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uation using the techniques described in section
172(c).’’.
SEC. 145. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
Section 170 (29 U.S.C. 2915) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by—
(A) inserting ‘‘the training of staff pro-
viding rapid response services, the training of
other staff of recipients of funds under this title,
the training of members of State boards and
local boards, peer review activities under this
title,’’ after ‘‘localities,’’; and
(B) striking ‘‘from carrying out activities’’
and all that follows through the period and in-
serting ‘‘to implement the amendments made by
the Workforce Investment Act Amendments of
2005.’’;
(2) in subsection (a)(2), by adding at the end the
following: ‘‘The Secretary shall also hire staff quali-
fied to provide the assistance described in paragraph
(1).’’;
(3) in subsection (b)(2), by striking the last sen-
tence and inserting ‘‘Such projects shall be adminis-
tered by the Employment and Training Administra-
tion.’’; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(c) BEST PRACTICES COORDINATION.—The Secretary
shall—
‘‘(1) establish a system through which States
may share information regarding best practices with
regard to the operation of workforce investment ac-
tivities under this Act;
‘‘(2) evaluate and disseminate information re-
garding best practices and identify knowledge gaps;
and
‘‘(3) commission research under section 171(c) to
address knowledge gaps identified under paragraph
(2).’’.
SEC. 146. DEMONSTRATION, PILOT, MULTISERVICE, RE-
SEARCH, AND MULTISTATE PROJECTS.
(a) DEMONSTRATION AND PILOT PROJECTS.—Section
171(b) (29 U.S.C. 2916(b)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1)—
(A) by striking ‘‘Under a’’ and inserting
‘‘Consistent with the priorities specified in the’’;
(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (F)
through (H) as subparagraphs (H) through (J),
respectively;
(C) by striking subparagraphs (A) through
(E) and inserting the following:
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‘‘(A) projects that assist national employers
in connecting with the workforce investment sys-
tem established under this title in order to facili-
tate the recruitment and employment of needed
workers for career ladder jobs and to provide in-
formation to such system on skills and occupa-
tions in demand;
‘‘(B) projects that promote the development
of systems that will improve the maximum effec-
tiveness of programs carried out under this title;
‘‘(C) projects that focus on opportunities for
employment in industries and sectors of indus-
tries that are experiencing, or are likely to expe-
rience, high rates of growth and jobs with wages
leading to self-sufficiency;
‘‘(D) projects that focus on collaborations
among local boards, institutions of higher edu-
cation, medical facilities, and other community
stakeholders, to promote opportunities for dis-
located workers to receive training and related
services for employment in the high-demand
health care sector;
‘‘(E) projects that focus on career ladder ad-
vancement for nursing care providers, including
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faculty education and distance learning pro-
grams;
‘‘(F) computerized, individualized, self-
paced training projects targeted to dislocated,
disadvantaged, or incumbent workers utilizing
equipment and curriculum designed in partner-
ship with industries for employment in the oper-
ations, repair, and maintenance of high-tech
equipment that is used in integrated systems
technology;
‘‘(G) projects carried out by States and
local areas to test innovative approaches to deliv-
ering employment-related services;’’;
(D) in subparagraph (I) (as redesignated by
subparagraph (B)), by striking ‘‘and’’ after the
semicolon; and
(E) by striking subparagraph (J) (as redes-
ignated by subparagraph (B)), and inserting the
following:
‘‘(J) projects that provide retention grants,
which shall—
‘‘(i) be made to qualified job training
programs offering instruction, assessment,
or professional coaching, upon placement of
a low-income individual trained by the pro-
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gram involved in employment with an em-
ployer and retention of the low-income indi-
vidual in that employment with that em-
ployer for a period of 1 year, if that em-
ployment provides the low-income indi-
vidual with an annual salary—
‘‘(I) that is at least $10,000 more
than the individual’s federally adjusted
income for the previous year; and
‘‘(II) that is not less than twice
the poverty line applicable to the indi-
vidual; and
‘‘(ii) be made taking into account the
economic benefit received by the Federal
Government from the employment and re-
tention of the individual, including the eco-
nomic benefit from tax revenue and de-
creased public subsidies;
‘‘(K) targeted innovation projects that im-
prove access to and delivery of employment and
training services, with emphasis given to projects
that incorporate advanced technologies to facili-
tate the connection of individuals to the informa-
tion and tools the individuals need to upgrade
skills;
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‘‘(L) projects that promote the use of dis-
tance learning, enabling students to take courses
through the use of media technology such as vid-
eos, teleconferencing computers, and the Internet;
and
‘‘(M) projects that provide comprehensive
education and training services, and support
services, in coordination with local boards, for
populations in targeted high poverty areas where
the greatest barriers to employment exist, includ-
ing ex-offenders, out-of-school youth, and public
assistance recipient populations.’’; and
(2) in paragraph (2)—
(A) by striking subparagraph (B); and
(B) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as
subparagraph (B).
(b) MULTISERVICE PROJECTS.—Section 171(c)(2)(B)
(29 U.S.C. 2916(c)(2)(B)) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(B) STUDIES AND REPORTS.—
‘‘(i) NET
IMPACT
STUDIES
AND
RE-
PORTS.—
‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary,
in coordination with the Secretary of
Education, shall conduct studies to de-
termine the net impacts of, including
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best practices of, programs, services,
and activities carried out under this
title.
