County, In

(Massachus

Outreach/ Recruitment Methods 

-Partnering employers identify and refer workers needing skill upgrades -Variety of other sources for unemployed individuals, especially referrals from Workforce Essentials’ career centers and other public programs (e.g., UI, TANF) -Some individuals heard about program from downsizing employers, at job fairs, and via wordof-mouth. -No paid advertisements, but some articles about project in local newspapers 

-Partnering companies refer incumbent workers for upgrade training -Distribution of information about program at career centers; referrals by career center staff to program -Word-of-mouth (increasingly important) -No paid advertisements 

-No paid advertising. Grant announced in the paper which generated interest. -Once program at Mat-Su in development stage, brochures printed and used to attract students. - Job Corps invited to submit nominees as well as other workforce development agencies such as Vocational Rehabilitation 

-Hospitals recruit from existing nursing staff using in- house communications. -Hospitals use program as recruitment tool to attract nurses from out of state -IT workers identified by employers. -One stop Career Centers identify unemployed/dislocated workers 

-Partnering companies reincumbent wofor upgrade tr-Distribution oinformation abprogram at cacenters; refercareer center (of primarily unemployed individuals) to program -No paid advertisemen
Eligibility/ Screening/ Assessment 

-Participants must be employed by or have commitment of employment from partnering employer -Assessment tailored to requirements of employer and training provider -Workforce Essentials has inhouse assessment capability; employers may conduct own assessment -Most participants tested, but no standard set of tests applied -Variety of tests used, tailored to employer needs and training requirements -Among most used tests are: NET Test (similar to TABE); COPS, CAPES, CAPS; VALPAR 

-Main requirement is participants must be interested in training being offered -Assessment tailored to requirements of employer, training provider, & program component -WIB career center assessment facilities may be used at the discretion of employer or trainer -Most participants tested, but no standard set of tests applied -Most participants take the TABE; some complete an interest inventory; range of other types of assessment tests is available, if needed 

-Incumbent worker screening done by employer who identified potential trainees. -Unemployed/ underemployed screened by Workforce Development Division and where individuals had no existing experience, by Hi Tech Business Council to ensure training desired made sense and that applicant had necessary prerequisites. -Assessment tests administered. -Those attending Mat-Su training courses were screened by the college and normal enrollment standards used 

-For the nursing program, eligibility criteria established and applicants self selected. Screened and approved by employer. No testing required. - For Hi Tech program, screening done by One-Stop and by admitting institution 

-Partnering companies scincumbent woand refer appropriate ofor training -ITA componecareer center assess approness of individthen H-1B dirmakes final decision -Formal screeform used -No standard formal tests uassess client employers madecide to use assessment t
 

 

30

newspaper about the project award, because the interest on the worker side was great 

and the need on the employer side was equally great. Other H-1B grantees had to work 

at getting the word out about the program to the targeted workers and employers – 

generally through contacts with one-stop career centers, trade associations, and other 

local human service agencies. As a result of New York site’s recruitment efforts, the 

site had little difficulty in recruiting sufficient numbers of qualified unemployed and 

incumbent workers to the program, though the program had to work hard (because of 

deteriorating local economic conditions and the events of September 11th) at attracting 

employers to the effort. 

Screening and Assessment. As was mentioned in the discussion of participant 

characteristics, almost all applicants at the program sites were required to have at least 

a high school diploma or GED. Some type of test or assessment instrument was used 

in every site, but not all applicants were required to take the tests. Educational 

achievement and work history were cited as reasons why individuals were not tested. 

All grantees mentioned that acceptance into the program was based on more than just 

test scores. Applicants needed to demonstrate an interest in the field. Some programs 

required that the applicants identify the training program in which they wished to 

participate and justify why it was important to them. Other programs required an essay 

from applicants on what the training would mean to them in their future. For example, 

the Alaska site ensured that applications for training, whether submitted by individuals 

or employers, go through a technical review to ensure that the type of training requested 
 

 

31

was suitable for the student’s capabilities and to ensure that the proposed training made 

sense for the local labor market. This review was done when there was any doubt on 

the part of grantee staff as to whether the applicant was qualified. Students enrolling in 

degree granting institutions also had to meet the enrollment requirements of the school. 

In addition to the paper process, applicants were all interviewed. The interviews might 

consist of a meeting with a career counselor or caseworker in a one-stop career center, 

or it might consist of a meeting with representatives from educational institutions, 

industry associations, and the grantee organization. Many of the steps involved in 

enrolling and assessing unemployed and underemployed workers in training were 

eliminated for incumbent workers in specialty training. This was because the employers 

in these initiatives screened the workers that they wanted trained – though grantees 

made the assessment facilities at one-stop career centers and/or training partners 

available to these employers should they desire to have employees screened and 

assessed prior to the start of training. 

F. TRAINING 

Training Courses. All sites provided computer-related training for at least some 

of the H-1B participants (see Exhibit 6). Five of the six sites trained in computer skills 

which would be used in an IT or software environment or in an IT or software unit of a 

company. Three sites trained in the industrial applications of computer technology 
EXHIBIT 6: TRAINING SERVICES 

Project Characteristic

Workforce 

Essentials, Inc. 

(Tennessee) 

Pima County 

Community 

Services Dept. 

(Arizona) 

Municipality of 

Anchorage 

(Alaska) 

State of Vermont 

(Vermont) 

REB of Hampde

County, Inc. 

(Massachusetts

Primary Types of Training Offered by Occupation 

-Training provided in wide range of occupations, spread across manufacturing and health care fields -Examples of types of occupational training: LPN, radiation technology, medical transcription, 

-5 main career paths: nursing (primarily RN), teachers, computer specialist (e.g., MCSE, A+), electronic technicians, and accounting (rarely used) -Emphasis on career path and building pipeline into shortage occupations (e.g., LPN to RN to BSN)-Individual referrals into a variety of other occupations 

-Training provided in: A+, Microsoft 

Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Data Base Administration (MSDBA), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), Certified Cisco Network

Associate (CCNA), Certified Cisco Network Professional

(CCNP), Java Script, Local Office Network Technician, Computer Aided Drafting -Grant paid for development of IT training program infrastructure at University. AA degree program which can be used toward BA degree. 

-Nursing: Critical Care PeriOperative Preceptoring (mentoring) Plan Psychiatric Nursing -Hi Tech: AA Degree training in Computer Systems and Programming. Anticipate some graduates will go on for BA Degree. 

-Most training for careers in IT or telecommunications fields, sucas: help desk technicians, PC support specialistnetwork administrators, wedevelopers -Individuals in ITA track could receivtraining in variety technical fields (i.under individual referrals to trainin
Project Characteristic

Workforce 

Essentials, Inc. 

(Tennessee) 

Pima County 

Community 

Services Dept. 

(Arizona) 

Municipality of 

Anchorage 

(Alaska) 

State of Vermont 

(Vermont) 

REB of Hampde

County, Inc. 

(Massachusetts

Training methods -Mostly classroom 

instruction; clinical and hands-on instruction provided, where appropriate -Instruction provided at training facility or employer site -Duration/intensity of training varies -ranging from 9 weeks to 2 years (average about 1 year); instruction hours per week varied from several hours to 35 hours -Training done in group (e.g., LPN) or individual basis (e.g., referral to community college) -Most training results in certification; few degrees conferred and none above 2-year associate degree 

-Mostly classroom instruction; clinical, lab, and hands-on provided, where appropriate -Instruction provided at training facility or employer site -Duration/intensity of training varies - --ranging from 6 months to 2 years; instruction hours per week varied from 6 hours to fulltime -Training done for groups (e.g., LPN) or on individual basis (e.g., referral to training providers) -Some training results in degree (AA, BA, BS, including RN, BSN, MSN) or certification; some have no degree or certification (e.g., those completing course in Visual Basic) 

-Mostly classroom with some Webbased support. -Some done on college campus or training site -Some done at employer job site. -Intensive, vendor specific training could be very short term unless coupled with other academic program. -If enrollee was being sponsored by employer, the training was likely to be more short term. Program offered what was needed -Average training duration was 103 hours but most people were in courses lasting 55 hours or less. 

-Classroom with lab, Web-based, TV-Distance Education, OJT Instruction done at central hospital, at home hospital and at 12 distance learning labs throughout the state -Actual classroom sessions last btw. 72 and 82 hrs over a 5-6 week period depending on the specialty. Clinical on-the-job portion of training ranged from 680 hrs to 720 hours -Hi Tech program training all in classroom setting. Two types of program: Degree objective training offered to full time unemployed and upgrade offered to employed individuals 3 days per week over 16 months. Also leads to AA 

-ITA component: mostly classroom and lab -Employer-based training: classrooand lab (often at employer site), web-based (distance learning-Mostly off-the-shtraining, but some customization for company-specific programs) -Many participantseek MCSE or other certifications -Some employers send participants as a group for short-term training 
Project Characteristic

Workforce 

Essentials, Inc. 

(Tennessee) 

Pima County 

Community 

Services Dept. 

(Arizona) 

Municipality of 

Anchorage 

(Alaska) 

State of Vermont 

(Vermont) 

REB of Hampde

County, Inc. 

(Massachusetts

Employer Role in Training 

-Help with recruitment and screening of appropriate individuals -If not already employed, make commitment to hire participant if he/she completes training -Provide input on curriculum, if appropriate -Pay at least a 40 percent match payment (e.g., can be direct payment for training or in form of wages paid to worker while in training) 

-Refer incumbent workers for upgrade training -May assist trainer with curriculum development -May pay part of costs of tuition -May provide training facility onsite -Most training done on participant time; one employer gave employees 1 hr. paid time (matched by 2 hours of employees’ time) 

-Refer incumbent workers for upgrade training - Paid 60% of tuition costs. -Provide on-site facility for some training -Provide paid release time 

Both Components -Refer incumbent workers for upgrade training - Assist with curriculum development Health Component -Conduct on-the-job training -Provide preceptors (mentors) for each student in the clinical portion of training -Provide release time -Arrange for replacements in order to facilitate training 

-Refer incumbent workers for upgrade training -May assist trainewith curriculum development -May pay part of tuition -May provide training facility onsite -Most training donon participant time 
 

 

35

(Tennessee, Arizona, and Vermont). The following were the most frequently offered 

computer courses: 

• A+ (Microsoft Entry Level Computer Service Technician) 

• Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) 

• Data Base Administration (MSDBA) 

• Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) 

• Certified Cisco Network Associate (CCNA) 

• Certified Cisco Network Professional (CCNP) 

• Local Office Network Technician 

• Computer Aided Drafting 

• Novell Engineers 

• Networking Engineers 

• Internet Web Masters (Design, E-Commerce, and Enterprise Developers) 

• Net+, and I-Net+ 

• Computer Aided Design 

• Web Design 

• Java Script 

• Flash 

• Dreamweaver 

• Unix/Linux; 

• Micro-Computer Applications (BA Level Training) 

• Information Systems Processing. (BA Level Training) 

• Systems analysis/programming (BA Level Training) 

These courses were identified through employer surveys or discussions with employers 

as types of computer training courses needed within the workplace. At one site, 80 

percent of the incumbent workers were enrolled in one or more of these programs. 

These courses generally related to systems maintenance and Web and Internet 

applications. Many of the programs were combined into a computer science curriculum 

so that participants could obtain AA degrees or work toward a BA degree. Employers 

report that in addition to these technical skills, they wanted workers with good English, 

math, and communication skills. 
 

 

36

Three of the sites – the Tennessee, Pima County, and Vermont sites -- provided 

training in health fields (licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, specialty nurse, 

medical transcription, and radiation technology). One site (Arizona) offered training in 

fields outside of IT and health care occupations, including training for teachers, 

accountants, and electronic technicians/engineers. 

Training Methods. Every program included a classroom training component, 

which was offered at an educational facility or at the job site (see Exhibit 6). Most 

programs also incorporated experiential learning opportunities either in a laboratory or 

on the job. Four of the six programs augmented training with some type of Web-based 

support. Instructors generally used the Web to post notices, syllabi, assignments, 

recommended reading, and links to other useful sites. One site (Massachusetts) 

implemented its full classroom instruction for one employer on the Web in an interactive 

mode. Another site (New York City) required that each student develop a Web site to 

demonstrate proficiency in Web design. 

Interactive TV was used by one site (Vermont) to provide classroom instruction to 

students in remote audio-video labs throughout the state. Some technical and 

instructional difficulties were encountered, causing the grantee to recommend the 

presence of a technician whenever classes were scheduled. In addition, instructors 

were required to have a briefing on techniques to use when broadcasting live to multiple 

sites. 
 

 

37

Training Hours and Program Duration. It is difficult to generalize about 

training hours and program duration. IT training programs ranged from two days to two 

academic years. Those programs offering training through a college setting with a 

degree objective required up to two academic years. Students enrolled in these 

programs could attend school full time during the week either during the day or at night 

with a scheduled Saturday class. The vendor-specific programs varied from a few days 

to several weeks, depending on the certification being sought. For example, the 

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer training was offered as a series of 7 courses 

lasting from two days to three weeks each. These classes were offered in the evening 

or during the day, and the format affected program duration. Students could take these 

courses as part of a degree program or as stand-alone certification preparation. 

Nurse training ranged from 10 weeks (including the clinical practice) for specialty 

care nurses to several years for some degree nursing programs. The grantees 

providing LPN training anticipated that some of these trainees would continue their 

formal education and become registered nurses. 

Employer-based training for incumbent workers appeared to be generally of 

shorter duration (e.g., as short as two days to three weeks) and more narrowly focused, 

in comparison to training provided for unemployed or underemployed workers. 

However, there were also examples of longer-term employer-based training provided at 

the various program sites. On-site training appeared to have considerable employer 

support as release time could be granted with the knowledge that, in case of 
 

 

38

emergencies, workers could return to their duties. Not all employers had the facilities or 

equipment necessary to support on-site training. 

 

G. SUPPORT SERVICES AND POST-PROGRAM ASSISTANCE 

Funding for support services is not available through the H-1B grant (see Exhibit 

7). H-1B grantees reported that this was not an issue for most enrollees, as many 

participants were employed. When support services were needed, participants were 

referred to WIA or social service agencies for assistance. 

Case managers were used in several sites to monitor enrollee progress, to act as 

a resource to help resolve personal or educational difficulties, and to provide postplacement help and tracking. Where needed (mostly in the case of unemployed or 

underemployed workers), a case manager or placement specialist would help with job 

search once training was complete. In one site (New York City) it was necessary to 

devote significant resources to assist participants with job search efforts due to a 

precipitous decline in IT employment opportunities.
EXHIBIT 7: SUPPORT SERVICES AND POST-PROGRAM ASSISTANCE 

Participant Characteristics 

Workforce 

Essentials, Inc. 

(Tennessee) 

Pima County 

Community 

Services Dept. 

(Arizona) 

Municipality of 

Anchorage 

(Alaska) 

State of Vermont 

(Vermont) 

REB of Ham

County, I

(Massachus

Support Services -No support 

services provided directly under grant, but referrals made to WIA and other agencies (especially for transportation, child care, and housing assistance) 

-No support services provided directly under grant, but referrals made to WIA and other agencies -Pathways referrals receive support services paid by Pathways (e.g., transportation) 

-No support services provided directly under grant, but referrals made to WIA and other agencies 

-No support services provided directly under grant, but referrals made to WIA and other agencies 

-Pay for exambooks, instrucmaterials -No support services provdirectly under but referrals mto WIA and otagencies 

Post-Training Services 

-Primarily case management by Workforce Essentials staff during training period and for a year (or longer) staff visit with and call participants 

-Emphasis on tracking attendance and outcomes -Several employers (e.g. Kino Hospital) provide ongoing case management/ mentoring 

-Job search assistance by public agencies. -Private proprietary schools doing training are not required to assist with placement. At the time of the review, there was still an active labor market for IT workers and no one was particularly concerned that those trained wouldn't find work. 

-Focus of nursing program on incumbent workers, so post-training services not much of an issue. -The hi tech training program was designed to last almost to the end of the grant at which time job placement services will be made available at the One Stop Centers and at the training facilities. 

-Under ITA component – monthly contaH-1B director participants wtraining -Under compaspecific traininongoing monileft to the emp
 

 

40

H. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION 

The sites visited reported several factors that facilitated in designing and 

implementing the projects (see Exhibit 8): 

• Incumbent worker training. Employers were asked what they needed to 

remain competitive in the market. Even where employers were required to 

contribute funds towards the training, it was still perceived as being worth the 

investment.

• Established relationships with employers. All grantees mentioned that they 

had very little time to get projects started, and if they had not had existing, 

positive relationships with employers and employer associations, it would have 

been very difficult to meet the HI-B grant requirements. 

• Prior experience in operating a government-financed training activity. Certain of the requirements under the grant, such as matching funds, could have 

presented a problem for those not familiar with government grants. Each of 

these grantees had operated programs before or was currently involved with WIA 

or other workforce development activities. One site (Massachusetts) had piloted 

its training program using a prior government grant.

• Serious shortage of trained individuals in the target occupation coupled 

with a pool of candidates meeting minimum requirements. Clearly, there 

needed to be a demand for workers in the occupations for which training was 

planned. In addition, the training program would have failed in H-1B training 

sites if there was not an adequate supply of suitable candidates for training. 

Sites would also have had difficulty reaching full scale and achieving participation 

goals if they had attempted to mount their programs for only the unemployed 

individuals because of strong economic conditions and low unemployment rates 

at the time the initiatives started. 
EXHIBIT 8: FACTORS AFFECTING PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION 

Project Characteristics 

Workforce 

Essentials, Inc. 

(Tennessee) 

Pima County 

Community 

Services Dept. 

(Arizona) 

Municipality of 

Anchorage 

(Alaska) 

State of Vermont 

(Vermont) 

REB of Ham

County, I

(Massachus

Factors Facilitating Project Implementation/Success 

-Existing & well established relationships with employers and local training providers -Previous experience with administering training program, especially employer-based training -Employers willing to meet match requirements -Readily available pool of potential participants 

-Existing & well established relationships with employers and local training providers -Low unemployment and local shortages in targeted occupations (esp. nursing) -Career centers available to help with assessment -Available pool of potential participants 

-Existing & well established relationships with employers and local training providers -Recognition by employers that this was a very good deal given that the alternative was importing workers or sending workers to training themselves. The isolated nature of Alaska labor force dictates employers either train their own workers or pay to bring them in from lower 48 states or from foreign countries. - Recognition that establishing training center for vendor specific training would save money 

-Desperate need for specialty nurses which resulted in Hospitals joining together. -Existence of piloted training programs and curricula which could be adapted. -Participants willing to be trained without promotion or increased wages -Closing of critical care facilities in neighboring NY resulting in extra burden on Vermont.-Low unemployment rate and nursing shortage - State population demographics portent continued labor shortages 

-$15K planningrant from CoCorp -Employers involved in prstate grant program, so already lined and ready to g
Project Characteristics 

Workforce 

Essentials, Inc. 

(Tennessee) 

Pima County 

Community 

Services Dept. 

(Arizona) 

Municipality of 

Anchorage 

(Alaska) 

State of Vermont 

(Vermont) 

REB of Ham

County, I

(Massachus

Factors Hindering Project Implementation/ Success 

-Slowing economy meant some employers did not want to partner -Grant started immediately upon award, leaving little time for start-up 

-Flexibility needed in curriculum and schedule to accommodate incumbent workers 

-Difficulty in start-up due to need for State approval of award and release of funds. -2-year grant period a hindrance when doing hi tech, hi skill training. The best that can be done to minimize the need for H-1B workers is to provide interested workers with the tools needed to climb the career ladder to those jobs

-Award of grant 1.5 months ahead of request by grantee thus leaving little time to prepare -Initial suspicion by hospitals that if workers were trained they might be "poached" by other hospitals. -Continued decline in the high-tech field nationwide 

-No administrcosts included Round 1 gran-Process for iITAs had to bdeveloped -Grant started award – leavilittle time for sup 
 

 

43

• Available curricula to use as base for establishing training program. All 

grantees used standardized, pre-existing curricula for their training programs. 

This enabled them to avoid spending significant time developing curricula. 

Several sites also worked with post-secondary institutions to develop a degree 

program (AA or BA), but even those programs relied to a large extent on existing 

course that were modified. 

• Established working relationships with training providers, both public and 

private. Where there were existing relationships with training providers, it was 

easier for the grantees to develop tailored training programs for employers or to 

develop more non-traditional approaches to the delivery of credit courses. 

• Access to start-up funds. One grantee was given private start-up funds to 

bridge the gap between the time the grant was awarded and when federal funds 

could be spent. This allowed the grantee to set up operations, engage staff, and 

begin developing the program. 

Although our site selection process was designed to yield sites that were relatively 

successful in enrolling participants, all sites encountered some problems that hindered 

implementation. These problems included: 

• Availability of Funds. Some grantees indicated that they did not have access 

to grant funds when the program was officially started. For some grantees, there 

were local grant approval processes that further slowed down start–up efforts. In 

two cases, grantees lost 3-4 months of operating time. 

• Grant Period. A two-year grant period hindered implementation of some degree 

programs, even AA degree programs, because there needs to be time devoted to 

recruitment and assessment prior to enrolling people into training. In addition, 

there is little time at the end of longer training (provided within a two-year time 

frame) to provide placement assistance for those needing it. An option year on 

the grant does not fully address this problem because grantees cannot plan for 

the option year as part of their initial submissions. Some site administrators 

indicated that it would be more useful if the programs were for 3 years to 5 years. 

• Employer fear of government paperwork and audits. Some employers feared 

that if they became involved with government sponsored training programs, that 

they would be engulfed by a mountain of paperwork and/or would open the door 

to government audits. 
 

 

44

• Inflexible Training Providers. Incumbent worker training requires maximum 

flexibility on the part of training providers, and some just could not adapt. Small 

institutions and community colleges seemed to be more attuned to dealing with 

the working student. 

• Deteriorating Labor Market. A number of programs started with a list of 

employers willing to partner in the program, but some did not follow through on 

their commitments to the program because of deterioration in the business 

climate and/or cutbacks in staffing. In response, programs sought to replace 

these employers with others not as affected by the economic downturn. 
 

 

45

III. INTERESTING PRACTICES 

This section of the report highlights a series of interesting and exemplary 

practices that were in evidence in the six H-1B project sites visited as part of this study. 

The case study summaries included in the next section of this report provide additional 

details on these and other interesting practices that H-1B training programs (and other 

training programs, in general) may find useful. Selected interested practices are 

provided below, and a more complete list organized by category follows. 

• The Individual Training Account (ITA) training component is closely 

connected with the one-stop career system, but employs pre-screening 

criteria for determining which unemployed and underemployed individuals 

are appropriate for receiving ITAs under the H-1B grant (Massachusetts). In 

linking the H-1B project to its one-stop system, REB is able to generate a steady 

flow of unemployed and underemployed individuals with the potential for 

upgrading skills for entry into fields within the IT or telecommunications fields. 

The ITAs made available to the target population, while narrowly targeted to 

training for careers within IT or telecommunications, are more flexible in the 

sense that trainees are not limited to the WIA eligible list of providers or by the 

$5,000 cap normally placed on ITAs in the locality. However, to ensure that 

those who are recruited into the program are capable of and interested in higher 

skilled occupations in the IT or telecommunications fields, REB has developed 

pre-screening criteria and an assessment process through which individuals 

must go to receive an ITA (paid for out of the H-1B grant). Under the eligibility 

criteria, for example, the individual must have either recent employment (within 

one year) and/or current employment in an IT or telecommunications occupation 

and/or have “self-taught” skills equivalent to work experience in the field. 

• Exceptional employer involvement (Vermont). The exceptional employer 

involvement in the nursing program might not be applicable to other fields, but is 

worthy of note. The situation in Vermont hospitals in regard to nurse shortages 

was critical and appeared to be getting worse. In the case of health care, having 

several small hospitals unable to serve critical care patients or support 

physicians in the operating room only resulted in increased demand for those 

services at larger hospitals and in a potential deterioration in the care of those 

who needed it the most. To overcome this statewide problem, employers, 
 

 

46

educators, training professionals, state officials, associations, and other health 

care organizations had to come together to find a solution or they would all 

suffer. The grantee enlisted the aid of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and 

Health Systems and together they shared information on the H-1B training 

solicitation with all interested parties. They were able to overcome resistance by 

explaining program benefits and developing solutions to such problems as 

employee retention upon the completion of training. It is likely that severity of the 

situation made this unusual cooperation possible. 

