Job Corps: Better Targeted Career Training and Improved Preenrollment Information Could Enhance Female Residential Student Recruitment and Retention
Published: 2009-06-02T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: Established in 1964, Job Corps is the nation's largest residential, educational, and career training program for economically disadvantaged youths. Administered by the Department of Labor (Labor), Job Corps received about $1.6 billion in program year 2007 and served about 60,000 students. Some have expressed concern that Job Corps centers are not meeting planned enrollment goals, particularly for women. To address these concerns, GAO reviewed the (1) extent to which Job Corps centers are operating at or near capacity for residential students; (2) major factors that affect the recruitment and retention of residential students, particularly females; and (3) steps, if any, Labor has taken to address the recruitment and retention of residential students. To address these objectives, GAO analyzed Labor's enrollment data, surveyed Job Corps recruiters and center directors, and visited seven Job Corps centers.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: Overall, the Job Corps program has been operating at or near capacity for male residential students, but under capacity for female residential students during program years 2005 through 2007. During each of those years, Job Corps achieved between 95 and 98 percent of the planned enrollment for male residential students nationwide, but about 80 percent or less for female residential students. In fact, about one-half of the centers that enrolled female residential students in program year 2007 were below 80 percent of their planned enrollment for that group. Three key factors affect Job Corps' ability to recruit and retain residential students, particularly female residential students--availability of career training options, complete and accurate preenrollment information, and quality of center life. The selection and availability of career training offerings in occupations of interest to students play a major role in Job Corps' ability to recruit students, particularly female residential students, according to officials that we surveyed. A key factor affecting both recruitment and retention is ensuring that students have accurate preenrollment information about Job Corps. Officials noted that having realistic expectations of life at a center is especially important for female students. Finally, center officials said that the quality of life at the centers, including the living conditions and the sense of safety, affects students' willingness to stay in the program. Labor has begun making improvements in career training offerings, preenrollment information, and quality of center life in an effort to address issues related to the recruitment and retention of residential students. While Labor has gradually made more training opportunities available that are likely to appeal to female students, these are typically at a center's request and not part of an overall strategy. In addition, Labor has taken some steps to ensure that students receive detailed preenrollment information, but has not yet expanded these efforts nationally. Finally, Labor has several efforts under way to improve the quality of center life for students, including ensuring a drug-free environment and providing child care facilities for single parents.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: Established in 1964 as part of the Economic Opportunity Act, Job Corps is  the nation’s largest residential, educational, and career technical training  program for disadvantaged youths. Administered by the Department of  Labor (Labor), Job Corps received about $1.6 billion for program year  2007 to support a planned enrollment of about 44,000. Approximately   86 percent of this enrollment is reserved for residential students, with the  remainder reserved for nonresidential students who commute to the  center on a daily basis. Job Corps has 122 centers located in 48 states, the  District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico (see fig. 1). Large and small  corporations and nonprofit organizations manage and operate 94 of the  Job Corps centers. The other 28 centers—called Civilian Conservation  Centers—are operated through interagency agreements with the U.S.  Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior.
Most youths enrolling in Job Corps have not completed high school and  read at or below the sixth-grade level. Most are working toward a high  school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate,  and may also receive career technical training from among a range of  industries, including business and finance, construction, and health care.  Since its inception, Job Corps has educated and trained more than 2  million young people, preparing them to enter the nation’s workforce.
Recent congressional hearings raised concerns that Job Corps centers are  not operating at or near capacity—that is, not meeting their planned  enrollment goals. In particular, some have expressed concern about low  female residential student enrollment. As a result, you asked us to  examine the issues associated with the recruitment and retention of  residential students. Specifically, we reviewed the (1) extent to which Job  Corps centers are operating at or near capacity for residential students;   (2) major factors that affect centers’ ability to recruit and retain residential  students, particularly female residential students; and (3) steps, if any,  Labor has taken to address the recruitment and retention of residential  students.
To address these objectives, we used a multifaceted approach. To  understand recent trends in the enrollment of male and female residential  students, we analyzed Labor’s data identifying planned enrollment for  male and female residential students and the average actual number of  male and female residential students onboard for each of the 122 centers.  Our analysis covered July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2008—the 3 most  recently completed program years (program years 2005 to 2007). On the  basis of a review of the systems’ internal controls, we determined that the  data for program years 2005 to 2007 were sufficiently reliable for the  purposes of our review. To understand the major factors related to the  recruitment and retention of residential students, we administered two  Web-based surveys during August to October, 2008. One survey was  directed to the 32 outreach and admissions contractors who recruit male  and female students, often for more than 1 center. A second survey was  distributed to the 117 Job Corps center directors who were responsible for  enrolling and retaining residential students during program year 2007. We  received a 100 percent response rate on the survey from the outreach and  admissions contractors, and a 97 percent response rate from the center  directors. We also visited 7 Job Corps centers—located in Connecticut,  Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Washington State—and the   4 outreach and admissions contractors responsible for recruiting students  for these centers. We selected these Job Corps centers because they are  geographically diverse, provide a mix of privately and federally operated  centers, and reflect centers that had varying success in meeting planned  male and female residential enrollment goals. In addition, we visited the  Job Corps center in Denison, Iowa, because it is 1 of 7 centers with a  single-parent dormitory, combined with a day-care center for children of  residential students—a feature that Labor officials believe could enhance  female recruitment and retention. During our site visits, we interviewed  center officials and conducted focus groups with female residential  students to learn about the factors that were important in decisions to  choose or stay at a particular center. To gather information about Job  Corps initiatives and actions to improve the recruitment and retention of  residential students, we interviewed Job Corps officials located in the  national office and the six regional offices.
