Background: The public employment and training system is poised for a period of significant change in funding and organization. The new sorting of responsibilities between and among the federal, State and local partners contained in both the current House and Senate legislation creates challenges and promising opportunities. ETA views technology as an indispensable component in helping our delivery system organizations to address the effects of these challenges, to exploit latent opportunities, and to accelerate the nation's movement to a world class public employment and training system. Both the President and the Vice President have stressed that technology will play a key role to both improve the education and training opportunities of all Americans and reduce the cost of government. With the reality of reduced budgets, all levels of government are being called on to deliver high-quality, easily- accessible services at a lower cost to the taxpayer, to position those services closer to the customer, and to retain the flexibility to respond to dynamic conditions in our labor markets. Conference Objective: With the potential of new employment and training legislation in the very near future, this particular conference provides an excellent learning opportunity for those engaged in critical workforce development activities. Specifically, JETT*CON provides ETA's State and local partners the opportunity: -- to learn how technology can be used to improve the operation and delivery of workforce development services, -- to see, touch, and feel these technologies first-hand, -- to 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. JETT*CON will provide a forum for ongoing discussion of our collaborative system-building efforts at all levels of government, with lively and provocative demonstrations on how today's and tomorrow's technology can be used in the delivery of public employment and training programs and services. In anticipation of block grants and program consolidation requirements, ETA has structured meetings and colloquia within the conference format to promote exchanges and networking between and among all system-building partners. JETT*CON provides a unique, integrated forum where all of ETA's system-building activities can conduct essential dialogues between organizations and experts, and share effective practices and experiences. Conference Overview: JETT*CON is a combination of three integrated, coordinated events: national conferences for three of ETA's system-building activities (i.e., One-Stop Career Centers, Enterprise/Pioneers, and America's Labor Market Information System), JETT*CON technology workshops and the JETT*CON exposition program. A one-page summary of the content of the concurrent national conferences is attached. JETT*CON's technology workshop and exposition program has been organized around integrated thematic tracks (see attached Registration Brochure for additional detail about these "tracks"). Several activities and events have been structured around each track, including: -- Educational Workshops -- an interactive, hands-on learning experience which focuses on the application of technology to that "track" and provides tools to assist consumers in choosing technologies and vendors. -- System Showcases and Presentations -- Examples of exemplary uses of technology drawn from the public employment and training system. -- Exhibits -- more than 70 vendors that provide technologies germane to workforce development. -- New Product Demonstrations -- selected exhibitors will be asked to present new and exciting products that are of benefit to the public employment and training community. In addition to these activities, Capacity Building will convene a meeting of their Technical Panel of Experts, and the Enterprise will hold a meeting of its governing council. ETA's electronic replacement of the outdated Dictionary of Occupational Titles, O*NET, will be showcased. The conference is being co-sponsored by several of ETA's national partner organizations (i.e., the American Association of Community Colleges, American Society for Training and Development, Human Resources Development Institute (AFL-CIO), and National Alliance of Business). Attendance: This conference is designed for leaders, policy makers, and practitioners of States and local governments engaged in planning for or implementing One-Stop Career Centers and local learning laboratories, developing labor market information delivery systems, engaging in system-building activities, and establishing or expanding programs of continuous improvement and quality services to benefit their customers. JETT*CON can accommodate about 1000 participants. This projection is based in part on the core JETT*CON educational component -- the workshops -- which need to remain limited in size in order to maintain the integrity of the learning experience and in part on the availability of breakout rooms (available for concurrent conference activities) and sleeping rooms. -- One-Stop and ALMIS -- Registration for the One-Stop and ALMIS national conferences will be by invitation. Registration packets, with a cover letter detailing how many conference slots are being made available, are being sent directly to each state. The One-Stop and ALMIS support teams will be contacting their state and local principals with full information on their respective parts of the conference program. -- Enterprise and Pioneers -- The national meeting for the Enterprise and Pioneers initiatives is based on a first- come, first-serve open registration. Slightly over four hundred (400) conference slots have been set aside for this purpose, and the attached registration brochure can be used to reserve these slots. Please contact the Enterprise support team for more information (202-501- 5440). Housing Information: Hotel space is being held until December 12, 1995. A limited number of guest rooms are available at the government rate ($114). Please contact each hotel directly for reservations (hotel contact information is contained in the registration brochure). Be sure to mention JETT*CON to secure the government rate. Action: Please share this information with appropriate staff who may be interested in attending JETT*CON. A copy of this directive is also being sent directly to each SDA/SSA.