• Unemployed workers are guaranteed jobs if they successfully complete the 

training program (Tennessee). To be enrolled in the project individuals either 

had to already be employed or to have a commitment from an employer that they 

would be hired upon completion of H-1B funded training.

• Utilization of an IT technical review board representative to determine 

whether candidates and proposed courses of study quality for support 

under the H-1B program (Alaska). There was consensus that case managers 

did not have the technical expertise to evaluate participant readiness for IT 

training, nor were they able to determine whether the course of study proposed 

by the trainee or employer was appropriate under H-1B definitions and the 

current labor market. For this reason, when a participant did not have 

demonstrated skills or educational background, his/her file was submitted to the 

Alaska High-Tech Business Council for assessment. This careful screening 

minimizes the numbers of participants dropping out of the program due to their 

inability to complete the required coursework. It is too early to tell if this policy 

will affect placement success for those unemployed at the time of entry into the 

program.

• Web-based training provided at job site (Massachusetts). REB sponsors 

training at one employer site (JDS Uniphase), which provides training to 

incumbent workers via the Internet. Participants are enrolled in college credit 

courses through the Springfield Technical Community College. Lecture notes 

and homework assignments are disseminated over the Internet, so the 

participants can learn the material when it is most convenient for them. The firm 

has made laboratory facilities available, so that individuals involved in the training 

can complete required laboratory assignments without traveling to the community 

college campus.

• Modification of training programs to provide college credit (Arizona). A 

common problem in health occupations is that one cannot build on courses 

already taken if one wants to move up to a higher-skill job. For example, LPNs 

typically take courses that do not provide college credit, so they cannot count 
 

 

47

their courses if they wish to become a RN. The Pima County project overcame 

this problem by negotiating with the local educational and training institutions so 

that the courses taken for a LPN program carried transferable credit. 

• Development of a Research Model for the purposes of predicting whether 

future enrollees would successfully complete the program (New York). A 

team of researchers from the Center for Advanced Study in Education at CUNY, 

representatives from the NY Workforce Alliance, and CUNY trainers identified 

185 data items to collect. Data is collected for all formal applicants for the longterm training component of the program. Pre-program, in-program, and postprogram data is scheduled to be collected. Such items as employment history, 

interview scores, interest inventory scores, self-assessment of IT skills, 

attendance, and class performance are quantified. The objective of the data 

collection effort is to establish a model profile that will help predict which 

applicants will be successful in IT training programs. The data collection effort 

also provides management information for the project. Whether the results of 

this effort will be of use or not may depend on factors beyond the project's 

control. 

A. APPLICATION, SCREENING, AND PAPERWORK REQUIREMENTS 

• Application Process (Alaska). In order to have training approved under the H1B program, employers and participants must clearly articulate their training 

objectives, provide estimates of training costs, and identify and locate suitable 

training providers. In addition, the employer must provide a statement of need 

for both group programs and as part of the sponsorship for individual training. 

Along with this paperwork, a refundable deposit check of $100 per participant is 

required. (The participant receives the deposit back after completing the 

program.) These requirements serve several purposes: 

- Participants and employers take an active role in the design of the 

training program by specifying the needs training will fill 

- Program costs and match requirements are very clear up front 

- Participants have a better understanding of requirements for work 

in the IT field 

- The procedure may result in screening out applicants who are not 

highly motivated. 
 

 

48

• The Individual Training Account (ITA) training component is closely 

connected with the one-stop career system, but employs pre-screening 

criteria for determining which unemployed and underemployed individuals 

are appropriate for receiving ITAs under the H-1B grant (Massachusetts). 

The Regional Employment Board (REB) of Hampden County emphasizes the 

importance of closely linking its ITA training component to the regular workforce 

development system – particularly the operations of its one-stop career centers – 

so that the H-1B project becomes another tool of the overall system to meet local 

economic development and workforce development system needs. In linking the 

H-1B project to its one-stop system, REB is able to generate a steady flow of 

unemployed and underemployed individuals with the potential for upgrading skills 

for entry into fields within the IT or telecommunications fields. The ITAs made 

available to the target population, while narrowly targeted to training for careers 

within IT or telecommunications, are more flexible in the sense that trainees are 

not limited to the WIA eligible list of providers or by the $5,000 cap normally 

placed on ITAs in the locality. However, to ensure that those who are recruited 

into the program are capable of and interested in higher skilled occupations in 

the IT or telecommunications fields, REB has developed pre-screening criteria 

and an assessment process through which individuals must go to receive an ITA 

(paid for out of the H-1B grant). Under the eligibility criteria, for example, the 

individual must have either recent employment (within one year) and/or current 

employment in an IT or telecommunications occupation and/or have “self-taught” 

skills equivalent to work experience in the field. Other considerations (though not 

required) in the selection process are that the individual have an employer 

commitment to hire or upgrade and that the most recent/current wage from IT or 

telecommunications-related employment be in the $10-$12 range. 

• Streamlined contracts and paperwork for the employer-based training 

component (Massachusetts). REB has found that in engaging employers in 

programs such as the H-1B program, it is essential to keep paperwork to a 

minimum and be as “non-bureaucratic” as possible. The agency has found that 

even when employers are offered the opportunity to train workers at little or no 

cost through government-sponsored grants, they are reluctant because of fears 

of being engulfed in inflexible eligibility/program requirements or having to collect 

and maintain mounds of paperwork. REB has consciously tried to keep program 

rules relating to who can be trained and the types of training that can be provided 

under the employer-based component as flexible as possible under the 

constraints of the grant. In addition, the agency has been very sensitive to any 

paperwork burden that it imposes on employers – trying at all times to keep it to 

the minimum needed to meet H-1B grant requirements. 
 

 

49

B. RECRUITMENT 

• Partnering employers play key role in recruitment of incumbent workers 

(Arizona). Many of the participants (estimated at about two-thirds) came to the 

program as a result of referrals made by partnering employers. Employers 

notified workers of the availability of training opportunities at staff meetings, 

through company notices to staff (including e-mails), and word-of-mouth (from 

supervisors and fellow workers). Unemployed and underemployed workers often 

heard about the project through interactions with one-stop career center staff and 

seeing posted flyers about the program at career centers and other public 

facilities. The Community Service Department also subcontracted with a local 

service provider (Pathways) to help with recruitment of low-income individuals for 

the health care component. Pathways recruited individuals for the program at 

churches, area schools, and through other local social service agencies.

• H-1B training funds have helped partnering firms to recruit, screen, and 

train unemployed workers to fill shortage occupations (Tennessee). Grant 

funds have been particularly targeted by Workforce Essentials to help firms 

facing local shortages of workers within the health care sector. An emphasis has 

been placed on building the supply (i.e., pipeline) of nurses and other health 

workers that can enter the health care field and then over time advance to higher 

skilled and higher paid jobs. For example, one of the key areas of concern 

locally (in part because the area served under the grant is largely rural) is a 

shortage of all types of LPNs and RNs. With the help of Workforce Essentials’ 

one-stop career center system, H-1B grant funds have been used to assist local 

health care firms with recruitment, assessment, and careful screening of 

candidates to enter LPN training. The availability of the grant also encouraged 

the technical school to form an LPN class in the local community, where nursing 

training had not been formerly available.

C. EMPLOYER INVOLVEMENT 

• Exceptional employer involvement (Vermont). The exceptional employer 

involvement in the nursing program might not be applicable to other fields, but is 

worthy of note. The situation in Vermont hospitals in regard to nurse shortages 

was critical and appeared to be getting worse. In the case of health care, having 

several small hospitals unable to serve critical care patients or support 

physicians in the operating room only resulted in increased demand for those 

services at larger hospitals and in a potential deterioration in the care of those 

who needed it the most. To overcome this statewide problem, employers, 
 

 

50

educators, training professionals, state officials, associations, and other health 

care organizations had to come together to find a solution or they would all 

suffer. The grantee enlisted the aid of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and 

Health Systems and together they shared information on the H-1B training 

solicitation with all interested parties. They were able to overcome resistance by 

explaining program benefits and developing solutions to such problems as 

employee retention upon the completion of training. It is likely that severity of the 

situation made this unusual cooperation possible. 

 

D. JOB COMMITMENT (Employer and Employee Commitments) 

• Unemployed workers are guaranteed jobs if they successfully complete the 

training program (Tennessee). To be enrolled in the project individuals either 

had to already be employed or to have a commitment from an employer that they 

would be hired upon completion of H-1B funded training.

• Two-year work commitment (Vermont). By requiring a two-year employment 

commitment from trainees in the nursing program, employers were much more 

likely to participate in the program. They felt that their investment would be 

recouped in that period. It is difficult to calculate when a training investment will 

pay off, but a negotiated employee-employer commitment does make sense. 

The commitment should be based on training costs and release time. 

E. CASH CONTRIBUTIONS FOR TRAINING 

• Establishing a substantial cash contribution for participating employers 

(Alaska). A 60 percent cost-sharing requirement was developed after 

consultation with the local planning group. The prevailing sentiment was that the 

H-1B grant training was a substantial benefit to the employers and they would be 

more than willing to participate. Employer participation has not been a problem 

so the assessment was accurate. By having a higher employer match, once 

government support diminishes, it will be less of a shock for employers to pick up 

the entire cost of employee upgrade training. Also, because this match is largely 

a cash match, the numbers of participants that can be served under the grant is 

considerably increased. 
 

 

51

F. UTILIZATION OF WORK INVESTMENT BOARDS, ADVISORY BOARDS, 

OR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS 

• Utilization of an IT technical review board representative to determine 

whether candidates and proposed courses of study quality for support 

under the H-1B program (Alaska). There was consensus that case managers 

did not have the technical expertise to evaluate participant readiness for IT 

training, nor were they able to determine whether the course of study proposed 

by the trainee or employer was appropriate under H-1B definitions and the 

current labor market. For this reason, when a participant did not have 

demonstrated skills or educational background, his/her file was submitted to the 

Alaska High-Tech Business Council for assessment. This careful screening 

minimizes the numbers of participants dropping out of the program due to their 

inability to complete the required coursework. It is too early to tell if this policy 

will affect placement success for those unemployed at the time of entry into the 

program.

G. TRAINING TECHNOLOGY 

• Web-based training provided at job site (Massachusetts). REB sponsors 

training at one employer site (JDS Uniphase), which provides training to 

incumbent workers via the Internet. Participants are enrolled in college credit 

courses through the Springfield Technical Community College. Lecture notes 

and homework assignments are disseminated over the Internet, so the 

participants can learn the material when it is most convenient for them. The firm 

has made laboratory facilities available, so that individuals involved in the training 

can complete required laboratory assignments without traveling to the community 

college campus.

• Web-based training (Vermont). As a result of the H-1B grant, part of the 

critical care program was translated to Web-based instruction. The Web focus is 

on case studies to encourage students to develop critical thinking skills. In 

addition, Web-based instruction also developed a student’s sense of 

responsibility. Students reported that they had more access to everyone 

involved in the program. The long-term benefits from translating classroom 

training to Web-based instruction are that more students will have access to 

program components for initial and refresher training and that there is potential to 

expand the audience nationwide. The effort to develop the Web-based program 
 

 

52

took about 6 months, so it was not fully functioning for the first wave of students. 

Finally, it should be mentioned that as part of the curriculum development for 

both critical care and operating room nursing, interactive Web-based instruction 

was considered. As a result of student input, the program managers eliminated 

the operating room (OR) nursing component as not being suitable. This was a 

valuable lesson for designers. Not all programs benefit from using the Web as a 

training delivery mechanism, and early student evaluations provide essential 

feedback when considering Web-based and distance learning course delivery. 

• Satellite Training Labs (Vermont). In a rural state such as Vermont, the 

existence of satellite training labs affords even those in remote locations the 

opportunity to obtain new skills and keep current with their professions. 

Normally, the nurse participants would have to spend full time away from home 

to attend classes. This was a personal drain on them and a financial drain on 

their employers. The training labs allow training time to remain the same but 

result in as much as a 50% reduction in time away from home. The labs are the 

sites for the Vermont Interactive Television programs, which means that all 

participants can attend classes at the same time but in as many as 12 locations 

throughout the state. (The demand for the courses was such that only four of the 

satellite labs were actually required for the program.) Course developers learned 

that using television as a training tool required training for instructors in a 

different set of presentation skills. They also learned that more time needed to 

be allocated to developing graphics and slides. Use of guest presenters is a risk 

unless the presenters are also provided training. Perhaps the most important 

lesson learned was that there are always technical problems, so there needs to 

be technical assistance at the delivery and receiving end of the transmissions. 

H. TRAINING PROGRAM MANAGEMENT 

• Providing remediation on the front-end of training and breaking training 

down into several modules helps to bring workers into training programs 

with varying capabilities and to move them along career pathways 

(Arizona). Several of the training programs – such as the electronics and 

nursing training – are able to offer remediation prior to entry into regular degree 

or certificate programs. For example, in the nursing training program at Kino 

Community Hospital, a group of about 20 hospital workers (mostly certified 

nursing assistants (CNAs)) were able to attend a nine-month program (taught in 

the evenings and weekends at the hospital) that both remediated basic 

reading/math skills and provided instruction necessary for participants to prepare 
 

 

53

to be certified as a licensed practical nurse (LPN). At the end of this nine-month 

remediation program, participants were ready to enroll at the beginning of the 

third semester of the registered nurse (RN) training program at Pima Community 

College and to complete their associate’s degree in nursing within about one 

year. RNs at the hospital who already had their associate’s degree in nursing, 

with the help of the H1-B grant, could enroll in training to obtain their bachelor of 

science in nursing (BSN) or master of science in nursing (MSN) at the University 

of Arizona. Hence, the H1-B program was able to provide upgrade training at 

virtually every level along the nursing pathway (e.g., bringing hospital workers 

without nursing degrees into the nursing field and upgrading existing LPNs and 

RNs who had been in positions for many years to higher nursing degrees).

• Tailored Training (Massachusetts). One of the challenges in providing training 

for incumbent workers is finding the time those workers can take away from work 

and/or family to upgrade skills in a meaningful way. Firms are often reluctant to 

undertake training for a number of reasons: (a) cost associated with developing 

curriculum and paying instructors; (b) lost production time while workers attend 

training (if training is during work time); and (c) worry that upgrading of skills will 

result in employees being lured away by other firms. Under this H-1B project, 

REB is providing much flexibility to the seven partnering firms in determining 

which workers are selected for upgrade training and the specifics of how and 

where training is provided. Each of the seven training programs are differently 

structured – some provide training at the worksite, others send workers to local 

training facilities; some give workers paid time off for training, others require that 

workers attend training on their own time or use at least some of their own time 

to attend training; some hire trainers and play a significant role in curriculum 

development, others send workers to accredited community colleges or propriety 

schools for training as part of regular courses offered through the institutions; and 

some provide training that leads directly to degrees or certifications, others 

provide training that upgrades skills, but does not lead to added credentials. 

• H-1B training grants have enabled local employers to train workers to meet 

rapidly changing technological requirements within the production process 

(Tennessee). Manufacturing firms involved in this initiative have been afforded 

considerable flexibility in working with local training institutions to tailor training to 

meet the latest skill requirements and to provide training at times and places 

convenient for trainees. Often the training provided under the grant has been at 

the company’s worksite (generally on company time or a combination of worker 

and company time). Firms have also been able to provide input in many 

instances as part of the curriculum development process to orient training to the 

production process and latest equipment being used. 
 

 

54

• Use of Immediate Trainee Feedback to ensure program relevance (New 

York). Because so many of the incumbent worker programs are of such short 

duration, it is essential that the instructors cover all the necessary material to 

satisfy the needs of the trainees. In many cases, programs are developed 

specifically for an employer to meet a very targeted need. To help ensure that 

the training material is relevant, at the end of each day of training, formal student 

feedback is requested. The results of these evaluations are immediately shared 

with the instructors so they can modify the material or delivery. 

• Modification of training programs to provide college credit (Arizona). A 

common problem in health occupations is that one cannot build on courses 

already taken if one wants to move up to a higher-skill job. For example, LPNs 

typically take courses that do not provide college credit, so they cannot count 

their courses if they wish to become a RN. The Pima County project overcame 

this problem by negotiating with the local educational and training institutions so 

that the courses taken for a LPN program carried transferable credit. 

H. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

• Utilizing grant resources to enhance the capacity of a rural institution to 

provide training in IT (Alaska). While training is available in the City of 

Anchorage, individuals residing outside the city do not have access to the same 

resources. For many people, employed or unemployed, traveling to Anchorage 

is not practical. Employed workers seeking to upgrade skills may have to work 

part time at their jobs, which means a lengthy commute to a training site may be 

impractical. For the unemployed, the costs involved in making the trip on a daily 

basis to Anchorage would be prohibitive. Providing grant resources to a smaller 

institution also meant that the program would have more visibility and be more 

important to the institution charged with its development. There is also some 

thought that the development of this program as an academic offering would 

allow those people, for whom accelerated training is too difficult, the opportunity 

to get into the IT field. For these reasons, the grantee determined that 

developing an IT curriculum for the Mat-Su College made the most sense. 

• Preceptor Training (Vermont). The preceptor training component appears to 

have as much of a potential for long-term impact on the nursing shortage in 

Vermont as some more costly interventions. There was unanimity among those 

interviewed that new nurses were often in a “sink or swim” situation in their first 

months on the job. Many new nurses cannot survive in the environment and 

abandon the field. Considering that enrollments in nursing schools nationwide 
 

 

55

are inadequate to meet current and future needs, to have those that make it 

through quit in the first few months of actual work is alarming. The preceptor 

training program is attempting to help experienced nurses develop the skills to 

nurture and encourage new nurses, something that appears to be currently 

lacking in the nursing culture. 
 

 

56

I. DATA SYSTEMS 

• Participant-level data system used to track participant characteristics, 

types of training received, and outcomes (Massachusetts). REB has 

developed a Microsoft ACCESS database that enables the agency to track 

characteristics and the progress of participants receiving ITAs enrolled under the 

H-1B grant. At the time of intake, data is collected and entered into the system 

about the participant, including contact information, demographic characteristics, 

and work history. For example, demographic information includes: gender, age, 

highest grade completed, race/ethnicity, citizenship, veteran status, 

unemployment insurance status, weeks unemployed in the last 26 weeks, 

disability status, and whether the individual is economically disadvantaged. As 

the individual proceeds through the program, data are entered into the system on 

types and amounts of training activities the individual is engaged in (e.g., voucher 

amount, total hours of training, date of completion of training, type of training 

received). At the conclusion of training and during the period following training, 

data are entered into the system related to outcomes, including type of skill 

certification attained, whether the individual attained a wage increase, hourly 

wage, number of hours worked per week, job title, and whether the individual 

receives fringe benefits. As a result of data and analyses generated from this 

system, REB has been able to monitor regularly whom the H-1B project has 

served, types of training provided, and related outcomes. For example, reports 

generated from this system have helped to ensure that the program stays on 

target to meet program enrollment and outcome goals – and assisted in refining 

program interventions as the project has developed. The project has also 

employed a participant feedback survey, which has provided a steady stream of 

feedback relating to the how H-1B participants have rated each type of training 

provided under the project, as well as suggestions for how the project might be 

improved. 

• Development of a Research Model for the purposes of predicting whether 

future enrollees would successfully complete the program (New York). A 

team of researchers from the Center for Advanced Study in Education at CUNY, 

representatives from the NY Workforce Alliance, and CUNY trainers identified 

185 data items to collect. Data is collected for all formal applicants for the longterm training component of the program. Pre-program, in-program, and postprogram data is scheduled to be collected. Such items as employment history, 

interview scores, interest inventory scores, self-assessment of IT skills, 

attendance, and class performance are quantified. The objective of the data 

collection effort is to establish a model profile that will help predict which 

applicants will be successful in IT training programs. The data collection effort 
 

 

57

also provides management information for the project. Whether the results of 

this effort will be of use or not may depend on factors beyond the project's 

control. 

J. SERVICE AREA 

• The geographic area served by the H-1B program extends well beyond the 

workforce development board’s service delivery area (Massachusetts).

REB, the workforce development board serving Hampden County, has used its 

H-1B grant to collaborate with employers, workforce development boards, and 

training facilities outside of its normal service area under WIA. In fact, training 

services provided under the grant serve workers and firms across four 

Massachusetts counties and extend across the state’s border into Connecticut. 

• Two neighboring workforce development areas have partnered under the 

grant (Tennessee). Workforce Essentials has partnered with the workforce 

board serving the nearby Nashville area, which expanded the area served by the 

H-1B grant from nine to 12 counties. This helped to expand the pool of 

employers and workers that the agency was able to serve under the project. 
 

 

58

IV. SITE SUMMARIES 

This section includes a summary describing the design and interesting practices 

on display at each of the six H-1B sites visited as part of the study. 
 

 

59

WORKFORCE ESSENTIALS, INC. [TENNESSEE] 

AWARD: $2,800,000 

IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: November 2000 – October 2002 (Round Three Grant 

Recipient)

 

MAJOR PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS: 

The lead agency on this H-1B training project is Workforce Essentials, Inc., which is 

responsible for design, implementation, and ongoing administration of the grant. 

Workforce Essentials (formerly the North Tennessee Private Industry Council) is a 

private, nonprofit employment and training agency, headquartered in Clarksville, TN. 

The fiscal agent of the North Tennessee Workforce Board (Local Workforce Investment 

Area 8), Workforce Essentials provides a range of training programs tailored to meet the 

needs of local businesses and workers. The agency also operates one-stop career 

centers across a nine-county area in Northern Tennessee and at Fort Campbell 

(Kentucky). Under the H-1B grant, Workforce Essentials is partnering with the Middle 

Tennessee Workforce Investment Board, which serves a four-county area (including 

Nashville). The project design features collaboration with nearly 30 employers in the 

health care and manufacturing sectors, including St. Thomas Hospital, NHC/Franklin 

Hospital, CEI Company, Aerostructures, Baptist Hospital, Standard Gypsum, and 

Teleco. Community colleges, Tennessee Technical Centers, the Nashville State 

Technical School, and several proprietary schools are providing training under the 

initiatives. Workforce Essentials is also subcontracting with the International 

Association of Machinists.

 

SERVICE AREA: 

The service area for the H-1B project extends across a 12-county area in North and 

Middle Tennessee (which coincides with the workforce investment areas served by the 

two partnering workforce boards involved in the initiative). The service area contains 

the 8-county Nashville metropolitan area (consisting of Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, 

Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, and Wilson Counties), and four outlying 

counties (Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, and Stewart). While including a major 

urban area, the service area for the H-1B grant is a predominantly rural area (that 

includes smaller cities and towns). 
 

 

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PROJECT DESIGN: 

The goal of this project is to enhance skills, employability, and wages of 735 employed 

or unemployed individuals to meet the high-skill workforce needs of the region’s 

employers. The project aims to upgrade worker skills and productivity, and in so doing, 

to lift wages of incumbent workers by 10 percent and unemployed workers (new hires) 

by 15 percent. In addition, the project is also intended to encourage local employers to 

invest in upgrading worker skills (by offsetting training costs) and to reduce worker 

turnover. To participate in the project, workers must either be currently employed or 

have a commitment to be hired (once training is completed) by one of the firms involved 

in the initiative. The project partners with employers primarily in the manufacturing and 

health care sectors. Training is provided for a variety of occupational fields, including 

electrical/electronics, mechanical, and industrial engineering; precision manufacturing 

assembly; manufacturing industry management; systems analysis/programming; and a 

variety of health careers (nursing, radiation technology, and medical transcription). 

Workforce Essentials makes available its one-stop career center facilities – which have 

an extensive inventory of assessment tools and resources -- to assist employers in 

assessing each worker’s capabilities, interests, and training needs. Employers may 

conduct their own assessment or utilize career center facilities. While most participants 

are assessed and tested, no standard set of tests is applied (some of the assessment 

tests used include the Valpar System S2000 and the Career Occupational Preference 

System [including the COPS, COPES, and CAPS]). 

