Reference: Training and Employment Information Notice (TEIN) No. 11-95, Simply Better! Continuous Improvement Project. Background: Simply Better! is a national technical assistance project designed to help employment and training organizations incorporate principles of continuous quality improvement into their daily operations. Simply Better! began in 1994 as a joint "capacity building" initiative among ETA's Office of Job Training Programs and the Seattle and Philadelphia Regional Offices. Since then it has expanded to include representatives of State governments, private industry councils, service delivery areas, sub-state grantees, local direct service providers and the other eight ETA Regional Offices. The publication described in this TEIN is the latest in a series of Simply Better! publications. Previously published materials include: (1) The Self-Assessment System, designed to help organizations better understand their strengths and weaknesses in seven key management areas; (2) The Voice of the Customer, a guide to measuring customer satisfaction; and (3) Customers in Focus, a handbook on conducting focus groups. Ten thousand copies of these publications have been distributed nationwide during 1996-97 and extensive training of State and local agency staff and management has been conducted by ETA Regional Offices. Service by Design: Service by Design is a practical seven-step process for improving a workforce development agency's every-day operations. Service by Design examines the points and places where an agency's customers come in contact with its services. These meetings can be called "transactions." A full program or "cycle" of services may consist of dozens of transactions between an agency and its customers. An agency can improve the overall quality of its programs and services by examining and improving each separate transaction in turn: Step One: Identify an opportunity. Select a customer transaction or service cycle for improvement. Step Two: Describe the key features of this service or transaction as the agency staff perceives them. Step Three: Survey agency customers to find out how they perceive this same service or transaction. Step Four: Identify and understand the gaps which may exist between what the agency thinks it is doing and what its customers really want. Step Five: Identify possible and probable causes of these gaps between customer expectation and reality. Step Six: Test the most promising improvements, measure the results and fine tune the process. Step Seven: Implement the proposed changes and improvements. Repeat the process. Continuous improvement never ends. The Service by Design publication consists of three booklets. The Overview explains how the quality improvement process works and how it can improve customer satisfaction and results. It includes a 15-minute exercise that will help readers appreciate the strength of this technique. The Guidebook contains an in-depth discussion of the rationale and methods behind the seven Service by Design steps, the analytical tools that quality improvement teams use, and some ideas for effectively implementing Service by Design techniques. The Workbook leads quality improvement teams through the process step-by-step. It contains blank forms, graphs, worksheets and other practical materials. Distribution: Supplies of Service by Design are available through ETA Regional Offices. To order copies or to find out about Regional distribution plans, please call the appropriate Simply Better! Regional contact person from the attached list. Action Required: Please inform Service Delivery Areas, Sub-State grantees, local Employment Service offices, One-Stop Career Centers and other appropriate employment and training service providers of the availability of Service by Design.

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The report is an interim process evaluation of the Youth Fair Chance (YFC) demonstration which addresses four issues: (1) access to services, (2) sustainability, (3) the YFC concept, and (4) potential modifications to the YFC concept. To examine access to services, researchers compared the service environment in the YFC communities with that in a set of comparison communities, looking at expenditures and the range of services offered. To determine sustainability, researchers looked at how the YFC sites responded to Federal funding cuts, and their plans for future funding. The last two issues were addressed by focusing on how well YFC projects were operating at the existing sites. The YFC program, started in 1994, supports efforts in 16 urban and rural areas to help young people ages 14 to 30 finish high school, get better jobs, and address personal and family problems that are obstacles to success (a 17th site was added later). The program funded by DOL provides youths with education, employment preparation and training, counseling, and support services. Case managers coordinate the services and try to help young people find solutions to their individual problems. The YFC programs generally operate in areas that have fewer than 30,000 residents, high poverty rates and other problems associated with poverty. Twelve programs are in cities and four are in rural areas, including one area with a high proportion of Native Americans and another area that is home to many migrant and seasonal farm- workers. In YFC's first two years, each program received about $4 million in Federal funds. This report describes features of YFC programs, analyzes their implementation, and draws lessons from their experiences that may be useful for designers of youth programs and comprehensive initiatives. Action Required: Please distribute copies of the report to the Service Delivery Areas. A bulk supply of reports has been sent under separate cover.

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