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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 20, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 91802-91804]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-27044]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request, Strengthening Community Colleges Training 
Grant Program Round 4 (SCC4) Evaluation, New Collection

AGENCY: Office of Employment and Training Administration, Chief 
Evaluation Office, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL), as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a 
preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and 
federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or 
continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95). This program helps to ensure that 
requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden 
(time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are 
clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on 
respondents is properly assessed. Currently, the Department of Labor is 
soliciting comments concerning the collection of data for an evaluation 
of the fourth round of the Strengthening Community Colleges Training 
Grants Program. A copy of the proposed Information Collection Request 
(ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the 
addressee section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee section below on or before January 21, 2025.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following 
methods:
    Email: [email protected]; Mail or Courier: Suchitra 
Akmanchi, Chief Evaluation Office, OASP, U.S. Department of Labor, Room 
S-2312, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210. Instructions: 
Please submit one copy of your comments by only one method. All 
submissions received must include the agency name and OMB Control 
Number identified above for this information collection. Comments, 
including any personal information provided, become a matter of public 
record. They will also be summarized and/or included in the request for 
OMB approval of the information collection request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suchitra Akmanchi by email at 
[email protected] or by phone at (202) 693 8935.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    I. Background: The Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) and the Employment 
and Training Administration (ETA) in the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) 
are partnering to commission an evaluation of the fourth round of the 
Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants Program (SCC4). The 
program, which awarded grants to sixteen community college grantees, 
aims to enable community colleges to adopt and enhance evidence-based 
career pathways programs that lead to equitable access to employment 
opportunities in good jobs aligned with locally in-demand industries. 
The SCC4 evaluation will shed light on which programs are effective for 
which types of students, why they are effective, and the core 
components that support success. In addition, SCC4 will build on 
existing evidence regarding successful programs in community college 
settings and advance the understanding of how career pathways programs 
promote equitable outcomes. The SCC4 Evaluation includes two 
components: (1) an impact study to measure the effects of SCC4 grant 
program strategies on participant outcomes and (2) an implementation 
study to understand program implementation. The impact study will 
include both a quasi-experimental design (QED) and a randomized 
controlled trial (RCT) each with a subset of grantees. Impact study 
grantees were identified during an evaluability assessment in summer 
2024, during which they were assessed on a series of criteria including 
the potential number of enrolled students, interest in and feasibility 
of random assignment of students to treatment and control service 
groups, and a notable difference in the services available to treatment 
and control group students. Five community college sites from four 
grantees will be included in the RCT portion of the study. Twelve 
grantees will be included in the QED study. The implementation study 
will include all sixteen grantees and examine the context of SCC4 
programs, including how grantees integrate employer perspectives and 
student voice to shape programming. The evaluation will occur over four 
years (2024 to 2028). The evaluation will rely on rigorous study 
procedures and high-quality data. To facilitate these studies, the 
evaluation will use several instruments, which will be used during site 
visits, phone calls, and surveys with SCC4-involved staff and 
participating students.
    This Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on 
the following proposed data collection instruments that the evaluation 
will use:

Impact Study:

    1. Participant baseline survey and consent form. Survey of 6,000 
impact study participants to collect basic demographic information, 
interest in receiving support services, and current employment and 
earnings information.
    2. Participant follow-up survey. Follow-up survey of 1,800 impact 
study participants focused on job quality, job characteristics, and 
overall well-being.
    3. Service receipt logs. As part of the impact study data, grantee 
staff will track information frequency and type of the services they 
provide to participants. Fifteen grantee staff across the five 
participating impact study sites, will be responsible for inputting 
information into these logs.