The training provided – curriculum, duration, where training occurs, and other features – 

is tailored to both workers’ and companies’ needs. Training mostly involves classroom 

instruction, though where appropriate clinical, laboratory, internships, and other types of 

hands-on instruction are provided. Instruction may be provided at an accredited 

educational or training institution (such as a community college) as part of regular 

courses offered through the institution or may be conducted at the employer site. Some 

employers train groups of employees under the initiative; other employers send workers 

on an individual basis to local training providers. The duration of training varies -- 

ranging from about 9 weeks to about two years (the average is about one year). 

Instructional hours per week also vary -- from several to over 30 hours. Training 

generally results in some type of certification, but may also result in a post-secondary 

(usually two-year AA) degree. Several examples of the types of training mounted by 

employers under this initiative follow: 

• NHC Franklin HealthCare (located in Franklin, TN) – part of the National Health 

Corporation – faces critical shortages of all types of nurses (certified nurse’s 

aides, licensed practical nurses, and registered nurses) to fill positions at its 

nursing home facility in Franklin. The nursing home – serving a mostly rural and 
 

 

61

small town area -- faces nursing shortages, in part, because of the lack of a 

training facility in the locality, as well as other shortage conditions that generally 

affect nearly all health care facilities in the state, and nationally (e.g., high 

turnover rates, an aging nursing population, and inadequate numbers of young 

people entering the nursing field, an aging population with greater health care 

needs, and constraints on wages). The H-1B training initiative has enabled NHC 

Franklin HealthCare to partner with the Tennessee Technology Center at 

Dickson/Clarksville to offer a one-year LPN degree program in Franklin for the 

first time. One of the difficulties the locality has experienced is that nursing 

candidates from the community have had to go to other localities to receive 

nursing training – and once in another locality, have often not returned to practice 

nursing in Franklin. The aim of the project is to expand the pipeline of nurses in 

the locality by providing LPN training to move incumbent workers (e.g., CNAs 

and other workers already working at the nursing home) up to LPN positions and 

to bring new hires to the firm (who may not have been formerly in a health 

profession) that have LPN degrees. Once at the LPN level, the firm offers a 

tuition reimbursement program to assist workers in moving to higher levels of 

nursing (i.e., RNs). The LPN program is a one-year program (conducted over 4 

quarters, involving 1,296 hours of classroom and clinical instruction). NHC, 

which helps with recruitment and screening of individuals for the program and 

pays 40 percent of the training costs, receives a commitment from trainees that 

upon completion that they will work for the firm for a specified period of time.

• Standard Gypsum (located in Cumberland City, TN), a manufacturer of 

wallboard, has provided upgrade training for 27 of its employees under the H-1B 

training program. The grant has enabled the company to forge a close linkage 

with the Tennessee Technical Centers to bring much needed training to its 

technical and administrative workforce. Under the grant, instructors from the 

Tennessee Technical Center provide instruction at the employer site for 

maintenance technicians, safety personnel, and human resources staff. The 

instruction, typically several hours per week, is conducted during standard work 

hours. 

• CEI Company, Ltd (located in Springfield, TN), an automated automotive 

component manufacturer, has provided upgrade training for 176 incumbent 

workers. The goal of the training is to move technicians to higher skill levels to 

improve worker productivity, improve worker morale, and reduce turnover rates. 

Several types of training have been provided. Production technicians at the plant 

have been enrolled in electrical maintenance technician training at Nashville 

State Technical College. This training program offers six courses (for college 

credit) over an 18-month period that lead to an Electrical Maintenance Technical 

certificate. The curriculum is tailored to the skill requirements and production 
 

 

62

processes at CEI. A Nashville State Tech instructor comes to CEI twice a week 

(a total of four hours) to provide instruction. CEI provides input on the 

curriculum, a classroom at the plant where instruction is provided, and paid time 

off for technicians to attend the training program. Nashville State Tech has also 

partnered with CEI to provide a 13-week introductory course and an 8-week 

advanced course in Statistical Process Control. A Nashville State Tech faculty 

member comes to CEI once a week (for two hours) to provide instruction, which 

includes a combination of lecture and in-class assignments. A total of 110 

supervisors, engineers, and production technicians have attended this training, 

which also occurs on company time. Finally, CEI has sponsored some 

specialized, short-term training (lasting four or five days) on design and drafting 

for its employees using computerized applications (e.g., CNC and CAD 

applications). 

RECRUITMENT METHODS 

• Employers: Employers play a critical role in the program – screening workers to 

determine who is appropriate for training, making a commitment to hire new 

(unemployed) workers if they complete training, providing input on curriculum 

and teaching methods, providing training facilities (where appropriate), and 

providing partial payment for training and other types of in-kind matches. Since 

its founding in 1992, Workforce Essentials had been involved in administering a 

series of training programs with employers in Northern Tennessee and so was 

already well connected with the employer community when it submitted its 

proposal for grant funds. As part of its proposal development process, the 

agency gained commitments to partner from many of the firms it has contracted 

with under the H-1B project. In addition, the agency sent out a mailing to the 

employer community notifying them about the program and asking about each 

employer’s training needs. 

• Participants: Incumbent workers involved in the program have nearly all been 

screened and referred by partnering employers. Employers examine their 

workforce for individuals who they feel would benefit from skills upgrading in 

occupations that Workforce Essentials and the firm have agreed conform to the 

H-1B high skill occupations. Unemployed workers mostly come to the program 

either through the recruitment efforts of Workforce Essentials’ one-stop career 

centers or partnering companies’ regular recruitment efforts. Individuals may be 

referred to the one-stop career centers by local human service agencies (e.g., 

welfare agencies) or downsizing employers; individuals may also hear about the 

career centers (and training opportunities such as those available under the H-1B 

program) at job fairs or via word-of-mouth. Career center staff has been notified 
 

 

63

about the types of unemployed or underemployed individuals appropriate for the 

H-1B training program and referral procedures. Career center staff screens 

individuals for the H-1B program (as they do for other available education and 

training programs available through the center) – those who seem appropriate 

and interested are referred to the H-1B program for further screening and 

assessment. If appropriate, referrals are matched with partnering employers and 

only become enrolled under the H-1B program if a partnering employer agrees to 

hire the individual immediately or upon successful completion of training. Some 

employers – particularly those in the health care sector facing labor shortages – 

have conducted their own recruitment (for example, at job fairs and by placing 

advertisements in newspapers) and referred appropriate individuals to Workforce 

Essentials for further screening and enrollment in H-1B training. 

ENROLLMENT: 

The grant agreement indicates that a minimum of 735 individuals will be trained by the 

project termination date. As of November 2001 (with about one year remaining under 

the grant), Workforce Essentials had exceeded its goal, enrolling 812 individuals under 

the grant. Availability of participant characteristics is limited (in part, because the 

agency wants to impose as little reporting burden as possible on partnering companies 

and their workers). To date, an estimated three-quarters of those served are female; all 

participants have at least high school diplomas or GEDs, and many have some postsecondary certification or degrees. 

COST SHARING POLICY: 

Although the third round requirement under the H-1B grant is for 25 percent match of 

local funds to federal funds, Workforce Essentials requires employers to provide a 40 

percent match. Partnering companies have met their match requirements mostly in the 

form of cash payments to cover a portion of the tuition costs, though some have also 

utilized in-kind matches (e.g., payment of worker wages during release time for training, 

provision of classroom space, and payment for books and uniforms). 

 

INTERESTING PRACTICES: 

• Two neighboring workforce development areas have partnered under the 

grant. Workforce Essential has partnered with the workforce board serving the 

nearby Nashville area, which expanded the area served by the H-1B grant from 
 

 

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nine to 12 counties. This helped to expand the pool of employers and workers 

that the agency was able to serve under the project. 

• H-1B training grants have enabled local employers to train workers to meet 

rapidly changing technological requirements within the production 

process. Manufacturing firms involved in this initiative have been afforded 

considerable flexibility in working with local training institutions to tailor training to 

meet the latest skill requirements and to provide training at times and places 

convenient for trainees. Often the training provided under the grant has been at 

the company’s worksite (generally on company time or a combination of worker 

and company time). Firms have also been able to provide input in many 

instances as part of the curriculum development process to orient training to the 

production process and latest equipment being used.

• While primarily oriented training incumbent workers, H-1B training funds 

have also helped partnering firms to recruit, screen, and train unemployed 

workers to fill shortage occupations. Grant funds have been particularly 

targeted by Workforce Essentials to help firms facing local shortages of workers 

within the health care sector. An emphasis has been placed on increasing the 

supply of nurses and other health workers that can enter the health care field and 

then over time advance to higher skilled and higher paid jobs. For example, one 

of the key areas of concern locally (in part because the area served under the 

grant is largely rural) is a shortage of all types of LPNs and RNs. With the help 

of Workforce Essentials’ one-stop career center system, H-1B grant funds have 

been used to assist local health care firms with recruitment, assessment, and 

careful screening of candidates to enter LPN training. The availability of the 

grant also encouraged the technical school to form a LPN class in the local 

community, where nursing training had not been formerly available.

• Program enrollment and provision of training is tied to a job with an 

employer. To be enrolled in the project individuals either had to already be 

employed or to have a commitment from an employer that they would be hired 

upon completion of H-1B funded training.

EMPLOYER COMMENTS: 

Employers involved in the initiative indicated that the program had brought much 

needed funding to help them expand training available to their workforce. One firm 

indicated that they had a strong preference for hiring locally – but could not always find 

the type of skills needed to operate their highly automated production process. For 

example, the firm has experienced great difficulty in finding qualified technical staff to 
 

 

65

maintain production equipment. The H-1B program provided the funding needed to 

move current workers to higher levels of skill so that positions could be filled within the 

company and additional hires could then be made for lower-skill jobs. This particular 

firm was pleased with their ability to combine work with upgrade training right at the 

facility to boost skill levels of existing workers. Company administrators also indicated 

that the training increased productivity and helped to reduce turnover rates. A second 

firm indicated that the program had been critical in its efforts to respond to serious 

shortages of nurses. The training – while provided at the LPN level – helped to build 

the pipeline of nurses within the locality. The program helped with identifying viable 

candidate for entry into health careers and then helped to offset the training costs for 

the firm. A third company – in the manufacturing sector – indicated that the H-1B grant 

program had boosted skills and knowledge of the workforce, which led directly to 

productivity increases. Enhanced skill levels helped to make the job easier for workers, 

helped them to be more productive in their application of new equipment and production 

processes, and reduced turnover rates. The added training also provided workers with 

the opportunity to change occupational classifications and move to higher wage levels. 

TRAINING PROVIDER COMMENTS: 

The training provider interviewed indicated that the H-1B grant had been helpful in 

promoting links between area employers and training providers and encouraged local 

firms to increase investment in training workers because it offset training costs. The H1B grant has provided an impetus for providing training at or near the employer’s 

location and to provide clinical experience at area health care facilities. 

TRAINEE COMMENTS: 

Trainees involved in the program indicated that they probably would not have had the 

time or resources required to upgrade their skills without the help of the H-1B training 

program. With regard to the LPN training program, most participants would have been 

unable to pay the tuition for training on their own. The program also provided case 

management and help with referrals for other types of support that helped participants 

to make it through the ups and downs of full-time nursing training over a one-year 

period. According to students involved in the LPN training, employer involvement in the 

project is important – it “helps students know that they have a job at the end of the 

training...it helps to motivate and focus students.” 
 

 

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OUTCOMES: 

According to data available through January 2002, of the 162 participants who had 

completed training to date, 18 had resulted in new hires for partnering firms and the 

remaining 146 had upgraded their skills at their existing workplace. No placement or 

wage data were available at the time of the visit. 

OVERALL ASSESSMENT: 

As discussed in this summary, the H-1B funded training initiative’s main effects have 

been to expand the availability of training for incumbent workers and new hires and to 

link training activities to the specific needs of the nearly 30 partnering employers. The 

grant has provided a very flexible means for partnering employers to work with local 

training institutions to develop curricula and provide instruction targeted on the current 

needs of the firm and its workforce. The collaboration between the firm and training 

provider also has helped to provide training that could be easily attended (often on 

company time at the worksite or a nearby training facility) and involves curriculum and 

training exercises that are directly relevant to day-to-day work of the trainee. 

PROGRAM CONTACT: 

Diane Lynch 

Technical Training Director 

Workforce Essentials, Inc. 

110 Main Street 

Clarksville, TN 37040 

Telephone: (931) 551-9110; FAX – (931) 551-9026 

E-Mail: dlynch@workforceessentials.com
 

 

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PIMA COUNTY COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT [ARIZONA] 

AWARD: $1,500,000 

IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: March 2000 – March 2002 (Round One Grant 

Recipient)

 

MAJOR PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS: 

The lead agency and grant recipient is the Pima County Community Services 

Department, which is responsible for design, implementation, and administration of the 

grant. Pima County Community Services Department, part of the Pima County 

government, is the designated operator of the one-stop system and Workforce 

Investment Area (WIA), Welfare-to-Work, and Community Development Block Grants in 

Pima County. The project design features involvement of a range of training institutions 

and employers in the Tucson metropolitan area. Employer involvement is particularly 

focused in the health sector (especially hospitals and nursing homes), teleservices, 

information technology, electronics, aviation, and education. There are about ten 

leading employment partners (and less extensive involvement on the part of other 

employers), which include: Kino Hospital, Sunquest, Universal Avionics, Convergys, 

Honeywell, Opinion Research, Teletech, Cross County, and USA Relay. There are a 

variety of partnering training institutions (both public and proprietary training providers), 

including: the Pima County Community College, Southern Arizona Institute of Advanced 

Technology (SAIAT), Arizona State University, the University of Phoenix, the University 

of Arizona, Prescott College, and New Horizons. About half of the participants receive 

training through the community college system.

 

SERVICE AREA: 

The targeted service area is Pima County, with a primary focus on the Tucson 

metropolitan area. Pima County is a large county encompassing both rural and urban 

populations, spanning almost 10,000 square miles (or about the area of the state of 

Massachusetts). 
 

 

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PROJECT DESIGN: 

The goals of this H-1B training project for participants are to facilitate job placement, 

enhance prospects for job retention and career advancement, and promote wage 

growth and long-term self-sufficiency. The goal for partnering employers is to promote 

their involvement in training of both incumbent and unemployed workers to reduce 

critical shortages in the local labor force of professional and technical workers. The 

program promotes employer involvement by offsetting the costs of training and by 

helping employers to partner with local training facilities that can help with curriculum 

development and provide training. The goal of the project is to serve 300 individuals, 

including high- and low-wage incumbent workers and unemployed individuals. 

The program design features four key components: (1) training to become registered 

nurses (RN) and other health professionals (known as the “Dare to Care” program 

component); (2) training to upgrade workers in teleservices to enter higher paying 

careers in the information technology (IT) field (“Train to Gain” program component); (3) 

training to upgrade teaching assistants to become teachers (“Reach to Teach” program 

component); and (4) training to enter the field of applied engineering (“Get in Gear to be 

an Engineer”). The project had a fifth component – accounting and management 

systems training -- during its early stages of development, but dropped the component 

after providing training for several participants (mostly dislocated workers). 

In conducting these training components, the Pima County Community Services 

Department partners with about 10 local companies and a range of local training 

providers in the region. Instruction is provided at training institutions (such as 

community colleges) or at employer sites. While most of the instruction occurs in the 

classroom, where appropriate, there are laboratory assignments, clinical internships, 

and hands-on instruction tailored to the production process and workforce needs of 

specific employers. Duration and intensity of training varies across the four training 

components – ranging generally from about 6 months to two years overall, with 

instruction hours per week varying from 6 hours per week to full-time training. Some 

training is conducted on a group basis (e.g., the RN training), while other training is 

conducted through individual referral to local training providers (e.g., as part of regular 

classes operated by community colleges and proprietary schools). Some training 

results in the award of a post-secondary degree, including Associate’s degrees in 

Nursing, Bachelor’s degrees in Nursing [BSNs], or Master’s degrees in Nursing [MSNs]) 

or certification; other lines of training provided under the project do not result in degrees 

or certifications, but enhance worker productivity and advancement prospects (e.g., 

individuals completing coursework in Visual Basic). Below, we highlight key features of 

three of the training components included in this initiative: 
 

 

69

• Health Care Training (“Dare to Care”). Similar to other localities around the 

country, the Tucson area suffers from critical shortages of nurses and other 

trained health professionals. Using H-1B training funds, the project has 

partnered with a number of area hospitals and the Pima County Community 

College District to improve the pipeline of individuals entering and advancing 

within nursing careers. The program has primarily targeted individuals already 

within health careers and provided needed financial resources (and flexibility in 

programming) to assist these individuals to advance along the nursing career 

path. For example, training has been provided to Certified Nursing Assistants 

(CNAs), Medical Assistants, Patient Care Technicians, and Licensed Practical 

Nurses (LPNs) to assist these individuals in achieving two-year Registered 

Nursing degrees. In addition, assistance has been provided for those already 

working as RNs to begin on the pathway toward achieving BSNs and MSNs at 

the University of Arizona and other institutions of higher learning. As of 

September 2001, a total of 81 (of the 318 served to date under the H-1B grant) 

have been enrolled in this program component. As part of the nursing 

component, Pima County Community College District worked closely with Kino 

Hospital on the design of a part-time training program to prepare CNAs, Medical 

Assistants, and Patient Care Technicians to obtain their LPNs and meet 

prerequisites for immediate entry into the RN program at the community college. 

A group of about 20 Kino Hospital employees were enrolled in this program, 

which met in the evenings and on Saturdays (so that participants could continue 

to work at their regular jobs at the hospital). A regular faculty member from the 

nursing program at the community college provides instruction, with classes 

meeting in a classroom at the hospital (to make it as easy as possible for 

participants to work and attend classes). Participants go to the community 

college campus to complete necessary laboratory assignments. At the 

conclusion of the nine months of coursework (which include math, biology, and 

workplace math), participants are prepared to enter the RN Associate’s degree 

program at the community college campus. As part of the employer match, 

under this initiative, Kino Community Hospital provides a hospital worker to 

provide case management/tracking services, classroom space at the hospital, 

and allows for flexible work hours to facilitate attendance in the training program. 

Under the H-1B grant, Kino Community Hospital has also been able to enroll 

additional employees in upgrade training to obtain higher-level RN degrees 

(Associate degrees in Nursing, BSNs, and MSNs). About 20 of its employees – 

mostly LPNs who have met prerequisites for entering two-year RN programs – 

have enrolled (with the help of training vouchers issued under the H-1B program) 

in the Associate’s Degree in nursing program operated at the nearby West Pima 

Community College campus. In addition, an additional 15 RNs have been 

enrolled in BS and MSN degree programs at the University of Arizona, with H-1B 

funding covering the costs of tuition.
 

 

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• Teleservices to IT/Computer Skill Career Path (Train to Gain). About 15,000 

individuals are employed in local teleservices companies, which provide technical 

services telephone support at help desks for large companies (e.g., airline 

reservations, technical support for new products, survey research, etc.). 

Beginning wages are typically $7-$8 per hour and top out about $10-$11 per 

hour, with little in the way of a career ladder to higher skilled and better paying 

jobs. Companies employing teleservices workers typically suffer from problems 

of high labor turnover (in the range of 150 percent annually and higher) – in part 

because there are few prospects for career advancement and wage growth. 

Under this program component, the Pima County Community Services 

Department is collaborating with four local teleservices companies – Teletech, 

Cross County, Opinion Research, and USA Relay. The four companies identify 

potential employees who they feel would benefit from the training provided under 

this project. Through September 2001, a total of 71 incumbent workers (from 

these four firms) had been enrolled in training under this program component. 

After an orientation session and assessment, participants are enrolled in basic 

computer training leading to A+ certification at Convergys (a local employer and 

training provider). The coursework is designed to take non-technical individuals 

and help them to make the transition to a job within the IT sector. The training is 

not viewed as an end, but as a place to provide computer hardware/software 

fundamentals that can enable an individual to obtain a job for the first time in the 

IT industry and provide the basis for more advanced training within the IT field. 

The training provided at Convergys is conducted over a six-month period (six 

hours per week for a total of 132 hours). The first part of the course work 

focuses on basic computer skills (e.g., beginning Windows, fundamentals of the 

Internet, basics of computer hardware, and networking); the final 48 hours 

focuses on providing instruction needed to pass the A+ certification test (e.g., 

basics of DOS, networking, and hardware). At the end of the coursework, 

participants take the practice A+ exam and are encouraged (though not required) 

to take the actual A+ certification exam. During the six-month training period, 

participants are expected to stay employed at their referring employer. At the 

end of the six months, however, they may apply for a job in the computer industry 

(generally with a new employer) or stay with their existing employer (but 

generally moving up to a higher skill job, such as help desk for new computer 

hardware or software applications). Upon completion of the six-month course, 

participants become eligible for a training voucher worth up to $2,000 (paid for 

under the H-1B grant) for more advanced training in the IT industry. Such 

vouchers may be used to enroll in short-term certification courses (e.g., MCSE, 

UNIX, and Cisco training leading to certification) or two-year degree programs in 

computer science (e.g., at the community college). 
 

 

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• Applied Engineering Program (“Get in Gear to be an Engineer”). In 

collaboration with local manufacturers, the Pima County Community Services 

Department has developed a program component to assist incumbent, 

motivated, underemployed workers advance into highly skilled technical positions 

with local employers as certified electronic assemblers and technicians. The 18-

course curriculum, designed to industry specifications, provides electronics 

training, math, computer, and writing courses. The program awards college 

credits toward an Associate’s Degree from Pima Community College. The 

coursework is broken into two phases: (1) Phase I takes about nine months to 

complete and consists of 6 courses that result in participants receiving an 

electronic assembly certificate; and (2) Phase II is comprised of 12 courses 

requiring about two years to complete, and ends with participants receiving an 

electronic technician’s certificate. Those who successfully complete the 

program can make application to enter the Bachelor’s of Applied Science degree 

program at Arizona State University. 

RECRUITMENT METHODS 

• Employers: Employers have played an important role in this H-1B initiative, 

selecting incumbent workers to be trained, helping with curriculum development, 

making available training facilities, providing release time, and providing other inkind matches. The Community Services Department had worked with a number 

of these employers in earlier training programs (such as the under its HighTech/High Wage pilot project and other dislocated worker training projects), and 

was able to get some of these employers interested in participating under the H1B training project. Some partnering employers had company executives who 

were members of the Workforce Investment Board (WIB); others heard about the 

project as a result of an announcement in a newsletter circulated by the local 

Chamber of Commerce.

• Participants: Many of the participants (estimated at about two-thirds) came to 

the program as a result of referrals made by partnering employers. Employers 

notified workers of the availability of training opportunities at staff meetings, 

through company notices to staff (including e-mails), and word-of-mouth (from 

supervisors and fellow workers). Unemployed and underemployed workers often 

heard about the project through interactions with one-stop career center staff and 

seeing posted flyers about the program at career centers and other public 

facilities. The Community Service Department also subcontracted with a local 

service provider (Pathways) to help with recruitment of low-income individuals for 

the health care component. Pathways recruited individuals for the program at 

churches, area schools, and through other local social service agencies. 
 

 

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ENROLLMENT 

The grant agreement indicates that a minimum of 300 individuals will be trained by the 

project termination date (including unemployed, underemployed, and dislocated 

workers). As of September 2001 (with about six months remaining under the grant), the 

Community Services Department had enrolled 312 individuals under the grant. Of 

those served, about three-quarters (73 percent) were employed at the time of intake. 

Other available data on participant characteristics includes the following: 

• 63% female; 

• 61% white, 23% Hispanic, 8% black, 7% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 2% Native 

American; and 

• the average years of education, 13.9; the average reading level, 12.3; and the 

average math level, 12.1.

COST SHARING POLICY: 

Under the first round grant requirements, H-1B local grantees were to provide a nonfederal match of 50 percent on federal funds expended under the project. Major 

sources of non-federal matching funds include Pima County general fund for a portion 

of the staff salaries (and related expenses) and Arizona Department of Education funds. 

