	Background

The Workforce Investment Act created a new, comprehensive workforce  investment system designed to change the way employment and training  services are delivered. One-Stops Used Strategies to Streamline Services for Job Seekers

The one-stop centers we visited embraced the customer-focused provisions  of WIA by streamlining one-stop services for job seekers. All 14 one-stop  centers we visited used at least one of three different strategies to build a  streamlined one-stop system—ensuring job seekers could readily access  needed services, educating program staff about all of the one-stop services  available to job seekers, and consolidating case management and intake  procedures (see fig. One-Stops Developed Strategies to Engage and Provide Services to Employers in the One- Stop System

All of the one-stops we visited implemented at least one of three different  approaches to engage and provide services to employers—dedicating  specialized staff to establish relationships with employers or industries,  working with employers through intermediaries, and providing tailored  services to meet employers’ specific workforce needs (see fig.4). Many of the one-stops also worked  with employers through intermediaries, such as the Chambers of  Commerce or economic development entities, in order to market one-stop  services and expand their base of employer customers. One-Stop Centers Built a Solid Infrastructure by Strengthening Program Partnerships and Raising Additional Funds

To build the solid infrastructure needed to support better services for job  seekers and employers, many of the one-stops we visited developed and  strengthened program partnerships and raised funds beyond those  provided under WIA. Center operators fostered the development of strong  program partnerships by encouraging communication and collaboration  among partners through functional teams and joint projects. Many one-stops also worked  toward improving one-stop operations and services by raising additional  funds through fee-based services, grants, and contributions from partners  and state or local government. Little Is Known about the Impact of Strategies to Improve One-Stop Services and Management

While Labor currently tracks outcome data—such as job placement, job  seeker satisfaction, and employer satisfaction—and funds several studies  to evaluate workforce development programs and service delivery models,  little is known about the impact of various one-stop service delivery  approaches on these and other outcomes. Labor’s studies largely take a  program-by-program approach rather than focusing on the impact on job  seekers of various one-stop integrated service delivery approaches, such as  sharing customer intake forms across programs, or on employers, such as  dedicating staff to focus on engaging and serving employers. Further,  Labor’s efforts to collaborate with other federal agencies to assess the  effects of different strategies to integrate job seeker services or to serve  employers through the one-stop system have been limited. While Labor has developed a promising practices  Web site to facilitate such information sharing, it is unclear how well the  site currently meets this objective. Labor also said that it is engaged in other activities to  effectively share information about what is working well in one-stop  centers. In addition, this collaboration has improved local  labor market information and sharing of promising practices.
Why GAO Did This Study

To create a more comprehensive workforce investment system, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 requires states and localities to coordinate most federally funded employment and training services into a single system, called the one-stop center system. This report examines how selected one-stop centers have used the law's flexibility to implement their own vision of WIA and provides information on promising practices for (1) streamlining services for job seekers, (2) engaging the employer community, (3) building a solid one-stop infrastructure by strengthening partnerships across programs and raising additional funds. In addition, it provides information on the actions the Department of Labor is taking to collect and share information about what is working well for job seeker and employer customers in one-stop centers.

What GAO Found

Of the 14 one-stop centers in GAO's study that were identified as exemplary by government officials and workforce development experts, all had implemented a range of promising practices to streamline services for jobseekers, engage the employer community, and built a solid one-stop infrastructure. The one-stop centers GAO visited streamlined services for job seekers by ensuring access to needed services, educating program staff about all of the one-stop services available to job seekers, and consolidating case management and intake procedures. In addition, all of the one-stop centers GAO visited used at least one of the following three methods to engage employers--dedicating specialized staff to work with employers or industries, working with employers through intermediaries, such as Chambers of Commerce or economic development entities, or tailoring services to meet specific employers' needs. To provide the infrastructure to support better services for job seekers and employers, many of the one-stops GAO visited found innovative ways to strengthen program partnerships and to raise additional funds beyond those provided under WIA. Center operators fostered the development of strong program partnerships by encouraging partner collaboration through functional work teams and joint projects, and they raised additional funds through fee-based services, grants, and contributions from partners and state or local governments. While Labor currently tracks outcome data--such as job placement, job seeker satisfaction and employer satisfaction--and funds several studies to evaluate workforce development programs and service delivery models, little is known about the impact of various one-stop service delivery approaches on these and other outcomes. Labor's studies largely take a program-by-program approach rather than focusing on the impact on job seekers of various one-stop integrated service delivery approaches, such as sharing customer intake forms across programs, or on employers, such as dedicating staff to focus on engaging and serving employers. Further, Labor's efforts to collaborate with other federal agencies to assess the effects of different strategies to integrate job seeker services or to serve employers through the one-stop system have been limited. While Labor has developed a promising practices Web site to facilitate such information sharing, it is unclear how well the site currently meets this objective.