One-Stop Career Center Initiative

 

to provide the customer with access to all Department of Labor-funded programs within one physical facility or through electronic access.

Deleted 05/01/2006 (Combined with 17.207 Employment Service/Wagner-Peyser Funded Activities) 17.257 EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Project Grants; Provision of Specialized Services. As of December 2001, a total of 54 One-Stop implementation grants have been awarded and a total of 1,091 Centers had been reported opened in 41 States. Centers that will be opened will now meet the service provision specifications contained in the Workforce Investment Act (enacted in August 1998). Expansion or introduction of electronic tools, America's Job Bank, America's Talent Bank, America's Career InfoNet, and America's Learning Exchange, has occurred against a backdrop of improved technology and labor market information products available to the public in the national network of One-Stop Centers. Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933, as amended, Public Law 97-300; 29 U.S.C. 49-49n; 39 U.S.C. 338; Social Security Act of 1935, Public Law 74-271, as amended. 42 U.S.C. 1101 et seq. States, including Washington, DC, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam. All persons seeking employment; all employers seeking workers; students and associated groups. Under the "universality" principle, priority in service in a Center does adhere to statutory and regulatory requirements for individual Department of Labor programs. Veterans receive priority service with disabled veterans receiving preferential treatment over other veterans. Cost will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 as codified in 41 CFR 1-57.7 for State and local governments. This grants-in-aid program was established to strengthen the nation's workforce development system. The initiative was announced in 1994. Since that time, all eligible jurisdictions under (81) have received a One-Stop implementation grant. The Department published the requirements for application in a solicitation for grant application for 1997 leading to the award to approximately 40 percent of the States on the competitive basis. Since 1997, the remaining jurisdictions have been awarded grants on a non- competitive basis through documentation of State and local partner preparedness. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372. Each State prepared an application describing its system-building strategy which would be accomplished for a three-year period (initial year of receipt and the two additional years for which grant monies would be made available). The design of the delivery system has been left to the State and its local partners as long as the federal principles (universal access, customer choice, program integration and governance integration, and performance accountability) have been addressed within the grant application or grant preparedness documentation. Applications were reviewed by Federal panels for fidelity to the Federal principles, the breadth and quality of the design for customer service within the physical or electronic One-Stop setting, and the technology implementation and/or expansion which leads to customer choice. All deadlines occurred during the 1994-1998 period. No new grants have been awarded in 1999 or beyond. Approximately 3 months. No appeal process was established. Not applicable. Not applicable. These grants-in-aid have been used to establish the technical infrastructure and staff competencies for the provision of quality services to the customers of the publicly-funded programs. They also permit (and encourage) the State and local government beneficiaries to establish additional working partnerships between and among governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations to serve the job seekers and employers in local labor markets, as well as acquire and conduct training the may be necessary for the Center professional staff to acquaint customers with their eligibility for enrollment and participation under Department of Labor programs. The State and local governmental partners have had significant latitude on how these resources can best meet the universal service, customer choice, program integration and "accountability for results" requirements for grant receipt. The only major restriction is expenditure of grant dollars for construction of new buildings. Resources under this appropriation are also directed to the maintenance and expansion of an electronic labor exchange and information system (America's Job Bank, America's Talent Bank, America's Career InfoNet, and America's Learning Exchange) as well as other labor market information products, services and applications which assist Center customers in making "informed choices" about jobs, careers, and training opportunities. Quarterly system-building and fiscal reports stipulated as a condition of grant receipt. Audits are conducted by the Employment and Training Administration, Office of Inspector General, General Accounting Office, or independent public accountants selected by the Department of Labor. Standard records for audits are required. The grant application process encouraged State in-kind contributions as well as other secured funding (foundation dollars, State legislature-appropriated dollars, etc.) Length, funded annually for a three year period. Financing has been accomplished through Letter of Credit drawdowns needed to meet immediate cash requirement. Grantees entitled to carry-in only 15 percent of Year 2 unobligated resources into Year 3. Contact the One-Stop Team within the Employment and Training Administration (202) 219-8395 or the appropriated Employment and Training Administration regional office listed in Appendix of the Catalog. Other State and local contacts are available within the Directory service of ETA's World Wide Web page (www.doleta.gov). Chief, Division of One-Stop Operations, Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor, Washington DC 20210. Telephone: (202) 219-8395. Contact: Maria Kniesler. http://www.dol.gov 16-0179-0-1-999. (Appropriations for the One-Stop and ALMIS Initiative) FY 02 $150,000,000; FY 03 est $146,500,000; and FY 04 est $120,000,000 ($20,000,000 for the One-Stop grants). Grant awards were generally stratified by civilian labor force size, e.g., smaller States received $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 on an annual basis; larger States, $6,000,000 to $8,000,000 on an annual basis. No regulations were developed for these grants. Grantees rely on regulations published for Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs and other Department of Labor-financed programs. One-Stop "Practitioner's Guide" and many other capacity-building materials for workforce development professionals have been developed under the One-Stop investments. Hard copies are available from the Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. These materials are also available from ETA's World Wide Web page (www.doleta.gov), under One-Stop Career Center System Initiative. All One-Stop Centers provide an established menu of basic and intensive services for job seekers and employers. Specific investments are described in the Uses and Use Restrictions section.