0596-0247_Supporting_Statement_Updated

Supporting Statement:
OMB Control Number 0596-0247

Workforce Development Participant Tracking Form Formerly Public Lands Corps Tracking Sheet

This supporting statement provides additional information regarding the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (FS) request for processing the proposed information collection, Workforce Development Participant Tracking Form, previously titled the Public Lands Corps Participant Tracking Sheet. The numbered questions correspond to the order shown on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Form 83-1, Instructions for Completing OMB Form 83-I.

A. Justification

1. Explain the circumstances that make the col­lection of information necessary. Iden­tify any legal or administrative require­ments that necessitate the collection.

Federal land management and other agencies are authorized to offer work and education programs for individuals in natural and cultural resources careers and experiences in partnership with conservation and service corps, and environmental and other organizations that contribute to the rehabilitation, restoration, and repair of public lands resources and infrastructure and climate adaptation and mitigation. Some of the applicable statutes and regulations include special hiring authorities upon completion of certain requirements. This information collection request will enable participating agencies to capture required and other information that will aid in workforce development and job training for young people, returning veterans and others who are unemployed or underemployed and to monitor compliance with statutory laws and associated hiring authorities.

Laws, statutes, and regulations listed below authorize federal land management agencies (identified in Table 1 below) to implement work and education programs:

• 16 U.S.C. §1721 et. seq. – Public Lands Corps Act (PLC)

• 16 U.S.C. §1701 et. seq.-- Youth Conservation Corps

• 16 U.S.C. 583k – National Forest System Trails Stewardship Act

• 16 U.S.C. §1246 – Administration and development of national trails system

• 16 U.S.C. 498 -- Cooperative Funds Act

• 16 U.S.C 565a1-a3 – Cooperative Funds & Deposits Act

• 16 U.S.C 2101-2114 – Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act

• 54 U.S.C §101702(a) - Cooperative agreements

• 54 U.S.C. §101701(b). Challenge cost-share agreement authority

• 43 U.S.C. 1703 -- Service First

• 16 U.S.C. 2113A -- Good Neighbor Authority

• 16 U.S.C. 532-539 – National Forest Roads and Trails Act

• 16 U.S.C. 1011a – Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Act

• 16 U.S.C. 1641-1650 – Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act

• P.L. 116-152 – Great American Outdoors Act

• 16 U.S.C. 742a-742j – Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956

• P.L. 106–393 §605 -- Collaborative Forest Restoration—Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act

• P.L. 102–154 -- Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act
  
  

Table 1 – Participating Land Management Agencies

Department of Agriculture

• U.S. Forest Service

Department of the Interior

• Office of the Secretary (OS),

• Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA),

• Bureau of Land Management (BLM),

• Bureau of Reclamation (BOR),

• National Park Service (NPS),

• Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE),

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

U.S. Department of Commerce

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Natural and cultural resources and workforce development projects are conducted primarily through partnerships with conservation corps, environmental and other organizations, and institutions that recruit, and support individuals interested in natural and cultural resources careers with a focus on equal opportunity and engagement of underrepresented communities. Land management agencies codify agreements, partnerships or contracts with various government and non-government partner organizations, hereinafter referred to as cooperators, to help recruit participants, manage the pay and benefits, and other administrative requirements of the project including tracking hours, demographics, education, and performance outcomes of participants engaged on work projects, support training and workforce development and coordinate project work.

Federal land management agencies codify roles and responsibilities using a variety of authorities and instruments to conduct work projects in partnership with stakeholders and cooperators and other federal agencies. For instance, Job Corps Centers hosted on federal lands offer natural resources training certifications through a contract with the Department of Labor. AmeriCorps grantees partner with natural resources agencies to host work experiences for AmeriCorps members on projects. In addition to various cooperative agreement and grant making authorities specific to each of the land management and other affected agencies some authorities that focus on conservation, preservation and restoration of public lands and waters are available to multiple agencies.

The Public Lands Corps Act (16 USC 1723) grants the Secretaries of the Departments of Agriculture, Interior and Commerce authority to establish Public Lands Corps that:

• Offer meaningful work or service experiences to individuals between the ages of 16 and 30, and veterans up to age 35 inclusive, in a natural or cultural resource setting and individual placements for candidates 17 and above;

• Provide participants with a combination of work experiences, basic and life skills, education, training, and support services; and,

• Facilitate citizenship and stewardship values and skills through service to their community and the United States.

