GAO Survey on How Local Areas Guide WIA Participants Toward Training

U.S. Government Accountability Office

Contents

• Introduction
• Part I: Characteristics of your local workforce area
• Part II: Local initiatives for identifying available jobs and potential high-growth occupations
• Part III: Other sources for identifying available jobs
• Part IV: Other sources for identifying potential high-growth occupations
• Information from U.S. Department of Labor
• Information from state labor market information office
• Part V: Comparison of local initiatives and other sources of information
• Part VI: Approaches for guiding participants toward training
• Part VII: Challenges in guiding participants toward training
• Part VIII: Local economic conditions
• Part IX: Contact information
• Submit your responses to GAO

(Return to main page)

Introduction

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), an agency of the U.S. Congress, is conducting a study on how local workforce areas guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker Program participants toward training for available jobs and potential high-growth occupations.

As part of this review, we are conducting a web-based survey of randomly selected Workforce Investment Boards. We will be asking you about how your local area identifies available jobs and potential high-growth occupations so that you can guide participants toward training for such jobs, the resources most useful in doing so, and challenges in guiding participants toward training.

Your participation in our study is essential for us to inform the Congress about how local areas prepare participants for currently and soon-to-be available jobs. The results of this survey generally will be provided in summary form in a GAO report. Individual answers may be discussed in our reporting, but we will not include any information that could be used to identify individuals' or WIBs' names. We will not release individually identifiable data outside of GAO, unless compelled by law or requested by the Congress.

We estimate that this survey will take about 60 minutes to complete. Please complete this survey within 2 weeks. You do not need to complete the survey in one sitting, as the survey will allow you at any point to save your responses so that you can log in again and complete the rest of it at a later time. To answer these questions, please consult with staff at the local administrative entity and/or American Job Centers (formerly known as one-stop career centers) if necessary. To learn more about completing the questionnaire, printing your responses, and whom to contact if you have questions, _____.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Notes on Presentation of Survey Estimates

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

Due to skip patterns, some survey questions had no eligible respondents. This is denoted with NO ELIGIBLE RESPONSES next to the survey question.

For some survey questions the number of respondents to a question was too low to provide statistically reliable estimates. When this occurs this is denoted with DATA NOT REPORTED next to the survey question.

Part I: Characteristics of your local workforce area

1. Please verify the following information for your WIB.

1a. Is this the correct name of your WIB: _____?

(View question)

1b. What is the correct WIB name?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

1c. Is this the correct city and state of your WIB: _____, _____?

(View question)

1d. What is the correct city and state for your WIB?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

2. Please tell us about your local workforce area.

2a. Approximately how many case managers worked with WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants in your local workforce area in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

2b. Approximately how many sites (including American Job Centers, affiliate satellite centers, and temporary sites) offered WIA services in your local workforce area in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

2c. Approximately how many of these sites were located in each of the following areas in calendar year 2012? (Please enter one response for each row or check don't know.)

Areas with a population of at least 50,000

(View question)

Areas with populations of at least 2,500 but less than 50,000

(View question)

Areas with a population of less than 2,500

(View question)

Respondents who indicated they do not know the number of sites which serve areas with a population of at least 50,000

(View question)

Respondents who indicated they do not know the number of sites which serve areas with a population of at least 2,500 but less than 50,000

(View question)

Respondents who indicated they do not know the number of sites which serve areas with a population of less than 2,500

(View question)

2d. In your estimation, how did the unemployment rate in your local workforce area compare to the national average of 8.1% in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

3. Is your organization the administrative entity (one-stop operator) for your local workforce area?

(View question)

3 dropdown. If no to Q3, what is the name of the local administrative entity?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

4. What type of training do staff in your local workforce area primarily guide eligible WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward?

(View question)

5. Does your local workforce area use an industry sector strategy (e.g., identifying high-demand and growing industry sectors, including employer needs) to guide participants toward training for potential high-growth occupations?