In addition, the H-1B project typically looked to employer partners to provide at least a 

25 percent match in the form of worker release time for training, case management 

services provided by employer staff, utilization of employer facilities and/or equipment, 

staff time allocated to administering the grant, and covering the cost of travel. 

 

INTERESTING PRACTICES: 

• Flexible training hours and locations facilitate training for incumbent 

workers and firms. Under this H-1B training project, the Community Services 

Department collaborated closely with firms and training providers on the 

development of curriculum and the scheduling of training. On several of the 

project components – notably, the nursing training, electronics, and computer 

skills training – the project was able to facilitate the participation of incumbent 

workers in training by arranging training hours in the evenings and on weekends 

and by bringing community college faculty to employer sites to provide classroom 

instruction. 
 

 

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• Providing remediation on the front-end of training and breaking training 

down into several modules helps to bring workers into training programs 

with varying capabilities and to move them along career pathways. Several 

of the training programs – such as the electronics and nursing training – are able 

to offer remediation prior to entry into regular degree or certificate programs. For 

example, in the nursing training program at Kino Community Hospital, a group of 

about 20 hospital workers (mostly CNAs) were able to attend a nine-month 

program (taught in the evenings and weekends at the hospital) that both 

remediated basic reading/math skills and provided instruction necessary for 

participants to prepare for certification as a LPN. At the end of this nine-month 

remediation program, participants were ready to enroll at the beginning of the 

third semester of the RN training program at Pima Community College and to 

complete their Associate’s Degree in nursing within about one year. RNs at the 

hospital who already had their Associate’s Degree in nursing, with the help of the 

H-1B grant, could enroll in training to obtain their BSN or MSN at the University 

of Arizona. Hence, the H-1B program was able to provide upgrade training at 

virtually every level along the nursing pathway (e.g., bringing hospital workers 

without nursing degrees into the nursing field and upgrading existing LPNs and 

RNs who had been in positions for many years to higher nursing degrees).

• Implementing five component areas, complemented by training vouchers, 

enables the Pima County Community Services Department to provide 

training across a broad spectrum of occupations and industry sectors. The 

training provided under the H-1B project in Tucson spanned a wide range of 

higher skills professions – teachers, nurses, accounting and management, 

electronics and engineering, and a range of IT professions. The grantee was 

also able to accommodate specialized training and advanced training needs by 

utilizing training vouchers that H-1B trainees could use at a large number of 

education and training vendors.

• One-Stop Career Center centers assisted with both H-1B recruitment and 

assessment. While most H-1B trainees came through direct referrals by 

partnering employers, one-stop career centers provided another way for 

incumbent workers and unemployed/underemployed individuals to learn about 

and enroll in the program. Career center staff promoted the availability of H-1B 

training services as another training resource open to the public. In addition, the 

career centers made their assessment facilities available to employers to help 

with assessing abilities and interests of workers for higher skill employment. The 

use of the reading/math tests (e.g., the TABE), interest inventory tests, and other 

diagnostic tools was tailored to the needs of employees and the specific 

occupational training being provided. Career centers could also effectively refer 

individuals enrolled in the program for other needed support services (e.g., basic 
 

 

74

skills, life skills, substance abuse services, housing, etc.). The career centers 

could also refer those not enrolled under the H-1B grant to other training 

programs and providers.

• Modification of training programs to provide college credit. A common 

problem in health occupations is that one cannot build on courses already taken 

if one wants to move up to a higher-skill job. For example, LPNs typically take 

courses that do not provide college credit, so they cannot count their courses if 

they wish to become a RN. The Pima County project overcame this problem by 

negotiating with the local educational and training institutions so that the courses 

taken for a LPN program carried transferable credit. 

• Opportunity for a company providing training to incumbent workers to hire 

the workers into jobs with more advancement potential. One organization 

provided training in IT work to incumbent workers at other firms. Part of the 

firm’s motivation was that they could hire the trained workers for jobs with more 

upward mobility potential after they had completed the training and the six-month 

minimum stay with their current employer. To date, none of the trainees had 

taken advantage of this option, but the approach might work in some settings. 

EMPLOYER COMMENTS: 

Employers were favorable in their views about the training provided with H-1B training 

funds. Under the health care component, one employer noted that the providing 

workers with “flex time” to attend training, case management/mentoring services, and 

convening classes at the employer site contributed to no one dropping out during the 

nine months that participants were involved in the training. 

TRAINING PROVIDER COMMENTS: 

One training provider noted that the “project gives skills to participants to get them in the 

door” within the IT sector. Another training provided noted that the H-1B program had 

enabled the educational institution “to move away from traditional education” and to 

respond to the specific needs of local employers. In designing the nursing curriculum, 

the training provider (a community college) noted that it was important to “design a parttime RN training program” – one that would enable training participants to both upgrade 

skills and at the same time continue to work in a full-time capacities at their jobs. In 

addition, the training provider noted that in designing the nursing curriculum, “we were 

asking our faculty to deliver a different type of program” than was typically provided 

within the community college. 
 

 

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TRAINEE COMMENTS: 

Trainees involved in the program are favorable in their views about the flexibility of the 

training provided under the grant and in terms of how the project helped them to either 

enter a new field or advance to higher skill jobs within their occupation. Trainees within 

the IT training component noted that the program “provided hands-on training” which 

included special projects (such as installing a computer laboratory) which reinforced 

what was learned within the classroom. Other trainees noted that the H-1B training 

upgraded skills and increased the potential for promotion at their current job. 

OUTCOMES: 

The only systematic data available was on participation levels (overall and by each of 

the five program components) -- no performance or outcome data were available. Many 

program participants were still engaged in training activities and, hence, it was too early 

to assess participants’ outcomes. 

OVERALL ASSESSMENT: 

The H-1B training program has enabled the sponsoring workforce development agency 

(the Community Services Department), employers, and training providers to develop 

several lines of training that are tailored to the needs of both workers and the 

employers. The grantee limited occupational training under the initiative to occupational 

areas where employers were finding it difficult to recruit sufficient numbers of workers 

and where higher-level technical skills were required and there was potential for career 

advancement. Some of the training areas were more successful than other – for 

example, the nursing, IT, and electronic components ended up training a large 

proportion of H-1B trainees (as opposed to the small numbers trained in the 

accounting/management and teachers training components. In addition, in these three 

areas, the grantee was able to carefully tailor curriculum and training methods to local 

employer and workforce needs – in particular, to make the training easily assessable for 

workers and geared to helping trainees make gradual steps along career pathways to 

higher paying jobs. 
 

 

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PROGRAM CONTACT: 

Charles Casey, Project Director 

Pima County Community Services Department 

32 N. Stone, 16th Floor 

Tucson, AZ 85701 

Telephone: (520) 740-5205; FAX – (520) 798-3206 

E-Mail: ccasey@csd.co.pima.az.us 
 

 

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VERMONT TECHNICAL SKILLS TRAINING PROJECT [VERMONT] 

AWARD: $2,658,000 

IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: November 15, 2000 through November 14, 2002 

(Round Three) 

MAJOR PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS: 

The lead agency is the Department of Employment and Training (DET), which operates 

the grant on behalf of the Vermont Human Resources Investment Council. DET was 

responsible for identifying the partners and preparing the grant submission. Under the 

Health Training program component, the main partners are the Vermont Association of 

Hospitals and Health Systems, and 16 hospitals located throughout the state (mainly 

Fletcher Allen Health Care Facility, Mt. Ascutney, and Rutland Hospitals where 

programs were developed). Under the High-Tech training project component, the main 

partner is the Vermont Technical College 

SERVICE AREA: 

This program serves individuals and employers throughout the state. With the 

exception of Burlington, most areas are rural. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND AND DESIGN: 

The goal of this project is to provide specialty care training for employed Registered 

Nurses resulting in minimizing the need to bring in foreign workers and temporary 

contract nurses to fill these critical jobs. A total of 148 nurses are to receive this 

training. In addition the project plans to provide training to incumbent, unemployed, and 

dislocated workers in engineering technology. A total of 65 workers are expected to 

participate. 

Nursing Program Component 

The State of Vermont has been facing a crisis in the nursing field for several years. In 

1998, a study of the condition of nursing in Vermont was commissioned, and shortly 

thereafter a Blue Ribbon Nursing Commission was established. The Commission 
 

 

78

elaborated on the study and presented its findings in January 2001. Among the findings 

were: 

• Vermont schools and colleges are producing 36% fewer nurses today (year 

2000) than six years ago; 

• The population of current RN’s is aging (45 years old, on average); 

• Aging baby boomers will contribute to increased demand; 

• A point in time job opening count showed 168 vacancies for Registered Nurses; 

and 

• Health care employers are using “traveling nurses”8

 to fill openings—they are 

paid more than co-workers and in 2000, cost Vermont hospitals $3.9 million over 

their budgets. 

To alleviate some of these problems, the Commission made seven recommendations. 

Among the recommendations were the following: 

• Create a Center for Nursing located at the University of Vermont in collaboration 

with Vermont state colleges to address ongoing issues of supply, education, 

practice, and research. 

• Establish a partnership between the State of Vermont, health care providers, 

educators, and other health care partners to fund a comprehensive program to 

promote the profession of nursing. 

• Increase state funding to expand nursing continuing education programs. 

The timing of the study dovetailed with the announcement of the H-1B grant program. 

Nursing was included under the H-1B visa demand occupations, and Vermont had 

articulated the problems and some of the solutions in the 1998 study and as a result of 

the work of the Blue Ribbon Commission. 

As part of the proposal preparation grant submission, a partnership among the State, 

health care providers, educators, and other health care organizations was developed. 

Hospital administrators had been fearful that by establishing a central mechanism to 

train current nursing staff, they might lose those workers to bigger, more affluent 

hospitals. These concerns were discussed and addressed by the partnership. It was 

decided that individuals trained under this program would have to commit to remaining 

with their current employer for two years. 

 

8 Licensed Registered Nurses who work for agencies throughout the United States and are sent 

on temporary assignment. In addition to salary, living costs for these nurses are paid by the 

host hospital.
 

 

79

The nursing components would include training in critical care and operating room 

nursing, two of the more extreme areas of need. The critical care component would 

build on an existing but newly piloted program developed by Fletcher Allen Health Care. 

The Operating Room component would be developed based on criteria established by 

the Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses (AORN). Both programs were to 

include classroom/laboratory instruction for between 72 and 82 hours offered over 5- 6 

weeks at Fletcher Allen and at 4-distance education learning sites throughout the state 

(potential to use all 12 distance education sites in the state if necessary). The distance 

education model would be based on a program developed for licensed practical nurses 

funded by the state Workforce Education and Training Program using Vermont 

Interactive Television. This formal training would then be followed by clinical practice on 

the job for between 680 and 720 hours. The clinical practice involved identifying 

preceptors (mentors) who would work side by side with the newly trained nurses and 

evaluate their performance in accordance with a set of competencies. Preceptors were 

sent to the first day of each training program so they would have a better understanding 

of what the participants were to learn. There were to be 5 programs of critical nursing 

for 20 participants each and 5 programs of operating room nursing for 10 participants 

each. The program anticipated having 5 dropouts from each series. 

As a result of early student evaluations, the distance-learning component of the 

operating room program was eliminated. The students felt that they needed direct 

contact with the instructors. Both programs are being videotaped for future use. 

In addition, use of the Internet was expanded to include providing the syllabus and 

reading materials, establishing communication links for the participants, posting notices 

regarding the program, and enabling the instructors to communicate with participants. 

With the success of Internet usage, the program developers began considering use of 

the Web as a means to fully deliver the critical care classroom component. The ultimate 

objective for this interactive program would be to train more Vermont nurses and 

potentially offer the program to other states on a fee for service basis. 

As mentioned above, the program required having mentors or preceptors assigned to 

each new specialty nurse. This brought into question the quality of the preceptors. As 

part of the review of the nursing occupations, the Vermont Internship Preceptor Focus 

Group had been established. This group had recently developed a formal training 

program for preceptors, but delivery was limited due to lack of funds. As a result of the 

H-1B grant, the program could now be delivered to all Vermont hospitals. Initially the 

focus was to be on those persons who would be preceptors for the critical care and 

operating room nurses, but given that the lack of adequately trained preceptors was 

affecting retention of new RNs, the program was expanded to include any interested, 

experienced RN. Over a 2-day period these preceptors learn about adult learning, 

delegation, legal responsibilities, personality styles, communication techniques, critical 

thinking. Because preceptors report to Nurse Educators in each hospital, an additional 
 

 

80

one-day workshop was developed for the Educators to prepare them to mentor and 

guide the preceptors in their new roles, reinforce learning, and eventually grant 

certification when preceptors have demonstrated competence. 

 

All these components not only required money to implement, but they also required a 

substantial commitment of time by the employers, participants, and preceptors. The 

employers had very little choice regarding participation. In some cases, lack of 

adequately trained nursing staff in these fields meant that patients had to be sent to 

other facilities for treatment. Several participants had to travel long distances to attend 

classes and had to study on their own time. The preceptors had the additional burden 

of being responsible for patients and new nurses. 

Providing incentives mitigated some of the time burden for the preceptors. Each 

hospital was given a small grant to assist in offsetting the cost of loss of staff and to 

enable them to reward the participating preceptors. This was considered a fee for 

training services. Preceptors only received the additional money during that time they 

worked with a nurse trained under the H-1B program, and the maximum payment was 

approximately $2,100. 

Nurses participating in the critical care and operating room nurse training did not 

automatically receive pay increases, but there were other incentives: 

• 6 college credits awarded upon completion of the critical care program continuing 

education credits were awarded for completion of the operating nurse program; 

• certification was provided; 

• successful participants were eligible for salary increases; and 

• participants increased their personal satisfaction. 

Because distance education and Web-based instruction were dropped from the 

operating room nurse program, psychiatric nursing training is being added using the 

savings. A 3-month program is planned for the summer of 2002. There will be 2 

teaching days and three clinical practice days for 12 weeks. 

High-Tech Program Component 

The technical training project design initially anticipated using a core of 14 employers to 

supply workers (45) needing skills upgrade training. In addition, 20 unemployed and 

dislocated workers would be provided similar high skills training. The project anticipated 

utilizing Vermont Technical College to coordinate the program with Castelton and 

Lyndon State College and Community Colleges of VT as training providers. Technical 

high skills training was defined as training in: 
 

 

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• Computer science 

• Electrical Engineering 

• e-commerce 

• Mechanical Engineering 

• General engineering technology 

• Telecommunications 

A survey of Vermont employers had identified these skill areas as important and in 

demand. 

Training was to be offered on-site at employer facilities, on-campus and via distance 

learning through Vermont Interactive TV, a statewide system of 12 real-time audiovideo labs. The DET One Stop offices would conduct statewide public awareness and 

recruitment efforts to include interviewing, testing in math and writing, screening for 

educational preparedness, and administering interest and aptitude tests. 

The original plan called for participants to spend one day per week in class over a 16-24 

month period. 

In reality, this schedule proved unworkable. The colleges claimed that the program 

would have to include 3 days per week of training. This adversely affected participation 

targets. Employers were much less likely to provide release time – paid or unpaid. The 

switch from one to three days resulted in a 40% dropout rate for the first class. The 

classes offered for the unemployed workers were not affected. There are two distinct 

programs now offered. One is directed to the needs and time constraints of the 

incumbent worker and the other is for the unemployed or dislocated worker. Both 

programs provide college credits, but the program attended by the unemployed and 

dislocated workers has more non-IT elements and will not only prepare participants for 

work in IT but will also prepare them to seek more advanced academic training resulting 

a Bachelor's Degree. Apparently, several of the current enrollees in the academic track 

program are at the top of their classes and may be eligible for academic scholarships to 

complete their education. 

The program has been able to offer all the necessary training at Vermont Technical 

College and community colleges. 

The anticipated outcomes for the High Skills component are: industry approved 

certifications, AA Degrees, Salary increases for incumbents, employment for the 

unemployed, and improved skills for all. 
 

 

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RECRUITMENT METHODS: 

 

Employers: Because 90% of the participants in this program are incumbent workers, 

employers played a central role in recruitment. For the health program, employers 

publicized the program internally along with eligibility criteria. The following are 

minimum criteria (could be more restrictive depending on the hospital): 

• Citizens/Green Card holders 

• Licensed RN 

• 6 months medical/surgical RN training 

• Currently employed by hospital 

• Two-year commitment to remain with sponsoring hospital 

Each applicant had to supply: 

• Resume 

• Essay on interest in the specialty field 

• Letters of reference 

• Self-assessment of computer skills 

• 2-year commitment letter 

• Commitment to attend all courses. 

The Nurse Manager for the specialty area at each hospital interviewed the applicant and 

determined whether the applicant would be endorsed and when they could be released. 

All applications were submitted to Fletcher Allen Hospital where they were jointly 

reviewed by instructors and the representative of the Vermont Association of Hospitals 

and Health Systems. 

Preceptor training was widely publicized and individuals self-selected for participation. 

Three to five years of experience was the only requirement (hospitals acknowledge that 

this may have to be modified to a minimum of one year depending on continued 

interest). Hospital representatives felt that this training was generally useful even if the 

trainees were never selected to perform the preceptor function. 

 

For High-Tech, the DET originally identified 14 employers interested in staff training 

through the H-1B program. Between the planning and award of the grant, all but two of 

these employers dropped out. The two remaining employers identified participants to 

be trained. Additional employers were later added to the project. 

Participants: The high-tech component accepted unemployed workers who were 

identified by staff at One Stop Centers. Employed workers also learned about the 

program from a variety of media announcements. Those workers had to consult with 
 

 

83

their employers regarding participation because of the need to take time off to attend 

the program. If the employer agreed, the applicant could enroll.

ENROLLMENT: 

The agreement indicates that a minimum of 2131

 individuals will be trained by the 

project termination date with a projected 202 completing training. 

 

2001 Planned In Training or Completed Drop Out 

Critical Care 57 38 NA 

OR 20 18 2 

High-Tech 48 43 10 

 

Total 125 99 

2002 

Critical Care 38 

OR 33 

High-Tech 17 

Psychiatric 129 

 

Total 100 

Grand Total 225 

 

Of the 225 to be trained, 205 are scheduled to be incumbent workers. 

As of December 2001 (with approximately 10 months remaining), the project has 99 of 

the anticipated 125 still enrolled, or 79% of their target. 

If enrollment continues at its current rate, it is likely that overall enrollment goals will be 

reached. Individual component targets and completion targets will be off, however. 

Currently (December 2001), the critical care program had a combined in-training and 

completion figure of 38. Given that the grantee anticipated a 95% completion rate for all 

components, the combined in-training and completion figure should have been 54, or 16 

more than the current figure. Enrollment in OR nursing will be on target and high-tech 

will be on target. 

 

9

 The Psychiatric Nursing component was not included in the original plan so the grand total 

does not correspond with the grant. Approval was granted to add the program. 
 

 

84

At the end of the grant, using current enrollment targets, 199 could possibly complete 

the program (2001 figures plus planned 2002). This would be a completion rate of 88% 

of target. 

 

The grantee did not highlight the preceptor program in the grant other than to include a 

small budget line item, but training for that group will be significant. Nine sessions were 

held in the fall 2001 and over 150 nurses have been trained to date. Programs were 

filled weeks in advance. 

The majority (possibly 99%) of the enrollees in the health component are female. 

Statistics on enrollments in the high-tech programs are collected but not aggregated at 

this time; however, the majority of enrollees are male according to the grantee. 

COST SHARING POLICY: 

Round Three grantees were required to provide a 25% match of local funds to federal 

funds. Vermont had no difficulty in achieving a far greater match because its health 

component required that employers continue salary for the entire training period. 

Classroom training for these programs ranged between 72 and 82 hours. The average 

salary of nurses is between $19 and $23 per hour. This generates over $239,000 in 

match for classroom training alone. Once the clinical portion of the training begins, the 

employer loses one full-time staff to the preceptor function. In essence, two people are 

working where there would normally be one. The clinical portion of the training 

averages 705 hours, and that generated over $2,190,000 in match. Additional match 

was in the form of reimbursement for travel and for time spent by the Nurse Educator. 

Other program costs could have been used to generate match but there was no need 

given that using just these elements resulted in about a 100% match. 

The high-tech component requires a 25% contribution toward tuition costs. This 

contribution can come from an employer or from the employee when the employer 

would not/could not contribute. Employers do not uniformly support release time for 

incumbent workers in High-Tech. The grantee advises that only about 30% of the 

employers currently provide paid release time. 

INTERESTING PRACTICES: 

• Web-based training. As a result of the H-1B grant, some of the critical care 

program was translated to Web-based instruction. The Web focus was on case 

studies to encourage students to develop critical thinking skills. In addition, Webbased instruction also developed a student’s sense of responsibility. Students 
 

 

85

reported that they had more access to everyone involved in program. The longterm benefits from translating classroom training to Web-based instruction are 

that more students will have access to program components for initial and 

refresher training and that there is potential to expand the audience nationwide. 

The effort to develop the Web-based program took about 6 months, so it was not 

fully functioning for the first wave of students. Finally, it should be mentioned that 

as part of the curriculum development for both critical care and operating room 

nursing, interactive Web-based instruction was considered. As a result of 

student input, the program managers eliminated the OR nursing component as 

not being suitable. This was a valuable lesson for designers. Not all programs 

benefit from using the Web as a training delivery mechanism, and early student 

evaluations provide essential feedback when considering Web-based and 

distance learning course delivery. 

• Two-year work commitment. By requiring a two-year employment commitment 

from trainees, employers were much more likely to participate in the program. 

They felt that their investment would be recouped in that period. It is difficult to 

calculate when a training investment will pay off, but a negotiated employeeemployer commitment does make sense. The commitment should be based on 

training costs and release time. 

• Satellite Training Labs. In a rural state such as Vermont, the existence of 

satellite training labs affords even those in remote locations the opportunity to 

obtain new skills and keep current with their professions. Normally, the nurse 

participants would have to spend full time away from home to attend classes. 

This was a hardship for them and a financial drain on their employers. The 

training labs allow training time to remain the same but result in as much as a 

50% reduction in time away from home. The labs are the sites for the Vermont 

Interactive Television programs, which means that all participants can attend 

classes at the same time but in as many as 12 locations. Course developers 

learned that using television as a training tool required training for instructors in a 

different set of presentation skills. They also learned that more time needed to 

be allocated to developing graphics and slides. Use of guest presenters was a 

risk unless the presenters were also provided training. Perhaps the most 

important lesson learned was that there are always technical problems, so there 

needs to be technical assistance at the delivery and receiving end of the 

transmissions. 

• Preceptor Training. The preceptor training component seems to have as much 

of a potential for long-term impact on the nursing shortage in Vermont as some of 

the other, more costly interventions. There was unanimity among those 

interviewed that new nurses were often in a “sink or swim” situation in their first 
 

 

86

months on the job. Many new nurses cannot survive in the environment and 

abandon the field. Considering that enrollments in nursing schools nationwide 

are inadequate to meet current and future needs, to have those that make it 

through quit in the first few months of actual work is alarming. The preceptor 

training program is attempting to help experienced nurses develop the skills to 

nurture and encourage new nurses, something that appears to be currently 

lacking in the nursing culture. 

• Exceptional Employer Involvement. The exceptional employer involvement in 

the nursing program might not be applicable to other fields, but is worthy of note. 

The situation in Vermont hospitals in regard to nurse shortages was critical and 

appeared to be getting worse. In the case of health care, having several small 

hospitals unable to serve critical care patients or support physicians in the 

operating room only resulted in increased demand for those services at larger 

hospitals and in a potential deterioration in the care of those who needed it the 

most. To overcome this statewide problem, employers, educators, training 

professionals, state officials, associations, and other health care organizations 

had to come together to find a solution or they would all suffer. The grantee 

enlisted the aid of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, and 

together they shared information on the H-1B training solicitation with all 

interested parties individually and in groups. They were able to overcome 

resistance by explaining program benefits and developing solutions to such 

problems as employee retention upon the completion of training. It is likely that 

severity of the situation made this unusual cooperation possible. 

