Multiple Employment Training Programs: Basic Program Data Often Missing

GAO discussed multiple employment training programs and the need to ensure that program administrators are accountable for program results. GAO noted that: (1) there are at least 154 programs administered by 14 federal departments and agencies that provide employment training assistance; (2) program administrators should monitor the effectiveness of their programs to maximize the federal investment and help participants' transition into the workforce; (3) most agencies are unable to adequately evaluate project success because their monitoring efforts do not include assessments of participant outcomes; (4) most agencies do not assess whether participants would have achieved similar outcomes without program assistance; (5) significant data gaps are pervasive in many categories including funding levels, the number of participants served, participant characteristics, and outcomes achieved; (6) program data provided by agencies are sometimes estimated, old, or incomplete; (7) agencies are unable to provide routine data on their program participants or any information on program performance; (8) a major structural overhaul of the current employment training system is needed; (9) program administrators need to be held accountable for the performance of their programs and clearly define performance standards; and (10) agencies need to begin collecting data to ensure individual program and overall system accountability.