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Background: The Employment and Training Administration has been very actively involved in improving customer service and satisfaction, in response to Departmental and ETA executive leadership as well as the President's Executive Order No. 12862. During the past two years, ETA has established customer service goals relating both to services for program customers and for delivery system partners. A number of initiatives have been undertaken to obtain feedback regarding customer service and program needs including conducting focus group discussions and base-line customer satisfaction surveys and evaluating internal operations to assess the levels of satisfaction that delivery system partners and customers hold for the Employment and Training Administration Regional and National Office services. In addition, ETA and its partners and stakeholders have focused on continuous quality improvement initiatives and the highlighting and sharing of best practices. Some of these initiatives are spotlighted in this year's customer satisfaction report. ETA applauds these activities and encourages the continuation of these important efforts in local, State and Regional areas. Next Steps for Continuous Improvement: Customer service, including customer satisfaction, continues to be an important goal for the Employment and Training Administration and its delivery system partners. In keeping with this, ETA's performance goals for FY 1997/PY 1996 and the structure of the draft strategic plan also continue to include program performance and system building goals related to ETA's mission, as well as customer service goals geared to encouraging service delivery partners and ETA staff to institutionalize and continuously improve customer service in all programs and delivery systems. ETA has consulted with our State and national program delivery system partners and stakeholders on these plans and goals. If these ambitious goals are to be met, employment and training partners and stakeholders at all levels must commit to their successful achievement. Action Required: Please distribute the attached report to appropriate officials within the State and to all SDAs/SSAs in your State. In addition, please continue to take every opportunity to work closely with your Regional Administrator to jointly improve the services to and satisfaction of our customers.

Background. Now in its fifth year, PEPNet (Promising and Effective Practices Network) has become one of the nation's premier resources on what works for youth. PEPNet is a valuable source of information on quality youth initiatives; it provides a framework for understanding and implementing practice that works; and it recognizes effectiveness through an award process that continues to widen its network. Since its inception, ETA has provided support for PEPNet in a variety of ways. ETA funds a grant to the National Youth Employment Coalition(NYEC)which administers PEPNet; ETA has members on the PEPNet Working Group; and ETA provides staff and encourages other youth employment professionals to review applications submitted by youth programs for PEPNet recognition. Youth employment professionals do not have to start from scratch as they work to develop effective programs under WIA. PEPNet's criteria for Effective Practices were developed by a working group comprised of a diverse group of professionals and reflect what the youth employment/development field has learned WORKS. The PEPNet criteria fall into five broad categories: Purpose and Activities, Organization and Management, Youth Development, Workforce Development, and Evidence of Success. Using PEPNet will help WIA youth programs and other youth employment programs to improve their services and document their successes. Through PEPNet, programs can access a wealth of information, ideas, contacts and tools around effective practice. PEPNet's Self Assessment is a powerful tool for ongoing continuous improvement efforts, helping programs develop staff, document success, and plan next steps. Programs that complete the PEPNet Application for recognition (due April 30) receive comments from peer reviewers, essentially a free evaluation of their efforts. Those selected for the PEPNet Award become exemplars of effective practice, resources for others in the field around the country and internationally. To obtain an application for recognition, visit www.nyec.org/pepnet or call NYEC at (202) 659-1064. Awardees are honored in a ceremony at the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., hosted by ETA Assistant Secretary Raymond L. Bramucci. PEPNet is also a valuable tool for employees throughout the workforce development system as they work to transition to WIA. The PEPNet criteria informed the youth program elements in WIA and PEPNet was mentioned as a resource in the Youth Opportunity Grant(YOG) application. PEPNet provides a powerful information source and framework for understanding and implementing effective youth programming. SDAs have used the criteria to help design their WIA youth system; improve their selection and oversight of providers; develop their staff's understanding of effective youth practice; and build capacity among their grantees. Accessibility. PEPNet's resources are available in a variety of user-friendly formats. Please visit www.nyec.org/pepnet or contact NYEC by fax: (202) 659-0399 or call: (202) 659-1064 to access any of the following: a) Publications. The Criteria Workbook captures the elements of effective youth practice in an easy-to-use system, including the PEPNet Self Assessment tool and PEPNet Application for recognition. Lessons Learned illuminates examples of effective practice from the PEPNet Awardees, and provides useful indexes and contact information. b) Conferences and Workshops. The National Youth Employment Coalition's (NYEC) unique annual conference on effective practice, The "PEPNet Institute", brings practitioners and others in the youth employment field together to share what works around specific issues of youth employment practice. Sessions are led by PEPNet Awardees but emphasize interaction, networking, and information sharing. The first PEPNet Institute in 1999 garnered rave reviews from attendees, many of whom came from the JTPA system looking for ideas for their WIA transition. NYEC also provides workshops on effective practice around the country, customizable from 90 minutes to a full day. c) Internet. PEPNet's Web Page -- WWW.NYEC.ORG/PEPNet -- houses a wealth of information on effective practice. It makes all of PEPNet's information available online, including publications, Awardee profiles, links to other effective practice resources, new developments, and more. Action Required. State Liaisons, Administrators, and Leads are requested to: a) encourage their staff, administrators and operators of effective youth programs or program components to access and utilize PEPNet's resources to inform their transition to WIA; b) encourage administrators and operators of programs interested in national recognition to undertake the PEPNet application, due April 30, 2000; c) encourage any youth employment professionals who would like to review applications to volunteer to do so. Past reviewers have reported it to be a very beneficial learning experience which increased their understanding of effective youth programming. Please telephone any names of volunteers to Kate O'Sullivan, NYEC at (202) 659-1064 by April 24, 2000. Inquiries. Direct inquiries to Nancy Rose, PEPNet Project Director, Office of Policy and Research, ETA at (202) 219-7669 ext. 136.