We conducted this performance audit from May 2008 to June 2009, in  accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those  standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient,  appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and  conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence  obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions  based on our audit objectives. (See app.I for more details on our  objectives, scope, and methodology.)
subsections: section_title: Background
paragraphs: Student demographics: To be eligible for Job Corps, interested youths  must be at least age 16 and not yet age 25 at the time of enrollment, and  they must be considered low income and have an additional barrier to  employment. These barriers include being a school dropout, a runaway, a  foster child, a parent, or homeless. In program year 2007, the latest year  for which data were available, approximately 60 percent of the students  were male and 40 percent were female. The student population reflected  diversity and approximately 75 percent of the students were nonwhite (see  fig. 2).
The percentages for student characteristics were calculated using the total number of  students enrolled in Job Corps during program year 2007.
Within the industry areas, the specific career choices at the centers we  visited also varied. For example, all 6 of the centers that we visited with  health care classes offered training as a certified nursing assistant, but  only 1 center offered dental assistant training. In addition, 2 centers  offered training as a medical assistant, and 3 offered training as a  pharmacy technician. Similarly, the 6 centers with construction trades  offered carpentry and facilities maintenance, and 4 offered painting and  brick masonry. Only 1 center offered plumbing. The 6 centers with training  in the hospitality industry offered culinary arts. (See app. III for a complete  listing of career training offerings for each center that we visited.)
Evaluations of Job Corps: Few evaluative studies have been conducted  over the years to determine whether Job Corps is cost-effective, and, when  these studies have been done, the results have been mixed. In 1982,  Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., performed a return on investment  analysis and concluded that Job Corps returned $1.46 to society for every  $1.00 spent on the program. Later, Mathematica conducted another Job  Corps study that was based on an experimental design where, from late  1994 to early 1996, nearly 81,000 eligible applicants nationwide were  randomly assigned either to a program group, whose members were  allowed to enroll in Job Corps, or to a control group, whose members  were not enrolled in Job Corps. Mathematica followed its sample members  for 4 years after their random assignments. In its report issued in 2001,  Mathematica concluded that Job Corps was cost-effective in that the value  of the benefits exceeded the costs of the program by about $17,000 per  participant over his or her lifetime. Among its conclusions, Mathematica  reported that Job Corps    substantially increased the education and training services that youths  improved these youths’ skills and educational attainment,   generated employment and earnings gains,    significantly reduced involvement with crime,    was cost-effective despite its high costs, and    was a good investment.
Mathematica issued a follow-up report in 2006 that examined the results of  the 1994- to 1996-study group over a longer period. In this report,  Mathematica analyzed earnings and employment rates through 2004. While  Mathematica found that some of the program results reported in 2001  persisted, such as improving educational attainments and reducing  involvement in crime, overall earnings gains did not persist. Mathematica  concluded that the benefits to society of Job Corps were smaller than the  program costs, but acknowledged that the results reflect the program as it  operated in 1994 to 1996 and not necessarily as it operates today.
Currently, Labor does not have plans to conduct any further long-term  evaluation of Job Corps.
section_title: Overall, Job Corps Operated at or Near Capacity for Male Residential Students, but Not for Female Residential Students
paragraphs: The Job Corps program has been operating at or near capacity for male  residential students, but under capacity for female residential students  during the last 3 program years. During those years, Job Corps overall  achieved between 95 and 98 percent of the planned enrollment for male  residential students, but achieved about 80 percent or less of the planned  enrollment for female residential students (see fig. 6).
In general, operating at or near capacity for female residential students has  been challenging. The majority of outreach and admissions contractors we  surveyed told us that recruiting female residential students was much  more difficult during the most recently completed program year than  recruiting male residential students. For example, 81 percent of these  outreach and admissions contractors told us that recruiting female  students into Job Corps was either moderately or very difficult versus   29 percent for male students. In addition, we found that while about   62 percent of the Job Corps centers were operating at or near capacity for  male residential students in program year 2007, only about 17 percent of  the centers were operating at or near capacity for female residential  students. (See app. IV for more information on the planned and actual  enrollment for male and female residential students, by center.) Moreover,  about one-half of the 117 centers that enrolled female residential students  in program year 2007 were below 80 percent of their planned enrollment  for female residential students. Several centers achieved one-half or less  than one-half of their planned enrollment for female residential students  (see table 2).
Operating at less than full capacity represents not only a lost opportunity  to provide services to more youths in need of educational or career  training, but also represents an inefficient use of resources. Because most  of Job Corps’ operating costs are fixed, such as costs for heat, electricity,  and staff salaries, these costs are incurred whether a center is full or not.  In program year 2007, Job Corps’ operating costs were about $1.5 billion,  with a planned enrollment of about 44,000 slots. Thus, on average, a slot  costs about $34,000. In program year 2007, Job Corps had about 3,700  unfilled residential slots, about 90 percent of which were planned for  female residential students.
One factor affecting centers’ ability to operate at or near capacity is how  long students stay in the program once enrolled. Job Corps is a self-paced  program, and, as a result, the length of stay for students varies. On  average, during program year 2007, Job Corps students remained in the  program for about 8 months. Students leave the program for a variety of  reasons. In program year 2007, about one-half of the students who left Job  Corps were dismissed for violating program policies, such as those related  to violence, and drug and alcohol use (discipline), or exceeding the  number of unauthorized absences and being considered absent without  leave, or AWOL. About 36 percent of the students separated as orderly  completions—that is, they completed program requirements and left the  ents and left the  program as scheduled. (See fig. 7.)  program as scheduled. (See fig. 7.)
