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Background: Legislation enacted by Congress has increased requirements for full and complete reporting of national program performance for public information and accountability purposes. These laws include the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 and the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. GPRA requires all federal agencies to develop and submit to Congress both a 5-year strategic plan and a Fiscal Year 1998 annual plan, with major emphases on measuring and reporting program outcomes and impacts. The Employment and Training Administration's (ETA) internal assessment of its capability to respond to these increased mandates has shown we need to do a better job of ensuring that recipients comply with existing reporting schedules. Recent experience also has illustrated the ongoing need for ETA to monitor and ensure the quality of financial and program data reported to it by recipients. Data Quality: ETA, in collaboration with the Department's Office of Inspector General, has developed a Data Quality Review Guide with which Regional Offices are conducting State reviews of data quality on a multi-year cycle. Error, edit, outlier, and data quality reports from the SPIR database contractor also help States and Regional Offices monitor the quality of SPIR data submissions. Reporting Schedule: The attached is a reporting schedule for your use in monitoring your own response to the existing reporting time lines as currently established. Reporting deadlines are, of course, subject to change in response to future developments. A major change in JTPA reporting occurred with Program Year 1992, when for the first time records for each individual terminee were required for the new SPIR system. Each successive year has shown improvements in most States' ability to work with the SPIR database contractor and to submit timely and accurate SPIR files with fewer fatal errors and fewer iterations. During those years, however, the reporting deadline was not rigorously enforced in order to provide a window of time for States to edit their SPIR data and refine their data submission procedures. Final Cutoff Date for SPIR Reporting: Due to Congress' heightened requirements for program accountability reporting, and because SPIR is now fully operational after several years of phase-in, ETA will now require firm adherence to current SPIR reporting deadlines. August 15, 1997, is the due date for initial PY 1996 SPIR submissions. ETA will now firmly observe December 1, 1997, as the final cutoff date for States' submission of PY 1996 SPIR data revisions. ETA's SPIR database contractor has been instructed not to accept further submissions after that date. ETA's public information and analysis of JTPA performance will be based on data received by December 1. Submissions received after that date will not be used for purposes of analyzing JTPA performance, testimony, public discussion and dissemination of performance data and findings. Missing and incomplete data will be identified appropriately, such as in footnotes.

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Background: During the last week in June 1997, the IRS issued Certificates of Expected Separation to 1,063 individual workers in 59 local areas. This certificate specifies a Reduction-in-Force to be implemented around November 1, 1997, which is expected to result in the termination of employment of the individuals receiving the certificate. A copy of the Certificate of Expected Separation which was issued is included as Attachment A to this TEIN. In the May 26, 1992 Federal Register, the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a revised rule creating the Certificate of Expected Separation as a notice to a federal worker of probable termination of employment through reduction- in-force procedures. The certificate could be issued up to six months prior to the effective date of the reduction-in-force. On June 22, 1992, the Department of Labor issued Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 10-91, establishing the policy that any worker, who is otherwise eligible for participation in a JTPA Title III program, who receives a Certificate of Expected Separation pursuant to the rules defined by OPM in the Federal Register notice, shall be deemed to have met the JTPA Title III eligibility criterion at Section 301 as receiving a notice of termination. The IRS, in partnership with the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), has sponsored and continues to sponsor an outplacement program for its workers through a contract with the outplacement services firm, Drake Beam Morin (DBM). Attachment B includes a description of the services covered under this contract. Given that the services do not include testing or retraining, and the services are not available to workers after they are terminated, the IRS is encouraging workers receiving the Certificate of Expected Separation to seek and use services available through the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). Information on Location of Expected Layoffs: Attachment C provides information on the location and number of workers at each who received a Certificate of Expected Separation. Workers in all locations except the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area received the certificate on June 23; those in the DC metropolitan area received it on June 27. Action: State-level officials should make all affected substate areas aware of the action which has been taken by the IRS and of the acceptability of the Certificate of Expected Separation as a notice of termination for Title III eligibility determination purposes. States and substate grantees should coordinate with the IRS Outplacement Centers and/or local offices of Drake Beam Morin in planning and implementing reemployment services for the affected workers, and, as appropriate, initiating Rapid Response activities. A list of the IRS Outplacement Centers is included as Attachment D.

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Background: Release of transitional O*NET products will assist developers, vendors, and virtually all State employment and training programs in making an effective transition from the current Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) to O*NET (Occupational Information Network). Currently, most workforce development programs rely on the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) for occupational information. This transitional release of O*NET products will help developers (public, private, not-for-profit, etc.) incorporate O*NET into their existing and future software applications/products. O*NET is part of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration's comprehensive workforce development strategy to build and display critical information for job seekers and employers in a user-friendly manner. Along with AmericaÆs Job Bank and America's Talent Bank, O*NET is designed to serve as an occupational/labor market information resource for public/private sector use and development. As the automated replacement for the DOT, O*NET will be the nation's primary source of occupational information. In 1993, an Advisory Panel, appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Labor, recognized that change in the "dictionary" approach that defined the DOT since 1938 was needed. In its Final Report recommending changes to be made, the Panel stressed that "Today's students, educators, trainers, counselors and workers need information that fosters the effective integration of technology, skills and new workplace structures." O*NET responds to those needs. It is a long-range project to develop a database and a system for collecting, classifying and disseminating current information about the requirements and characteristics of occupations and workers. It provides a new approach and database structure for looking at work from two perspectives: what people need and what the job requires. Action: Please share the information in this TEIN and attachment with Wagner Peyser and JTPA service providers. It is important that all employment and training programs are aware of the availability of transitional O*NET products that will give them the opportunity to preview and provide feed-back on these preliminary O*NET releases.