The Public Lands Corps Act is inclusive of the Indian Youth Service Corps and Resource Assistants opportunities. Public Lands Corps members become eligible for noncompetitive and direct hire eligibilities for Federal jobs upon meeting certain program requirements successfully such as number of hours worked and minimum education.

The Youth Conservation Corps (16 USC 1703) authorizes the Secretary of the Departments of Agriculture and Interior to implement summer employment for youth between the ages of 15 and 18. YCC projects enable the further development and maintenance of the natural resources by America’s youth, and in so doing to prepare them for the ultimate responsibility of maintaining and managing these resources for the American people.

Partnerships with organizations and institutions of higher education facilitate scholarship and internship programs designed to attract outstanding students from diverse communities to natural resource careers.

This information collection request establishes policies and procedures for the implementation of a form or system (Attachment A) to ensure uniform collection of information regarding tracking and monitoring work accomplished and participant engagement to determine the completion of requirements for non-competitive hiring eligibility as defined in the Act and to comply with statutory reporting requirements.

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what pur­pose the information is to be used. Except for a new collec­tion, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the infor­ma­tion received from the current collec­tion.

1. What information will be collected - reported or recorded? (If there are pieces of information that are especially burdensome in the collection, a specific explanation should be provided.)

While certain authorities may require reporting and data collection, a primary source requirement for most users of this data collection is the Public Lands Corps Act. USC §1727a requires annual reporting to Congress that includes the following data on Corps activities:

1. number of participants enrolled in the Corps and the length of the term of service for each participant;

1. projects carried out by Corps participants, categorized by type of project and Federal agency;

2. total amount and sources of funding provided for the service of participants;

3. type of service performed by participants and the impact and accomplishments of the service; and

4. any other similar data determined to be appropriate by the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service or the Secretaries.

A complete list of the information collected for the Workforce Development Participant Tracking Form is outlined in Table 2 inclusive of designation whether data is an additive request.