Nationally, there were some differences between male and female  students in the reasons for leaving Job Corps. In program year 2007, a  somewhat higher percentage of female students left the program as  scheduled having completed program requirements (orderly completion).  Furthermore, a higher percentage of female students were dismissed for  violating the program’s policy for unauthorized absences, or AWOL, while  a higher percentage of male students were dismissed from the program for  violating program policies, such as those related to violence and drug and  alcohol use (discipline) in program year 2007. (See fig. 8.)
section_title: Three Key Factors Affect Job Corps’ Ability to Recruit and Retain Residential Students
paragraphs: Three major factors affect the recruitment and retention of residential  students, particularly female residential students, according to Job Corps  officials. These key factors include the selection and availability of career  training offerings, the availability of complete and accurate preenrollment  information, and the quality of center life.
subsections: section_title: Selection and Availability of Career Training Offerings Play a Major Role in Recruiting Students
paragraphs: The selection and availability of career training offerings in occupations of  interest to students play a major role in Job Corps’ ability to recruit  students, particularly female residential students. In particular, a large  percentage of outreach and admissions contractors (91 percent) and  center directors (79 percent) we surveyed cited the availability of  particular career training offerings as very important in attracting female  residential students to the program. Somewhat fewer officials rated this  factor as very important for male residential students. (See fig. 9.)
Providing training in careers that are attractive to women may enable Job  Corps to recruit more female students. Many Job Corps officials we  interviewed emphasized the importance of centers offering training in a  range of careers that are attractive to female students, including training in  the health care, business and finance, and hospitality industries. In  program year 2007, about 80 percent of the graduates in health care  training programs were women. (See fig. 10.)
Many female students told us in focus groups that they were attracted to  Job Corps because of the training offered in specific health care  occupations, such as certified nursing assistant and pharmacy technician.  Figure 11 contains photographs of health care training programs at 2 Job  Corps centers that we visited where students practice in classrooms that  resemble real-life settings.
The centers we visited that offered a variety of health care training options  had relatively higher female enrollment. For example, the 4 centers we  visited that were operating above 80 percent of their planned enrollment  for female residential students offered a variety of health care training  programs. However, the centers we visited that were below 60 percent of  their planned enrollment for female students offered few, if any, health  care training options. (See table 3.)
section_title: Availability of Complete and Accurate Preenrollment Information for Prospective Students Is a Key Factor in Both Recruitment and Retention
paragraphs: Another major factor affecting Job Corps’ ability to both recruit and retain  residential students is the availability of accurate and complete  preenrollment information for prospective students. Having accurate  information prior to enrolling in Job Corps helps students choose the  center that they think best meets their needs and helps establish realistic  expectations for what it will be like to live and train at the center,  according to officials that we interviewed. While accurate and complete  preenrollment information is important for all students, regardless of  gender, these officials reported that it is especially important to highlight  certain aspects of the program, such as the living arrangements, for female  students prior to enrollment. Most of the outreach and admissions  contractors that we surveyed reported that certain aspects of the living  arrangements, such as the condition of the living facilities (about   91 percent) and the number of students per dormitory room (about   74 percent), were very important in recruiting female residential students.  A much lower percentage of outreach and admissions contractors  reported that living arrangements were very important in recruiting male  residential students.
Having realistic expectations helps students adjust to Job Corps.  According to officials that we interviewed, such expectations are key to  students’ decision to remain in the program. Several officials we  interviewed said that students who lack a complete understanding of what  it will be like to live and train at a center prior to enrollment will be more  likely to leave the program early. According to these officials, complete  and accurate preenrollment information on all aspects of the program  helps to preclude students from forming false expectations as well as  prevents any major surprises when they arrive at a center. Furthermore,  we found that the nature of the preenrollment information that students  received varied. For example, one official we interviewed told us that he  provided potential students with a handout containing detailed  information on Job Corps training programs, including employment- related age restrictions for certain careers. Alternatively, another official  provided prospective students with more general information on the  program and available career training opportunities. In our focus groups,  we found that several students did not receive complete and accurate  information prior to enrolling in the program. For example, some female  focus group participants at 1 center said that they were not told they  would be sharing a dormitory room with seven other students. In another  focus group, participants commented that they were not provided with  complete information about specific center rules, such as cell phone use  and acceptable attire. While they had decided to stay in Job Corps, these  students acknowledged that the transition was difficult because they  lacked realistic expectations.
Preenrollment tours, virtual tours, and center videos can be important  tools in establishing realistic expectations of Job Corps life. About   80 percent of the outreach and admissions contractors we surveyed  reported that a preenrollment tour and a center video or virtual online tour  are at least moderately important in helping female students make a  realistic decision about enrolling at a particular center. Some officials we  interviewed also said that preenrollment tours are very important because  they provide students with an opportunity to see and experience what it is  like to live and train at a particular center. Because of key center  differences, such as size and appearance, several officials emphasized the  importance of showing students the center where they plan to enroll to  prevent false expectations. In fact, one center director did an analysis of  all students who, from April 2008 through April 2009, left the center within  60 days of enrollment due to either resignation or AWOL separation, and  found that about 70 percent of them had not taken a tour of the center.  Some officials with whom we spoke acknowledged that center videos and  virtual tours are useful recruitment strategies to provide students who are  unable to participate in a preenrollment tour with an opportunity to see  and experience center life.
section_title: The Quality of Center Life Is Important in Student Retention
paragraphs: Once students enroll at a center, the quality of center life—such as a safe  environment, consistent enforcement of center rules, and the availability  of recreational and extracurricular activities—have a major effect on the  retention of students, especially female residential students. In particular,  center directors that we surveyed ranked several factors related to center  life as especially important in retaining female residential students. For  example, over 80 percent of the center directors we surveyed reported that  safety, consistent enforcement of the center’s rules, and the condition of  the living facilities are very important for retaining female residential  students. (See fig. 12.)