References: Title V - NAFTA Transitional Adjustment Assistance and Other Provisions of PL 103-182, North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act. The Trade Act of 1974 as amended; regulations at 20 CFR 617; GAL 6-94; GAL 7-94; FM 19-94; and FM 1-95 and Change 1. Background: The office of Trade Adjustment Assistance (OTAA) has launched a capacity building strategy aimed at increasing the effectiveness of staff in local and State agencies that administer NAFTA-TAA benefits and training services across the country. OTAA is supporting this effort through a variety of projects and activities which are responsive to, and in support of, the States' NAFTA-TAA service delivery systems and focus primarily on effective customer satisfaction practices. OTAA staff has been meeting with State and Regional NAFTA-TAA and regular Trade staff to evaluate the effectiveness of the Trade program in the following areas; assisting workers find suitable employment, assisting States in identifying where additional training services might be needed, and how OTAA can continue to assist the States in delivering services. The focus of theses efforts is to allow the states to improve or enhance their NAFTA-TAA and regular Trade service delivery systems, improve services to Trade participants, and better evaluate program operations and effectiveness. The demand on the Trade program to process an ever increasing number of Trade impacted workers applying for TAA benefits as a result of NAFTA and the growth of regular Trade activity provides the impetus for State involvement with this type of capacity building activity. Without such action, the Trade program will continue to be hard pressed to provide accurate reports in a timely fashion, improve customer service, or ensure quality performance. In the short term, OTAA has developed materials to help the States address specific shortcomings previously identified in the Office of the Inspector General reports. New Resources Available: In consultation with Federal and community-based agencies responsible for providing NAFTA-TAA training and other re-employment services to NAFTA certified dislocated workers, NAFTA-TAA videos and posters have been developed by the Utah Department of Employment Security. The Videos and posters are available in both English and Spanish language versions and were developed as part of an ongoing project to create outreach tools which can be used by States in administering the NAFTA-TAA Program. The intent of this project is to build dislocated workers' awareness of the benefits that may be available to them under the NAFTA-TAA Program. a. The NAFTA-TAA Video: The video outlines the goals of the NAFTA-TAA Program and emphasizes the rapid response assistance and reemployment services available to workers who have been adversely affected by shifts in production to and/or imports from Canada or Mexico. The NAFTA-TAA Video was created as an outreach tool which can be used by States in Administering the NAFTA-TAA Program. Is was developed to provide information and contacts for service providers working in several areas of worker training and program development. The video guides the dislocated worker through the actions that must be taken in order to receive benefits. The video includes descriptions on: How Workers May File a Petition; the State and Federal Role in the Investigative Process; and the Eligibility Criteria set forth by the legislation. The video also describes in detail the four basic types of assistance that workers may receive: job training, income support, job search allowance and relocation allowance. The video may also be used as a training tool to help State staff become more knowledgeable regarding the NAFTA-TAA Program and its benefits. b. The NAFTA-TAA Poster. The NAFTA-TAA Poster was created to promote the availability of the NAFTA-TAA Program to dislocated workers. The poster should be made available to all local employment security agency offices. The poster will most likely be the first exposure dislocated workers will have to the NAFTA-TAA Program. It is designed to advise dislocated workers on the availability of the program and where to seek further information. The telephone number will refer workers to the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. However, States may want to add the telephone number where workers can contact local NAFTA-TAA staff. Additional Copies: Additional copies of these resource materials can be ordered (at cost) from Mr. Jan Passelin at the Utah Department of Employment Security at (801) 536-7800. Action Required: State Administrators are requested to: a. Convey the information in this directive to appropriate staff processing NAFTA-TAA certified dislocated workers and secondary workers. b. Request that appropriate State staff review the information contained in the outreach materials and provide the information on programs and resources to local office NAFTA-TAA staff and other service providers on an as needed basis. C. Take the necessary action to fully utilize the materials provided in the attachments. D. Encourage local officials to review the present NAFTA-TAA application processing and benefits delivery system to identify potential areas where these materials may be introduced to improve the States effectiveness in assisting NAFTA-TAA and regular Trade impacted dislocated workers. Inquiries: Inquires should be directed to Mr. Russell T. Kile or Ms. Heidi M. Casta at (202) 219-5555.