Table 2. Information Collected

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PARTICIPANT TRACKING FORM
Item Collected	Use of information	New Data Field (Yes or No) and/or Changes
Legal Applicant or Cooperator	Identify stakeholders who comply with data reporting requirements.	No. Item title changed from Partner.
Submission Date	Verify compliance with reporting timeline requirements defined in agreement or grant instrument.	No
Name, Title, Contact Information	Provide point of contact for further information regarding data collection.	No
Participant Information Tab
Last Name	Verify participant of record identify.	No
First Name	Verify participant of record identify.	No
Middle Name	Verify participant of record identify.	Yes. Previously middle initial only.
Permanent Residence ZIP code	Inform mapping regarding whether participant home of record is a distressed community	No
Email Address	Facilitate further contact with individual participants.	No
Date of Birth Month/Year	Determine eligibility for Public Lands Corps, Resource Assistants, and other special hiring authorities.	No. Revised form eliminates day of birth, requests only month and year.
Gender Male Female Non-binary Genderqueer Other Prefer not to respond	Monitor and report compliance with inclusion priorities.	No. Revised form expands options to select non-binary, gender queer and prefer not to respond.
Ethnicity Hispanic or Latino Not Hispanic or Latino	Monitor and report compliance with inclusion priorities.	No
Race – 1, 2, 3 American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black or African American White Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Some other race	Monitor and report compliance with inclusion priorities.	No
Education Level Completed -- 1 Some High School High School Diploma/GED Some College Associates Degree BA/BS Degree Professional/Graduate Degree Vocational Training Technical Certification N/A	Confirm participant education levels to aid in effective workforce development hiring by Federal agencies of special hiring authorities.	No. Expanded education level completed options with Vocational Training and Technical Certification.
Post-secondary Institution Attended -- 1, 2	Monitor where participants attended institutions of higher education to inform targeted outreach to achieve justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion priorities.	No. Changed name of field from College/University Name. Revised form will include a dropdown menu of 33,551 accredited postsecondary institutions and programs sourced at https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home Added a 2nd option for college/university name to permit participants to identify multiple institutions aligned with multiple education levels completed.
Course of study – 1, 2	Identify the college major of the participant to track college majors of participants in support of job opportunities in the federal government.	No. Changed name to Education. Added a 2nd option aligned with multiple courses of study if more than one post-secondary institution is selected.
Military/Veteran Status Currently serving Reservist Veteran No military service	Monitor and report compliance with inclusion priorities.	No
Disability Status Yes No	Monitor and report compliance with inclusion priorities.	No
AmeriCorps Status State/National VISTA NCCC Alumni None	Monitor and report engagement of AmeriCorps members by type and eligibility for education awards.	Yes
Skills and Abilities	Aid hiring managers to recruit qualified candidates with special hiring authorities.	No
Total Hours Worked	Confirm required number of hours have been completed to fulfill program requirements for special hiring eligibilities. Auto- populates from Project Information tab.	No
Full Name	Auto-populates with participant’s full name and project experience and hours reported on the Project Information tab.	No
Project Information Tab
Legal Applicant or Cooperator	Identify stakeholders who comply with data reporting requirements.	No. Item title changed from Partner.
Grant or Agreement Number	Identify the grant or agreement number associated with the project.	No. Item title expanded to include grants.
Legal Applicant or Cooperator SAM Unique Entity Identifier	Verify legal applicant or cooperator and distinguishes between legal applicants or cooperators with similar names.	Yes
Federal Agency	Support aggregation of data about work and participants by federal agency as required by statute.	Yes
Agency Organization	Inform agency planning for better outcomes, reporting, and tracking.	No.
Agency Unit (Location)	Field units where work is conducted will inform agency planning for better outcomes, reporting, and tracking.	No.
Agency Unit Zip Code	Inform mapping regarding whether project location is a distressed community	Yes
Start Date	Track and verify project timeline and participant engagement in the program.	No
End Date	Track and verify project timeline and participant engagement tracks in the program.	No
Project Title	Permit agency staff to distinguish between projects with similar activities and track associated hours work for purpose of verifying hiring eligibility.	No. Linked with project title on Project Tracking tab.
Agency Project Coordinator Last Name	Facilitate access for additional information as needed.	No. Adjusted title of field to remove emphasize best contact for project.
Project Coordinator First Name	Facilitate access for additional information as needed.	No. Adjusted title of field to remove emphasize best contact for project.
Project Coordinator Email Address	Facilitate access for additional information as needed.	No. Adjusted title of field to remove emphasize best contact for project.
Project Total Hours	Facilitate record keeping of hours per participant on multiple projects with special hiring authorities.	No. Automatically populated from hours entered on Project Tracking Tab.
Project Abstract (75-character limit.)	Inform agency staff awareness about project goals and objectives for communications and reporting.	Yes
Project Tracking Tab
First, Last Name	Alignment with participant record on participant Information tab ensures quality control.	No
Position Type Crew Member Intern Individual Placement	Aggregate types of positions for reporting compliance.	No. Reframed the drop-down options.
Project Title	Permit agency staff to distinguish between projects with similar activities and track associated hours work for purpose of verifying hiring eligibility.	No. Links with project title on Project Tracking tab.
Type of Work Animal Management Arboriculture/Tree Management Archaeology Botany Budget/Accounting Business Operations Citizen Science Climate Resilience Community Outreach/Partnerships Conservation Education Construction Cultural and Historical Resources / Heritage Data Collection & Analytics Disaster Services Ecosystem Management Energy/Greenhouse Gas Emissions Engineering Fire Management Fuels Reduction Geographic Information Systems (GIS/GPS) Geology Green Infrastructure Habitat Conservation Hydrology Information Technology (IT) Services Interpretive Services Law Enforcement Administration Maintenance Mineral Resources Monitoring Natural Resources Stewardship Permitting Planning Public Affairs/Communications Realty Recreation Services Reforestation Research Restoration Special Uses Storm Water Management Sustainable Agriculture Trails Maintenance & Construction Tribal Relations Visitor Services Volunteer Management Watersheds Wilderness/Backcountry Wildlife Biology Youth Engagement Other	Permit aggregation of [insert total #] types of work performed across participating agencies.	No. Options expanded.
Project Hours Worked	Aggregate types of positions for reporting compliance.	No. Project hours per participant on all projects uploaded cumulatively on the Project Information tab.
Hiring Certificate Type Non-competitive Direct hire Both N/A	Permit agency staff to distinguish between projects with similar activities and track associated hours work for purpose of verifying hiring eligibility.	Yes
Certificate Status   Complete In progress Did not complete N/A	Permit aggregation of [insert total #] types of work performed across participating agencies.	No
Hiring Certificate Issue Date	Alignment with participant record on participant Information tab ensures quality control.	No. Reframed the title to accurately reflect the action.
Narrative/Comments	Aggregate types of positions for reporting compliance.	No

