Sept 26 -- The Economic Development Administration, Department of Commerce, invites comment by November 27, 2023 regarding the proposed revised extension of Good Jobs Challenge Workforce System Metrics.
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) leads the Federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. Guided by the basic principle that sustainable economic development should be driven locally, EDA works directly with communities and regions to help them build the capacity for economic development based on local business conditions and needs. The Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (PWEDA) (42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.) is EDA's organic authority and is the primary legal authority under which EDA awards financial assistance. Under PWEDA, EDA provides financial assistance to both rural and urban distressed communities by fostering entrepreneurship, innovation, and productivity through investments in infrastructure development, capacity building, and business development to attract private capital investments and new and better jobs to regions experiencing economic distress.
To effectively administer and monitor its economic development assistance programs, EDA collects certain information from applications for, and recipients of, EDA investment assistance. The purpose of this notice is to seek comments from the public and other Federal agencies on a request for a revision to the information collected from recipients of awards under the EDA American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Good Jobs Challenge. This is aligned with ensuring that Federal workforce investments are evidence-based and data-driven, and accountable to participants and the public. The original data collection instrument was filed under OMB 0610–0109. This request is to revise an existing question and add a new question to the current data collection instrument. The revised question will ask grantees to report participants' training status instead of asking if they have completed training, this will provide further disaggregated data. The new question will be asked of training providers to provide the total number of participants that completed the training program and have no plans to re-enroll in further training.
EDA requires information on three key award stakeholders: 1) System Lead Entity/Backbone Organization, defined as the lead entity of a regional workforce training system or sectoral partnership; 2) Training Providers, defined as entities providing relevant training and learning in a regional workforce training system; and 3) Participants, defined as individuals directly trained and placed into jobs via a regional workforce training system. System Lead Entities / Backbone Organizations will also coordinate with relevant employers to understand program performance from the employers’ perspective. All process, output, and outcome metrics are associated with the following objectives:
-- System Lead Entity / Backbone Organizations: 1) Establish, strengthen, or expand sectoral partnerships or regional workforce training systems; 2) Target underserved populations and areas to participate in the skills training program to reduce systemic inequities and barriers to employment and enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in industry, including by securing and offering wrap-around services; 3) Support employers in filling demand for good-paying jobs, and 4) Leverage federal and non-federal funds to expand reach and support sustainability.
-- Training Providers: Provide skills training to unemployed, underemployed, or incumbent workers with opportunity for increased wages through targeted upskilling to place them into quality jobs and provide employers with skilled workers.
-- Participants: Position for employment and wage growth.
EDA will require all ARP Act Good Jobs Challenge award recipients and stakeholders to submit this data at predetermined intervals (System Lead Entities / Backbone Organizations, semiannually on their systems and providing data collected from Training Providers and Participants within their systems on a quarterly basis) to determine results and sustainability of the original grant award throughout the period of performance.
EDA Good Jobs Challenge:
https://www.eda.gov/arpa/good-job-challenge
Current workforce system metrics data collection materials:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202305-0610-002
Draft survey instrument and technical documentation requested from EDA by AEAStat.
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2023-20232