(View question)

Part II: Local initiatives for identifying available jobs and potential high-growth occupations

(View question)

6. Did your local area undertake any local initiatives to identify available jobs, potential high-growth occupations, and the skills needed for those jobs (i.e., purchasing real-time labor market information, surveying employers, partnering with the economic development agency, etc.)?

(View question)

6a. Why did your local area not undertake any local initiatives to identify available jobs, potential high-growth occupations, and the skills needed for those jobs (i.e., purchasing real-time labor market information, surveying employers, partnering with the economic development agency, etc.)?

(View question)

1. We did not find them useful for identifying available jobs, potential high-growth occupations, and the skills needed for those jobs

2. We did not have enough staff to undertake these initiatives

3. We could not afford the cost

4. We obtained this information from the state labor market information office, state workforce agency, or state or local economic development agency

5. Other

6. Don't know

6b. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

6c. What type of information did your local area obtain from the state labor market information office, state workforce agency, or state or local economic development agency?

(View question)

1. Real-time labor market information

2. Information from employer surveys about hiring plans or skill needs

3. Other

6d. What was the other information?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

After responding to question 6a, click on the Save and continue button at the bottom of the page to go on to question 12. You do not need to answer questions 7 through 11.

(View question)

7. Did your local area purchase real-time labor market information in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

7a. For what purpose did your local area purchase real-time labor market information?

(View question)

1. To identify available jobs

2. To identify potential high-growth occupations

3. To identify skill requirements

4. To approve training programs for high-growth occupations

5. Other

7b. What was the other purpose?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

7c. How useful was real-time labor market information for these purposes?

(View question)

7d. Which of the following sources of funding did your local area use for this initiative?

(View question)

1. WIA Adult or Dislocated Worker Program

2. Wagner-Peyser (Employment Service)

3. State Workforce Agency

4. Economic Development Agency

5. Private Funding

6. Other

7e. What was the other source of funding?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

7f. Approximately how much did it cost your local area to purchase real-time labor market information in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

7g. Why did your local area not purchase real-time labor market information?

(View question)

1. We did not find it useful for our purposes

2. We did not have enough staff to undertake this initiative

3. We could not afford the cost

4. We obtained real-time labor market information from the state labor market information office, state workforce agency, or state or local economic development agency

5. Other

6. Don't know

7h. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

8. Did your local area develop or maintain a partnership(s) with the local economic development agency in calendar year 2012? (Note: This includes both formal and informal partnerships.)

(View question)

8a. For what purpose did your local area develop or maintain a partnership(s) with the local economic development agency?

(View question)

1. To identify available jobs

2. To identify potential high-growth occupations

3. To identify skill requirements

4. To assist with economic development initiatives

5. Other

8b. What was the other purpose?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

8c. How useful was this partnership(s) with the local economic development agency for these purposes?

(View question)

8d. Which of the following sources of funding did your local area use for this initiative?

(View question)

1. WIA Adult or Dislocated Worker Program

2. Wagner-Peyser (Employment Service)

3. State Workforce Agency

4. Economic Development Agency

5. Private Funding

6. Other

8e. What was the other source of funding?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

8f. Why did your local area not develop or maintain partnership(s) with the local economic development agency?

(View question)

1. We did not find it useful for our purposes

2. We did not have enough staff to undertake this initiative

3. Other

4. Don't know

8g. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

9. Did your local area survey local employers about their hiring plans or skill needs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

9a. For what purpose did your local area survey local employers?

(View question)

1. To identify available jobs

2. To identify potential high-growth occupations

3. To identify skill requirements

4. To identify and help fulfill hiring needs of local employers

5. To determine what kind of training would meet needs of local employers

6. Other

9b. What was the other purpose?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

9c. How useful were surveys of local employers for these purposes?

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9d. Which of the following sources of funding did your local area use for this initiative?

(View question)

1. WIA Adult or Dislocated Worker Program

2. Wagner-Peyser (Employment Service)

3. State Workforce Agency

4. Economic Development Agency

5. Private Funding

6. Other

9e. What was the other source of funding?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

9f. Approximately how much did it cost your local area to survey local employers in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

9g. Why did your local area not survey local employers?