b. From whom will the information be collected? If there are different respondent categories (e.g., loan applicant versus a bank versus an appraiser), each should be described along with the type of collection activity that applies.

The Forest Service and other Federal Land Management agencies will request this information from cooperators with whom contracts, grants or agreements are established to host workforce development and training experiences and potentially stakeholders engaged in these experiences.

c. What will this information be used for - provide ALL uses?

This information will permit the government to monitor and ensure the programmatic integrity of federal resources obligated to cooperator; inform the effectiveness of Agency efforts to meet the intent of workforce and job training objectives; track and increase the engagement of under-represented populations in natural and cultural resource conservation, development and scientific research work, and education on public lands; verify eligibility of participants for special hiring authorities; and contribute to Congressional reporting requirements as defined in statute. See Table 2: Information Collected.

d. How will the information be collected (e.g., forms, non-forms, electronically, face-to-face, over the phone, over the Internet)? Does the respondent have multiple options for providing the information? If so, what are they?

Respondents will primarily access the information collection electronically through web-based Portals on federal agency servers that are accessible to cooperators through login.gov. The form as a secondary source will be available to respondents who may not have access to a Portal platform hosted by the agency or is unable to access the Portal through login.gov.

e. How frequently will the information be collected?

Cooperators are generally required to submit this data annually to comply with agency annual reporting requirements, however, agencies may require cooperators to submit the data more frequently while others may implement a policy that will permit cooperators to input data throughout the fiscal year cycle on web-based portals.

f. Will the information be shared with any other organizations inside or outside USDA or the government?

Aggregated information of certain non-PII data could be shared with participating cooperators, and other federal agencies that support workforce development, job training and civilian climate corps priorities, and entities conducting data analytics and evaluations of these programs. No personally identifying information will be shared with other entities.

g. If this is an ongoing collection, how have the collection requirements changed over time?

The is an ongoing collection going through a first renewal process. Since the collection was originally approved in 2018, there has been increasing interest by the government to reach underrepresented populations to be more inclusive, changes to several laws that authorize the type of experiences monitored through the collection and implementation of the Forest Service Equity Action Plan in response to E.O. 13985. As noted in Table 2: Information Collected, proposed changes to the form include new fields that will permit collection of data about participants who serve in workforce development programs and the hours they contribute, improve delineation of the types of work conducted, and permit better aggregation of data to comply with reporting requirements and goals related to more equitable workforce development.

2. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of auto­mat­ed, elec­tronic, mechani­cal, or other techno­log­ical collection techniques or other forms of information technol­o­gy, e.g., permit­ting elec­tronic sub­mission of respons­es, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also, describe any con­sideration of using in­fo­r­m­a­t­ion technolo­gy to re­duce bur­den.

The information collection primary collection is through web-based Portals on federal agency servers that are accessible to cooperators through login.gov. The form as a secondary source will be available to respondents who may not have access to a Portal platform hosted by the agency or is unable to access the Portal through login.gov.

The development of web-based Portals permits cooperators to directly enter responses thereby resulting in great efficiency, timely reporting, verification of participant eligibility and completion of the program hours, and reduced paperwork burden for all parties. Giving cooperators control to enter data through login.gov will allow cooperators to utilize one account for secure, private access to participating government agencies and will protect users’ information with the highest standards of digital security and user experience.