Maintaining a safe center environment and consistently enforcing center  rules are both important factors in retaining residential students. Over   85 percent of center directors that we surveyed reported that safety was a  major factor in the retention of female students in particular. In addition,  our focus group participants commented on the importance of feeling safe  while at the center. At 1 Job Corps center we visited, focus group  participants said that center staff at all levels—including the center  director, instructors, security staff, and facility maintenance personnel— work very hard to ensure a safe center environment by addressing student  incidents in a timely manner. In our survey, 85 percent of center directors  also reported that the consistent enforcement of center rules was very  important in retaining female residential students. During our site visits,  several officials said that the enforcement of center rules helped to create  a center environment where female students felt safe on campus.
Recreational and extracurricular activities are important for male and  female residential students, but it is particularly important for centers to  have specific activities for female students, according to many officials  that we interviewed. To help retain female students in the program, most  Job Corps centers we visited developed recreational and extracurricular  activities. For example, officials at 1 center we visited said that they offer  specific activities that may interest female students, such as volleyball,  exercise classes, and talent shows. Female focus group participants at this  center told us they appreciated the various types of available activities.  Additionally, officials at another center said that they set aside specific  days for female students to use the weight room to ensure that male  students did not dominate the equipment.
section_title: Labor Has Taken Some Steps to Address Job Corps’ Recruitment and Retention Issues, but These Efforts Are Limited in Scope
paragraphs: Labor has made some improvements to career training offerings,  preenrollment information, and quality of center life in an effort to address  issues related to the recruitment and retention of residential students.  However, Labor has not reviewed nationally the training options that  centers provide for female students or ensured that students receive  detailed preenrollment information.
subsections: section_title: Labor Has Made Improvements to Career Training Options That Are Attractive to Females, but Has Not Implemented a Nationwide Review
paragraphs: Labor has gradually made more training opportunities available to Job  Corps students that are likely to appeal to female students and lead to self- sufficiency. Job Corps began as a predominantly male program in the  1960s, and many of its training providers in the construction area have  been involved with the program since the 1960s or 1970s. Over time, the  program has increasingly provided training options that are often  attractive to female students and result in jobs that are in demand. Many of  the additions or expansions of course offerings are generated by individual  centers. Centers submit a request to Labor that documents the demand  and wages of the occupation and includes, among other things, statements  from local employers and information on the local labor market, such as  entry-level wages and job availability over the next 5 to 10 years. During  program year 2007, Labor approved requests from 26 centers to add or  expand their career training offerings, most commonly in the health care  area.
Some of the expansion of career training options has come through one of  Job Corps’ regional initiatives that were begun as a result of new  requirements by Labor. Under Labor’s “New Vision for Job Corps”—an  effort that seeks to modernize the program, including its academics and  career training options—Labor required each Job Corps regional office to  submit a proposal for a regional initiative. These initiatives, or labs, form  part of a broad strategy to align training content with industry standards  and certifications. (See app. V for a listing of the regional initiatives  approved by Labor.) One of Labor’s six Job Corps regions is implementing  an initiative focused on developing training paths through additional  training and forging employer partnerships, particularly in the automotive  and health care industries. This initiative allows students to pursue an  incremental course of study that links different centers in certain training  areas. For example, a student may enroll in a medical assistant program,  and could obtain additional training and certifications in such areas as  pharmacy technician or phlebotomist, even if the additional training was  offered at a different center. The region is also partnering with an  ambulance company to start offering basic emergency medical technician  and advanced paramedic training at a few centers. This company plans to  hire students who complete the training. As a result, regional officials told  us that they expect the initiative to increase both male and female student  enrollment and to have a positive impact on graduates’ long-term earnings.
While these initiatives show promise in expanding career training options  that will both attract more female students and have better linkages to  local employers, they are limited in scope. Labor officials noted that  centers and regional Labor offices try to offer a mix of training, including  options appealing to women. However, Labor has not been strategic in  how it addresses issues related to female recruitment and retention, nor  has it examined how the mix of career training offerings nationwide might  be a factor. Typically, Labor waits until a center requests to add or expand  a career training option before it responds. Labor has not conducted a  center-by-center review of career training options at a national level to  determine whether centers struggling with female recruitment and  retention should modify their career training options to make them more  attractive to women. Such a review could identify training gaps and could  help centers in their efforts to operate at or near capacity, especially for  female students.
section_title: Labor Is Beginning to Require More Consistent Preenrollment Information, but More Emphasis Is Needed
paragraphs: Labor has begun to take some steps to ensure that potential students  receive consistent information about Job Corps prior to enrollment.  Labor’s national office has assumed responsibility for the mass marketing  of Job Corps in an effort to efficiently and economically provide a  consistent general message about the program. Labor’s marketing  contractor has produced print materials along with television and radio  advertisements that include a national toll-free telephone number so that  interested youths may obtain more information and contact a local  outreach and admissions contractor. Some of these national marketing  materials specifically target potential female residential students.  However, these materials do not describe particular centers in detail.