(View question)

1. We did not find it useful for our purposes

2. We did not have enough staff to undertake this initiative

3. We could not afford the cost

4. We obtained this information from the state labor market information office, state workforce agency, or state or local economic development office

5. Other

6. Don't know

9h. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

10. Did your local area hold discussions or focus groups with employers about their hiring plans or skill needs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

10a. For what purpose did your local area hold discussions or focus groups with employers?

(View question)

1. To identify available jobs

2. To identify potential high-growth occupations

3. To identify skill requirements

4. To identify and help fulfill hiring needs of local employers

5. To determine what kind of training would meet needs of local employers

6. Other

10b. What was the other purpose?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

10c. How useful were discussions or focus groups with employers for these purposes?

(View question)

10d. Which of the following sources of funding did your local area use for this initiative?

(View question)

1. WIA Adult or Dislocated Worker Program

2. Wagner-Peyser (Employment Service)

3. State Workforce Agency

4. Economic Development Agency

5. Private Funding

6. Other

10e. What was the other source of funding?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

10f. Why did your local area not hold discussions or focus groups with employers?

(View question)

1. We did not find it useful for our purposes

2. We did not have enough staff to undertake this initiative

3. We could not afford the cost

4. Other

5. Don't know

10g. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

11. Did your local area undertake any other type of initiative to identify available jobs or potential high-growth occupations in order to guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training for such jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

11a. What was this initiative(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

11b. Which of the following sources of funding did your local area use for this initiative?

(View question)

1. WIA Adult or Dislocated Worker Program

2. Wagner-Peyser (Employment Service)

3. State Workforce Agency

4. Economic Development Agency

5. Private Funding

6. Other

11c. What was the other source of funding?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

Part III: Other sources for identifying available jobs

(View question)

12. In order to guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training, do staff in your local area use information about available jobs?

(View question)

12a. In order to guide WIA participants toward training, which staff are responsible for identifying available jobs and related skill requirements?

(View question)

1. WIB staff

2. Case managers

3. Don't know

12b. Why do staff in your local area not use information about available jobs to guide WIA participants toward training?

(View question)

1. Available jobs may not still be open when participants complete training

2. Staff do not find this information useful for guiding participants toward training

3. Information is difficult to find

4. Information does not reflect the current needs of local employers

5. Information is difficult to interpret

6. Other

12c. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

After responding to question 12b, click on the Save and continue button at the bottom of the page to go on to question 18. You do not need to answer questions 13 through 17.

(View question)

13. To what extent did staff in your local area use state job banks to identify available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

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13a. How useful were state job banks for identifying available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

13b. Which of the following are reasons that state job banks were somewhat or not at all useful in identifying available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information contained listings for jobs that were no longer available

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

13c. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

13d. Why did staff in your local area not use state job banks?

(View question)

1. Staff did not find it useful for identifying available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs

2. Staff were unaware of this resource

3. Staff did not have time to use this resource due to large caseloads

4. Other

5. Don't know

13e. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

13f. Why did staff in your local area not find state job banks useful for identifying available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information contained listings for jobs that were no longer available

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

13g. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

14. To what extent did staff in your local area use online job postings (e.g. Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, or individual company websites) to identify available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

14a. How useful were online job postings for identifying available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

14b. Which of the following are reasons that online job postings were somewhat or not at all useful in identifying available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information contained listings for jobs that were no longer available

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Many available jobs were not posted online

5. Other

14c. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

14d. Why did staff in your local area not use online job postings?

(View question)

1. Staff did not find it useful for identifying available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs

2. Staff were unaware of this resource

3. Staff did not have time to use this resource due to large caseloads

4. Other

5. Don't know

14e. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

14f. Why did staff in your local area not find state job banks useful for identifying available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information contained listings for jobs that were no longer available

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

14g. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

15. To what extent did staff in your local area use job vacancy surveys from the state labor market information office (i.e., surveys of employers about their number of job openings) to identify available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012? (Note: Not all states conduct job vacancy surveys.)

