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The OIG audited the JTPA out-of-school youth (OSY) program for the period July 1997 through June 1998 to determine (1) whether the reported positive outcomes (at termination) were accurate and well documented and (2) the impact occupational skills training (OST) had on a participant's post-program earnings.
We determined neither ETA nor its OSY state or substate grantees consistently made efforts to validate their reported positive outcomes. As a result, the positive outcomes for 228 of 499, or 46 percent, of our sample were not supported by evidence. The accuracy of the undocumented outcomes remains questionable, and the true rate of positive outcomes most likely is between the rates reported by ETA and the rate supported by the OIG audit. Based on this finding, the true OSY positive outcomes rates are significantly lower than those reported in the PY 1997 Chief Financial Officer Report. The GPRA requires that Federal agencies establish means to validate measured values that are reported in the agency's annual performance report.
In the 2 years following termination from the program, youth who participated in occupational skills training (OST) had earnings twice the level of those who did not participate in this training. Further, for youth who completed OST, post-program earnings for the same 2-year period were 69 percent higher than for those who did not complete the training.
We recommended that ETA emphasize, to its state and substate OSY grantees, the importance of the validation of outcomes data (and monitor the grantee validation efforts); the accurate documentation of services provided to participants; and keeping youth in the program to completion.
The response to the draft report indicated that ETA recognizes that performance results must be credible and stated "...[we are] committed to developing clear, precise, and feasible standards for documenting program outcomes. ETA's new data validation initiative [under the Workforce Investment Act] is attempting to create both more precise programming specifications and also more precise standards for validating data quality."
(OA Report No. 06-01-001-03-340, issued March 19, 2001)
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