EMPLOYER COMMENTS: 

The involvement of employers in the health care components of this program is so 

significant that it could be characterized as being run by employers. The first 

observation that is made is that in the absence of this program, there would be no 

coordinated, statewide training program for specialty nurse occupations. 

TRAINING PROVIDER COMMENTS: 

Again, there isn’t much of a distinction between the employer community and the 

training community. Some classroom training is provided by the University of Vermont 

School of Nursing utilizing paid staff, but that training is augmented by lectures provided 

by the nursing community. The planning stages of the Psychiatric Nursing program 

envisioned having 9 guest lecturers. 
 

 

87

The staff that was involved with developing the distance education portions of the 

critical care nursing program commented on the difficulties and challenges they faced in 

putting together the program. 

TRAINEE COMMENTS: 

Trainees interviewed were very positive about the program. One individual answered 

an employment ad in a nursing journal based on the fact that this training would be 

made available to her if she joined a Vermont hospital. She was one of several people 

who relocated based on the promise of this training. 

The trainees reported that they had applied for the program because of their interest in 

the field. Both the hospitals and trainees confirmed the fact that specialty nurses do not 

necessarily get paid more. Advanced degrees and certain certifications may result in 

higher pay, but does not. 

The preceptor training was well received by the trainees and those who had completed 

the program. One interviewee said she had performed this function for 28 years without 

any formal training. Another critical care nurse reported that when she was asked to be 

a preceptor, she was highly honored. 

OUTCOMES: 

Because this is a Round Three recipient, outcome information would be very incomplete 

if reported. Anecdotal information from one hospital confirmed that the critical care 

training resulted in her hiring many fewer “travelers,” thus saving thousands of dollars. 

This kind of information is clearly quantifiable but, as of the date of our visit, was not 

being collected. The grantee will have to work at increasing enrollments to meet overall 

training targets. 

OVERALL ASSESSMENT: 

The high-tech component is similar to what we observed at other sites. Trainees are 

identified by employers, DET, or they self-select the program based on information in 

the media or from friends. They enroll in a college program, get training, and find work. 

Participating employers were identified in the grant, and when many dropped out, others 

were identified to take their place. The employment community for high-tech could not 

be characterized as any type of partnership. That is not to say that this approach is a 

poor one, and it may be the correct approach for this labor market. 
 

 

88

The shining star of the Vermont H-1B program is the health component. Program 

designers reviewed existing studies on the condition of nursing in Vermont (including 

recommended solutions) and identified those components that could be implemented 

under this grant, thus addressing the H-1B training objectives as well as local hospital 

needs. 

The Department of Employment and Training (DET) identified the Vermont Association 

of Hospitals and Health Systems as critical to implementing the program based on prior 

working relationships with VAHHS and on VAHHS’ access to hospital decision-makers. 

VAHHS was able to: 

• convince hospital members that this combined effort was worthwhile; 

• minimize the concern about loss of staff to other hospitals; 

• work to get college credit for some parts of the program; 

• help with design and instruction of preceptor program; and 

• convince nursing school deans to participate in program review activities. 

 

VAHHS also assumed responsibility for managing data, tracking the matching funds, 

and reviewing participant applications. 

Full use was made of off-the-shelf curricula, thus avoiding expensive course 

development costs. State of the art Web-based instruction was created that can be 

used for future training. 

Designers were cognizant of the need to mount a program that could be sustained once 

federal funding stopped. By establishing a network of cooperating organizations, 

demonstrating cost savings, institutionalizing a course of study and producing welltrained workers, it is likely that this program will continue to serve the State of Vermont. 

PROGRAM CONTACT: 

Greg Voorheis, Project Director 

Vermont Department of Employment and Training 

P.O. Box 488 

5 Green Mountain Drive 

Montpelier, VT 05601 

Telephone - (802) 828-4343 FAX- (802) 828-4181 

E-Mail – gvoorheis@det.state.vt.us 
 

 

89

MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE [ALASKA] 

AWARD: $2,425,035 

IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: August 1,2000 - July 31,2002 (Round Three) 

 

MAJOR PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS: 

The grantee is the Anchorage-Mat-Su Local Workforce Board with management by the 

Municipality of Anchorage Planning Department, Workforce Development Division. 

Major subgrantees are the Alaska High-Tech Business Council/IT Careers 

Consortium(AHTBC/ITCC) and Matanuska-Susitna College (University of Alaska). 

 

SERVICE AREA: 

While the grant was awarded to the Municipality of Anchorage, the grant service area 

mirrors the Workforce Investment Area under the Workforce Investment Act. This area 

comprises 26,235 square miles and includes the Municipality of Anchorage as well as 

the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The most recent population figures indicate that more 

than 313,000 people (over 50% of the state's total population) live in the grant area. The 

labor force is approximately 188,000. 

PROJECT DESIGN: 

The project provides training for individuals and groups in basic and advanced IT 

courses. Individuals may be unemployed or underemployed. They may be currently 

working in the IT field, but require additional training to retain or advance in their 

occupation. Training is supported in public and private training institutions. 

As part of the grant, an award was made to Mat-Su College, a branch of the University 

of Alaska, Anchorage, located in Palmer, AK, to develop comprehensive Hi Tech 

Training Curricula. The Mat-Su program includes a basic skills component for those 

individuals needing extra preparation for enrollment in advanced course work. Basic 

skills include: introduction to computer technology; English; communications; 

electronics; mathematics; and engineering technology. Advanced IT Training includes 

vendor-specific courses leading to certifications as computer technicians, network 

technicians, network administrators, web design technicians, web programmers and 
 

 

90

database specialists. Many of these courses have been developed by the hardware 

and software vendors; however, the College needed to modify the format for delivery in 

a variety of modalities. Students may attend in a traditional semester program or during 

intensive sessions on nights and weekends. "Boot camps" (intensive programs that 

meet 8 hours per day for one to several weeks depending on the complexity of the 

course) are also available. The courses are offered for credit that may lead to an 

Associate’s or Bachelor's Degree. For example, training is offered for the following: 

• A+ (Microsoft Entry Level Computer Service Technician) 

• Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) 

• Data Base Administration (MSDBA) 

• Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) 

• Certified Cisco Network Associate (CCNA) 

• Certified Cisco Network Professional (CCNP) 

• Java Script 

• Local Office Network Technician 

• Computer Aided Drafting 

 

Completing a certificate and passing an industry test for one or a series of vendorspecific programs prepares the trainee to enter an IT occupation at a higher than 

average wage even without a college degree. The certification process isn’t simple. 

Participants may be required to pass as many as 7 tests to obtain one certification. 

Schools offering a vendor certification course of study must be licensed by the vendor. 

The curricula developed by Mat-Su will be made available to all branches of the 

University of Alaska. The grantee would have provided training in systems analysis and 

programming, but the time constraints of the grant made this impossible, as these two 

occupations normally require a BA degree. 

Employers must provide cash payments of 60% of the cost of tuition, fees, and books 

for incumbent workers. Self-employed workers may also participate. In the case of a 

self-employed worker, assistance is offered to find other support for some or all of the 

required 60% contribution; however, the H-1B program limits its contribution to 40%. 

For unemployed workers, a variety of funding mechanisms are combined to provide 

training as well as support services. For example, eligible participants may be coenrolled in the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) programs for youth, adults, or dislocated 

workers. Short-term, employer specific programs are funded through the grant for the 

purpose of upgrading units of workers. 

One of the primary industries targeted for service through the grant was to have been 

communications. Alaska is the largest of all states geographically, and has the 

smallest population density. This means that there are increasing demands/needs for 
 

 

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distance education and telecommuting. Newly installed fiber optic cables will enhance 

access to the Internet and its wide array of business applications. The thought was that 

once computer usage expanded due to improved communication technology, IT 

professionals would be in more demand throughout the business, education, 

manufacturing, and service industries. While communications firms have participated in 

the program, e.g., General Communications Incorporated and AT &T Wireless, it 

appears that the demand for training in other sectors has been even greater. In the 

past six months (June 2001 through December 2001), more than 50 employers have 

participated in the program. Some of those users are: 

• Science Applications International Corporation

• State of Alaska (variety of departments)

• United States Air Force

• First National Bank of Alaska 

• Alaska Native Medical Center

• Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium 

The training being developed is for most information technology related occupations, so 

the identification of an industry does not limit participants' opportunities for employment 

once the training is completed. 

The screening process for entry into training is very thorough. It includes orientation 

programs where the program is described as well as a very comprehensive application 

and assessment procedure. 

Employers may apply on behalf of a group of workers using the Tuition Assistance 

Application for Groups and Organizations. This document includes details from the 

employer regarding type of training desired, vendor name (if known), number of 

participants, cost per participant for tuition and materials, and a calculation of 40% of 

the costs. Along with the application, the employer must submit a completed Tuition 

Assistance Application for Individuals and Sole Proprietors. This document provides 

information on the individual trainee’s education, training, and work history along with a 

confidential questionnaire tracking such items as ethnicity, citizenship, veterans’ status, 

disabilities, UI status, offender status, and Pell Grant history. The employer submission 

requires an additional letter stating why IT training is needed (on company letterhead) 

and $100 per person deposit. 

Employers may sponsor individuals for training as well. In the case of individual 

requests for training, the Tuition Assistance Application for Individuals and Sole 

Proprietors is completed, and the employer is asked to submit a Statement of Need 

identifying the IT educational skills training needed for employability and upward 

mobility within the organization. A sole proprietor of self employed person uses the 
 

 

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same form but is not required to submit a separate statement of needs; only a business 

license number is required. The $100 deposit is also required with these applications. 

Unemployed individuals must make application in the same way but efforts are made to 

find alternative funds to support the 60% employer contribution. The High-Tech 

Business Council has some scholarship monies. Funding from the State Training and 

Employment Program also provides support. 

Program selection is accomplished in several ways. For individual applicants applying 

through the One Stop for private proprietary school training, the application is initially 

reviewed in-house by Workforce Development Division staff. Where deemed 

necessary, the initial assessment includes aptitude and interest testing (GATB, TABE 

Academic, Strong, SDS). If the applicant clearly has a background in IT work or 

education in the field, the application may be tentatively approved and forwarded to the 

project manager for final acceptance and funding. Where there is any doubt about the 

suitability of a candidate for training or about the training itself, the application is 

forwarded to the High-Tech Council for review by more technically versed staff. If the 

High-Tech Council is satisfied, they notify the Workforce Development Division of their 

recommendation. Final approval is granted by the Project Manager. The High-Tech 

Council also reviews group applications for suitability. 

Individuals applying for entry into the University of Alaska program are screened and 

selected by the university. 

 

If a training institution has not been identified by the individual or employer, the default 

institution is the University. 

According to the High-Tech Business Council, the screening process has resulted in a 

less than 10% drop out rate. 

RECRUITMENT METHODS 

The project director stated that outreach for this program was not necessary. A press 

release was issued announcing the grant and its purpose. Over 400 telephone calls 

were received within one week of the announcement requesting specifics on 

participation. 

The High-Tech Business Council, a major partner, provided information to its 

membership on the grant as did the University of Alaska. In addition, there are “plenty 

of people who walk into the one stops asking for high-tech training.” Between July 1, 
 

 

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2000 and June 30, 2001, 141 dislocated workers registered for WIA. Those that were 

suitable for IT training were offered an opportunity to apply. 

Many military retirees choose to remain in Alaska. These are generally people in their 

late 30’s and early 40’s who are looking for a second full career. High-Tech is an 

attractive new career alternative for them. Job Corps is another source of applicants. 

Not only is the Job Corps located near the Mat Su Campus in Palmer, AK, but it also 

provides computer technician training which for some serves as an introduction to a 

professional career. The Job Corps is not the only training center that is aware of the 

program. The private training vendors were also happy to refer candidates to the 

program because those candidates would normally return for the training.

ENROLLMENT 

The grant agreement indicated that a minimum of 350 individuals would be trained by 

the project termination date. As of 9/30/01 the following had been achieved: 

Plan Actual thru 9/30/01 

50 unemployed with little or no computer skills 

50 unemployed with limited computer skills 101 

50 dislocated workers 

200 incumbent IT workers needing skill upgrade 180 

Total 

350 281 

We were provided with one report that differentiated between the three types of 

unemployed workers, but the figures were only through June 2001. The Participant 

Management Information System was still under development at the time or our visit. 

During the discussion of enrollments, we were advised that the project would certainly 

meet its targets and more than likely exceed them by a significant amount if the 

program was allowed to continue for an additional year.

COST SHARING POLICY: 

Employers seeking to upgrade current workers are required to contribute 60% in cash 

toward the workers training costs. An employed worker whose employer is unwilling or 

unable to provide the match may be required to contribute personally towards the cost 
 

 

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of training, although every effort is made to find other sources of funds to ameliorate this 

hardship. Employer response to this request has been positive. Based on data received 

after the site visit, we were able to calculate that for 185 programs offered between 

June 1, 2001 and December 20, 2001, the average program cost was $5,035 with a 

contribution of $3,038 by employers. Other sources of cost sharing have been in the 

form of scholarship support from the High-Tech Council and the State. On rare 

occasions, individuals provide the employer match if the employer is unable or unwilling 

to cover costs. Other match is in the traditional form of paid release time and in-kind 

contributions by the state and university. 

INTERESTING PRACTICES: 

• Utilization of an IT technical review board representative to determine 

whether candidates and proposed courses of study quality for support 

under the H-1B program. There was general consensus that case managers 

did not have the technical expertise to evaluate participant readiness for IT 

training, nor were they able to determine whether the course of study proposed 

by the trainee or employer was appropriate under H-1B definitions and the 

current labor market. For this reason, when a participant did not have 

demonstrated skills or educational background, his/her file was submitted to the 

Alaska High-Tech Business Council for assessment. This careful screening 

minimizes the number of participants dropping out of the program due to their 

inability to complete the required coursework. It is too early to tell if this policy 

will affect placement success for those unemployed at the time of entry into the 

program. 

• Employer application process requires clear training objectives and 

deposit for each participant. In order to obtain training funds under the H-1B 

program, employers and participants must clearly articulate their training 

objectives, provide estimates of training costs, and if possible locate suitable 

training providers. In addition, the employer must provide a statement of need 

for both group programs and as part of the sponsorship for individual training. 

Along with this paperwork, a deposit check of $100 per participant is required. 

These requirements serve several purposes: 

- Participants and employers take an active role in the design of the training 

program by specifying the needs training will fill 

- Program costs and match requirements are very clear up front 

- Participants have a better understanding of requirements for work in the IT 

field 
 

 

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- The procedure may result in screening out applicants who are not highly 

motivated. 

• Utilizing grant resources to enhance the capacity of a rural institution to 

provide training in IT. While training is available in the City of Anchorage, 

individuals residing outside the city do not have access to the same resources. For 

many people, employed or unemployed, traveling to Anchorage is not practical. 

Employed workers seeking to upgrade skills may have to work part time at their jobs, 

which means a lengthy commute to a training site may be impractical. For the 

unemployed, the costs involved in making the trip on a daily basis to Anchorage 

would be prohibitive. Providing grant resources to a smaller institution also meant 

that the program would have more visibility and be more important to the institution 

charged with its development. There is also some thought that the development of 

this program as an academic offering would allow those people, for whom 

accelerated training is too difficult, the opportunity to get into the IT field. For these 

reasons, the grantee determined that developing an IT curriculum for the Mat-Su 

College made the most sense. 

• Establishing a substantial cash contribution for participating employers. A 60 

percent cost-sharing requirement was developed after consultation with the local 

planning group. The prevailing sentiment was that the H-1B grant training was a 

substantial benefit to the employers and they would be more than willing to 

participate. Employer participation has not been a problem so the assessment was 

accurate. By having a higher employer match, once government support diminishes, 

it will be less of a shock for employers to pick up the entire cost of employee 

upgrade training. Also, because this match is largely a cash match, the numbers of 

participants that can be served under the grant is considerably increased. 

EMPLOYER COMMENTS: 

“We need to train Alaskan workers. Importing workers doesn’t make sense because if 

they don’t hate it here, their spouses probably will.” 

“This program was very useful for us as we have an on going need to have high skilled 

workers for the pipeline” 

One nonprofit employer was using Mat-Su enrollees as interns. This was of great 

benefit to him as well as the interns. They had a chance to practice skills in a real life 

setting. 
 

 

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TRAINING PROVIDER COMMENTS: 

Before the H-1B program, they saw few employer-sponsored trainees. The 40% 

contribution by the government has made a substantial difference in enrollments. 

The existence of this program has enabled some employers to retain talented 

professionals. Staff doesn’t have to leave to advance and stay current in their fields. 

Incumbent workers are more likely to pass certification tests since they have on-the-job 

opportunities to practice what is learned in the classroom. 

TRAINEE COMMENTS: 

The Mat-Su program was a wonderful solution for a participant with a medical problem 

who couldn’t commute to Anchorage. 

Eight participants in Mat-Su program were from Job Corps. One reported that the Job 

Corps prepared him for advanced IT studies, and the H-1B grant is now providing the 

funds for him to pursue those studies. 

Hands on experience is very important. 

“I am eternally grateful” was the comment of one incumbent worker. He was recently 

employed but needed to upgrade his skills. He was facing taking 7 classes at a cost of 

between $1,300 - $1,800 each to become certified. With the H-1B program, his 

employer would support paying part of the tuition for two courses and testing fees. 

“I had to get this training to keep my job.” 

“This was a great opportunity and I have told all my friends in IT.” 

“I found out about the program from my wife” (a program participant). 

One participant received a Computer Science Degree in 1992. When he went to look 

for a job, he discovered that the courses he took had no relevance in the current labor 

market. For almost 10 years, he has been trying to find work in IT. During that period 

he went through bankruptcy; worked in a music store, an auto shop, and as a house 

cleaner. Through this program, he has been able to obtain current IT skills, and after 

some OJT, he was hired full time. He is now in charge of the 28-node system in his 

office. “This was life-altering for me.” 
 

 

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OUTCOMES: 

Unfortunately, the grantee had only been fully operational for about one year as of the 

date of our visit. The grant was technically awarded on August 1, 2000 but it had to be 

approved by the State of Alaska, a process which took approximately 4 months. It 

appears that this delay will not affect the grantee's ability to enroll the numbers of 

participants promised, but it does mean that significant outcome information is not 

currently available. Of the 281 participants reported as enrolled in the project through 

September 30, 2001, 156 were still in training as of November 8, 2001. Of the 125 no 

longer enrolled, we could not ascertain how many were incumbent workers, 

unemployed workers, or dislocated workers. There were no figures on dropouts. In 

addition, we do not know whether those individuals enrolled in courses leading to 

certification actually pass the certification tests. For some vendor programs, there are 

as many as 7 tests to pass before receiving the certification. There is no doubt that the 

training in preparation for certification will be useful to an individual in obtaining work in 

the IT field, but many jobs require certification and there is no substitute. 

OVERALL ASSESSMENT: 

The training program design is sound. The grantee involved the business community 

and educational community at the secondary and post secondary level in the planning 

and implementation of the program. An employer symposium was held early in the 

grant period to obtain support and input regarding training. 

In addition, labor unions, Job Corps, and the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training 

were invited to participate in program development. 

 

The grantee utilized existing mechanisms within the One Stop Career Centers to recruit, 

test, assess, and manage the caseload. Because the grant could only be used to 

support actual training costs and program administration, the grantee identified other 

sources of funding to support trainee needs in the areas of transportation, subsistence, 

and child care. Program support was augmented by WIA funds, vocational 

rehabilitation funds, Job corps resources, State Training and Employment Program 

(STEP), dislocated worker resources, trade adjustment assistance, and Pell grants 

where possible. 

Utilizing the University system to deliver newly developed IT curricula allows for the 

training to be replicated statewide. Offering IT courses for credit will enable some 

participants to not only obtain skills training but also to work towards the Associate’s or 
 

 

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Bachelor's Degree. Many of the IT occupations for which H-1B visas are granted 

require college degrees, which means that this program provides career ladder training, 

an objective of the H-1B grant program. Providing courses in an academic 

environment with credit may ultimately feed workers into those high demand IT 

occupations. In addition, developing and delivering the pilot in a more rural environment 

allows individuals who might not otherwise be able to participate the chance to get this 

training. In addition, Alaska must develop in-state capacity to train its labor force. The 

process of training workers in other states is expensive and importing workers from the 

lower 48 states is not only expensive but often doesn’t work on a long-term basis. 

 

Involving knowledgeable IT professionals in the selection process helps to ensure that 

suitable candidates are enrolled in programs which make sense given the local labor 

market. 

At this time, it is not possible to judge whether the program will meet its ultimate 

objectives in terms of placement levels, wage increases, and program sustainability. 

PROGRAM CONTACT:

Ruth DeCamp 

Anchorage Job Center 8th Ave 

235 East 8th Ave. 

Anchorage, AK 99503 

Telephone: (907) 343-6973 
 

 

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REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT BOARD OF HAMPDEN COUNTY, INC. 

[MASSACHUSETTS] 

AWARD: $1,500,000 

IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: March 2000 – March 2002 (Round One Grant 

Recipient)

 

MAJOR PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS: 

The lead agency and grant recipient is the Regional Employment Board (REB) of 

Hampden County, Inc., which is responsible for design, implementation, and ongoing 

administration of the grant. The REB -- the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) serving 

Hampden County – is a nonprofit workforce development agency, headquartered in 

Springfield, MA. The project design features collaboration with seven key employers in 

IT and telecommunications sectors: JDS Uniphase; Coghlin Electrical Contractors, Inc.; 

Valley Communications Systems, Inc.; Systems, Software, & Support, Inc.; Yankee 

Candle Company, Inc.; eclectechs; and RCN Corporation. There are a variety of 

partnering training institutions, including: Springfield Technical Community College and 

its Northeast Center for Telecommunication Technologies and Center for Business and 

Technology; Greenfield Community College and its Rural Technology Partnership in 

MA.; and Capital Community College in CT. In addition, such proprietary training 

vendors as New Horizons Computer Learning Center and Computer Education Services 

Corporation (formerly IKON Office Solutions) provide some of the training.

 

SERVICE AREA: 

The service area for the H-1B project extends across four counties in Western 

Massachusetts (Hampden, Franklin, Hampshire, and Worcester Counties), and into 

Connecticut (the Greater Hartford area). The service area includes several cities and 

towns, as well as large stretches of rural areas. The WIBs that represent the regions 

outside of Hampden County are also major partners in the project, along with the OneStop Career Centers operating in Hampden, Franklin, and Hampshire counties in MA. 
 

 

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PROJECT DESIGN: 

The goal of this project is to upgrade the skills of 210 currently employed, unemployed, 

and/or underemployed workers to meet shortages of workers in the region’s (Western 

Massachusetts and Greater Hartford/Northern Connecticut) information and 

telecommunications industries. Goals for unemployed and underemployed individuals 

are to facilitate job placement into full-time, well-paying, high-tech jobs; goals for 

incumbent workers are to ensure that workers retain the jobs they have and are able to 

move up the career ladder to fill high-skill and high-wage jobs in the future. The project 

design incorporates two main project components: (1) employer-based training 

initiatives being implemented with 7 corporations to meet their incumbent workforce 

training needs in information and telecommunications technology areas; and (2) 

Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) for unemployed and underemployed individuals to 

upgrade skills (through attainment of industry certifications and/or education degrees) to 

advance careers in the IT and telecommunications sectors. 