(View question)

15a. How useful were these job vacancy surveys for identifying available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

15b. Which of the following are reasons that these job vacancy surveys were somewhat or not at all useful in identifying available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information contained listings for jobs that were no longer available

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Many available jobs were not posted online

5. Other

15c. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

15d. Why did staff in your local area not use these job vacancy surveys?

(View question)

1. Our state labor market information office did not conduct a job vacancy survey

2. Staff did not find it useful for identifying available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs

3. Staff were unaware of this resource

4. Staff did not have time to use this resource due to large caseloads

5. Other

6. Don't know

15e. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

15f. Why did staff in your local area not find these job vacancy surveys useful for identifying available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information contained listings for jobs that were no longer available

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

15g. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

16. Did staff in your local area use any other sources of information to identify available jobs and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

16a. What were the other sources?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

17. What else do you think we should know about the sources of information your local area finds useful for identifying available jobs and related skill requirements so that you can guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

Part IV: Other sources for identifying potential high-growth occupations

(View question)

18. In order to guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training, do staff in your local area use information about potential high-growth occupations?

(View question)

18a. Why do staff in your local area not use information about potential high-growth occupations to guide WIA participants toward training?

(View question)

1. Staff do not find this information useful for guiding participants toward training

2. Information is difficult to find

3. Information does not reflect the expected needs of local employers

4. Information is difficult to interpret

5. Other

18b. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

After responding to question 18a, click on the Save and continue button at the bottom of the page to go on to question 29. You do not need to answer questions 19 through 28.

(View question)

19. How do case managers in your local area know which jobs are considered potential high-growth occupations in your local area?

(View question)

1. WIB staff generate a list of high-growth occupations and provide it to case managers

2. Case managers identify high-growth occupations themselves

3. Case managers obtain a list of high-growth occupations from the state labor market information office (If this is the only option you select for question 19 you may click on the Save and continue button at the bottom of the page to go on to question 29.)

4. Other

19a. How else do case managers know which jobs are considered potential high-growth occupations in your local area?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

Information from U.S. Department of Labor

(View question)

20. To what extent did staff in your local area use ONET to identify high-growth occupations or the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012? (http://www.onetonline.org)

(View question)

20a. How useful was ONET for identifying high-growth occupations or the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

20b. Which of the following are reasons that ONET was somewhat or not at all useful in identifying high-growth occupations or the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

20c. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

20d. Why did staff in your local area not use ONET?

(View question)

1. Staff did not find it useful for identifying high-growth occupations or the skills needed for those jobs

2. Staff were unaware of this resource

3. Staff did not have time to use this resource due to large caseloads

4. Other

5. Don't know

20e. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

20f. Why did staff not find ONET useful for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

20g. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

21. To what extent did staff in your local area use America's Career InfoNet (also known as Career One Stop) to identify high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012? (http://www.careerinfonet.org)

(View question)

21a. How useful was America's Career InfoNet (also known as Career One Stop) for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

21b. Which of the following are reasons that America's Career InfoNet was somewhat or not at all useful in identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

21c. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

21d. Why did staff in your local area not use America's Career InfoNet (also known as Career One Stop)?

(View question)

1. Staff did not find it useful for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs

2. Staff were unaware of this resource

3. Staff did not have time to use this resource due to large caseloads

4. Other

5. Don't know

21e. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

21f. Why did staff not find America's Career InfoNet useful for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

21g. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

22. Did staff in your local area use any other sources of information from the U.S. Department of Labor to identify potential high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

22a. What were the other sources?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

Information from state labor market information office

(View question)

23. To the best of your knowledge, does your state employ Regional Labor Market Analysts/Economists? (Note: Not all states employ Regional Labor Market Analysts/Economists.)

(View question)

23a. To what extent did WIB staff consult with a Regional Labor Market Analyst/Economist to identify high-growth occupations in your local area in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

23b. How useful was the information provided by the Regional Labor Market Analyst/Economist for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

23c. Which of the following are reasons that the information provided by the Regional Labor Market Analyst/Economist was somewhat or not at all useful in identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

2. Information was difficult to interpret

3. Other

23d. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

23e. Why did WIB staff not consult with a Regional Labor Market Analyst/Economist?