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Background: The publicly-funded workforce development system faces dramatic changes, challenges, and opportunities as it incorporates the power of the information age into delivery of its services. The introduction of new technology is forcing organizations to create new business models and to change organizational forms, processes and roles. New competencies are now required by administrators, managers, and front-line staff. New and powerful electronic tools such as AmericaÆs Job Bank (AJB), AmericaÆs Talent Bank (ATB), America's Training Network (ATN), O*NET, the internet/intranet, learning technologies, and assistive technologies are profoundly changing how workforce development services are delivered. ETA is committed to working with States, localities, business, labor, and community organizations to reshape the public workforce development system into a world-class service delivery system. ETA views technology as an indispensable component of this system. JETT*CON 97 provides the opportunity for the workforce development community to learn how to harness the power of the information age to build a new and better workforce for America. Conference Objectives: JETT*CON 97 provides an excellent learning opportunity for those engaged in workforce development activities. Specifically, JETT*CON 97 provides ETAÆs State and local partners the opportunity to: -- Structure a workforce development system to take advantage of new and powerful tools such as AJB, ATB, AmericaÆs Career Infonet, O*NET, and ATN, -- Use internet/intranet technology to transform information delivery for customers and staff, -- Manage the people and organizational challenges created when introducing new technology, -- Apply new learning technologies in the delivery of a wide range of workforce development services, -- Provide universal access to education, training, and employment services through the use of assistive technologies, -- Build alliances and leverage technology and other resources to enable your organization to better deliver critical services, -- See, touch, and experience technologies first-hand, and -- Become more knowledgeable consumers of technology. In addition, the commercial marketplace, and technology vendors in particular, will have the chance to gain a better understanding of and access to the emerging public workforce development marketplace. Conference Overview: JETT*CON 97 is organized around six thematic and integrated tracks (see attachment for more information about each track). Several activities and events have been structured around each track, including: Exhibits -- an exciting opportunity to see, and experience the latest technology from over 100 vendors. Educational Workshops -- an interactive, hands-on learning experience led by experts and leaders that will provide information and tools to make technology work for you. Award Winning Showcases -- State and local examples of exemplary uses of technology to deliver workforce development services selected by a panel of experts. (See attached Showcase Awards Criteria.) Plenary Sessions -- featuring the Secretary of Labor, Jerry Mechling from HarvardÆs Kennedy School, other top-level government, business, and labor leaders. One-Stop Office of the Future -- JETT*CON 97 and The Information Technology Support Center will offer a model One-Stop Office of the Future where you can experience the technology and services that are and will be available to workforce development customers. See how mediated and non-mediated services can support and add value to each other. The Test Pilot Room -- a special area sponsored by Lockheed-Martin that provides you with direct access to the internet, and the latest workforce development software. Free Internet Training -- sponsored by the ETA Technology Council, learn how to use the Net to get the information you want and need. This hands on, in-depth training will be delivered using 40 computers with direct access to the Internet, and cover a wide range of topics. Common Interest Forums and Informal Discussions -- an opportunity to meet and talk to the countryÆs top technology and workforce development leaders about your issues and concerns. JETT*CON 97 is sponsored by ETA and the Council for Excellence in Government in partnership with a number of national organizations (see attachment for a complete listing of JETT*CON 97 partners). Attendance: This conference is designed for leaders, policy makers, and practitioners involved in workforce development engaged in; planning for or implementing One-Stop Career Centers and local learning laboratories; developing labor market information delivery systems; and conducting system-building activities, welfare-to-work activities, Job Corps, JTPA, SESA, and other activities designed to enable universal access to workforce development services through the use of assistive technologies. JETT*CON 97 is planning on accommodating about 2500 participants. Housing Information: Hotel space is being held until November 24, 1997. A limited number of hotel rooms are available at the government rate. Please contact the hotel directly for reservations. Be sure to mention JETT*CON 97 to secure the government rate. The host hotel is: Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers Cityfront Center 301 East North Water Street Chicago, Illinois 60611 Phone: (800) 233-4100 or (312) 329-7000 Fax: (312) 329-6929 Action: You are encouraged to attend this important conference. In addition, please disseminate the attached registration information and Showcase Awards Criteria as widely as possible. States are requested to share this information with SDAÆs and other Employment and Training Partners.