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By Neil E. Bomberg
associate legislative director
Photo by Neil Bomberg
in photo at right: (lr) Reps. Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.), chair, House Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education, Training and Life-Long Learning, and William Goodling (R-Pa.), chair, House Economic and Educational Opportunities Committee, congratulate Commissioner Thomas Collins, Adams County, Pa., on his testimony about job training reform.
Speaking before members of the House Subcommittee on Post Secondary Education, Training and Life-Long Learning, Adams County (Pa.) Commissioner Thomas Collins spoke of the commitment that his county, his Service Delivery Area (SDA) and NACo have to job training.
"As a chief elected official under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), I am ultimately responsible for the performance of the Workforce Development System in my Service Delivery Area. I take this responsibility seriously and look at those efforts as an important part of our county's economic development efforts. I also know that my fellow commissioners throughout Pennsylvania share my views."
The Feb. 11 hearing on work force development was called by Subcommittee Chair Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.) to obtain input from state and local governments, organized labor, and private sector representatives about the scope of future job training reform legislation.
Throughout his remarks, Collins underscored the importance that his county and NACo place on job training reform. "The issue before you - reform of federal job training programs - is an important one. While we have come to rely on the job training system to help our constituents, we also know that the system can be improved," said Collins.
Aware of the volatility of some of the issues, especially those related to governance, Collins laid out the position of county commissioners from around the nation. He noted that many of the reforms that were proposed by the 104th Congress have already been adopted. "One-stop systems are becoming the rule. More and more service delivery areas are functioning purely as policy-making and oversight entities, and greater coordination is in evidence between local and state governments and between education, job training, the Employment Service, state and county welfare departments, and economic development programs," stated Collins.
Collins concluded with a series of recommendations to the Congress, which include the following:
A Single Block Grant
The National Workforce Development System should consolidate work force development programs and funds under a single block grant to states and localities.
Effective Use of All Levels of Government
The overall work force development system should effectively utilize the capacities of each level of government. Quite simply, this program should not be a governor's discretionary program.
Effective Use of the Private Sector
Direct private sector involvement in the development and implementation of local job training programs is necessary and may be achieved through local work force development boards.
One-stop Systems
Each local work force development area should establish a one-stop system with a broad range of employment and training, social, educational, and supportive services that retain their individual character but work together under the direction of the chief local elected official and local work force board within a framework established by states.
Funding
Funding for work force development activities must be a national priority that adequately meets needs.
A Broad Range of Services
Individuals with specific academic and job skill deficits should be offered a broad range of employment and training services that will ensure that they are employable.
Accountability
The National Workforce Development System should include strong accountability measures, including fiscal and return on investment measures developed collaboratively by the federal, state and local system operators. Failure to achieve these agreed-upon standards should become the basis for strong sanctions by states against locally operated programs.
Consolidation of Various Programs Within One-stop Systems
While handled through separate reauthorization bills, public, vocational and adult education programs, as well as the Employment Service; vocational rehabilitative services; veteran's and homeless programs; and welfare programs should be required to participate in and help fund local one-stop systems.
The Adams County, Pa. job training program has had a long history of meeting federally mandated job placement, retention and participant earnings performance standards.
During the 10-year period from 1985 to 1995, they met every performance standard, and in the most recent program year, they missed only one.
In 1989, Adams County embarked on a joint effort with its county welfare assistance offices and job centers to offer a welfare-to-work program that addressed the many barriers that welfare recipients face when they try to make the transition from the public rolls to work roles.
This effort is now part of a very effective statewide initiative in Pennsylvania called the Single Point of Contact Program (SPOC). The SPOC Program emphasizes many of the concepts envisioned under the one-stop career center model.
In 1995, Adams County performed a return-on-investment study. What they learned was that the economy and the public gained $3.6 million annually, including $2 million in increased annual earnings, $155,000 in increased annual Social Security contributions, and $1.4 million in reduced annual welfare costs. The annual net gain to the economy and the public, or the return on investment, was $2.6 million, or $3.77 for every dollar invested in the program.
In 1996, Adams County began using customer satisfaction surveys to learn
how their participants viewed their work force development efforts. By large
majorities, their customers viewed their efforts positively. For example,
95 percent indicated that they were either very satisfied or satisfied with
the program, and 98 percent indicated that they were much better off or
better off from being in the program.