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[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 201 (Friday, October 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62467-62469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-24676]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Comment Request for Information Collection for the Evaluation of 
the Youth CareerConnect Grant Program, New Collection

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Department of 
Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, 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) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. 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 about the Evaluation of the Youth CareerConnect 
(YCC) Grant Program [SGA/DFA PY-13-01]. A copy of the proposed 
Information Collection Request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the 
office listed in the addressee section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee's section below on or before December 7, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following 
methods: Email: [email protected]; Mail or Courier: Chief 
Evaluation Office, OASP, U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-2312, 200 
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Molly Irwin by telephone at 202-693-
5091 (this is not a toll-free number) or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 62468]]

I. Background

    The proposed information collection activities described in this 
notice will provide data for an impact and implementation evaluation of 
the Youth CareerConnect program. In spring 2014, the Employment and 
Training Administration (ETA) in the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) 
awarded a total of $107 million to 24 grantees to implement the YCC 
program. The program is a high school based initiative aimed at 
improving students' college and career readiness in particular 
employment sectors. The programs are redesigning the high school 
experience through partnerships with colleges and employers to provide 
skill-developing and work-based learning opportunities to help students 
prepare for jobs in high-demand occupations.
    The evaluation will address three main research questions: (1) What 
was the impact of the YCC programs on students' short-term outcomes? 
(2) How were the YCC programs implemented? and (3) Did the 
effectiveness of YCC programs vary by student and grantee 
characteristics? The impact study will employ a randomized controlled 
trial (RCT) to estimate program effectiveness and will be carried out 
in a subset of YCC grantees. The implementation study will draw on data 
gathered from all YCC grantees.
    This Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on 
four proposed data collection instruments that will be used in the YCC 
evaluation:
    (1) Parental consent and student assent forms. For the impact 
study, active consent will be obtained from a parent, guardian, or 
other adult who has responsibility for students in sites recruited for 
the impact study. Additionally, students for whom written parental 
consent has been obtained will be asked to assent to data collection.
    (2) Baseline Information Forms (BIFs) will be completed by students 
and parents. The student BIF will collect information on experiences at 
school, behavior in school, activities, employment experience, and 
plans for future education. The parent BIF will collect information on 
household characteristics and education expectations for their 
children. BIFs will also provide detailed contact information to be 
used to locate participants for the follow-up survey. Whenever 
possible, BIFs will be integrated into the application process to limit 
respondent burden.
    (3) Grantee survey. A grantee survey will provide information about 
all grantees funded for YCC programs. It will collect details on 
service delivery models, staffing, staff development, partnerships, and 
the implementation of the main program elements.
    (4) Site visit protocols. Site visits will occur at three points in 
time and will collect information on program design, implementation, 
and challenges, as well as how program models change over time.
    A future information collection request will include a 36-month 
follow up survey of members of the treatment and control groups.

II. Review Focus

    Currently, DOL is soliciting comments concerning the above data 
collection for the evaluation of YCC. DOL is particularly interested in 
comments that do the following:
     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;
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's burden estimate of 
the proposed information collection, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     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 parental consent 
and student assent forms, student and parent BIFs, grantee surveys, and 
site visit protocols.
    Type of Review: New collection.
    Title: Youth Career Connect (YCC) grant program.
    OMB Number: OMB Control Number 1205-0NEW.

                                          Estimated Total Burden Hours
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                                                                                  Average burden
                                                     Number of       Number of       time per      Total burden
                   Respondents                      respondents    responses per     response          hours
                                                                    respondent       (minutes)
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                                 Consent, Assent, and Baseline Enrollment Forms
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Students (including assent).....................       \a\ 4,000               1              18           1,200
Parents (including consent).....................       \a\ 4,000               1              10             667
YCC Staff.......................................          \b\ 50              80               5             333
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                                         Grantee Survey and Site Visits
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Grantee survey..................................              24               2              30              24
Site visits:
    Round 1:
        Staff...................................         \c\ 170               1              60             170
        Students................................          \c\ 60               1              60              60
    Round 2:
        Staff...................................         \c\ 170               1              30              85
        Students................................          \c\ 60               1              60              60
    Round 3:
        Staff...................................         \c\ 170               1              30              85
        Students................................          \c\ 60               1              60              60
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total...............................           8,764              90  ..............           2,744
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\a\ The figures correspond to 200 treatment and 200 control group students in each of 10 study sites.
\b\ The figures assume 5 staff members at each of 10 sites.
\c\ Assumes 17 staff and 6 students are interviewed at each of 10 sites.

[[Page 62469]]

    Affected Public: Students and parents applying for YCC program, YCC 
program staff, and students in YCC program.
    Form(s): Total annual respondents: 4,000 students; 4,000 parents; 
and 244 staff.
    Annual Frequency: One time for the consent, assent, and BIFs, one 
time for each round of site visits, and two times for the grantee 
survey.
    Comments submitted in response to this comment 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.

    Dated: October 8, 2014.
James H. Moore, Jr.,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2014-24676 Filed 10-16-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-23-P
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