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References. DINAP Bulletin 97-01 Background. DINAP Bulletin 97-01 was issued to all JTPA, Section 401 Indian and Native American Grantees with the intent of providing guidance on the use of JTPA funds for tuition and fees in conjunction with U. S. Department of Education Pell Grants. Due to some confusion created by varying interpretations of DINAP Bulletin 97-01, this bulletin rescinds 97-01. Bulletin 97-08 is intended to clarify any misunderstandings related to the use of JTPA funds in conjunction with Pell Grant awards. Some grantees use JTPA funds to pay for tuition and fees for JTPA, Section 401 program participants to attend vocational/technical schools, community colleges and other higher education institutions. In some cases, the program participant (student) is also awarded a needs-based Pell Grant. Also, in order to secure a participant's enrollment, tuition payments have been paid from JTPA program funds when other types of financial aid applied for, such as Pell Grant funds, have not been received prior to established tuition payment deadlines. Action. Grantees are encouraged to assist participants in applying for all available education financial aid resources, including Pell Grants. In addition, to maximize the use of all resources potentially available to participants, grantees should make every effort to ensure participants have applied for Pell Grants far enough in advance of the beginning of classes. This should hopefully result in assisting JTPA program managers with assessing a participant's unmet needs that can be further supported by the JTPA program beyond those paid for by Pell Grant funds. Effective date. Date of this bulletin. Inquiries. Questions should be addressed to your Federal Representative

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Reference: Training and Employment Information Notice (TEIN) No. 10-97 dated August 25, 1997. 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 America's Job Bank (AJB), America's Talent Bank (ATB), America's Training Network (ATN), and O*NET; the integration of UI into the Workforce Development System; Worker Profiling and Re-employment Services opportunities; telephone and remote UI claims filing; Year 2000 solutions; 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. JETTCON '97, sponsored by ETA and the Council on Excellence in Government in partnership with a number of national organizations, 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: JETTCON '97 provides an excellent learning opportunity for those engaged in workforce development activities. Specifically, JETTCON '97 provides ETA's State and local partners the opportunity to: Structure a workforce development system to take advantage of new and powerful tools such as AJB, ATB, America's Career Infonet, O*NET, Telephone and Remote Claims Filing, 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: JETTCON '97 is organized around six thematic and integrated tracks. To obtain more information about each track access the JETTCON '97 home page at http://www.jettcon.org. Exhibits -- an exciting opportunity to see, and experience the latest technology available 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. These workshops will include, but are no way limited to, information on UI activities such as the prototype for taking UI claims using the Internet, worker profiling and re-employment efforts provided by the UIS, telephone and remote claims taking, and year 2000 solutions. Award Winning Showcases -- State and local examples of exemplary uses of technology to deliver workforce development services selected by a panel of experts. To obtain more information about Showcase Awards, access the JETTCON '97 home page at http://www.jettcon.org. Plenary Sessions -- featuring the Secretary of Labor, Jerry Mechling from Harvard's Kennedy School, and other top level government, business and labor leaders. One-Stop Office of the Future -- JETTCON '97 and The Information Technology Support Center (ITSC) 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 that provides 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 will cover a wide range of topics. Common Interest Forums and Informal Discussions -- an opportunity to meet and talk to the country's top technology and workforce development leaders about your issues and concerns. Attendance: This conference is designed for leaders, policy makers, and practitioners involved in workforce development who are 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. SESA Administrators, as are other members of the SESA staff that could benefit from these workshops, are encouraged to attend this important conference . JETTCON '97 is planning to accommodate about 2500 participants. To obtain conference brochures please send the request to JETTCON '97 Registration, 2751 Prosperity Ave, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia, 22031 or contact Beth Lacquement on 703-645-9302 or FAX 703-876-2637. 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 JETTCON '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 Required: SESA Administrators are requested to provide the above information to appropriate staff.