Under the employer-based training component, REB partners with companies and local 

training providers in the region to develop training programs to upgrade incumbent 

workers’ skills. The features of training provided – such as, curriculum, duration, and 

where training occurs – are tailored to each company’s needs. Partnering firms may 

send groups of workers to local training providers for training courses, or they may have 

trainers come to their facilities to provide instruction. Examples of these employerbased training initiatives, based on the site visits conducted, include the following: 

• At JDS Uniphase (located in Bloomfield, CT) a close partnership has been 

forged with the Springfield Technical Community College and the National 

Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Northeast Center for Telecommunications 

Technology to provide distance learning (through Internet web-based training) 

opportunities in the telecommunications field for incumbent workers. Workers 

involved in the training program at JDS Uniphase are working toward an Applied 

Science Associate’s Degree or certification in Telecommunications Technology 

with a Photonics Option. Workers involved in the project work toward their 

Associate’s Degree or certification similar to other community college students, 

but are able to do so by downloading lecture notes and homework assignments 

via the Internet (referred to as “asynchronous distance learning”). Workers 

conduct the laboratory portion of the coursework at a lab facility at the employer 

site (which is available 7 days a week). Trainees typically take one or two 

courses per term (each is a 15-week course) and receive regular college credit 

from the community college. Trainees may meet with instructors for additional 

help in-person or communicate via email. As of December 2001, a total of 80 

workers at JDS have received training through this initiative
 

 

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• At Coghlin Electrical Contractors, Inc. (located in Worcester, MA), some 

employees involved in the H-1B initiative take courses leading to an Associate’s 

or Bachelor’s Degree in computer sciences and/or telecommunications; others 

attend short-term product-specific workshops (by Lucent Technologies, 3M, 

Krone, and others). As of December 2001, a total of 41 Coghlin employees 

(including managers, sales workers, technicians, and apprentices) have been 

enrolled in training under the initiative. Some workers have had courses paid for 

through the grant at local accredited institutions of higher education (particularly 

Worcester Tech), which has helped them in moving toward either an AA or BS 

degree (usually in the telecommunications field). The H-1B grant has also 

provided much needed financial support for Coughlin to send workers (as a 

group or individually) for short-term training sessions (lasting from one day to a 

week), such as Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) training modules, 

AutoCAD training, and product-specific training. In addition, the firm has 

sponsored some training workshops at its in-house training facility. 

• At Systems Software Support, Inc. (located in Northfield, MA), incumbent 

workers have attended short-term training programs to upgrade skills and obtain 

certifications (e.g., a one-week training program held in Pittsburgh for training on 

Marconi products or a UNIX training program). Through December 2001, a total 

of 14 workers at the firm (mostly the technical staff) have attended a wide variety 

of IT training courses leading to MCSE, CISCO, Nortel Bay Networks, COMPAC 

ASE, Marconi, Novell Certified Engineer, and SCO ACE certifications. For 

example, using H-1B training funds, the firm has bought a block of training hours 

at a local IT training facility and sent technical staff for 3- to 5-day MCSE training 

courses. Under its H-1B grant, the firm has also paid an instructor to train a 

group of eight technicians on AutoCAD (held at an in-house training facility two 

nights a week over a four-week period). In providing salary increases to its 

workers, one of the critical factors the firm takes into consideration is attainment 

of certifications (such as a MCSE or UNIX certification). 

In addition to providing grants to companies to upgrade existing worker skills, the REB 

also uses H-1B grant funds to pay for training (using Individual Training Accounts 

[ITAs]) to upgrade skills of unemployed or underemployed workers. To qualify for ITAs 

under the project, an individual must have at least a high school diploma (most had 

some post-secondary education) and experience working in the IT or 

telecommunications industries. The aim of the ITAs is to provide these individuals with 

training to move up the career ladder in the IT or telecommunications fields by providing 

advanced industry certifications and/or post-secondary degrees. No maximum (cap) 

has been placed on the ITA (the average ITA has been about $10,000), and trainees 

were not limited in their choice of training providers to the WIA eligible list of providers. 

Most training has been provided through community colleges or proprietary schools. 
 

 

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Those involved in the ITA component of the program have received the following types 

of training: (1) industry cortication – A+, Microsoft Certified Professional and Systems 

Engineers, Novell Engineers, Networking Engineers, Internet Web Maters (Design, ECommerce and Enterprise Developers) Net+, and I-Net+; (2) computer programming 

courses – Computer Aided Design, Web Design, JAVA, Flash, and Unix/Linux; and (3) 

computer degrees – Micro-Computer Applications and Information System Processing. 

RECRUITMENT METHODS 

• Employers: Employers have played a central role in the employer-based 

training component of the program – selecting workers to be trained, helping with 

curriculum development, providing training facilities where appropriate, providing 

release time, and providing other in-kind matches. REB had been involved in 

training programs with the employer community for many years – and so, was 

able to recruit among firms with which it had previously worked. In addition, 

community colleges and other training partners, as well as the local Chambers of 

Commerce, provided suggestions of possible firms that might be interested in 

being part of the initiative.

• Participants: Participants in the employer-based training component have been 

identified and selected by the seven employer partners. Employers notified 

workers of the availability of training opportunities at staff meetings, through 

company memoranda, word-of-mouth, and putting up flyers in the worksite. 

Employers have had considerable flexibility with regard to determining which 

workers are appropriate for upgrade training. Under the ITA program 

component, most participants learned about the program at the one-stop career 

centers (usually through discussions with career center staff). 

ENROLLMENT 

The grant agreement indicates that a minimum of 210 individuals will be trained by the 

project termination date (including 130 employed and 80 unemployed or underemployed 

individuals). As of December 2001 (with three months remaining under the grant), REB 

had enrolled 222 individuals. Of those served, 180 (81 percent) were employed; 25 (11 

percent) were unemployed; and 17 were underemployed (8 percent). REB maintains a 

participant data system, which includes data on characteristics of participants: 

• 80% male 

• 84% white; 4% black; 3% Hispanic; 9% Other 
 

 

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• 48% high school graduates; 8% post-high school attendees; 44% college 

graduates 

• 72% had earning of $15 or more per hour in their most recent job

COST SHARING POLICY: 

Under the grant, though the first round requirements were for 50 percent match of local 

funds to federal funds, REB’s goal was to achieve a dollar-for-dollar (100 percent) 

match on federal funding. Under the employer-based training component, REB sought 

a 10 percent cash match and 85 percent in-kind match. To date, the match from 

employers has averaged 123 percent of federal funds. However, there has been 

substantial variation across employers in the actual match provided, ranging from 10 

percent to 410 percent of expenditures. Most employer match has been in-kind (91 

percent) versus in cash (9 percent). Companies have provided match in-kind match in 

a variety of ways, including worker release time for training, investment in and use of 

on-site training facilities and/or labs, time allocated to administering the grant, and 

covering the cost of travel. 

 

INTERESTING PRACTICES: 

• The geographic area served by the H-1B program extends well beyond the 

workforce investment board’s service delivery area. The REB, the workforce 

investment board serving Hampden County, has used its H-1B grant to 

collaborate with employers, workforce investment boards, and training facilities 

outside of its normal service area under WIA. In fact, training services provided 

under the grant serve workers and firms across four Massachusetts counties and 

extend across the state’s border into Connecticut. 

• Firms have great flexibility to tailor training to meet the skill requirements 

of the workforce, and to provide training at times and places that are 

convenient for trainees and the employer. One of the challenges in providing 

training for incumbent workers is finding the time those workers can take away 

from work and/or family to upgrade skills in a meaningful way. Firms are often 

reluctant to undertake training for a number of reasons: (a) cost associated with 

developing curriculum and paying instructors; (b) lost production time while 

workers attend training (if training is during work time); and (c) worry that 

upgrading of skills will result in employees being lured away by other firms. 

Under this H-1B project, the REB has provided much flexibility to the seven 

partnering firms in determining which workers are selected for upgrade training 

and the specifics of how and where training is provided. Each of the seven 
 

 

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training programs are differently structured – some provide training at the 

worksite, others send workers to local training facilities; some give workers paid 

time off for training, others require that workers attend training on their own time 

or use at least some of their own time to attend training; some hire trainers and 

play a significant role in curriculum development, others send workers to 

accredited community colleges or propriety schools for training through regular 

courses offered through the institutions; and some provide training that leads 

directly to degrees or certifications, others provide training that upgrades skills, 

but does not lead to added credentials. 

• The ITA training component is closely connected with the one-stop career 

system, but employs pre-screening criteria for determining which 

unemployed and underemployed individuals are appropriate for receiving 

ITAs under the H-1B grant. The REB emphasizes the importance of closely 

linking its ITA training component to the regular workforce development system – 

particularly the operations of its one-stop career centers – so that the H-1B 

project becomes another tool of the overall system to meet local economic 

development and workforce development system needs. In linking the H-1B 

project its one-stop system, REB is able to generate a steady flow of unemployed 

and underemployed individuals with the potential for upgrading skills for entry 

into fields within the IT or telecommunications fields. The ITAs made available to 

the target population, while narrowly targeted to training for careers within the IT 

or telecommunication fields, are more flexible in the sense that trainees are not 

limited to the WIA eligible list of providers or by the $5,000 cap normally placed 

on ITAs in the locality. However, to ensure that those who are recruited into the 

program are capable of and interested in higher skilled occupations in the IT or 

telecommunications fields, REB has developed pre-screening criteria and an 

assessment process through which individuals must go to receive an ITA (paid 

for out of the H-1B grant). Under the eligibility criteria, for example, the 

individual must have either had recent employment (within one year) and/or 

current employment in an IT or telecommunication occupation and/or have “selftaught” skills equivalent to work experience in the field. Other considerations 

(though not required) in the selection process are that the individual have an 

employer commitment to hire or upgrade and that the most recent/current wage 

from IT or telecommunications-related employment be in the $10-$12 range. 

• Exemplary management information system developed to track participant 

characteristics, activities, and outcomes. The REB has developed a 

Microsoft ACCESS database that enables the agency to track characteristics and 

the progress of participants receiving ITAs enrolled under the H-1B grant. At the 

time of intake, data is collected and entered into the system about the participant, 

including contact information, demographic characteristics, and work history. For 
 

 

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example, demographic information includes: gender, age, highest grade 

completed, race/ethnicity, citizenship, veteran status, unemployment insurance 

status, weeks unemployed in last 26 weeks, disability status, and whether the 

individual is economically disadvantaged. As the individual proceeds through the 

program, data are entered into the system on types and amounts of training 

activities the individual is engaged in (e.g., voucher amount, total hours of 

training, date of completion of training, type of training received). At the 

conclusion of training and during the period following training, data are entered 

into the system related to outcomes, including type of skill certification attained, 

whether the individual attained a wage increase, hourly wage, number of hours 

worked per week, job title, and whether the individual receives fringe benefits. 

As a result of data and analyses generated from this system, the REB has been 

able to monitor regularly whom the H-1B project has served, types of training 

provided, and outcomes. For example, reports generated from this system have 

helped to ensure that the program stays on target to meet program enrollment 

and outcome goals – and assisted in refining program interventions as the 

project has developed. The project has also employed a Student Feedback 

Survey, which has provided a steady stream of feedback relating to the how H1B participants have rated each type of training provided under the project, as 

well as suggestions for how the project might be improved. 

• Web-based training provided at one employer site. REB sponsored training 

at one employer site (JDS Uniphase), which provides training to incumbent 

workers via the Internet. Participants are enrolled in college credit courses 

through the Springfield Technical Community College. Lecture notes and 

homework assignments are disseminated over the Internet. The firm has made 

laboratory facilities available, so that individuals involved in the training can 

complete required laboratory assignments without traveling to the community 

college campus. 

• REB has streamlined contracts and paperwork for the employer-based 

training component. REB has found that in engaging employers in programs 

such as the H-1B program it is essential to keep paperwork to a minimum and be 

as “non-bureaucratic” as possible. The agency has found that even when 

employers are offered the opportunity to train workers at little or no cost through 

government-sponsored grants, that employers are reluctant because of fears of 

being engulfed in inflexible eligibility/program requirements or having to collect 

and maintain mounds of paperwork. REB has consciously tried to keep program 

rules relating to who can be trained and the types of training that can be provided 

under the employer-based component as flexible as possible under the 

constraints of the grant. In addition, the agency has been very sensitive to any 
 

 

106

paperwork burden that it imposes on employers – trying at all times to keep it to 

the minimum needed to meet H-1B grant requirements. 

Therefore, the project does not require employers to provide as much information 

on trainees/employees as individuals being served through the ITAs in terms of 

Social Security numbers, home addresses, etc. It does, however, gather key 

demographic data and job information (i.e., titles, wages, length of employment) 

as well as require outcomes to be reported such as increase in wages, job 

promotions, skills gains, and the like in order to document successes. 

• At one employer, both union and non-union workers received training. One 

participating employer has a partially unionized workforce, and REB was able to 

work with the firm to develop procedures so that both types of workers could 

participate in the training offered through the program. 

EMPLOYER COMMENTS: 

Employers were very favorable in their comments about the employer-based training 

component of the program. For example, one employer comments: “fantastic...there 

is no way we could have provided training and maintain our profitability without the 

grant...the grant helped us to improve the IT credentials of our staff.” The credentialing 

of staff involved in the training (e.g., MCSE certifications) helps both from the standpoint 

of making the firm more competitive in its bids and workers more productive on the job. 

A second employer notes that the “H-1B grant has allowed us to educate and grow our 

young people...the grant has helped our managers to move to higher levels of technical 

skill, which has enabled them to generate more work for the firm (creating jobs)...the 

availability of (H-1B sponsored) training has helped us in recruitment, bids for new jobs, 

and brought us loyalty from our employees.” A third employer observed that the H-1B 

program had helped the firm in upgrading skill levels of a broad range of its workforce – 

from assembly line workers to technicians to engineers. This employer’s ability to 

“invest in its employees has made workers more loyal to the firm.” This firm is giving 

consideration to replicating the types of training pioneered under the H-1B grant at other 

company facilities. 

TRAINING PROVIDER COMMENTS: 

The training provider interviewed indicated that the H-1B grant had provided the 

opportunity to work closely with a local employer and the Northeast Center for 

Telecommunication Technology (NCTT) on the development of two new educational 

programs: (1) an Associate of Applied Science in Telecommunications Technology 
 

 

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Degree with a concentration in Photonics (68 credit hours) and (2) a Certificate of 

Completion in Telecommunications Technology with a concentration in Photonics (28 

credit hours). The curriculum -- tailored to the training needs of the company and 

designed so it is available to students via the Internet – has enabled the community 

college to provide training that flexibly meets the often constrained time that incumbent 

workers have available for upgrade training. For example, workers who might not have 

felt that they could travel to the campus for classroom instruction can download and 

review lecture notes and homework assignments at any time (day or night, and on the 

weekends) and complete lab assignments at the company’s lab. 

TRAINEE COMMENTS: 

Trainees involved in the program are very positive in their comments about how the 

various training programs have helped them to upgrade skills and move forward in their 

careers. In particular, trainees commented on the flexibility of the training sponsored 

under the grant – including both short- and longer-term training – and about how without 

the grant they would have likely been unable to pursue upgrade training. One 

participant observed that the H-1B training he had been involved in had “increased my 

knowledge in the IT field and given me confidence...the certification I received led 

directly to a salary increase.” Another trainee involved in H-1B training taken via the 

Internet liked the “convenience of it...I can do it anytime...when my car battery died, I 

could still do the coursework.” Another trainee noted that some courses are harder than 

others to conduct over the Internet and that, in general, taking distance-learning courses 

“takes a lot of discipline.” Several trainees involved in short-term IT training (e.g., 

MCSE training) noted that they had not yet taken or passed certification tests after they 

had completed their courses – but that even if they did not eventually take or pass the 

certification test, they would still benefit from what they had learned. 

OUTCOMES: 

REB has a participant-level data base which allows it to track a number of key 

outcomes, including whether individuals complete training, receive advanced skill 

certifications or degrees, attain job upgrades or increased wages, and, for unemployed 

workers, whether they are placed into new jobs. As of December 2001 (with several 

months remaining and many participants still involved in training), the available outcome 

data are incomplete. The average wage at placement for 12 trainees placed into jobs to 

date is $18.42 per hour (however, it is important to note than many more remain 

involved in training activities). Of the small numbers that have completed training, 8 

have earned certificates (many are waiting to take exams related to their certifications); 

none have earned Associate’s or Bachelor’s degrees under the program. 
 

 

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OVERALL ASSESSMENT: 

As discussed in this summary, the H-1B funded training provided under this initiative is 

carefully tailored to the requirements of employers and the needs of individuals being 

trained. The two program components – ITAs and employer-based training – enable 

the grantee to meet the training needs of unemployed, underemployed, and incumbent 

workers in the locality. The program has been structured so it can effectively meet the 

needs workers desiring either short-term (e.g., a one week intensive workshop on a 

company-specific product or to prepared for an MCSE certification test) or long-term 

training (e.g., training at an institution of higher education leading to AA or BS degrees). 

Through its employer-based training component, REB is able to partner closely with 

local companies to ensure that training is geared to the employer’s future needs for 

highly-skilled IT or telecommunications workers. 

PROGRAM CONTACT: 

Christine Abramowitz 

Director of Special Projects 

Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, Inc. 

1441 Main Street, Suite 111 

Springfield, MA 01103 

Telephone: (413) 755-1358; FAX: (413) 755-1364 

E-Mail: Christine@rebhc.org
 

 

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NEW YORK WORK ALLIANCE [NEW YORK] 

AWARD: $2,940,162 

IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: August 1, 2000 – July 31, 2002 (Round Two) 

MAJOR PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS: 

New York Work Alliance (formally Private Industry Council) 

City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School, Institute for Software Design and 

Development (ISDI) 

City University of New York Graduate School, Center for Advanced Study in Education 

(CASE) 

New York Software Industry Association (NYSIA) 

SERVICE AREA: 

Original Proposal – New York City Residents 

Modified Proposal - Unemployed and underemployed individuals applying for training 

opportunities must be from New York City. Individuals referred to training as part of the 

project assistance for specific employers may also include individuals who work in New 

York City but commute from other areas of New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut. 

Employer-specific training is only available to New York City employers. 

PROJECT DESIGN: 

The initial grant application stated that training would be provided for 100 NYC residents 

(50% unemployed and 50% employed). Training was to have been offered on a full- or 

part-time basis. The specified areas of concentration were: Web Development; Unix 

System Administration; Java Programming; and Database Systems Administration. 

Training would include classroom instruction and distance education provided by CUNY 

under the direction of the Graduate School’s Institute for Software Design and 

Development. Formal training was to be augmented by internships (developed by 

NYSIA). To recruit participants, the project proposed using the New York City JOBS 

Consortium because members of the Consortium operated throughout the city and 

would be able to provide candidates from under-represented groups. In addition, CUNY 
 

 

110

would also refer potential trainees. The focus areas for training were identified in 

collaboration with employers and industry representatives. 

Because of the highly technical nature of the training offered, enrollment would be 

limited to individuals with a “two-year degree, preferably in math and science with some 

calculus (to serve as a filter)” or “to individuals that possess a combination of high 

academic achievement in other disciplines and relevant work experience.” Testing 

would be used to screen participants, and any support service needs would be identified 

during the initial interview stages. A career counselor would be made available to the 

participants to ensure that there would be on going access to support services. 

“The first six months of training will involve intensive training in core competency areas 

(equivalent to 15 credits).” Training was to have been offered two nights per week for 3 

hours per night. Once participants successfully finished the first six months of the 

program, they were to be tested and then enrolled in one of the four concentration 

areas. Supplementary coursework would also be offered to all participants. This 

second phase was planned for 10-12 weeks. The final phase of the plan was to identify 

internship opportunities for the students. Classroom training would continue to be 

offered during the internship phase with 3⁄4 of participant time on the job and the 

remaining 1⁄4 in the classroom. The curricula were to be developed by CUNY. 

Shortly after the award, the grant was modified to expand the project to serve more 

workers. The new targets were: 

• Train and place or upgrade skills of 100 workers in training programs (not 

designed to assist specific employers.) 

• Provide tailored training for specific employers by successfully training 120 

incumbent workers. 

To achieve these outcomes, it was determined that there needed to be a combined 

enrollment of at least 300 individuals to allow for dropouts and failures. 

Several additional modifications have been made as a result of problems with the 

original assumptions and to adjust to the changing labor market. 

• Abandon the distance education: This component of the program was dropped; 

security issues were cited as the reason. In addition, because of the importance 

of hands on experience, the utility of distance education in this program was 

questionable. 
 

 

111

• Eliminate the internship program: Due to continued decline in the IT sector 

throughout New York, it became apparent that identifying internships would be 

more labor intensive than planned and the results would probably not justify the 

investment. 

• Expand training opportunities to non-IT industries: While the original program 

design anticipated serving only the IT industry, during the implementation of the 

program it was determined that this would greatly limit employment potential. 

The objective of the program was not necessarily to strengthen the IT industry 

but rather to increase the numbers of skilled IT workers to respond to demand. It 

made sense to expand the employer base to any organization that could utilize IT 

workers. This became very apparent after the project was modified to add 

employer-driven training. The organizations that were most interested in this 

component of the program were those who were not in the IT sector but needed 

skilled IT workers in certain departments and divisions of their companies. 

The resulting program design, described below, has two main program components. 

• Program component for unemployed or underemployed workers (in IT or 

other fields). Unemployed or underemployed participants attend training at 

CUNY. The flow through the program is as follows:

1. Applicant is screened for educational achievement, work history, computer 

skills, access to computers, understanding of IT occupations (required to 

submit an essay on how IT will fit with their current or future employment). 

2. Applicant is tested utilizing in-house testing instrument. 

3. Applicant is interviewed by panel from NY Work Alliance, CUNY, and 

NYSIA. 

4. If accepted into the program, participant is enrolled in one or more of the 

following tracks (generally starting at the A-level, though with the 

demonstration of high IT skill levels individuals may enter at the B1, B2, or 

C levels directly): 

• A-level course is an introductory course, providing basic instruction for 

entry into Web-related occupations required of all participants except 

those who scored well enough on the tests. 

• B1-level course (entered upon successful completion of A-level or as a 

result of test scores) focuses on basic Web design, including 
 

 

112

introduction to Dreamweaver and other HTML design packages, 

Microsoft Access, and Excel. 

• B2-level course (entered upon successful completion of B1, though 

one participant entered directly into B2 because of a high level of IT 

skills) centers on Advanced Web Design including database 

interaction, and JavaScript. 

• C-level is a course on Web Administration (entered upon successful 

completion of A-level course or as a result of test scores). This 

program component does not require enrollment in B1 or B2 courses, 

although participants of those programs can enter into the C-level 

course. 

These courses are offered both as day and evening programs and are each a 

minimum of 60 hours over a three-week period. Participants completing the Alevel course are equipped to do simple Web applications, but completing only the 

A-level course is not the training program’s main objective. During the program, 

workshops are offered to assist the participants in preparation of resumes, job 

search techniques, and interviewing skills. Each participant is assigned a 

customer service representative to assist with support service needs and job 

search. Recently, approval was granted to hire a job developer for graduates of 

the program. 

• Employer-specific training component. The employer-specific training was 

recently inaugurated. This component is not as structured as the first 

component. The Industry Specific Advisory Council has aided in identifying 

interested employers; business development representatives from the Alliance 

have also marketed the program within the city. 

Employers are presented with a schedule of available programs that include 

Advanced Java Programming, XML Architectures, Microsoft.NET, Project 

Management, and IBM WebSphere Studio Workshop. They may enroll one or 

more participants and may request a separate class for their workers if they have 

sufficient numbers of participants. In addition, they may request other specialty 

programs. To date, courses have been provided for Salomon Smith Barney, 

Associated Press, Martha Stewart, Vanguarde Media, and several others. The 

courses provided have ranged from 2 to 12 days in duration and have ranged in 

scope from a simple introduction to Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel to more 

complicated Web page development. The business development representative 

works with the employer to develop a program request outlining training 

objectives. The program is then presented to CUNY to budget and staff. Even 
 

 

113

though this training is free to employers, identifying those who will participate has 

been difficult. There is reluctance on the part of the employer community to 

become involved with government programs. The concerns center on potential 

intrusion into company affairs and paperwork. 

RECRUITMENT METHODS: 

• Employers: Initially, the project anticipated using the employer members of the 

New York Software Industry Association as the main source of internships and 

job opportunities for unemployed workers and as the main customers for 

employer-specific training. As late as August 2001, a survey of NYSIA members 

confirmed a very soft job market. This survey also confirmed that the training 

being offered and planned was focused on those skills of most interest to this 

group of employers. As circumstances worsened for the IT industry, it became 

necessary to approach a broader base of industries. The Alliance decided to use 

their business development staff to identify new employers. In addition, they 

enlisted the assistance of the Industry Specific Advisory Committees (formed 

during the JTPA era). 