‘‘(II) REPORTS.—The Secretary
shall prepare and disseminate to the
public reports containing the results of
the studies conducted under subclause
(I).
‘‘(ii) STUDY ON RESOURCES AVAILABLE
TO
ASSIST
OUT-OF-SCHOOL
YOUTH.—The
Secretary, in coordination with the Sec-
retary of Education, may conduct a study
examining the resources available at the
Federal, State, and local levels to assist out-
of-school youth in obtaining the skills, cre-
dentials, and work experience necessary to
become successfully employed, including the
availability of funds provided through aver-
age daily attendance and other methodolo-
gies used by States and local areas to dis-
tribute funds.
‘‘(iii) STUDY OF INDUSTRY-BASED CER-
TIFICATION AND CREDENTIALS.—
‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary
shall conduct a study concerning the
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role and benefits of credentialing and
certification to businesses and workers
in the economy and the implications of
certification to the services provided
through the workforce investment sys-
tem. The study may examine issues
such as—
‘‘(aa) the characteristics of
successful credentialing and cer-
tification systems that serve busi-
ness and individual needs;
‘‘(bb) the relative proportions
of certificates and credentials at-
tained with assistance from the
public sector, with private-sector
training of new hires or incum-
bent workers, and by individuals
on their own initiative without
other assistance, respectively;
‘‘(cc) the return on human
capital investments from occupa-
tional credentials and industry-
based skill certifications, includ-
ing the extent to which acquisi-
tion of such credentials or certifi-
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cates enhances outcomes such as
entry into employment, retention,
earnings (including the number
and amount of wage increases),
career advancement, and layoff
aversion;
‘‘(dd) the implications of the
effects of skill certifications and
credentials to the types and deliv-
ery of services provided through
the workforce investment system;
‘‘(ee) the role that Federal
and State governments play in
fostering the development of and
disseminating 
credentials 
and
skill standards; and
‘‘(ff) the use of credentials by
businesses to achieve goals for
workforce skill upgrading and
greater operating efficiency.
‘‘(II) REPORT
TO
CONGRESS.—
The Secretary shall prepare and sub-
mit to Congress a report containing
the results of the study conducted pur-
suant to subclause (I). Such report
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may include any recommendations
that the Secretary determines are ap-
propriate to include in such report re-
lating to promoting the acquisition of
industry-based certification and cre-
dentials, and the appropriate role of
the Department of Labor and the work-
force investment system in supporting
the needs of business and individuals
with respect to such certification and
credentials.
‘‘(iv) STUDY
OF
EFFECTIVENESS
OF
WORKFORCE INVESTMENT SYSTEM IN MEET-
ING BUSINESS NEEDS.—
‘‘(I) IN
GENERAL.—Using funds
available to carry out this section
jointly with funds available to the Sec-
retary of Commerce and Administrator
of the Small Business Administration,
the Secretary, in coordination with the
Secretary of Commerce and the Ad-
ministrator of the Small Business Ad-
ministration, may conduct a study of
the effectiveness of the workforce invest-
ment system in meeting the needs of
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business, with particular attention to
the needs of small business, including
in assisting workers to obtain the skills
needed to utilize emerging technologies.
In conducting the study, the Secretary,
in coordination with the Secretary of
Commerce and the Administrator of
the Small Business Administration,
may examine issues such as—
‘‘(aa) methods for identifying
the workforce needs of businesses
and how the requirements of small
businesses may differ from larger
establishments;
‘‘(bb) 
business 
satisfaction
with the workforce investment sys-
tem, with particular emphasis on
the satisfaction of small busi-
nesses;
‘‘(cc) the extent to which
business is engaged as a collabo-
rative partner in the workforce
investment system, including the
extent of business involvement as
members of State boards and local
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boards, and the extent to which
such boards and one-stop centers
effectively collaborate with busi-
ness and industry leaders in de-
veloping 
workforce 
investment
strategies, including strategies to
identify high growth opportuni-
ties;
‘‘(dd) ways in which the
workforce investment system ad-
dresses changing skill needs of
business that result from changes
in technology and work processes;
‘‘(ee) promising practices for
serving small businesses;
‘‘(ff) the extent and manner
in which the workforce investment
system uses technology to serve
business and individual needs,
and how uses of technology could
enhance efficiency and effective-
ness in providing services; and
‘‘(gg) the extent to which var-
ious segments of the labor force
have access to and utilize tech-
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nology to locate job openings and
apply for jobs, and characteristics
of individuals utilizing such tech-
nology (such as age, gender, race
or ethnicity, industry sector, and
occupational groups).
‘‘(II) REPORT
TO
CONGRESS.—
The Secretary shall prepare and sub-
mit to Congress a report containing
the results of the study described in
subclause (I). Such report may include
any recommendations the Secretary de-
termines are appropriate to include in
such report, including ways to enhance
the effectiveness of the workforce invest-
ment system in meeting the needs of
business for skilled workers.’’.
(c) ADMINISTRATION.—Section 171(d) (29 U.S.C.
2916(d)) is amended by striking the last sentence and in-
serting the following: ‘‘Such projects shall be administered
by the Employment and Training Administration.’’.
(d) NEXT GENERATION TECHNOLOGIES.—Section 171
(29 U.S.C. 2916) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(e) SKILL CERTIFICATION PILOT PROJECTS.—