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References: A description of the profiling model and the implementation process is contained in the technical report, "The Use of Profiling to Target Services in State Welfare-to-Work Programs: An Example of Process and Implementation," which is available from the JTPA Liaisons and on the ETA web page of "doleta.gov." A description of the Worker Profiling and Reemployment Services System is available in the UI Occasional paper 94-4, "The Worker Profiling and Reemployment Services System: Legislation, Implementation Process and Research Findings." Background: SDAs in many States have the responsibility of administering the new welfare-to-work programs. This under-taking is a departure from previous administrative duties and offers numerous challenges and opportunities. Welfare-to-work entails serving a different population with unique needs and challenges. SDAs must decide who to serve and with what services in order to operate an effective system. The welfare-to-work administrative structure also requires SDAs to cooperate and coordinate activities with social service agencies. ETA is funding a pilot project to design, test, and implement a profiling and referral model for Work First participants in the Kalamazoo/St. Joseph SDA in Michigan. The purpose of the pilot is to determine the feasibility and effectiveness for SDAs using this system as a management tool to determine which participants need and can benefit the most from reemployment services. The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research administers the Kalamazoo/St. Joseph SDA and is partnering with ETA to conduct this pilot. The Upjohn Institute is an independent, not-for-profit organization, that in addition to administering the SDA, provides and supports research on employment and training issues. The Institute's research division has designed the model and is currently assisting the operations division to implement the system. Issues Facing SDAs in Administering Work First Type Programs: SDAs, which administer Work First type programs, serve welfare recipients with a wide range of skills, aptitudes, and motivations. The harder-to-serve clients face multiple barriers to employment and could benefit from intensive services. However, only after clients have tried to find a job but failed do SDAs provide them with more than a minimal set of services. SDAs are faced with assessing the needs of clients and determining their capacity to benefit from services. However, scarce resources often preclude hiring as many case managers as are needed to perform these tasks. SDAs can be hampered by lack of information sharing, delays in referring clients, and duplication of effort between SDAs and social services systems that handle TANF grants, resulting in reduced efficiency and effectiveness of the system. Work First programs typically provide the same set of services to all welfare recipients, regardless of their needs and past work history. Work First administrators face the challenge of meeting performance standards while operating within State and federal requirements. Studies have shown that Work-First-type programs are more effective when services are targeted to meet individual needs. Where inadequate collaboration between SDAs and Wagner-Peyser service providers exists, the overall workforce development system's capacity to provide mediated and electronic job finding services as well as service options to welfare-to-work jobseekers are reduced. Description of the Profiling/Referral System in SDA: The SDA administers Michigan's Work First program and JTPA programs for the two-county area in southwest Michigan. The purpose of Work First is to provide welfare recipients the reemployment skills, support, and opportunities to obtain employment in the shortest possible time. The program offers participants instruction on proper techniques for writing resumes, completing applications and interviewing skills. All enrollees receive the same services regardless of their needs and must find qualified employment within four weeks of enrollment. More intensive skill training is available only to those who hold a job or to those who have repeatedly failed to find employment. The Kalamazoo/St. Joseph SDA is piloting a system that profiles Work First participants as to their likelihood of finding jobs, and then refers them to appropriate services. By identifying individuals at intake as to their relative need for reemploy- ment services based on their likelihood of finding a job at intake, local agencies can tailor programs to meet the varied needs of welfare clients and thus use scarce dollars more effectively. Profiling is a statistical methodology that assigns each welfare recipient referred to Work First a probability of finding and holding a qualified job (or conversely, not finding a job) within the specified time limits of the program. The probability is derived from a statistical model using information commonly collected during the enrollment interview. The model estimates the relationship between an individual's propensity to find and hold a job and their attributes, work and welfare histories, and the local labor market conditions. The model adopted by the Kalamazoo/St. Joseph SDA uses the participant's educational attainment, work status immediately prior to enrollment in Work First, and prior enrollment in Work First to predict employment. Estimates of the model yield coefficients that weight the attributes and, when multiplied by the attributes and summed, generate predicted probabilities. The estimated weights from the model are incorporated into the SDA's existing information system and automatically assigned a predicted probability when the individual's attributes are entered into the system. Based on the assigned probabilities, clients are referred to services that have been shown to most likely meet their needs. The Kalamazoo/St. Joseph SDA subcontracts with three providers to deliver services. Each subcontractor pursues a different approach to providing reemployment services, all within the guidelines of Work First. Analysis has shown that each program has a comparative advantage in serving clients with specific characteristics. The model predicts which client is least likely to obtain employment and indicates which provider may offer services that best address the individual's needs. The pilot is in the initial stages of implementation. The profiling model has been tested using administrative data collected at intake from participants who have enrolled in the welfare program during the last year and a half. The program will be evaluated by randomly assigning part of the weekly enrollees to the three providers and targeting the balance to specific subcontractors based on the model's predictions. The pilot builds on the Upjohn Institute's experience in developing a profiling model that the State of Michigan used for dislocated workers for the Michigan WPRS system. We plan to more fully discuss at the December 1997 JETTCON conference. Action: Please share this TEIN with representatives of the employment and training community, including the social service agencies working with employment programs for welfare recipients as we want to inform States agencies interested in this approach and perhaps expand the pilot to other States/SDAs.

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