References: None. Background: a. This is the third consecutive year that the Department of Labor and the National Indian and Native American Employment and Training Conference have jointly sponsored an annual all-grantee technical assistance and training conference. The next such conference will be held in Providence, Rhode Island, April 22-26, 1996. This bulletin is being issued to all section 401 grantees to solicit input on the content of technical assistance to be offered at the conference. b. In an attempt to involve grantee staff in the planning process for this conference, it is the wish of the new NINAETC Executive Committee that the new committees and subcommittees planning the Providence conference be comprised of dedicated volunteers. Grantees are encouraged to sign up for one or more of the committees outlined in Attachment 2. Current volunteers for the redefined committees and subcommittees are also listed in Attachment 2. Grantees having questions about the activities involved in any given area should contact the committee chair or co-chair for more information. c. The third issue to be addressed in this bulletin concerns the establishment of a lasting tribute to Ms. Alice Bigpond Roach. At the planning meeting held in Providence on July 19-20, it was decided that the awards luncheon which Ms. Roach almost single-handedly brought into existence be renamed the "Alice Bigpond Roach Awards Luncheon" in her honor. It was further decided that an award and/or? endowment be created in her honor, similar to the one currently honoring Howard Yackus. However, there were differences of opinion at that meeting as to the type of people who should be eligible for that award, and what form that award should take. Because so many people who were close to Ms. Roach were not represented in Providence, it was decided that all grantees should have the opportunity to comment in this area also, before any decisions are finalized. Action Required. Grantees desiring to have further input on the nature and content of the Providence conference should complete Attachment 1 and submit it to Teresa Johnson by December 31. Grantees willing to volunteer staff for one or more of the committees/subcommittees should complete Attachment 2 and return it to the appropriate committee chair or co-chair as soon as possible. Comments on the nature of the award honoring the memory of Ms. Roach should also be sent directly to Teresa Johnson at the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma. Questions. Questions should be addressed directly to Ms. Teresa Johnson, NINAETC Executive Secretary, at (405) 436-2603 ex. 360, or to Greg Gross, DINAP, at (202) 219-7509.

Average Weekly Benefit Amount (AWBA) Utilization: On May 11, 1995, the Department published an interim final rule in the Federal Register (60 FR 25560), which amended Section 625.6 effective for all major disasters declared on and after that date. Among the changes, the amendments provide that the minimum weekly DUA amount will be 50 percent of the AWBA paid in the State for regular compensation, unless workers are customarily or routinely employed less than full-time prior to their unemployment due to the disaster. The attached listing sets forth the 50 percent of AWBA computation applicable for major disasters declared during the first quarter of FY 1997, from October 1 through December 31, 1996. Action Required: SESA Administrators are requested to provide this information to appropriate staff and insure that the correct AWBA is utilized in determining the weekly DUA amount.

References: None. Background: The Department of Labor (DOL) is requesting comments on options for funding PY 1996 technical assistance and training (TAT) for Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) section 401 grantees. The current section 401 program regulations at 20 CFR 632.171(b) give the Department authority to reserve up to one percent (1%) of the title IV-A allocation for TAT purposes. Because this option has never been exercised, it is the desire of the Department and Native American Employment and Training Council (hereafter referred to as "the Council") to seek broad grantee input on this important issue prior to any decision regarding the use of program funds for TAT purposes. However, a few basic facts should be clearly understood by all grantees prior to informing the Department and the Council of your position on this important issue: a. All grantees will experience another reduction in funding for PY 96. At this time, we can only estimate possible reduced levels based on pending authorization legislation of 8 to 16 percent. b. Grantees affected by the application of 1990 Census data and the hold harmless process will again feel the impact of these reductions for a third year. It should be noted that most grantees in this category have almost reached their final adjusted levels based on the hold harmless process. c. Grantees passed a resolution at the National Employment and Training Conference held in Bismarck, North Dakota in May of 1995 supporting the use of program funds for TAT IF no Departmental TAT funds were available. d. This issue was discussed at the September meeting of the Native American Employment and Training Council, and it was agreed that the Department would seek broad input from all grantees on this important issue prior to any final decision. More importantly, the Department has stated that it will not use program funds for TAT purposes without the consensus support of the section 401 grantees. e. For the past three years, the Department has used most of the TAT funds for reimbursing the travel costs of small grantees to attend the national TAT conference. TAT funds have also been used to produce the New Director's Manual, provide peer-to-peer TAT, fund the Partnership Plan meetings, and pay technical/logistical costs associated with the national conference. f. That any TAT provided from the approved use of program funds be agreed upon in consultation with grantees and the Council. If you support the