2. Describe efforts to identify duplica­tion. Show specifically why any sim­ilar in­for­mation already avail­able cannot be used or modified for use for the purpos­es de­scri­bed in Item 2 above.

There are no existing forms suitable for the purpose of monitoring workforce development and job training partnerships which must be implemented through partnership organizations. No other information collection has been identified that gathers the same or similar information included in this collection. Further, there is currently no information collected from Partners and/or other entities regarding participant records or progress as it relates to workforce development and special hiring authorities.

2. If the collection of information impacts small business or other entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.

This information collection has little impact on small businesses or other entities. Smaller entities will have fewer participants to report, so the reporting burden should be commensurate with the organizational capacity. The transition to the web-based platform will increasing streamline reporting requirements and subsequently minimize burden for all parties. consolidate and streamline reporting and tracking to minimize burden.

2. Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is con­ducted less fre­quent­ly, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

The information collection will ensure uniformity of data and program monitoring of workforce development and job training programs and will enable federal agencies to comply with reporting requirements in federal statutes

If federal agencies are unable to collect data regarding workforce development projects and participants hosted in collaboration with cooperators as required by statute, designated agencies will be unable to comply with Congressional guidance and legislative requirements to submit performance data.

2. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collecti­on to be con­ducted in a manner:

• Requiring respondents to report informa­tion to the agency more often than quarterly;

• Requiring respondents to prepare a writ­ten response to a collection of infor­ma­tion in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;

• Requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any docu­ment;

• Requiring respondents to retain re­cords, other than health, medical, governm­ent contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years;

• In connection with a statisti­cal sur­vey, that is not de­signed to produce valid and reli­able results that can be general­ized to the uni­verse of study;

• Requiring the use of a statis­tical data classi­fication that has not been re­vie­wed and approved by OMB;

• That includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by au­thority estab­lished in statute or regu­la­tion, that is not sup­ported by dis­closure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unneces­sarily impedes shar­ing of data with other agencies for com­patible confiden­tial use; or

• Requiring respondents to submit propri­etary trade secret, or other confidential information unless the agency can demon­strate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information's confidentiality to the extent permit­ted by law.

The request for collection of information is conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines in Title 5 CFR 1320.6. There are no special circumstances related to this information collection.

2. If applicable, provide a copy and iden­tify the date and page number of publications in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8 (d), soliciting com­ments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public com­ments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these comments. Specifically address com­ments received on cost and hour burden.

Describe efforts to consult with persons out­side the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and record keeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported. Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or those who must compile records should occur at least once every 3 years even if the col­lection of information activity is the same as in prior periods.

Federal Register Notice was published on December 23, 2021. The document citation is volume 86, number 230 on pages 68625 - 686266. It can be accessed electronically at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2021-12-03/pdf/2021-26306.pdf. Forest Service did not receive any comments/.

2. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than re-enumeration of contractors or grantees.

Payments or gifts will not be made to respondents of this information collection.

2. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

The data collected for the information collection would fall under the Forest Service’ End-User Computer Environment (or EUCE) information system.  EUCE is an accredited system with a corresponding, signed, and approved Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA).  The EUCE PIA is required by OMB Memorandum 03-22, which provides guidance for implementing the privacy provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002. The password protected file will be stored on a fully encrypted laptop, only accessible by authorized Forest Service employees working as part of the administration of the Volunteer and Service program in the Forest Service’s Washington Office.

Each form will show the presence of Privacy Act statement and Burden Statement as assurance to respondents. Collection and use are covered by Privacy Act System of Records DOI-05 and OPM/GOVT-1 and is consistent with the provisions of 5 USC 552a (Privacy Act of 1974), which authorizes acceptance of the information requested. Authority includes Public Law (PL) 91-357; 5 U.S.C. 1302, 2951, 3301, 3372, 4118, 8347, and Executive Orders 9397, as amended by 13478, 9830, and 12107. The Government-wide Systems of Records satisfies some requirements under the Privacy Act and DOI specific Systems of Records satisfies other requirements.

2. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior or attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.

This information request does not contain questions of a sensitive nature.

2. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated. If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form.