One of the Job Corps regions has begun to implement an initiative that,  among other things, requires outreach and admissions contractors to  discuss detailed information with students prior to enrollment. This  detailed information covers rules about acceptable student conduct,  including policies on smoking and appropriate dress, and about career  training opportunities, including industry certifications or advanced  training. In addition, outreach and admissions contractors are required to  show potential students a video about these rules and to have students  sign an agreement to adhere to them. Officials said they believe that this  process helps students understand and commit to the rules. Outreach and  admissions contractors in this region said that the initiative has made it  easier for them to discuss the realities and benefits of Job Corps with  potential students and employers. This initiative may help ensure  consistent communication of the rules and benefits of Job Corps overall,  but it does not provide specific information about life at a particular  center, such as the number of students sharing a dormitory room or the  available recreational activities.
Job Corps officials generally agree that an effective way for students to  have realistic expectations about life at a Job Corps center is for them to  visit the center prior to enrolling. This is not always possible, however,  and virtual tours or videos of centers of interest can be a valuable means  of providing potential students with detailed preenrollment information.  Many officials—including center directors, outreach and admissions  contractors, and Labor officials—told us they believe having a virtual or  video tour of centers would help interested students obtain a more  realistic expectation of center life when they are unable to visit the center.  Labor’s marketing contractor conducted several focus groups in program  year 2008 and found that center-specific virtual or video tours may help  reduce students’ false expectations. In addition, Labor’s Advisory  Committee on Job Corps confirmed the importance of virtual or video  tours, noting that such tours may help increase student retention. In  2009, Labor launched a revamped national Job Corps Web site, allowing  individual centers to have links posted to their approved center Web sites.  As of March 2009, 72 Job Corps centers had their Web sites approved by  Labor, but none of these sites had a virtual tour. While Labor officials  acknowledged the value of providing such center-specific information,  Labor estimates that the costs of creating a virtual or video tour for every  center would total approximately $1 million. Currently, Labor is exploring  less costly alternatives.
section_title: Labor Has Taken Some Steps to Address Issues Related to the Quality of Center Life
paragraphs: Labor has several efforts under way to improve the quality of Job Corps  center life for students. Among these are efforts designed to promote a  safe environment. For example, to assess student safety, Labor requires  centers to administer a quarterly survey to students to gauge how safe they  feel. According to Labor, the department uses the survey results as a way  to monitor student safety; recommend corrective action, as needed; and  evaluate center operators. In addition, Labor has an initiative with one  outreach and admissions contractor to help enforce the program’s policy  of zero tolerance of drugs by testing students prior to enrollment and  delaying enrollment if they test positive. Labor officials noted that this  preenrollment test may initially deter some students from entering the  program, but it may also increase student retention by (1) reducing  terminations from drug use or violence and (2) improving the safety and  learning environment for male and female residential students.
Single parents who participate in Job Corps have unique quality of life  needs. Approximately 1 in 10 of the female students in Job Corps in  program year 2007 were single parents, and officials noted that these  students face an additional barrier to participating in the program due to  their need for child care. Labor helps Job Corps centers address this need  by allowing centers to establish child care facilities and single-parent  dormitories. Also, Labor provides funds for the construction of approved  facilities and for their ongoing maintenance and utilities. Twenty-eight  centers currently provide on-site child care, most often for children of  nonresidential students. Seven centers also have single-parent dormitories  for parents and children. One center that we visited has a single-parent  dormitory for 32 students, in which a parent in the program typically has a  private room and bathroom for herself and her child, along with a kitchen  shared with another parent. This center also has a child development  center for children age 6 weeks to age 5, with staff to look after children  while parents are in academic or training classes during weekdays. While  Labor provides some funds for these programs, the department does not  provide funds to support the ongoing costs, such as staff salaries or food  for the children. Funds for these costs come from different sources, such  as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Head Start, and child care  assistance funds. Labor officials noted that providing single-parent  dormitories and child care centers is expensive, but is important to the  recruitment and retention of female residential students.
section_title: Conclusions
paragraphs: Job Corps fills a unique role in preparing economically disadvantaged  young men and women to enter the workforce. The services that the  program provides to these youths are among the most comprehensive in  the federal government—combining academic, vocational, and social skills  training in a residential setting where staff are available 24 hours a day.  Because of these services, Job Corps is the most expensive federal job  training program, with the cost of each training slot averaging about  $34,000. Because much of the program’s costs are fixed, program  efficiency is compromised when Job Corps centers operate under  capacity. Operating under capacity represents a missed opportunity to  train students who might benefit from the program. Our findings suggest  that, while the program nearly achieves its planned enrollment for males,  it is struggling in this area with regards to female enrollment. We found  clear consensus among Job Corps officials, outreach and admissions  contractors, and students that having career training options attractive to  women is key to being able to recruit female students into the program.  However, while centers have been adding such training, particularly in the  health care area, this approach has not been universal and some centers  continue to have difficulty in attracting female students. Labor has not  taken a strategic approach to address this problem nationwide. The  department may continue to struggle with female enrollment if it does not  do a thorough review of career training offerings to determine where  adjustments could be made that may enhance the ability of the program to  attract women.