(View question)

1. Staff did not find it useful for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs

2. Staff were unaware of this resource

3. Staff did not have time to use this resource due to large caseloads

4. Other

5. Don't know

23f. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

23g. Why did WIB staff not find the information provided by the Regional Labor Market Analyst/Economist useful for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

23h. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

24. To what extent did staff in your local area use state industry and occupational projections from the state labor market information office to identify high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

24a. How useful were state industry and occupational projections for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

24b. Which of the following are reasons that state industry and occupational projections were somewhat or not at all useful in identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

24c. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

24d. Why did staff in your local area not use state industry and occupational projections?

(View question)

1. Staff did not find it useful for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs

2. Staff were unaware of this resource

3. Staff did not have time to use this resource due to large caseloads

4. Other

5. Don't know

24e. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

24f. Why did staff not find state industry and occupational projections useful for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

24g. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

25. To what extent did staff in your local area use regional or local industry and occupational projections from the state labor market information office to identify high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

25a. How useful were regional or local industry and occupational projections for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

25b. Which of the following are reasons that regional or local industry and occupational projections were somewhat or not at all useful in identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

25c. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

25d. Why did staff in your local area not use regional or local industry and occupational projections?

(View question)

1. Staff did not find it useful for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs

2. Staff were unaware of this resource

3. Staff did not have time to use this resource due to large caseloads

4. Other

5. Don't know

25e. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

25f. Why did staff not find regional or local industry and occupational projections useful for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

25g. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

26. To what extent did staff in your local area use customized reports and tools from the state labor market information office to identify high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

26a. How useful were customized reports and tools for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

26b. Which of the following are reasons that customized reports and tools were somewhat or not at all useful in identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

26c. What was the other reason(s)?

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Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

26d. Why did staff in your local area not use customized reports and tools?

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1. Staff did not find it useful for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs

2. Staff were unaware of this resource

3. Staff did not have time to use this resource due to large caseloads

4. Other

5. Don't know

26e. What was the other reason(s)?

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Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

26f. Why did staff not find customized reports and tools useful for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

26g. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

27. To what extent did staff in your local area use other labor market data from the state labor market information office (for example, information about unemployment, wages, salaries, or skill sets) to identify high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

27a. How useful were other labor market data for identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

27b. Which of the following are reasons that other labor market data were somewhat or not at all useful in identifying high-growth occupations and the skills needed for those jobs?

(View question)

1. Information was difficult to find

2. Information did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

3. Information was difficult to interpret

4. Other

27c. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

28. What else do you think we should know about the sources of information your local area finds useful for identifying potential high-growth occupations and related skill requirements so that you can guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

Part V: Comparison of local initiatives and other sources of information

29. In order to guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training, what source of information did staff in your local area primarily use to identify available jobs in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

29a. Did you supplement these local initiatives with other sources of information (i.e., state job banks, online job postings, and job vacancy surveys)?

(View question)

29b. Did you supplement these other sources of information with local initiatives (i.e., purchasing real-time labor market information, surveying employers, partnering with the economic development agency, etc.)?

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29c. Why did you use local initiatives to identify available jobs?

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1. Local initiatives provided more useful information about available jobs in our local area than other sources of information (i.e., state job banks, online job postings, and job vacancy surveys)

2. Local initiatives more accurately reflected the current needs of local employers than other sources of information (i.e., state job banks, online job postings, and job vacancy surveys)

3. Local initiatives provided more detailed information about available jobs (e.g., job description, required skills, or information about salary or work hours) than other sources of information (i.e., state job banks, online job postings, and job vacancy surveys)

4. Other

5. Don't know

29d. What was the other reason(s)?

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Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

29e. To what extent did the information from local initiatives align with other sources of information about available jobs (i.e., state job banks, online job postings, and job vacancy surveys)?

(View question)

29f. Which source of information more accurately reflected the current needs of employers in your area?

(View question)

30. In order to guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training, what source of information did staff in your local area primarily use to identify potential high-growth occupations in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

30a. Did you supplement these local initiatives with information from the state labor market information office and the U.S. Department of Labor?