use of PY 1996 program funds for TAT purposes, please list priority items on the attached response form. Options: It is the strong belief of the Department of Labor and the Council that technical assistance and training (TAT) is crucial to the successful operation of section 401 programs. No PY 1996 TAT funds have been budgeted for this purpose from Sec. 453 of JTPA. However, the Department can set-aside up to one percent (1%) from the title IV-A allocation for PY 1996 and provide TAT through the use of these funds. Because the Department has never before utilized this option and because all grantees are facing absolute program dollar cuts for PY 1996, it is the decision of the Department, in consultation with the Council, to seek grantee input and support for this approach. The Department hereby proposes the following three options for providing TAT for section 401 grantees during PY 1996: a. The first option is for DOL to continue to provide TAT, utilizing a portion of one percent (1%) of PY 1996 program funds as allowed by the regulations. b. The second option is for DOL to provide TAT utilizing a full one percent (1%) of PY 1996 program funds as allowed by the regulations. c. The final option is not to utilize the TAT set-aside authority at all, thus providing NO TAT funding through the Department during PY 1996. This option would mean that section 401 grantees would be responsible for funding their own PY 1996 TAT activities. Action Required. All JTPA section 401 grantees are strongly encouraged to voice their opinions on these options and to submit their opinions in writing to the Department. Because of the requirement to publish preliminary allocation figures for grantee planning purposes in a timely manner, the deadline for receiving these comments is relatively short. Grantees are therefore encouraged to submit their comments NO LATER THAN JANUARY 12, 1996, so that the appropriate decisions and adjustments may be accomplished in a timely manner. Grantees are hereby notified that any reduction of PY 1996 title IV-A allocations for TAT will not decrease the dollar amounts available from allocations for administrative costs. Questions: Questions should be addressed to Mr. Thomas Dowd on (202) 219-8502 or to Greg Gross on (202) 219-7509.

Reference: None. Background: All programs administered by the Office of Special Targeted Programs are participating in an electronic communication effort through the use of Sprint Mail. Sprint Mail is an electronic mail service system operated by the Sprint Telecommunication Corporation. Electronic mail services are varied and use many different names; however, the generic term for electronic mail is e-mail. The Division of Indian and Native American Programs (DINAP) has been working with its grantee partners for the past 14 months to implement an electronic communication system that enables the entire grantee community to communicate electronically through the use of e-mail. To ensure the involvement of all grantees, DINAP through a special grant with the California Indian Manpower Consortium (CIMC), provided 35 small grantees with computer hardware and several more grantees with modem communication software. Additionally, technical assistance has been provided on-site as well as at regional and national TAT conferences. To date, only a handful of grantees have installed the Sprint Mail software that was mailed to all grantees several months ago. These same grantees have begun communicating electronically with each other and DINAP. However, it is critical for the remaining grantee community to get on-line. Getting on-line means installing the Sprint Mail software and using it. Technical Support Information: The enclosed directory lists each grantee's Sprint Mail user name and Internet address. The following technical information will assist you with using Sprint Mail user names and Internet addresses: 1. You use a Sprint Mail user name to communicate with another Sprint Mail user. For example, when contacting another grantee who is on-line, you simply use their sprint user name which includes a last name followed by a first name initial. For example, Mr. Don Eddy, JTPA Director with the Colorado River Indian Tribes sprint user name is EddyD. In some cases, the user name is listed by city e.g., Flagstaff. In most cases, the use of city user names is preferred to avoid the constant updating of user names caused by personnel changes. 2. You can also contact grantees and DINAP staff by using the Sprint Mail software to send an e-mail message via the Internet. You must use an Internet address when you send an e-mail message to an individual that does not use Sprint Mail software. For example, if you want to contact a person who uses the America On-Line service provider, you would need to use an Internet address e.g., Thomas.Dowd@aol.com. Grantees must use an internet address to contact DINAP team members e.g., ETA.JTP.HallD@doleta.gov. 3. What is meant by being on-line? Simply put, grantees are set up to send and receive e-mail. You will find a column on the far right side of the directory titled on-line. Grantees with a yes signifies they have received and installed their Sprint Mail software. Additionally, they are connected to a phone line that transmits and receives their e-mail messages. They are on-line! Action Required: If you are not on-line, we strongly encourage you to seek assistance and get on-line. If you are on-line, you are encouraged to communicate with other grantees on-line and with your Fed Rep Team. Like all other new tools, this one will also require practice and discipline of use. Please review the directory and inform DINAP of any information changes or updates required. Questions. If you need technical assistance with software installation or have questions about making telephone connec- tions, please contact DINAP's technical support technician, Mr. Earl McLetchie on (202) 219-5504 or Mr. Chris Pata with CIMC on (916) 920-0285. All other questions should be directed to Mr. Thomas Dowd on (202) 219-8502.