• Participants: Community-based organizations were notified of the training 

opportunities. Flyers were distributed. Various media association Web sites 

were used, and the University posted the notice at its campuses throughout the 

city. As a result of these publicity efforts, at least 800 inquiries from individuals 

were received. Unfortunately, most of the inquiries were received from people 

without the prerequisites to enroll in the core course. Ultimately, 158 people 

were allowed to enroll in Component One. 

ENROLLMENT: 

As of November 30, 2001, 158 participants had entered the program component 

targeting unemployed/underemployed individuals (just two participants less than the 

target for this program component). Of this number most (102) entered directly into the 

basic training activity and 82 completed this program. Forty-two were able to enter 

directly into the second level program (B1) based on test scores and experience in the 

IT field. The success rate for this group was exceptional as 40 completed. This means 

that between new entrants and graduates from the A program, at least 103 of the 158 

enrollees could be considered successful. Add to this the 13 successful completions of 

the direct enrollees into the C component and there are 116 individuals that completed 

a minimum of one component of this program. 
 

 

114

 A B1 B2 C Total 

Entered Directly 102 42 1 14 158

Graduated in from A 73 44 16 

Graduated in from B1 32 20 

 

Total 102 115 77 50 

Completed 82 103 66 44 

Did not continue 9 27 30 N/A 

Dropped Out 20 12 11 6 

 

 

To date, 80 individuals have participated in the employer-specific training activities. 

Because those enrolled are there because their employers want them trained and 

because the programs are of limited duration, dropping out has not been a problem.

It is very likely that this program will enroll the anticipated number of participants, 

considering there are almost 6 months left in the grant. A problem faced by the 

program is providing IT-related job opportunities for those who have completed 

Component One and following up with employers to determine if Component Two 

employees are actually being upgraded and provided opportunities to use new skills.

COST SHARING POLICY: 

When the NY Work Alliance submitted their H-1B proposal, there was still an unmet 

need for information technology specialists. To meet this need, the program designers 

envisioned offering classroom/laboratory training followed by an internship. During the 

internship phase, wages paid to trainees would be considered as matching funds. The 

proposed internships were to generate slightly more than $1,000,000. That money 

coupled with other smaller estimates for in-kind contributions would result in a match of 

approximately 50%. 

With the demise of the internship component, major matching funds have disappeared. 

In an effort to salvage the match and keep the grant in compliance, NY Work Alliance 

has requested permission to reconfigure their match. Now that the program is providing 

employer-specific group training, paid employer release time will be calculated for the 

match. In addition, the CUNY indirect cost rate was lowered for this program and the 

difference between what they would normally charge and what is being charged for the 

H-1B program is being factored into the match. With these and a few other minor 

additions, it is anticipated that the original match figure will be achieved. 

 
 

 

115

INTERESTING PRACTICES: 

• Development of a Research Model for the purposes of predicting 

whether future enrollees would successfully complete the program. A 

team of researchers from the Center for Advanced Study in Education at 

CUNY, representatives from the NY Work Alliance, and CUNY trainers 

identified 185 data items to collect. Data is collected for all formal applicants 

for the long-term training component of the program. 

Pre-program, in-program, and post-program data are scheduled to be 

collected. Such items as employment history, interview scores, interest 

inventory scores, self-assessment of IT skills, attendance, and class 

performance are quantified. The objective of the data collection effort is to 

establish a model profile that will help predict which applicants will be 

successful in IT training programs. The data collection effort also provides 

management information for the project. Whether the results of this effort will 

be of use or not may depend on factors beyond the project's control. 

• Use of Immediate Trainee Feedback to ensure program relevance. 

Because so many of the incumbent worker programs are of such short 

duration, it is essential that the instructors cover all the necessary material to 

satisfy the needs of the trainees. In many cases, programs are developed 

specifically for an employer to meet a very targeted need. To help ensure 

that the training material is relevant, at the end of each day of training, formal 

student feedback is requested. The results of these evaluations are 

immediately shared with the instructors so they can attempt to modify the 

material or delivery. 

TRAINING PROVIDER COMMENTS: 

CUNY reported that : 

• coupling the training with job counseling and case management helped to 

diminish the dropout rate and improved participant performance; 

• the model was being considered for implementation by the regular training 

programs offered; 

• without the grant, they would not have been able to establish a similar 

training program because it does not follow an academic model 

• they will continue to offer these programs 
 

 

116

TRAINEE COMMENTS: 

A number of incumbent worker trainees were in class at the time of our visit. Other 

trainees were invited to speak with us, but only a few were available. One participant 

had been an IT worker, but saw this program as an opportunity to upgrade skills. She 

had a degree and experience, but she felt new skills were needed. She entered the 

program to expand and upgrade her IT skills. At the time of the interview, she had 

elected not to seek employment because of the holidays and the condition of the NY 

City labor market. She was sure that in a month or so she would be able to find 

employment because of the training received. 

OUTCOMES: 

The New York program was and is facing some very difficult obstacles. Shortly after the 

grant was awarded, it became apparent that many of the so-called “dot.com” companies 

would not survive. At first there was a trickle of failures, but that soon turned into a 

waterfall. The downturn in the economy also affected the major computer hardware and 

software vendors throughout the country, and if that wasn't enough, New York was 

attacked by terrorists. The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center resulted in shortterm closures of many businesses, relocation of businesses, and a slow-down in the 

tourist and entertainment industries. Between September 11, 2001 and the present, it 

is still difficult for program operators to find employers who are interested in hiring new 

workers or in focusing on upgrading employee skills. The level of uncertainty in the 

economy has been just too great. Between November 2000 and November 2001, New 

York City lost approximately 81,000 jobs and its unemployment rate increased by one 

percentage point. As of the date of our visit, only 6 unemployed workers participating in 

the program had found jobs. 

OVERALL ASSESSMENT: 

The original design of this program was sound, but expensive on a per participant basis. 

The modification required by the Department of Labor did result in increasing the 

numbers to be served, with the additional participants being enrolled in primarily 

employer-specific training. Because of the events of September 11th and a slowdown in 

the local economy, job placement is difficult for unemployed or underemployed workers 

served by the program at the time of training completion. There is no lack of effort to 

identify jobs for the trainees, but the labor market does not always provide suitable 

openings to match participant skills. The best that can be hoped for is that as the 

economy turns around, participants will find suitable jobs. 
 

 

117

PROGRAM CONTACT: 

Mark Molisani, Vice President 

New York Work Alliance 

17 Battery Place 

New York, NY 10004 

Telephone: (212) 742-1000; FAX: (212) 269-7331 

E-Mail: www.nyworkalliance.org 
 

 

118

APPENDIX A: BACKGROUND ON H1–B TRAINING 

GRANTEE RECIPIENTS (GRANT ROUNDS 1-3)

APPENDIX A: BACKGROUND ON H1–B TRAINING GRANTEE RECIPIENTS (GRANT ROUNDS 1-3)10AWARDEE LOCATION PROJECT OVERVIEW AWARD 

AMOUNT 

ENROLLMENT GOAL 

ROUND 1 GRANTEES (MARCH 2000 – MARCH 2002) 1. NOVA PIC Sunnyvale, CA High level skills training (Systems Administrators in one year) to 

200 low-income, multi-ethnic adults and young adults 

$1,320,938 202 

2. Pima County Community Services Dept. 

Tucson, AZ Training in 5 tech skill areas: Health, IT, Education, Electrical and 

Electronics, and Accounting and Mgmt. Modular training, webbased training, internet published skill standards and career ladders to be used to select career, linking system for high school to community college to university with entry for each. Rural setting 

$1,500,000 300 

3. City of Chicago Chicago, Ill Upgrade 425 incumbent workers in IT skills. Project partners 

identify needs; DePaul developing training program; Career center for support services and development of career track for needs of high-tech industry. 

$1,500,000 425 

4. Seattle-King County PIC 

Seattle, WA Training in applications programming, info engineering, and 

systems analysis for 500 (not clear of goal since project description says 500 in one paragraph and 400 in another) Partners will build a system of articulated and integrated technology modules. Plan to utilize training vouchers. Project to work with Washington Software alliance with 1400 members. 

$1,500,000 400 

5. The Workplace Bridgeport, CN Training in HI-B growth occupations for 540 (occupations not 

detailed). Will create Certified Skills Centers at employers business. Centers require that training be structured on National Sills Standards Board standards, all training results in formal certification; al training results in college credits; data base 

maintained and all instructors be certified in NSSB skill as well as certified as instructors by State. 

$1,500,000 378 

6. Philadelphia Workforce Development Corp 

Philadelphia, PA 50 individuals to be trained as RNs and 30 to be trained as LPNs. 

200 individuals trained as Nurses Aides. 

$563,057 280 

10This table, prepared to assist with the site selection process, is based on information included in original grant submissions. Selected sites are highlighted in g
AWARDEE LOCATION PROJECT OVERVIEW AWARD 

AMOUNT 

ENROLLMENT GOAL 

7. New Hampshire Job Training Council 

Concord, NH Unemployed and incumbent workers in 10-15 companies in hightech. Implement technical skills feeder system for high-tech 

firms, career ladder development process , and on-going commitment by businesses to incumbent worker training. Will provide aptitude testing, individual training accounts, and 

company based customized training programs for incumbent workers. 

$1,500,000 120 

8. Prince Georges Workforce Services Corp 

Landover, MD Telecommunications and IT training for an unspecified number of 

participants. Cooperation with Communication Workers of America. Will use internet based skills assessment tool. Training presented in 4 stages: basic computer literacy, data cable installation, computer technician skills, and network technician skills. Benchmarks in program allow participants to elect for job placement with CWA participating employers. 

$1,500,000 586 

9.Regional Employment Board Hampden County 

Springfield, MA Telecommunications and IT training for 80 unemployed. 

Upgrade training for additional 130 in same skill set. Creation of skilled training providers and board to monitor training needs of information and communications industry 

$1,500,000 210 

ROUND 2 GRANTEES (AUGUST 2000 – JULY 2002) 1. PIC of SF San Francisco, CA Digital Media Training and placement. Goodwill will train up 100 

students in 8 wk program in basic computer skills in preparation 

for advanced digital media training. An additional 150 will also be trained. (Internet related training) 

$3,000,000 250 

2. Baltimore County/BC Office of E & T 

Baltimore, MD 300 to receive training for one of eight IT career clusters: 

database development and administration, digital media, enterprise systems analysis, and integration, network design and administration, programming/software engineering, technical support, technical writing, and web development and administration. Includes distance learning with over 20 complete degree programs; training will be provided through individual training accounts. 

$2,517,888 300 

3. Berkshire County Regional Employment 

West MA IT Training Company Specific for General Dynamics Defense 

Systems. Systems analysis and programming, mechanical engineering, electrical/electronic engineering, engineering 

$2,003,164 1050 
AWARDEE LOCATION PROJECT OVERVIEW AWARD 

AMOUNT 

ENROLLMENT GOAL 

Board occupations, and other computer related occupations, as well as 

soft skills training. 

4. Contra Costa Country 

Contra Costa, CA 280 workers (250 LPNs to advance to RN. 30 others to be 

trained in medical field. Company specific for Kaiser Hospitals s 

$2,220,018 280 

5. Dallas County Local WD Board 

Dallas, TX Training and support services for individual with high-tech skills 

This is primarily a placement effort. 

$909,270 100 

6. City of Glendale 

Glendale, CA Film/Entertainment industry technical skills. 85% will be 

employed union workers and 15% unemployed. Focus on digital effects, digital imaging, digital film making photography and nonlinear editing. 

$3,000,000 1496 

7. HoustonGalveston Area Council 

Houston, TX 300 to be trained in IT fields: computer architecture and 

hardware organization, systems software and design, operating systems function, communications systems and computer network, structured systems analysis, program architecture, program implementation using structured programming language, technical writing and documentation. Training facilities in enterprise zone. 9 month of instruction – 6 months classroom and 3 months software development work. 

$2,808,484 300 

8. Mercer County New Jersey Unemployed and underemployed - will begin with skills 

assessment after which training will be offered in one of five skill areas based on input from advisory board. Training will be provided on a flexible schedule to accommodate needs of trainees. 

$2,997,072 500 

9. KentuckyLouisville and Jefferson County WIB 

Louisville, Kt Incumbent IT workers and individuals with9out IT background. 

Focus on women, older workers, disabled and dislocated workers. 

$2,538,040 350 

10.Anchorage Anchorage, Alaska Incumbent workers and unemployed with limited or no computer 

skills. Area of need will be the telecommunications industry with focus on computer systems analyst, computer software engineers, electrical/electronic engineers, and sales/marketing. Will provide participants with assessment and career counseling, a certificate course in information technology, applied training, 

$2,425,033 550 
AWARDEE LOCATION PROJECT OVERVIEW AWARD 

AMOUNT 

ENROLLMENT GOAL 

apprenticeship, and job placement. 

11. NYC PIC NYC, NY Incumbent and unemployed workers. Focus is info technology, 

web development, Unix system admin., Java programming, and database systems admin. Program will utilize fast track curriculum, hands on internships and distance learning. 

$2,940,162 103 

12. South Eastern Connecticut WDB 

New London, CN Incumbent workers in bio-science industries, unemployed 

defense industry workers and students. Training will be targeted 

at the pharmaceutical and clinical research companies, HMOs 

and insurance companies. Basic training will be provided through EC State Univ. in clinical data management and related. 

$1,807,624 100 

ROUND 3 GRANTEES (NOVEMBER 2000 – NOVEMBER 2002) 1. ArlingtonAlexandria WIB Virginia Info technology and health care. No other details provided $2,723,600 540 2. Buffalo and Erie County Workforce Development Consortium 

Western New York State 

700 incumbent workers and 80 unemployed or underemployed in IT and automated manufacturing skills. Will utilize individual training accounts. 

$2,799,951 780 

3. Central Iowa E & T Consortium 

West Central Iowa 270 unemployed and 30 incumbent workers. To be trained in 

software applications, programming and tech support in the IT occupational fields. Will utilize internships. Training to be provided by community college. 

$2,157,770 300 

4. City of Newark New Jersey Target women, disabled, minorities. Focus on IT, Web authoring 

and developing, database management and programming. No info in how training to be provided. 

$2,770,000 420 

5. City of Peoria WDB 

Illinois Peoria btw ages of 20-29. Other counties with older population. 

Women, minorities, etc. Talks about bringing business, training and service organizations together but does not say what they will do. 

$1,099,000 200 

6. City of New Orleans 

Louisiana Target both IT and unemployed. Will utilize One Stop for intake 

and assessment for unemployed. For incumbent workers, the process will vary depending on employers. Will still utilize 

assessment tool of One Stop. Training services not described. 

$2,708,305 350 
AWARDEE LOCATION PROJECT OVERVIEW AWARD 

AMOUNT 

ENROLLMENT GOAL 

7. WIB of Cuyahoga County – Ohio 

Cleveland and Cuyahoga, Ohio 

Welfare to work participants, disadvantaged, women, minorities, etc. General IT fields. No specifics on how program to be conducted 

$970,000 175 

8. Kansas City Full Employment Council High Skills Consortium 

Missouri Industry specific: Hallmark, H&R Block and Sprint. Cooperative 

program with additional funds provided by employers. IT jobs but no specifics on how training will be accomplished. Generic statement: mix of customized on-site classroom and OJT to attain measurable outcomes. 

$2,678,147 1340 

9. City of Greensboro 

North Carolina IT workers and unemployed new entrants to IT field. Will focus 

on underrepresented groups (70%). Training and certification...no other specifics provided. 

$2,721,000 550 

10. SEIU/League New York City Train both employed and unemployed health care workers. Will 

utilize distance learning, tutoring and counseling, prop courses I computer and Internet, college level research and writing, and pre-course work in subjects required for entry into nursing program. 

$2,751,787 675 

11. Metro North WIB 

Northeast Massachusetts 

Semi-skilled incumbent workers who will be trained in Electronics and telecommunication IT jobs. Will utilize employer /labor union. Education partnership to provide a mix of OJT, customized on-site instruction, and classroom over a 2 yr period. 

$2,372,522 750 

12. No. Central Texas Council of Gov 

N. C. Texas Targets teacher certification for high-tech occupations as well as 

occupation in hi tech. Long and short-term training. 

$2,800,000 192 

13. Napa County California Community college delivered training in IT for incumbent and 

unemployed. Serve 4 counties in No CA. 

$2,800,000 500 

14. No. East Indiana WIB 

Indiana (Ft Wayne Area) 

IT training for employed and unemployed. Utilized existing institutions and vouchers. 

$1,750,000 314 

15. Philadelphia WIB 

Pennsylvania Disabled. Will train Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers, Cisco 

Certified Internet Experts, Web Design and client Server Applications Development. Serve clients in Penn and Delaware. 

$2,797,189 300 

16. So Dakota DOL 

So Dakota RN and Practical Nurses. Rural focus. $2,714,720 300 

17. WIB of Selaco, Los Angeles CA Serve existing professionals. Provides training for hi tech $2,800,000 500 
AWARDEE LOCATION PROJECT OVERVIEW AWARD 

AMOUNT 

ENROLLMENT GOAL 

SE LA machinist/computer numerical control . Will leverage existing 

resources and expand existing instructional interactive multimedia projects. Will create a sustainable multi-city regional network of training providers, businesses, and the WIB. 

18. State of Vermont 

Vermont High-tech and nurses for operating room and critical care 

specialties. Mix of OJT, on-site instruction, and classroom over 2 yrs. 

$2,658,055 213 

19. Workforce Investment Council of DC 

District of Columbia Unemployed and underemployed inner city, minority and female 

populations underrepresented in IT. No specifics on how training to be accomplished. 

$1,527,854 300 

20. Workforce Essentials 

Nashville Tennessee 

Dislocated civilian and military as well as incumbent workers. Variety of occupations including health, computer systems, construction technology, and plastics. No specifics on how training to be accomplished. 

$2,800,00 750 

21. Worksystems, Inc 

Portland, Oregon Unemployed, employed, dislocated, disadvantaged, etc. Will 

target manufacturing/microelectronics from entry to specialized engineering positions. Identifies partners but not how training is to be accomplished. 

$2,800,000 400 

` 
126

APPENDIX B: 

DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR H-1B 

PROJECT DIRECTOR AND KEY PROJECT STAFF 
127

APPENDIX B: 

DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR H-1B PROJECT DIRECTOR 

AND KEY PROJECT STAFF 

Project Name: _________________________________________________ 

Organization: _________________________________________________ 

Address: _________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________ 

Telephone: ______________________ Fax:______________________ 

Email: ________________ 

Respondent(s):_________________________________________________ 

 _________________________________________________ 

A. PROGRAM CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND ON THE ORGANIZATION

1. What is the geographic area served by the program? 

2. What is the local economic environment in which the program operates (i.e., during time of 

project)? 

a. local unemployment rate (start and end of grant) -- 

b. availability of job openings (particularly within high-demand occupations for which 

training is provided) -- 

c. wage rates in the locality (particularly for occupations for which training is being 

provided) -- 

d. other local economic conditions that may affect participants’ abilities to find employment 

(e.g., in- or out-migration of major employers, recent major layoffs, base closings) 

3. What other programs or initiatives provide similar types of employment and training services 

for employed/dislocated workers in the service area? 

4. Please provide background on your organization [note: obtain brochure/recent annual report 

on the organization]: 
128

a. General mission/objectives: 

b. Major sources of funding (e.g., WIA, WtW, other city/state funding) 

c. Total staff: ______ 

d. General operating expenses/budget for most current year: _____ 

e. Total funding for H-1B Initiative: ______ 

f. Estimate of H-1B funding as a percent of annual organization budget (average over 

course of grant): ______ 

 

g. Other relevant features about the grantee organization that may have affected H-1B 

program implementation/operations: 

B. PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND START-UP

1. What are the project’s principal goals/objectives for participants? 

2. Are program objectives realistic/achievable? If not, how should the objectives be changed? 

3. When did the project first start to enroll participants? 

4. a. How did project start-up proceed (e.g., on-time, slow, etc.)? 

b. What factors facilitated project start-up? 

c. What factors hindered project start-up? 

5. What is the current status of the project? Is it still operational? If it ended, when did the 

program stop operating?
129

C. OUTREACH, INTAKE AND ASSESSMENT

1. a. What is the size of the pool of employed and/or dislocated workers from which the 

program draws recruits? 

b. Are there any general conditions that affect (have affected) the size of the available pool 

or ability to get referrals to the program? 

2. a. How does the project obtain its participants? Does the grantee receive referrals from 

other agencies/employers? If so, which ones and what proportion of participants come 

from each source? 

b. Does the grantee conduct its own outreach? If so, what specific recruitment strategies 

and methods are used by the grantee to encourage participation (e.g., TV/radio 

announcements, newspaper ads, distribution of brochures, word-of-mouth referrals)? 

3. a. What has been the response of the targeted population of employed/unemployed 

individuals to the initiative? Has it been easy to recruit participants to the program? Are 

there more applicants than the program can serve? Is there a waiting list to get into the 

program? 

b. If there have been difficulties in recruiting the number of participants originally projected 

under the grant, why is this the case? 

c. What incentives (if any) have been used to encourage participation? 

4. a. Who determines eligibility to participate in the project? 

b. What, if any, criteria are used to select (screen) participants among those recruited and 

eligible to participate? 

5. a. Once enrolled, how are the service needs of participants determined? 

 

b. Are any formal assessment tests done (e.g., TABE, interest inventories, substance 

abuse screening) 

c. What are the most common barriers to employment (in the particular field for which 

training is being provided) faced by participants? 

d. Is an individual service strategy or employment development plan created for each 

participant? 

6. How is participant involvement monitored (e.g., Are participants assigned to case 

managers? If so, when? And what is the caseload per case manager?) 
130

D. PROGRAM COMPONENTS/SERVICES

1. What specific employment, education, and/or training services are provided to participants? 

For each major service or program component, please describe: 

- specific services/activities participants receive 

- who gets services (all participants; a proportion of participants) 

- who provides the service and where is services provided (e.g., at one-stop, 

workplace, training facility)? 

2. What support services are provided under the project? For each support service describe 

what proportion of participants receive the service and who provides the service. 

3. How do program services compare (similarities and differences) with other employment and 

training services available in the locality? 

4. Is there a typical way in which participants flow through the program (i.e., from 

recruitment/assessment into training and job search/placement, etc.)? [Note: If available, 

obtain a flow diagram that shows the typical flow of enrolled participants through the system 

from the point of intake.] 

5. Does the program provide the full range of services needed by program participants? If not, 

what are the gaps in services? 

6. Has the project conducted customer satisfaction surveys? If so, what is the quality of the 

program/services based on feedback from customer satisfaction surveys? [If available, obtain 

a copy of the customer satisfaction survey and results.] 

7. What methods are used to identify or develop job openings for the specific occupations in 

which training is being provided? How are employers selected to sponsor participants? 

8. Were any program components or service elements of the original program design not 

implemented or 

 abandoned early on? If yes, which ones and why? 

9. Has the grantee added any new components? If yes, what are they and why were they 

added? 

E. PARTICIPATION LEVELS/CHARACTERISTICS

1. What is the overall goal for enrollment/participation in the program? 
131

2. How many individuals have been enrolled in the program to date? 

3. Is it anticipated that the goal for participation will be met? If not, why not? 

4. What are the general characteristics of participants (if possible, have the project complete 

Table A detailing participant characteristics)? [Note: If available, also obtain additional 

reports showing number and characteristics of participants.] 

5. What factors (e.g. recruitment strategies, types of training/job placement activities and other 

services offered, local economic conditions) have influenced the types of participants served? 

6. a. What proportion of participants dropped out from the program prior to completion? 

b. What are the characteristics of participants who dropped out of the program after 

enrollment? 

c. When did dropout usually occur and why? 

F. SERVICE INTEGRATION/COORDINATION 

1. What is the relationship of the program with the linked education/training institution (e.g., 

community college, proprietary school, college)? What are major roles and 

responsibilities of each party? How has it gone? 