Implementation Study:

    The implementation study will use the following data collections to 
understand the education and economic

[[Page 91803]]

context surrounding the program, the organization and administrative 
structure, recruitment and enrollment, partnerships, employer 
engagement and work-based learning, integrated academic and career 
learning, academic and career counseling, wrap-around services, and 
program sustainability.
    4. Grantee survey. Survey of a lead contact each of the 16 grantees 
to collect program information on service delivery models, staffing, 
partnerships, and the implementation of the main program elements.
    5. Semi-structured interview guide for college administrators and 
program directors. During the two rounds of site visits to impact study 
sites and phone calls with non-impact study sites calls, we will 
conduct one-on-one or small group, semi-structured interviews with up 
to 80 college administrators and program directors.
    6. Semi-structured interview guide for instructors and faculty. 
During the two rounds of site visits with impact study sites and phone 
calls with non-impact study sites, we will conduct one-on-one or small 
group, semi-structured interviews with up to 64 instructors and faculty 
for SCC4 programs.
    7. Semi-structured interview guide for SCC4 participants. During 
the two rounds of site visits with impact study sites and phone calls 
with non-impact study sites, we will conduct one-on-one or small group, 
semi-structured interviews with up to 64 SCC4 participants.
    8. Semi-structured interview guide for college staff. During the 
two rounds of site visits with impact study sites and phone calls with 
non-impact study sites, we will conduct one-on-one or small group, 
semi-structured interviews with up to 80 college staff providing 
services to SCC4 students, such as staff in student support services or 
the admissions office.
    9. Semi-structured interview guide for external constituents. 
During the two rounds of site visits with impact study sites and phone 
calls with non-impact study sites, we will conduct one-on-one or small 
group, semi-structured interviews with up to 80 external constituents 
who may interact with SCC4 students, or support implementation of SCC4 
programs, such as employer partners.
    II. Desired Focus of Comments: Currently, the Department of Labor 
is soliciting comments concerning the above data collection for the 
Sectoral Strategies and Employer Engagement Portfolio Program 
Evaluation. DOL is particularly interested in comments that do the 
following:
    [cir] evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    [cir] evaluate the accuracy of the agency's burden estimate of the 
proposed information collection, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions;
    [cir] enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    [cir] minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology--for example, permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.
    III. Current Actions: At this time, DOL is requesting clearance for 
the participant baseline survey and consent form, the participant 
follow-up survey, service receipt logs, the grantee survey, and semi-
structured interview guides.
    Type of review: New information collection request.
    OMB Control Number: 1290-0NEW.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Comments submitted in response to this request will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request; they will also become a 
matter of public record.

                                          Estimated Annual Burden Hours
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                                                                                      Average
                                     Number of     Frequency of    Total number     burden per       Estimated
           Instrument               respondents      response        responses       response      total annual
                                                                                      (hour)      burden (hours)
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Participant baseline survey.....       \1\ 6,000               1           6,000             .16             320
Participant follow-up survey....       \2\ 1,800               1           1,800             .33             198
Service receipt logs............           \3\15           2,600          39,000             .05             650
Grantee survey..................          \4\ 16               1              16              .5               3
College administrator and                 \5\ 80               2             160             .75              40
 program director interviews....
Instructors and faculty                   \6\ 64               2             128             .75              32
 interviews.....................
Participant interviews..........          \7\ 64               2             128             .75              32
College staff interviews........          \8\ 80               2             160             .75              32
External constituent interviews.          \9\ 80               2             160             .75              40
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    Total.......................           8,199  ..............          47,552  ..............           1,347
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\1\ Assumes a total of 6,000 impact study participants over the three-year clearance period.
\2\ Assumes a sample of 6,000 with a 30 percent response rate for a total of 1,800 impact study participants
  over the three-year clearance period.
\3\ Assumes 3 staff per 5 impact study sites over the three-year clearance period.
\4\ Assumes 1 program director per 16 grantees over the three-year clearance period.
\5\ Assumes 5 college administrator or program directors per 16 grantees over the three-year clearance period.
\6\ Assumes 4 instructors and faculty per 16 grantees over the three-year clearance period.
\7\ Assumes 4 SCC4 participants per 16 grantees over the three-year clearance period
\8\ Assumes 5 college staff per 16 grantees over the three-year clearance period.
\9\ Assumes 5 external constituents per 16 grantees over the three-year clearance period.

[[Page 91804]]

Alix Gould-Werth,
Chief Evaluation Officer,U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2024-27044 Filed 11-19-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-HX-P
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