84 FR 8119 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Evaluation of Strategies Used in TechHire and Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) Grant Programs

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, DOL is soliciting comments concerning the collection of data about the Evaluation of Strategies Used in TechHire and SWFI Grant Programs. 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.

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 6, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8119-8120]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2019-04053]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Evaluation of Strategies Used in TechHire and 
Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) Grant Programs

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, 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, DOL is soliciting comments 
concerning the collection of data about the Evaluation of Strategies 
Used in TechHire and SWFI Grant Programs. 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 May 6, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following 
methods: Email: [email protected]; Mail or Courier: 
Christina Yancey, 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. 
Commenters are strongly encouraged to transmit their comments 
electronically via email or to submit them by mail early. 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: Christina Yancey by email at 
[email protected] or by phone at (202)693-5910.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    I. Background: The Chief Evaluation Office (CEO), in collaboration 
with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA), of DOL seeks to 
build evidence about effective approaches to prepare Americans with 
skills and connect them to well-paying, middle- and high-skilled, and 
high growth jobs in H-lB industries (such as IT, healthcare, advanced 
manufacturing, financial services, and broadband). The evaluation will 
advance the evidence on innovative approaches being used to meet these 
goals in the TechHire Partnership (TechHire) and Strengthening Working 
Families Initiative (SWFI) grant programs. The evaluation will include 
two components, an implementation study and an impact study. This 
Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on the 
proposed data collection instrument that will be used in the last stage 
of the impact study. The goal of the impact study is to provide 
rigorous evidence on the effectiveness of strategies used in the 
TechHire and SFWI grant programs. The impact study consists of both a 
randomized controlled trial (RCT) and a quasi-experimental design (QED) 
evaluation. Five grantees have been selected to participate in an RCT. 
The QED includes all 53 TechHire and SWFI grantees and uses the pooled 
RCT control group as the comparison group using propensity score 
matching. The QED will collect data from an existing wage record data. 
It will also use data from the implementation study in an effort to 
analyze how variation in program correlates with implementation 
factors.
    In January 2018, OMB approved the baseline data collection for this 
evaluation (OMB 1290-0014), which includes a baseline information form 
(BIF), 6-month follow-up participant survey, a participant tracking 
form, and a first round of site visit interviews. A second data 
collection for this evaluation is currently under review by OMB. This 
second collection includes a survey of grantees, semi-structured 
telephone interviews with grantees, a template for partner contact 
information, a survey of partners, semi-structured telephone interviews 
with partners, and a second round of site visit interviews. This 
Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on the 
proposed data collection instrument that will be used in the last stage 
of this evaluation.
     18-month participant follow-up survey. The 18 month 
follow-up survey is the last piece of data collection required for this 
study. It will be administered 18 months after random assignment, to 
both the treatment and control groups. The purpose of the survey is to 
collect information on outcomes not available in existing data. These 
include current and past employment situation, hours worked, wages, 
shift work, employer benefits, job search activities, job satisfaction, 
promotion, education and training participation, criminal justice 
involvement, and childcare. The information will be delivered via a web 
survey, with three reminders sent via text message, email, and 
additional follow-up via telephone and field locator engagement.
    II. Desired Focus of Comments: Currently, DOL is soliciting 
comments concerning the above data collection for the Evaluation of 
Strategies Use in the TechHire and SWFI programs. 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;

[[Page 8120]]

    [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 
an 18-month participant follow-up survey.
    Type of Review: New information collection request.
    OMB Control Number: 1290-0NEW.
    Affected Public: TechHire and SWFI grantees and partners.
    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 burden
                                                                        Number of        Number of     Total number of      time per        Estimated
                 Type of instrument (form/activity)                    respondents     responses per      responses         response       burden hours
                                                                                         respondent                         (hours)
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18-month follow up participant survey..............................         454 \a\                1              454               .5              227
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\a\ Based on an expected 80% response rate from participants.


Molly Irwin,
Chief Evaluation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2019-04053 Filed 3-5-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-HX-P