Justification

Justification for Non-Substantive Change Request (OMB Control No. 1205-0398)

Background

In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for a streamlined re-employment system to help unemployed jobseekers return to work. A key part of this effort is to raise awareness of Federal resources available. The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is in the process of issuing guidance announcing the American Job Center Network, a unifying name and brand that identifies virtual and in-person publicly-funded workforce development services as part of a single network. To increase jobseeker and employer awareness of workforce development resources available across the country, ETA will be encouraging the publicly-funded workforce system in accordance with their state plans, and requiring selected competitive grantees as part of their grant awards, to implement the American Job Center Network brand or co-brand.

To support public awareness and use, the President has requested Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 resources for rebranding and strengthening the One-Stop Career Center system. These funds will also be used to expand access to workforce services to more physical locations, to extend American Job Center business hours, and to expand virtual services available in national electronic tools.

State Implementation

State Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and Wagner-Peyser Act (W-P) grantees may implement the American Job Center Network brand, which can include co-branding for their virtual and in-person resources as “a proud partner of the American Job Center Network,” either in Program Year (PY) 2012 or later on. States choosing to implement the American Job Center Network brand will notify ETA either as part of their five-year State Plan (OMB Control No. 1205-0398), due September 17, 2012, or as a plan modification later on. States will set policies to allow the use of the logo by local partners as well. ETA will issue guidance in June 2012 describing expectations for use of the brand and state and local workforce investment board roles in determining the use of the brand by local partners. At the same time, ETA will issue guidance instructing states on how to notify ETA if they intend to implement the brand as part of their State Plans. Because states are currently preparing their Plans, the guidance for implementing this initiative is time sensitive.