2. What are the other key linkages agencies in the community? (Note: List the 

organizations, discuss the nature of the linkages with each, and if appropriate, the 

number and types of program participants referred.) 
132

G. EMPLOYER INVOLVEMENT 

 

1. To what extent have employers been involved in the project? 

2. How were employers recruited? 

3. What was the employers’ reaction to the project initially? 

4. Did employers provide input on project design, types of workers wanted, and types of 

training provided (including suggestions on curriculum design)? If yes, please describe: 

5. a. How many total employers were involved in the initiative (i.e., enrolled and trained 

project participants)? 

 b. For each major employer involved, please provide the following: 

-Name of employer 

-Type of employer (e.g., industry) 

-Number of participants referred 

-Types of jobs for which individuals were trained and hired 

-Average wage for those hired 

6. In general, were employers supportive of participants and staff throughout the project? 

7. What difficulties were encountered with employers? 

8. Do you have any other comments relating to employer involvement in the project? 

H. PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STAFFING 

1. What is the overall organizational plan for the program? (If available, please provide an 

organizational chart.) 

2. What is the total number of full- and part-time staff involved in the project (i.e., at the time the 

project was fully implemented)? [For each staff member, provide a description of their role or 

responsibilities in the project and qualifications for the position.] 

Full-time:_______ Part-time:______ 

Staff Position Number Role/Responsibility
133

I. PROGRAM OUTCOMES/IMPACTS 

[Note: Obtain reports if available on outcome measures.]

1. Please provide outcome data necessary to complete Table B. 

2. Please explain significant differences between what was originally planned (or expected) and 

what is actually reported. 

3. How does the placement wage compare to the previous wages earned by program 

participants? 

4. How does the placement wage compare to wage levels of workers in the same occupation 

within the local labor market? 

 

5. a. What have been the greatest impacts of the program on program participants? 

b. To what extent and in what areas have basic and job-related skills been improved? 

c. Are there ways in which the program has fallen short of its goals for assisting 

participants? 

d. Are there other approaches strategies or services that would contribute to better 

outcomes for program participants? 

J. PROJECT COSTS

1. What are the major ongoing costs for the program (e.g., staff, equipment purchase or rental, 

transportation, subcontracts, utilities, security, wage subsidies, etc.)? 

2. How do the types of participants served affect costs? What types of participants are 

most/least costly to serve? 

K. PROGRAM REPLICABILITY 

1. To what extent do you think your program could be replicated in other localities? 
134

2. What features of the H1B project are most amenable to replication? 

3. a. What features of project are least amenable to replication? 

b. How does location, the target population served, or other distinctive features of your 

program make it either non-transferable or limit transferability? 

c. Should replication of the program be limited to localities with certain characteristics? If 

so, what are they? 

4. What do you feel needs to be communicated to other agencies who might be interested in 

replicating your program? 

L. CHECKLIST OF ITEMS TO COLLECT FROM SITE (IF AVAILABLE) 

 Background information about the locality 

 

 Background information about the organization 

 Additional documentation/reports detailing major services 

 Evaluation reports that may have been prepared on the program 

 Blank set of client forms used in the participant’s case file 

 Blank copy of the customer satisfaction form(s); reports on the methodology used and 

results of the survey 

 Diagram showing how participants flow through the program 

 Organizational chart for the program 
135

TABLE A: PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS 

Site: ______________________________________ Total Participants: __________

Data Provided Is as of: __________________ Final Results: ___Yes ___No

PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS NUMBER PERCENT

Gender: Male 

Female 

29 and under 

30-44 

45-54 

Age (at Enrollment): 

55 and over 

White (Non-Hispanic) 

Black (Non-Hispanic) 

Hispanic 

Race/Ethnicity 

Other 

Less than High School Graduate 

High School Graduate 

Post High School Attendee 

Highest Grade Completed (at 

Enrollment) 

College Graduate or Above 

$4.99 or less 

$5.00 to $7.49 

$7.50 to $9.99 

$10.00 to $14.99 

Hourly Wage in Most Recent Job 

Prior to Participation in H-1B 

Project 

$15.00 or More 

None 

1 to 99 hours 

100 to 249 hours 

250 to 499 hours 

501 to 999 hours 

Duration of Training Received 

Through H1B Project 

1,000 to 1,999 hours 
136

PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS NUMBER PERCENT

Over 2,000 hours 

Transportation Assistance 

Child Care Assistance 

Substance Abuse 

Treatment/Counseling 

Housing or Rental Assistance 

Clothing/Work Equipment 

Types of Support Services 

Received (Directly Provided and 

Paid for through the Grant) 

Other: 

 
137

TABLE B: PARTICIPANT OUTCOMES 

Site: _____________________________________________________________ 

Data Provided as of: __________________ Final Results: ___Yes ___No 

PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS PLANNED ACTUAL

A. Total Number of Participants Enrolled 

B. Total Number of Participants Completing Training 

C. Total Number of Job Placements 

D. Job Placement Rate (Item C/A) 

E. Average Wage at Placement 

F. Total Number of Job Retentions at 6 Months After Placement 

G. Job Retention Rate (Item F/C) 

H. Average Wage at 6 Months After Placement 

I. Total Cost of the Project 

1. Average Cost per Participant (Item I/A) 

2. Average Cost per Placement (Item I/C) 

J. Workforce Development Area’s Average Wage at Placement 

for WIA Participants 

K. Average Previous Wage Paid to Participants Prior to 

Enrollment in Project 

L. Other Outcome Measures Used by the Site (List Below): 
138

APPENDIX C: 

CROSS-SITE COMPARISON OF 

FEATURES OF THE 

H-1B TRAINING PROJECTS 
APPENDIX C: CROSS-SITE COMPARISON OF FEATURES OF THE H-1B TRAINING PROJECTS

Participant Characteristics

Workforce 

Essentials, Inc. 

(Tennessee) 

Pima County 

Community 

Services Dept. 

(Arizona) 

Municipality of 

Anchorage 

(Alaska) 

State of Vermont 

(Vermont) 

REB of Hampde

County, Inc. 

(Massachusetts

Project Goals -Enhance 

employability of participants -Upgrade skills and worker productivity -Improve wages (10% for employed workers; 15% for new hires) -Offset employer training costs -Reduce worker turnover 

-Facilitate career advancement, wage growth, and self-sufficiency -Create new career paths to reduce local shortages (particularly in nursing field) -Offset employer training costs 

-Provide career ladder and highskill training to unemployed, underemployed , and incumbent workers in IT occupations. -Develop IT curricula that can be replicated throughout the State - Partially offset employer training costs 

-Provide high skill training to employed Registered Nurses in critical shortage areas -Establish lasting training partnerships among participating organizations in health care and high-tech programs -Reduce dependency on temporary workers in health care field. - Develop webbased training tools 

-Facilitate career advancement, wage growth, and self-sufficiency -Offset employer training costs -Encourage employers to train and upgrade workforce 

Project Service Area 

-12-county area in N. Tennessee (includes Nashville) -Mostly rural, some urban and suburban 

-Pima County (with focus on Tucson metropolitan area) -Urban and suburban 

-Comprises 26,235 square miles and includes the Municipality of Anchorage, as well as the MatanuskaSusitna Borough -Urban and rural 

-Statewide initiative -State characterized as primarily rural; however, program serves small cities and town as well 

-4-counties in WeMA (Hampden, Franklin, Hampshire, Worcester); and Greater Hartford, CT. -Mostly rural, somurban and suburban 
Participant Characteristics

Workforce 

Essentials, Inc. 

(Tennessee) 

Pima County 

Community 

Services Dept. 

(Arizona) 

Municipality of 

Anchorage 

(Alaska) 

State of Vermont 

(Vermont) 

REB of Hampde

County, Inc. 

(Massachusetts

Unemployment Rate (Seasonally unadjusted) 

-Start of grant: Nashville: 3.1% Clarksville: 3.7% - As of 11/2001: Nashville: 3.4%, Clarksville: 5%, & other counties as high as 8.7% 

-Start of grant: 2.7% - As of 11/2001: 4% 

-Start of grant: 3.8% - As of 11/2001: 3.7% 

-Start of grant: 2.6% - As of 11/2001: 3.4% 

-Start of grant: 2.7% to 3.5% - As of 11/2001: 2.9 - 4.3% 

Environmental/ Contextual Factors 

-Economic conditions vary by county -Local economy deteriorating by mid-2001, affecting demand for workers in some high-skill occupations 

-Much low-wage employment -Service sector dominates -Large Hispanic population; high concentration of youth/young adults -Problems with high school dropouts 

-State isolated from lower 48 states has not experienced increase in unemployment -Program serves very large geographic area (including one major city and large rural expanse) – affecting how training is delivered 

-High-tech sector hard hit by slowing economy -Industry to service sector shift; job growth outpacing labor force  -Declining school age population & slow growing workage population, but boom in elderly - Aging nursing work force 

-Project serves multi-state region (MA/CT) -WIB co-located with economic development agency & Chambof Commerce – helps with links to employers -Local economy slowing by mid2001 

Grant Round 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd 1st Grant Start 11/2000 3/2000 8/2000 11//2000 3/2000 Grant End 10/2002 3/2002 7/2002 11/2002 3/20002 Funding Amount $2.8 million $1.5 million $2.425 million $2.658 million $1.5 million 
Match 40% (minimum for 

each employer) 

Variable – 25% local match sought across all sources 

60% cash match covering tuition and release time 

Over 100% - Salary continuation-in kind contributions and tuition payment 

Variable – sought 85% in-kind & 10% cash from employers 

# of Employer Partners 

28 ~10 50+ 39 7 

Types of Employer Partners 

Health sector & variety of manufacturers 

Health sector (especially hospitals), teleservices, IT, electronics, aviation, and education 

Eclectic array including: telecom, social service, hospital, IT service firms, banks, communications, local, state, and federal government, and Native Alaskan groups 

Hospitals and employers of IT workers 

IT, telecommunications 

Leading Employer Partners 

St. Thomas/IT, CEI Company, Aerostructures, Baptist Hospital, Standard Gypsum, & others 

Kino Hospital, Sunquest, Universal Avionics, Convergys, Honeywell, Opinion Research, Teletech, Cross County, USA Relay 

Science Applications International Corporation, United States Airforce, State of Alaska, General Communications, Inc., First National Bank of Alaska, Alaska Communications Systems 

Fletcher –Allen Hospital Mt. Ascutney Hospital Rutland Regional Medical Center No leading employer partners in the High-Tech , but 23 participating employers in incumbent worker program. 

JDS Uniphase; Coghlin Electrical Contractors, Inc.; Valley Communication; Systems, Software, & Support (SSS); Yankee Candle; Electechs 

Training Partners -Limited to training 

providers on Governor’s WIA approved list 

~1/2 of training provided through community colleges, but also use universities & 

-University of Alaska, Anchorage -Mat-Su campus of U of A, Anchorage, 

-University, of VT, -Vermont Community Colleges 

-Most training provided through community collegand proprietary 
-Most skill training provided by community colleges, Tennessee Technical Centers, Nashville State Technical School, & several proprietary schools 

proprietary schools -Partners include: Pima Co. Community College, SAIAT, U. of Phoenix, AZ State U, U. of AZ, Prescott College, and New Horizons 

- private proprietary schools (2-3) 

-Individual participating hospitals -Vermont Technical College - Vermont Interactive Television 

schools -Partners include: Springfield Technical CC; Northeast Center for Telecom Technologies; Capital CC; and IKON 

Union and or Association Partners 

International Association of Machinists 

Tucson Education Association 

Alaska High Tech Business Council 

Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems 

None 

Original Participation Goal 

735 300 300 222 210 

Actual # of Participants 

812 (as of 11/2001) 110% of goal 

312 (as of 9/2001); (est. 340 as of 11/2001) 113% as of 11/01 

281 (as of 9/30/01) 94% of goal 

108 (12/2001), with new programs coming on line after first of year. 50% of goal 

222 (as of 12/200105% of goal 

Date of First Enrollments 

January 2001 July 2000 Unsure February 12, 2001 April 2000 

Target Population Served 

-Employed -Unemployed -Participants must be employed or have commitment to be hired by partnering employer 

-Employed (2/3) -Unemployed (1/3) -No employer commitment required -Partnering employers refer most participants 

-Employed workers either referred by employer or self selected based on information in newspaper or through friends -Unemployed workers identified by WIA, Job Corps, One Stop, Voc. 

-53 Incumbent Operating Room Nurses -95 Incumbent Critical Care Nurses -20 unemployed / dislocated workers attempting entry into IT 

-130 incumbent workers -80 unemployed -Partnering employers refer most participants 
Rehab., Hi Tech Industry Council 

-45 incumbent IT workers getting skills upgrade. 

Characteristics of the Population Served 

-Estimated 75% female; 40 % minority -All have high school or GED 

~2/3 employed at intake -63% female -61% white; 23% Hispanic; 8% Black -Avg. 13.9 years education; avg. reading/math levels, 12.3/12.1 

-55% male -Average wage of incumbent worker was $20 per hour with median wage at $24. 

-Nursing program almost 100% female -Wage range from $17-$23/hr. -All Registered Nurses with 2 or 4 year degree -Hi Tech Program numbers not available; however participants are predominately male

-80% male -84% white; 4% black; 3% Hispan9% Other -48% high school graduates; 8% post-high school attendees; 44% college graduates -72% earning $15 or more/hr. in mosrecent job 

Outreach/ Recruitment Methods 

-Partnering employers identify and refer workers needing skill upgrades -Variety of other sources for unemployed individuals, especially referrals from Workforce Essentials’ career centers and other public programs (e.g., UI, TANF) -Some individuals heard about program from 

-Partnering companies refer incumbent workers for upgrade training -Distribution of information about program at career centers; referrals by career center staff to program -Word-of-mouth (increasingly important) -No paid advertisements 

-No paid advertising. Grant announced in the paper which generated interest. -Once program at Mat-Su in development stage, brochures printed and used to attract students. - Job Corps invited to submit nominees as well as other workforce development agencies such as Vocational 

-Hospitals recruit from existing nursing staff using in- house communications. -Hospitals use program as recruitment tool to attract nurses from out of state -IT workers identified by employers. -One stop Career Centers identify unemployed/dislocated workers 

-Partnering companies refer incumbent workerfor upgrade trainin-Distribution of information about program at careecenters; referrals career center staf(of primarily unemployed individuals) to program -No paid advertisements 
downsizing employers, at job fairs, and via wordof-mouth. -No paid advertisements, but some articles about project in local newspapers 

Rehabilitation 

Eligibility/ Screening/ Assessment 

-Participants must be employed by or have commitment of employment from partnering employer -Assessment tailored to requirements of employer and training provider -Workforce Essentials has inhouse assessment capability, which employers may utilize; employers may conduct own assessment -Most participants tested, but no standard set of tests applied -Wide variety of tests used, tailored to employer needs and occupational training 

-Main requirement is participants must be interested in training being offered -Assessment tailored to requirements of employer, training provider, & program component -WIB career center assessment facilities may be used at the discretion of employer or trainer -Most participants tested, but no standard set of tests applied -Most participants take the TABE; some complete an interest inventory; range of other types of assessment tests is 

-Incumbent worker screening done by employer who identified potential trainees. -Unemployed/ underemployed screened by Workforce Development Division and where individuals had no existing experience, by Hi Tech Business Council to ensure training desired made sense and that applicant had necessary prerequisites. -Assessment tests administered. -Those attending Mat-Su training courses were screened by the college and normal 

-For the nursing program, eligibility criteria established and applicants self selected. Screened and approved by employer. No testing required. - For Hi Tech program, screening done by One-Stop and by admitting institution 

-Partnering companies screen incumbent workerand refer appropriate ones for training -ITA component – career center stafassess appropriatness of individualthen H-1B directomakes final decision -Formal screening form used -No standard set formal tests used assess client – employers may decide to use assessment test 
requirements -Among most used tests are: NET Test (similar to TABE); COPS, CAPES, CAPS; VALPAR 

available, if needed enrollment 

standards used 

Employer Role in Training 

-Help with recruitment and screening of appropriate individuals -If not already employed, make commitment to hire participant if he/she completes training -Provide input on curriculum, if appropriate -Pay at least a 40 percent match payment (e.g., can be direct payment for training or in form of wages paid to worker while in training) 

-Refer incumbent workers for upgrade training -May assist trainer with curriculum development -May pay part of costs of tuition -May provide training facility onsite -Most training done on participant time; one employer gave employees 1 hr. paid time (matched by 2 hours of employees’ time) 

-Refer incumbent workers for upgrade training - Paid 60% of tuition costs. -Provide on-site facility for some training -Provide paid release time 

Both Components -Refer incumbent workers for upgrade training - Assist with curriculum development Health Component -Conduct on-the-job training -Provide preceptors (mentors) for each student in the clinical portion of training -Provide release time -Arrange for replacements in order to facilitate training 

-Refer incumbent workers for upgrade training -May assist trainewith curriculum development -May pay part of tuition -May provide training facility onsite -Most training donon participant time 

Primary Types of Training Offered by Occupation 

-Training provided in wide range of occupations, spread across manufacturing and health care fields 

-5 main career paths: nursing (primarily RN), teachers, computer specialist (e.g., MCSE, A+), 

-Training provided in: A+, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Data Base Administration 

-Nursing: Critical Care PeriOperative Preceptoring (mentoring) Plan Psychiatric 

-Most training for careers in IT or telecommunications fields, sucas: help desk technicians, PC 
-Examples of types of occupational training: LPN, radiation technology, medical transcription, 

electronic technicians, and accounting (rarely used) -Emphasis on career path and building pipeline into shortage occupations (e.g., LPN to RN to BSN)-Individual referrals into a variety of other occupations 

(MSDBA), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), Certified Cisco Network Associate (CCNA), Certified Cisco Network Professional (CCNP), Java Script, Local Office Network Technician, Computer Aided Drafting -Grant paid for development of IT training program infrastructure at University. AA degree program which can be used toward BA degree. 

Nursing -Hi Tech: AA Degree training in Computer Systems and Programming. Anticipate some graduates will go on for BA Degree. 

support specialistnetwork administrators, wedevelopers -Individuals in ITA track could receivtraining in variety technical fields (i.under individual referrals to trainin
Training methods -Mostly classroom 

instruction; clinical and hands-on instruction provided, where appropriate -Instruction provided at training facility or employer site -Duration/intensity of training varies -ranging from 9 weeks to 2 years (average about 1 year); instruction hours per week varied from several hours to 35 hours -Training done in group (e.g., LPN) or individual basis (e.g., referral to community college) -Most training results in certification; few degrees conferred and none above 2-year associate degree 

-Mostly classroom instruction; clinical, lab, and hands-on instruction provided, where appropriate -Instruction provided at training facility or employer site -Duration/intensity of training varies - --ranging from 6 months to 2 years; instruction hours per week varied from 6 hours to fulltime -Training done for groups (e.g., LPN) or on individual basis (e.g., referral to training providers) -Some training results in degree (AA, BA, BS, including RN, BSN, MSN) or certification; some have no degree or certification (e.g., those completing course in Visual Basic) 

-Mostly classroom with some Webbased support. -Some done on college campus or training site -Some done at employer job site. -Intensive, vendor specific training could be very short term unless coupled with other academic program. -If enrollee was being sponsored by employer, the training was likely to be more short term. Program offered what was needed -Average training duration was 103 hours but most people were in courses lasting 55 hours or less. 

-Classroom with lab, Web-based, TV-Distance Education, OJT Instruction done at central hospital, at home hospital and at 12 distance learning labs throughout the state -Actual classroom sessions last btw. 72 and 82 hrs over a 5-6 week period depending on the specialty. Clinical on-the-job portion of training ranged from 680 hrs to 720 hours -Hi Tech program training all in classroom setting. Two types of program: Degree objective training offered to full time unemployed and upgrade offered to employed individuals 3 days per week over 16 months. Also leads to AA 

-ITA component: mostly classroom and lab -Employer-based training: classrooand lab (often at employer site), web-based (distance learning-Mostly off-the-shtraining, but some customization for company-specific programs) -Many participantseek MCSE or other certifications -Some employers send participants as a group for short-term training 

Support Services -No support 

services provided 

-No support services provided 

-No support services provided 

-No support services provided 

-Pay for exams, books, instruction
directly under grant, but referrals made to WIA and other agencies (especially for transportation, child care, and housing assistance) 

directly under grant, but referrals made to WIA and other agencies -Pathways referrals receive support services paid by Pathways (e.g., transportation) 

directly under grant, but referrals made to WIA and other agencies 

directly under grant, but referrals made to WIA and other agencies 

materials -No support services provided directly under grabut referrals made to WIA and other agencies 

Post-Training Services 

-Primarily case management by Workforce Essentials staff during training period and for a year (or longer) staff visit with and call participants 

-Emphasis on tracking attendance and outcomes -Several employers (e.g. Kino Hospital) provide ongoing case management/ mentoring 

-Job search assistance by public agencies. -Private proprietary schools doing training are not required to assist with placement. At the time of the review, there was still an active labor market for IT workers and no one was particularly concerned that those trained wouldn't find work. 

-Focus of nursing program on incumbent workers, so post-training services not much of an issue. -The hi tech training program was designed to last almost to the end of the grant at which time job placement services will be made available at the One Stop Centers and at the training facilities. 

-Under ITA component – monthly contact bH-1B director with participants while training -Under companyspecific training – ongoing monitorinleft to the employe

Factors Facilitating Project Implementation/Success 

-Existing & well established relationships with employers and local training providers -Previous experience with administering training program, especially 

-Existing & well established relationships with employers and local training providers -Low unemployment and local shortages in targeted occupations (esp. nursing) 

-Existing & well established relationships with employers and local training providers -Recognition by employers that this was a very good deal given that the alternative was 

-Desperate need for specialty nurses which resulted in Hospitals joining together. -Existence of piloted training programs and curricula which could be adapted. 

-$15K planning grant from Comm Corp -Employers involved in prior state grant program, so already lined up and ready to go 
employer-based training -Employers willing to meet match requirements -Readily available pool of potential participants 

-Career centers available to help with assessment -Available pool of potential participants 

importing workers or sending workers to training themselves. The isolated nature of Alaska labor force dictates employers either train their own workers or pay to bring them in from lower 48 states or from foreign countries. - Recognition that establishing training center for vendor specific training would save money 

-Participants willing to be trained without promotion or increased wages -Closing of critical care facilities in neighboring NY resulting in extra burden on Vermont.-Low unemployment rate and nursing shortage - State population demographics portent continued labor shortages 

Factors Hindering Project Implementation/ Success 

-Slowing economy meant some employers did not want to partner -Grant started immediately upon award, leaving little time for start-up 

-Flexibility needed in curriculum and schedule to accommodate incumbent workers 

-Difficulty in start-up due to need for State approval of award and release of funds. -2-year grant period a hindrance when doing hi tech, hi skill training. The best that can be done to minimize the need for H-1B workers is to provide interested workers with the tools needed to climb the career ladder to those jobs

-Award of grant 1.5 months ahead of request by grantee thus leaving little time to prepare -Initial suspicion by hospitals that if workers were trained they might be "poached" by other hospitals. -Continued decline in the high-tech field nationwide 

-No administrative costs included in Round 1 grants -Process for issuiITAs had to be developed -Grant started upoaward – leaving little time for startup 
Other Comments/ Notes 

 -Most training done 

on participants’ time -1/10 of H-1B participants coenrolled under WIA - 

-Grantee extremely enthusiastic about the potential of the program to provide long-term training opportunities to residents of the State by replicating the training curricula at other campuses of the U. of Alaska. There is a real desire to ensure that local people can get quality training without leaving the state. -Appeared to be little in the way of suspicion by employers in dealing with government to achieve training objectives. 

-Grantee very alert to ways to utilize cost savings to offer more programs. In this case, another critical shortage occupation was added for the last phase of the grant. Working relationships between all groups involved in the program were exceptional. The DET Administrator and the HRIC were very involved and enthusiastic. The Grant Manager was very well versed in all of the workings of the training providers and employers. The employers uniformly sang the praises of the program and administration by the state.