(View question)

30b. Did you supplement information from the state labor market information office and the U.S. Department of Labor with local initiatives (i.e., purchasing real-time labor market information, surveying employers, partnering with the economic development agency, etc.)?

(View question)

30c. Why did you use local initiatives to identify potential high-growth occupations?

(View question)

1. Local initiatives provided more useful information about potential high-growth occupations in our local area than information from the state labor market information office and the U.S. Department of Labor

2. Local initiatives more accurately reflected the expected needs of local employers than information from the state labor market information office and the U.S. Department of Labor

3. Local initiatives provided more detailed information about the expected needs of local employers (e.g., hiring plans, skills needed for those jobs, hiring timeframe) than information from the state labor market information office and the U.S. Department of Labor

4. Other

5. Don't know

30d. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

30e. To what extent did the information from local initiatives align with information from the state labor market information office and the U.S. Department of Labor?

(View question)

30f. Which source of information more accurately reflected the expected needs of employers in your area?

(View question)

31. What else do you think we should know about how the local initiatives you use to identify available jobs, potential high-growth occupations, and related skill requirements compare with other sources of labor market information?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

Part VI: Approaches for guiding participants toward training

32. In order to guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training in calendar year 2012, did your WIB have a policy to either require or encourage participants to conduct any of the following activities?

(View question)

32u1. Meet with case managers to discuss labor market information and training options

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32u2. Complete a skill assessment

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32u3. Complete an occupational interest inventory

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32u4. Demonstrate aptitude in an area

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32u5. Gather information about the occupation for which they want training

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32u6. Other

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32a. What was the other approach(es)?

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Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

32b. Which one of these approaches do you believe is the most effective for helping WIA participants obtain employment?

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33. What else do you think we should know about the approaches your local area uses to guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

Part VII: Challenges in guiding participants toward training

34. How much of a challenge, if at all, were each of the following issues for your local area in guiding WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

Challenges pertaining to training providers

34u1. Difficulty finding training providers who offered the right type of training

(View question)

34u2. Difficulty finding training providers who offered training at convenient times of the day for participants

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34u3. Difficulty finding training providers who offered training at convenient times of the year for participants (i.e. participants had to wait for the start of a new semester to enroll in training)

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34u4. Difficulty finding training providers who had enough slots for all of the participants who wanted training

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34u5. Difficulty finding training providers who could quickly adapt their curricula to the changing needs of employers

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Challenges pertaining to costs

34u6. The cost of training in certain fields was above the ITA limit set by the state or local board

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Challenges pertaining to participants

34u7. Participants lacked the basic skills necessary to participate in training

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34u8. Participants lived too far away from training providers to participate in training

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34u9. Participants lacked financial or work supports (e.g., child care or transportation) that would enable them to participate in training

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34u10. Participants were not interested in the jobs available or the training case managers tried to guide them toward

(View question)

34u11. Employers offered low wages that participants were not willing to accept

(View question)

Data challenges

34u12. Industry/occupational projections of potential high-growth occupations from the state labor market information office did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

(View question)

34u13. Other challenges

(View question)

34a. What was the other challenge(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

35. Did any of these challenges negatively affect your ability to guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training?

(View question)

35a. How did this challenge (or challenges) negatively affect your ability to guide WIA participants toward training?

(View question)

1. We guided fewer participants toward training

2. We guided fewer participants toward their first choice of training

3. Other

35b. As a result of guiding fewer participants toward training, did fewer participants gain employment?

(View question)

35d. Were there some challenges that contributed most to this result?

(View question)

35e. What challenge(s) contributed the most?