Job Corps centers vary widely in terms of facilities; living conditions; and,  to some extent, the rules that guide daily life at the center. Officials at all  levels affirmed the need for students to have, prior to enrolling in the  program, a clear understanding of what it would be like to live and train at  a center. These officials told us that students who do not have that  opportunity have a more difficult transition and are more likely to leave  short of completing the program. Yet, we found that students are not  always given the sort of preenrollment information they need to make a  good decision. Also, although Labor has taken some steps to encourage  outreach and admissions contractors to provide more complete  preenrollment information, more could be done to ensure that all students  receive consistent and complete information before enrolling. Absent  additional steps, Job Corps will likely continue to face difficulty in  recruiting and retaining students, particularly female students.
section_title: Recommendations for Executive Action
paragraphs: To improve the recruitment and retention of residential students, we  recommend that the Secretary of Labor take the following three actions:  review the availability and selection of career training offerings at  centers—particularly those centers that are experiencing difficulty with  female enrollment— and assess whether centers need to adjust their  career training options to offer more career training that is both attractive  to women and that could lead to careers that will enable women to  become self-sufficient;   expand current efforts to ensure that outreach and admissions contractors  across all six regions consistently provide potential students with  complete and accurate information on all aspects of Job Corps, including  providing specific information about the center in which the student will  be enrolled; and    explore the feasibility or cost-effectiveness of developing video or online  virtual tours for all centers.
section_title: Agency Comments and Our Evaluation
paragraphs: We provided a draft of this report to the Department of Labor for review  and comment. Labor did not comment on our findings and generally  agreed with our recommendations. Appendix VI contains a reprint of  Labor’s comments. In addition, we provided drafts to the U.S. Department  of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior for technical comments,  but the departments did not provide any comments.
In its response, Labor concurred in part with our recommendation that it  review the availability and selection of career training offerings. Labor  acknowledged the need to offer “female friendly” career training programs  to increase female enrollment. However, Labor noted that in selecting new  offerings, it routinely looks beyond those considered traditional  occupations for females as they seek to maximize opportunities that may  result in long-term self-sufficiency. We concur with the need to focus  training in areas that lead to self-sufficiency and acknowledge the need to  offer training in nontraditional occupations for women. However, it is  possible to offer training, such as in the health care industry, that is  attractive to women and that leads to self-sufficiency. We continue to  believe that a more systematic assessment of career training offered at the  centers is needed, particularly at those centers that are struggling with  female enrollment. Such an assessment would identify whether centers  need to adjust their career training options to enhance female enrollment.
Labor concurred with our recommendation to expand current efforts to  ensure that outreach and admissions contractors consistently provide  potential students with complete and accurate information on all aspects  of Job Corps. Labor acknowledged the importance of providing complete  and accurate information and identified several ongoing initiatives,  including a new national recruitment Web site that contains links to  individual centers. We noted these efforts in our report; however, as of  March 2009, 50 of the 122 centers were not linked to this Web site. We  encourage Labor to continue to expand its efforts to require that each  potential applicant is provided with complete and accurate preenrollment  information.
While Labor concurred with our recommendation to explore the feasibility  or cost-effectiveness of developing video or online virtual tours for all  centers, officials did not provide information about the steps they are  planning to take to address the recommendation. Labor acknowledged the  importance of prospective students being able to tour centers prior to  enrolling, but noted that this is not always possible. As we have previously  reported, virtual tours provide an alternative to students who are unable to  physically tour the center in which they plan to enroll. Labor officials  estimated that it would cost approximately $1 million to produce a virtual  tour of all centers. In its comments, Labor noted that it is currently  exploring less costly options, including a short DVD that will combine an  overview of the Job Corps program, while using still photography to  highlight information about individual centers. We are concerned that  such an approach will not be sufficient to provide a realistic preview of life  at a specific center for prospective students who are unable to visit the  center. We acknowledge that to produce a virtual tour for each center is  not without cost, but stress the importance of assessing the feasibility and  benefits, as well as the costs, of such an endeavor before moving forward.
As agreed with your offices, unless you publicly announce the contents of  this report earlier, we plan no further distribution until 30 days from the  report date. At that time, we will send copies of this report to the relevant  congressional committees, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of  Agriculture, the Secretary of Interior, and other interested parties. The  report will also be available at no charge on GAO’s Web site at  http://www.gao.gov.
If you or your staffs have any questions about this report, please contact  me at (202) 512-7215 or brownke@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices  of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last  page of this report. Key contributors to this report are listed in   appendix VII.
section_title: Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
paragraphs: To better understand the recruitment and retention of residential students,  we were asked to provide information on the (1) extent to which Job  Corps centers are operating at or near capacity for residential students;   (2) major factors that affect centers’ ability to recruit and retain residential  students, particularly female residential students; and (3) steps, if any, the  Department of Labor (Labor) has taken to address the recruitment and  retention of residential students. Because nearly 90 percent of Job Corps’  planned enrollment is residential, our review focused on those Job Corps  centers that provide educational and career technical training to male and  female residential students.