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Background: During the November 14 - 19 and December 18 - January 5 furlough periods, States received UCFE claims for furloughed workers. These claims were handled differently in different States and, therefore, reported differently. This directive discusses UCFE claim filing situations that occurred and how States should report data under these varying circumstances for this recent furlough and for any future furlough(s). When Claims are Counted: ETA Handbook 401, Unemployment Insurance Reports Handbook, Section I-2-3, item D.1. requires that claims activity should be counted as of the date it occurs (i.e., when claims are taken), thus, intrastate initial claims and continued weeks claimed are counted during the week the claims are filed. For purposes of this guidance, the words "taken or took" is synonymous with "filed". Interstate liable initial claims and weeks claimed are reported during the week received by the liable State. These instructions, which apply to the ETA 5159, apply equally to the ETA 539 and ETA 538 reports. Therefore, claims should be counted during the week when the claims are filed whether they are filed by mail, taken over the phone, or accepted in person. Due to the quick turnaround required of the ETA 539, the following special provision is provided for that report. ETA Handbook 401 states in Section C. on page I-1-5, "If necessary to meet the due date, any State agency may cut off its report period at noon Friday". State Experience: The following situations were reported to have taken place in the recent furlough with respect to intrastate UCFE claims: State took claims and later canceled them. State received claims but later returned them to claimants with no action. State took claims and some claimants later withdrew their claims. State set up special intake for UCFE claimants on Saturday. State took claims but did not process or count them in the week they were taken but did process and count them in subsequent weeks. States accepted mass claims from Federal Agencies and may have processed those claims or held them. How Counts Should be Made: The following describes how the UCFE claims taken during the furlough period described in item 4. should have been counted. State took claims and later canceled them. If the State considered these claims to be "filed" and then, when the furloughed workers returned to work, the claims were canceled, these claims should be counted since the claims were accepted and work was performed by the State. They should be counted for the week in which they were filed. State received claims but later returned them to claimants with no action. While the State physically received these claims, they were not considered to be "filed" by the State. Therefore, these claims should not have been reported. If they were reported, they should be removed from the claims count and a revised report submitted for the week in which they were reported. State took claims and some claimants later withdrew their claims. If the State considered these claims to be "filed", the claims would be counted as of the date during the week they were taken even though the claim was later withdrawn. State set up special intake for UCFE claimants on Saturday. Claims were taken in accordance with State law. The special timing provisions of the ETA 539 (see item 3 above) allows, but does not require, a State's reporting week to run from noon on Friday through noon the following Friday. If a State uses this alternate week pattern, then claims filed on Saturday may be attributed to and reported for the following week. State took claims but did not process or count them in the week they were taken but did process and count them in subsequent weeks. As stated in 3. above, claims are counted during the week they are taken. If the large intake of claims were not processed until a different week from the one in which the claims were taken, then the claims counts should be adjusted to reflect the week in which the claims were taken. States accepted mass claims from Federal Agencies and may have processed those claims or held them. Some furloughed claimants were told to return claims forms to their Federal agencies. If the Federal agency sent these forms to States, then these claims would be either counted or not counted depending on which of the above procedures the State utilized in handling those claims. Under this procedure, the Federal agency, in effect, acted as an agent for the State. Therefore, all claims considered "filed" by the State should be reported during the week the claimant submitted the forms to the Federal agency. Action Required: States should review how UCFE claims were handled and the workload reported or not reported during the recent furlough and, if necessary: Make adjustments in counts already provided to the National Office; Set procedures in place so that claims counts will be reported properly in the event another furlough occurs. Questions: Address questions to the appropriate Regional Office.

References: Employment and Training Administration Handbook 401, and Employment and Training Administration Handbook 301. Background: BTQ measures were detailed in UIPL 10-96. The first reports required were quality evaluations of nonmonetary determinations, submitted for the quarter ending September 30, 1996. Timeliness measures, including nonmonetary determinations timeliness and nonmonetary issue detection timeliness, were required beginning with the month of January 1997. Action Required: Unemployment Insurance directors and administrators are asked to share Attachment A with supervisors, managers and staff who produce and/or evaluate nonmonetary determinations so that it can be used to assist in evaluation of program strengths and weaknesses.