(View question)

1. Difficulty finding training providers who offered the right type training

2. Difficulty finding training providers who offered training at convenient times of the day for participants

3. Difficulty finding training providers who offered training at convenient times of the year for participants (i.e. participants had to wait for the start of a new semester to enroll in training)

4. Difficulty finding training providers who had enough slots for all of the participants who wanted training

5. Difficulty finding training providers who could quickly adapt their curricula to the changing needs of employers

6. The cost of training in certain fields was above the ITA limit set by the state or local board

7. Participants lacked the basic skills necessary to participate in training

8. Participants lived too far away from training providers to participate in training

9. Participants lacked financial or work supports (e.g., child care or transportation) that would enable them to participate in training

10. Participants were not interested in the jobs available or the training case managers tried to guide them toward

11. Employers offered low wages that participants were not willing to accept

12. Industry/occupational projections of potential high-growth occupations from the state labor market information office did not reflect the expected needs of local employers

13. Other challenges

35f. What were the other challenges?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

36. What else do you think we should know about the challenges your local area faces in guiding WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

Part VIII: Local economic conditions

(View question)

37. Did employers in your local area have difficulty filling jobs in certain occupations in calendar year 2012?

(View question)

37a. Do you know what these occupations were?

(View question)

37b. What is the reason that you don't know what these occupations were?

(View question)

1. Our local area does not collect data on which jobs employers have difficulty filling

2. Other

37c. What is the other reason?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

What were these occupations and does your WIB consider them to be high-growth in your local area? You may list up to five occupations. If jobs in more than five occupations were difficult to fill, please list the five that were, to the best of your knowledge, the most difficult to fill.

(View question)

37d. What were these occupations?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

37d2. Does your WIB consider this occupation to be high-growth in your local area?

(View question)

___ Yes ___ No ___ Do Not Know

37e. Did employers try to fill these jobs using American Job Centers in your local area?

(View question)

Which of the following were reasons that your local area had difficulty helping employers fill these jobs?

(View question)

37fu1. WIA participants lacked the relevant work experience, education, or training credentials needed for these jobs

(View question)

37fu2. WIA participants did not have the basic skills to participate in the type of training that employers needed

(View question)

37fu3. WIA participants were not interested in training for these occupations

(View question)

37fu4. WIA participants were unwilling to accept the wages employers offered

(View question)

37fu5. WIA participants were unwilling to accept the working conditions employers offered (e.g., hours, job security, promotion potential)

(View question)

37fu6. We were unable to train enough workers to meet employers' needs

(View question)

37fu7. We had difficulty finding training providers who offered the type of training that employers needed

(View question)

37fu8. Employers were unable or unwilling to provide on-the-job training for participants who did not have the credentials they needed

(View question)

37fu9. Other

(View question)

37g. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

37h. Why did employers not try to fill these jobs using American Job Centers in your local area?

(View question)

1. Employers sought workers with higher skills than WIA participants typically have

2. Other

37i. What was the other reason(s)?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

38. What else do you think we should know about the economic conditions in your local area and any related challenges?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

39. Are employment prospects greater outside your state than inside your state?

(View question)

39as. To what extent do case managers in American Job Centers guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training for jobs outside of the state?

(View question)

39ns. Are employment prospects greater outside your local workforce investment area than inside your local area?

(View question)

39ans. Where are these employment prospects located?

(View question)

1. In neighboring areas in our state

2. In non-neighboring areas in our state

3. Outside of our state

4. Don't know

39bns. To what extent do case managers in American Job Centers guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training for jobs in neighboring areas in the state?

(View question)

39cns. To what extent do case managers in American Job Centers guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training for jobs in non-neighboring areas in the state?

(View question)

39dns. To what extent do case managers in American Job Centers guide WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker participants toward training for jobs outside of the state?

(View question)

40. What else do you think we should know about employment prospects outside your local area and training for these jobs?

(View question)

Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

Part IX: Contact information

41. What is the name, title, phone number and email address for the person who primarily completed this questionnaire? We might contact this person if we have follow-up questions.

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41u1. Name:

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Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

41u2. Title:

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Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

41u3. Phone:

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Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

41u4. E-mail:

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Responses to open-ended questions are not presented in this product.

Submit your responses to GAO

42. This completes our survey. Are you ready to submit your final completed survey to GAO?

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43. Would you like a record of your answers to this questionnaire? If so, click here to view and print a summary of your responses.

Click on the Exit and save button below to exit the survey.

Thank you for completing this questionnaire!

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