To answer our objectives, we administered two Web-based surveys—one  to Job Corps’ outreach and admissions contractors and one to Job Corps’  center directors. We also visited 7 Job Corps centers in six states and   4 outreach and admissions contractors responsible for recruiting  residential students for these centers. In addition, we analyzed Labor data  identifying planned residential capacity for male and female students and  the average actual number of male and female residential students  onboard for each of the 122 centers. Furthermore, we interviewed Job  Corps officials at the national and regional levels to identify Labor’s  current efforts under way to improve the recruitment and retention of  residential students.
subsections: section_title: Web-Based Surveys
paragraphs: To obtain information on the major factors that affect the recruitment and  retention of residential students, we administered two Web-based surveys.  One survey was sent to the 32 outreach and admissions contractors that  had a contract with Labor to recruit male and female residential students  for Job Corps during program year 2007. Typically these contractors are  responsible for recruiting residential students for centers located in the  same state, but several have multiple-state responsibility. We received a  100 percent response rate on this survey, with responses from all   32 outreach and admissions contractors. The second survey was  distributed to the 117 Job Corps center directors who were responsible for  enrolling and retaining residential students during program year 2007. Of  the 117 Job Corps centers contacted, 114 responded to our survey, for a  response rate of 97 percent. To field the surveys, we obtained a list and  contact information for the 117 Job Corps center directors and   32 outreach and admissions contractors from Job Corps’ national and  regional offices. In some cases, we contacted the Job Corps centers  directly to determine the appropriate contact information. We collected  the survey data from August 2008 to October 2008.
Both surveys contained a section on the recruitment of male and female  residential students. We obtained the perspectives of Job Corps center  directors and outreach and admissions contractors on the major factors  that affect the recruitment of residential students; challenges encountered  in recruiting residential students, particularly female students; and  successful approaches or center features that may attract residential  students to Job Corps. In addition, on the Job Corps center directors’  survey, we included a section with questions related to the retention of  male and female residential students. We did not include these questions  on the outreach and admissions contractors’ survey, because these  officials are not responsible for acclimating and retaining residential  students once they are at a particular center. Similar to the section on  recruitment, we asked Job Corps center directors about the major factors  that affect the retention of residential students; challenges encountered in  retaining students, particularly female students; and successful  approaches or center features that may retain residential students.
Because this was not a sample survey, it has no sampling errors. However,  the practical difficulties of conducting any survey may introduce errors,  commonly referred to as nonsampling errors. For example, difficulties in  interpreting a particular question, sources of information available to  respondents, or data entry and analysis can introduce unwanted variability  into the survey results. We took steps in developing the questionnaires,  collecting data, and analyzing these data to minimize such nonsampling  errors. For example, prior to administering the surveys, GAO survey  specialists designed each questionnaire in collaboration with GAO subject  matter experts. We also pretested the outreach and admissions survey  with 2 outreach and admissions contractors and the center directors’  survey with 2 Job Corps directors. On the basis of the findings from  pretests, we modified our questionnaire to ensure that the questions were  relevant, clearly stated, and easy to comprehend. To ensure adequate  response rates, we sent e-mail reminders and conducted follow-up  telephone calls with nonrespondents. When the data were analyzed, a  second independent data analyst checked all computer programs for  accuracy. Since these were Web-based surveys, respondents entered their  answers directly into the electronic questionnaires, eliminating the need to  key data into a database, thereby minimizing errors.
section_title: Site Visits to Job Corps Centers and Outreach and Admissions Contractors
paragraphs: To further enhance our understanding of the recruitment and retention of  residential students, we visited 7 Job Corps centers in six states— Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Washington  State. We selected these centers because of their geographic variation and  to provide a mix of privately and federally operated centers that have  varying levels of success in maintaining male and female residential  capacity. In addition, we selected the Denison Job Corps Center because it  is 1 of 7 centers that has a single-parent dormitory and a day-care center  for children of residential students. These living arrangements and  supports allow single parents to live at the center with their children while  they complete their education and career training. (See table 4 for key  characteristics of the Job Corps centers that we visited.) Because a  complete and current listing of career training offerings by Job Corps  center was not available, we followed up with each Job Corps center  director that we visited to ensure we had an accurate list of career training  being offered at his or her center.
During our site visits, we toured each center’s facilities and interviewed  the center director using a structured interview protocol to obtain his or  her views on residential student recruitment and retention. To the extent  that center directors’ survey responses were available, we used this  information to supplement our discussion and to gain further insight into  the major factors and challenges associated with attracting and retaining  residential students, particularly female students. We also conducted two  focus groups with female residential students at 6 of the 7 Job Corps  centers we visited. Each of our focus groups comprised 6 to 10 female  residents who had been at the center for at least 60 days. In total, over   100 female residential students participated in our focus groups. For each  focus group, we used a series of semistructured questions to learn about  the students’ experiences when they were recruited for Job Corps and to  obtain their views on the enrollment process and information provided by  outreach and admissions contractors. We also asked the students to  identify the major factors that were important in their decisions to enroll  and stay at the center.
Furthermore, we conducted site visits with the 4 outreach and admissions  contractors that are responsible for recruiting residential students to the   7 Job Corps centers we visited. (See table 5 for a list of these outreach and  admissions contractors and areas of responsibility.) We interviewed these  officials using a semistructured interview protocol to obtain information  on their recruitment and outreach efforts and how they balance providing  students with their desired center and career training program. We also  asked these officials about the major factors and challenges that affect  residential student recruitment. To the extent possible, we used officials’  survey responses to supplement our discussion.