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References. The Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Regulations at 20 CFR Parts 627.455 and 627.904; the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (P.L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35); Training and Employment Guidance Letters Nos. 4-97 and 2-98; and Training and Employment Information Notices (TEINs) Nos. 12-93, Change 3 and 14-93, Change 2. Background. The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has placed a high priority on achieving direct electronic reporting capability for all recipients of ETA funds. This is part of a concentrated effort to increase overall accountability for the funds appropriated to ETA and to avoid cost reporting deficiencies in future OIG findings. These efforts are further responsive to OMB imposed requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. In anticipation of complete electronic reporting for the first required reporting quarter under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) programs, it is imperative that all States transition into the electronic mode for reporting JTPA data, beginning with the quarter ending March 31, 2000. The three reports for which electronic reporting capability will become immediately accessible are the JQSR, the WFFR, and the DWSPR. National Office Preparation. The following steps have been completed or initiated in the National Office (NO) to facilitate in the transition to Web-based electronic reporting directly by the States: A. Menu-driven software containing the data elements required on the JQSR, the WFFR, and the DWSPR has been designed by the Office of Technology and Information Systems (OTIS) and will be accessible to all States via the Internet. B. The current JTPA reporting system, which is in RBase (DOS) and which requires Regional Office (RO) data entry, will be replaced with a new Oracle Web-based system, requiring data entry by the States. The scheduled date to activate the new system and terminate the old is April 28, 2000. NOTE: Data for the quarter ending March 31 MUST be entered into the new system by the States. The old RBase system will NOT accept data for the quarter ending March 31. After April 28, updates or additions to data for quarters ending December 31, 1999, and prior, will be entered by States in the new Web-based system. C. The National Office of Grants and Contract Management (OGCM) will provide Passwords and PINs to all grantees who do not already have them assigned. The individual handling this process in OGCM is Thomas C. Martin at tcmartin@doleta.gov or 202-219-5731, x123. (Respective ROs will coordinate the collection of information necessary for assignment of Passwords and PINs.) State Reporting and Certification Process. The "Instructions for On-line Reporting" contained in the attachment are to be utilized by States to access the reporting Web-site and JTPA forms for submitting data required on the JQSR, the WFFR, and the DWSPR. These instructions contain detailed specifications for data entry and data submittal. The data can be saved temporarily to await signature of the certifying official. The data entry person saves the report temporarily by pressing the submit button WITHOUT entering a PIN number. A confirmation page stating that the report has been saved and is awaiting final signature will be displayed upon successful transmission. A certifying official is required to review the data for accuracy and completeness, prior to entering their assigned PIN and clicking the submit button. When the data has been successfully submitted, a confirmation page stating that the report has been electronically signed will appear. The data will then be accessible for RO review. If the RO identifies omissions or discrepancies in the data, the State will be contacted and advised of such findings. It will then be incumbent upon the State to make any necessary modifications to previously submitted data. (Only the State can enter or change data. Both the RO and the NO will have read only access.) Action Required. The following actions should be taken immediately by the States: A. After April 28, any outstanding data not previously submitted for quarters ending December 31, 1999, and prior, will be entered by States into the new Web-based system. REMINDER: The old RBase system will be cut off on April 28. B. By no later than May 15, utilize the new Web-based system (to be activated April 28) to enter JTPA data for the quarter ending March 31. The attachment provides step by step instructions. C. State Workforce Liaisons are requested to provide this TEIN to all officials within the State who need such information to implement the Internet-based reporting system for JTPA Titles II and III. Inquiries. Questions concerning this TEIN should be directed to your RO representative. A technical contact person in the OTIS is provided in the attachment, as well as NO program staff. Attachment. On-line Electronic Reporting Instructions for US DOL/ETA Title II and III Programs

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