The annual number of respondents was estimated as the current number of Partners supporting PLC projects; each would respond quarterly. The time per response was estimated by taking the average of the times it took for several Forest Service partners to individually complete the form. This estimated response time was multiplied by the estimated number of annual responses to result in the estimated total annual burden on respondents. The cost per hour used is the mean average hourly wage for Business Operation Specialists (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes131199.htm) and was multiplied by the Estimated Annual Burden hours for an estimate of the total cost. See Table 3.

Table 3. Estimated burden hours and costs

A	B	C	D	E	F	G
Estimated Annual Number of Respondents	Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent	Estimated Total Annual Responses (A x B)	Estimated Response Time (hours)	Estimated Annual Burden Hours (C x D)	Cost Per hour	Total Cost (E x F)
250	2	500	2	1000	$47.15	$142,056.05

Record-keeping burden:

Partners are required to maintain records regarding PLC participants for a period of 3 (three) years after a participant receives a certificate of eligibility, signaling completion of a PLC project.

2. Provide estimates of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information, (do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in items 12 and 14). The cost estimates should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up cost component annualized over its expected useful life; and (b) a total operation and maintenance and purchase of services component.

1. There are no non-hour costs.

2. There are no capital operation and maintenance costs.

2. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Provide a description of the method used to estimate cost and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.

Estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government is totaled at $61,236 as demonstrated in Table 4. The method used is a calculation of the number of hours a comparable GS-9 Program Analyst would spend collecting and analyzing PLC participant data for PLC projects from Partners. Average GS-9 wage step 5 is $39.54 per hour; this figure is multiplied by the number of hours such analysts would need to compile and review PLC participant data over the course of a year.

To calculate approval and monitoring per applicant, the method used is a calculation of the number of hours a GS-13 Program Coordinator normally spends to review, analyze, and approve PLC participant data for PLC projects from Partners. Average GS-13 wage is $68.18 per hour; this figure is multiplied by the number of hours such analysts would need to complete the review of PLC participant data over the course of a year. Wages include 36.25% for benefits calculations.

No other expenses would have been incurred without the collection of information.

Table 4. Estimated cost to Government

(a) Description of the Collection Activity	(b) Forms Processing Time per Applicant	(c) Estimated Average Income per Hour of Processor	(d) Total Estimated Cost per Applicant (b) x (c)	(e) Applicants per year	(f) Subtotal (d) x (e)
Workforce Development Participant Tracking Form	35 minutes (.58 hour)	GS-09 $39.54/hour	$22.93	500(250 organizations submitting twice yearly per year)	$11,465
Totals		----	----	----	$5,733

(a) Description of the Collection Activity	(g) Approval and Monitoring per applicant	(h) Estimated Average Income per hour of Supervisor	(I) Total Estimated Cost per Applicant (g) x (h)	(j) Applicants per year	(k) Subtotal (i) x (j)
Workforce Development Participant Tracking Form	35 minutes (.58 hour)	GS-13 $568.18/hour	$39.54	500	$19,770
TOTALS		---	----	----	$9,886

(a) Description of the Collection Activity	(l) Sub-total Item f	(m) Sub-total Item k	(n) Total Estimated Cost
TOTALS	$11,465	$19,770	$31,235

2. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in items 13 or 14 of OMB form 83-I.

Based on past performance and submission rates as well as data regarding partners who are likely to respond to this information collection, expected responses based on Forest Service only respondents are reduced by about 60%. This was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on past collections, respondents’ time is being updated to two hours on average instead of six hours. This includes use of the upload form (FS-1800-0026a), which allows partners to bulk upload data rather than enter line by line into the database.

2. For collections of information whose results are planned to be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication.

Results of this information collection may be aggregated and released to the public through social media, briefing/white papers, and/or updates/newsletters to validate return on investment for workforce development and job training programs hosted by federal agencies and to inform policy regarding developing, implementing, and managing said programs. No personally identifiable information will be released unless permission is expressly granted by the cooperator or participant.

2. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

The valid OMB control number and expiration date will be displayed on all information collection instruments.

2. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in item 19, "Certification Requirement for Paperwork Reduction Act."

There are no exceptions to the certification statement. The agency can certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.

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