Proposed Collection; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

Proposed Collection; Comment Request

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to

reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance

consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies

with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing

collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 U.S.C. 3506 (c)(2)(A)). This program helps to

ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format,

reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized,

collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of

collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed.

Currently, the

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Employment and Training Administration is soliciting comments

concerning the proposed new collection of Migrant and Seasonal

Farmworker (MSFW) customer satisfaction data.

A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be

obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addressee section

of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the Office listed in the

address section below on or before July 8, 1996.

The Department of Labor is particularly interested in comments

which:

Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is

necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,

including whether the information will have practical utility;

Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the

burden of the proposed collection of information, including the

validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; and

Minimize the burden of the collection of information on

those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate

automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection

techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting

electronic submission of responses.

ADDRESSES: Ms. Patricia A. Carroll, Employment and Training

Administration, Office of Policy and Research, Room N5637, 200

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. Phone: (202) 219-8680

x139 (This is not a toll free number.) Fax: (202) 219-5455.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

DOL proposes to conduct a customer survey of customers' opinions

about the employment and training services received through Migrant and

Seasonal Farm Worker (MSFW) programs--how helpful services were to MSFW

customers, both overall and for specific services. This information is

critical for improving the quality of services and making them more

responsive to the needs of MSFW clients. Furthermore, it is important

to determine whether and how different types of customers viewed the

helpfulness of services they received and whether the differences in

customers' views on the helpfulness of the program are related to their

subsequent program outcomes and employment. While some agencies have

instituted some form of customer feedback, no other national effort to

measure customer satisfaction in the MSFW program is underway.

II. Current Actions

A national survey will be conducted of 2,100 current and past

participants in employment and training services. They will be asked

about their experiences with the local service providers referred to as

``grantees'' who were awarded funds through the JTPA Title IV Sec. 402

MSFW program. The questions asked in the survey will allow the

examination of the important relationships between services and

customer satisfaction. The questionnaire will ask about how satisfied

customers were with the services overall and with specific services,

including supportive services.

A nationally representatives sample of participants will be drawn

from a representative sample of 25 grantees. From each selected

grantee, a sample of terminees and/or current participants will be

selected over a period of several months. In this way, the sample will

reflect the seasonal differences in the types of customers served in

the program. About one-third of the sample will be individuals still

participating in the program, who will be interviewed in person at the

grantees' offices. The remaining two-thirds of the sample will be

interviewed about 30 days after they leave the program so that the can

report about how helpful services were in helping them find or keep a

job. These individuals will be interviewed by phone, through a mail

survey, or in person if necessary. The results of this survey will be

used to suggest ways to improve programs to better meet the needs of

the MSFW population.

Type of Review: New.

Agency: Employment and Training Administration.

Title: MSFW Customer Survey.

Affected Public: Individuals or households.

Total Respondents: 1,680 individuals.

Frequency: One time only.

Total Responses: 1,680 responses.

Average Time per Response: 20 minutes.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 560 hours.

Total Burden Cost: To complete this survey respondents are not

expected to be required to purchase equipment or services. The answers

to the questions in the survey are expected to be data that are already

available. Therefore, the cost to the respondents result only from the

time spent answering the questions. Estimates of the time to respond

are presented above.

Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be

summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and

Budget approval of the information collection request; they will also

become a matter of public record.

Dated: May 2, 1996.

Gerard F. Fiala,

Administrator, Office of Policy and Research.

[FR Doc. 96-11501 Filed 5-7-96; 8:45 am]

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