section_title: Analysis of Labor’s Enrollment Data for Residential Students
paragraphs: We reviewed available Job Corps’ student demographic and administrative  data for program years 2006 and 2007 to provide descriptive information  on the characteristics of students served, student enrollment and  retention, and career training slots and industry areas. Before deciding to  use the data, we reviewed prior GAO assessments performed under a  previous engagement to determine their reliability. These assessments  were based on observing a demonstration of the Job Corps database,  interviewing Labor officials to identify data checks in place to ensure the  integrity of the data, and reviewing relevant internal control policies and  procedures. On the basis of our review of these assessments, we  determined that the data for program years 2006 and 2007 were  sufficiently reliable for the purposes of our review. To determine the  extent to which Job Corps centers operate at or near capacity, we  analyzed Job Corps’ onboard strength reports that identified the planned  enrollment for male and female residential students and the average actual  number of male and female residential students onboard for each of the  122 centers. Our analysis covered July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2008—the  3 most recently completed program years (program years 2005 to 2007).  We also reviewed student leave and separation data to describe the  reasons why male and female residential students left the program. To  determine the reliability of the data, we interviewed knowledgeable Labor  officials and reviewed prior GAO assessments performed under a previous  engagement as we have previously described. These assessments were  based on observing a demonstration of the Job Corps database,  interviewing Labor officials to identify data checks in place to ensure the  integrity of the data, and reviewing relevant internal control policies and  procedures. On the basis of this information, we determined that the data  for program years 2005 to 2007 were sufficiently reliable for the purposes  of our review.
section_title: Interviews with National and Regional Job Corps Offices
paragraphs: To obtain information on Labor’s efforts to address the recruitment and  retention of residential students, we interviewed Labor officials located at  the national office and six regional offices—Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,  Dallas, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Specifically, we asked officials  about current efforts under way at the national or regional levels to  improve centers’ ability to recruit and retain residential students,  particularly female residential students. In addition, we reviewed relevant  documentation provided by officials to obtain a better understanding of  the purpose and status of these efforts. We also reviewed Labor’s policies  governing Job Corps, national marketing materials, and reports on  regional initiatives.
We conducted this performance audit from May 2008 to June 2009, in  accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those  standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient,  appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and  conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence  obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions  based on our audit objectives.
section_title: Appendix II: Listing of Job Corps Career Training Offerings in Program Year 2007, by Industry Area
section_title: Appendix III: Career Trainings Offered at the Job Corps Centers That We Visited
subsections: section_title: Cascades
section_title: Appendix IV: Percentage of Planned Enrollment in Program Year 2007, by State and Job Corps Center
subsections: section_title: Average planned center
paragraphs: Civilian Conservation Center.
Center was closed during program year 2007.
Center has only nonresidential students.
Center has male and female nonresidential students, but only female residential students.
section_title: Appendix V: Regional Initiatives Approved by the Department of Labor
subsections: section_title: Develop training paths that allow students to pursue additional training at the
paragraphs: same or another center, especially in the health care and automotive industries.  Establish rules that all centers in the region will implement and require outreach  and admissions contractors to provide students with detailed information on  these rules prior to enrollment.
Offer more recreational and learning activities during evenings and weekends.
Prioritize tutoring for students with tests scores in the lowest quartile to improve  academic achievement and retention.
Develop and deploy professional development for staff who help students during  unstructured times and influence their retention, such as residential and  recreational staff. Enhance coordination between these staff and instructors.
Create a more positive student culture based on shared norms, rather than rules  and discipline, through activities such as training of Job Corps staff, peer  counseling for poorly performing students, and facilitating group discussions  each day for students to address concerns.
Assess student interests and aptitude more thoroughly to select a career  training option during the career preparation period. Provide intensive drug  counseling for students who test positive for drugs upon entering the program.
Strengthen collaboration between academics and career training in the industry  area of health care, such as the vocabulary needed for training. Enroll students  in this industry area as a cohort rather than the traditional progression of open- entry, open-exit for each student.
section_title: Appendix VI: Comments from the Department of Labor
section_title: Appendix VII: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments
subsections: section_title: Staff Acknowledgments
paragraphs: Dianne Blank, Assistant Director, and Wayne Sylvia, Analyst-in-Charge,  managed all aspects of this assignment. Also, Matthew Saradjian and  Ashanta Williams made significant contributions to this report in all  aspects of our work. In addition, Shana Wallace provided methodological  assistance; Stuart Kaufman assisted in the design of the two national  surveys; Catherine Hurley analyzed responses from the national surveys;  Mimi Nguyen provided graphic design assistance; Jessica Botsford  provided legal support; Jessica Orr provided writing assistance; and Sara  Edmondson verified our findings.
section_title: Related GAO Products
paragraphs: Job Corps: Links With Labor Market Improved but Vocational Training  Performance Overstated. GAO/HEHS-99-15. Washington, D.C.:   November 4, 1998.
Job Corps: Vocational Training Performance Data Overstate Program  Success. GAO/T-HEHS-98-218. Washington, D.C.: July 29, 1998.
Job Corps: Participant Selection and Performance Measurement Need to  Be Improved. GAO/T-HEHS-98-37. Washington, D.C.: October 23, 1997.
Job Corps: Need for Better Enrollment Guidance and Improved  Placement Measures. GAO/HEHS-98-1. Washington, D.C.: October 21,  1997.
Job Corps: Where Participants Are Recruited, Trained, and Placed in  Jobs. GAO/HEHS-96-140. Washington, D.C.: July 17, 1996.
Job Corps: Comparison of Federal Program With State Youth Training  Initiatives. GAO/HEHS-96-92. Washington, D.C.: March 28, 1996.
Job Corps: High Costs and Mixed Results Raise Questions About  Program’s Effectiveness. GAO/HEHS-95-180. Washington, D.C.: June 30,  1995.