Audit of the San Francisco Private Industry Council H-1B Technical Skills Training Grant Number AH-
Description
AUDIT OF THE SAN FRANCISCO PRIVATE INDUSTRY COUNCIL H-1B TECHNICAL SKILLS TRAINING GRANT NUMBER AH-10855-00-60 AUGUST 1, 2000 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2001 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT NO: 02-02-213-03-390 DATE: September 30, 2002 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS....................................................................................................................................i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............1 INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................3 AUDIT OBJECTIVES.........4 AUDIT SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY..........................................................................4 FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS I. PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION..............................................................................6 II. PROGRAM OUTCOMES...........................7 III. REPORTED OUTLAYS ............................................................................................11 IV. OTHER MATTERS...................................13 APPENDIX SFPIC’S RESPONSE TO DRAFT REPORT....................................................................14 ACRONYMS ACWIA American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act BAVC Bay Area Video Coalition CFR Code of Federal ...
Informations
| Publié par | Enfea |
| Nombre de lectures | 19 |
| Langue | English |
Extrait
AUDIT OF THE SAN FRANCISCO PRIVATE INDUSTRY COUNCIL H-1B TECHNICAL SKILLS TRAINING GRANT NUMBER AH-10855-00-60 AUGUST 1, 2000 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2001
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT NO: 02-02-213-03-390 DATE: September 30, 2002
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACRONYMS ....................................................................................................................................i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................3 AUDIT OBJECTIVES .........................................................................................................4 AUDIT SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY..........................................................................4 FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS I. PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION..............................................................................6 II. PROGRAM OUTCOMES...........................................................................................7 III. REPORTED OUTLAYS............................................................................................11 IV. OTHER MATTERS...................................................................................................13 APPENDIX SFPIC’S RESPONSE TO DRAFT REPORT....................................................................14
ACWIA
BAVC
CFR
FSR
OMB
SFPIC
USDOL
WIA
ACRONYMS
American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act
Bay Area Video Coalition
Code of Federal Regulations
Financial Status Report
Office of Management and Budget
San Francisco Private Industry Council
U.S. Department of Labor
Workforce Investment Act
- i -
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), Office of Inspector General, conducted an audit of the San Francisco Private Industry Council’s (SFPIC) H-1B technical skills training grant for the period August 1, 2000 through December 31, 2001. The overall audit objective was to evaluate if SFPIC was meeting the intent of the H-1B Technical Skills Training Program and the requirements of its grant. The subobjectives were to determine if: · The project had been implemented as stated in the grant. · Program outcomes were measured, achieved, and reported. · Reported costs were reasonable, allocable, and allowable in accordance with applicable Federal regulations, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-122, Cost Principles for Non-Profit Organizations. The H-1B Technical Skills Training Program was designed to help U.S. workers acquire the technical skills for occupations that are in demand and being filled by foreign workers holding H-1B visas. USDOL awarded SFPIC $3,000,000 for the period August 1, 2000 through July 31, 2002, to train and place up to 250 participants in digital media skill occupations. A UDIT R ESULTS As of December 31, 2001, SFPIC had implemented a sustainable training project that was consistent with grant requirements and served the target population. Reported costs totaled $1,885,057. However, SFPIC had not met planned placement outcomes and we question $915,985, or 49 percent of reported costs, that were not reasonable, allocable, and allowable. · While most training outcomes were achieved, planned placement outcomes did not occur due to decreased demand for digital media skills in the internet industry. The grant required SFPIC to report the number of participants placed into employment (placements), their average hourly wage (placement wages), and the number of participants remaining employed for at least 8 months after being hired (retention). SFPIC did not adequately measure retention outcomes. Also, SFPIC did not report placement wages or retention achievements to USDOL. Rate of Program Outcome Planned Reported Success Placements 205 30 15 % Placement Wages $22/hour $15/hour 68 % Retention 200 Not reported Unknown
1 --
· We question $915,985, or 49 percent of reported costs of $1,885,057, because amounts claimed were not based on actual costs. Further, the ma tching requirement of 25 percent was not being met as of December 31, 2001. Future costs may be questioned if the matching requirement is not met. SFPIC’ S R ESPONSE On September 11, 2002, SFPIC’s President responded to our draft report. She stated that she agreed that SFPIC had implemented a sustainable project consistent with the grant requirements but had not met planned placement outcomes as of December 31, 2001. She also provided additional documentation related to expenditures questioned in the draft report. OIG’ S C OMMENTS The materials enclosed with SFPIC’s response did not support costs of $915,985 and presented conflicting information from what had been obtained during the course of the audit. Excerpts of SFPIC’s response to the draft report have been incorporated into appropriate sections of the report. The response is included in its entirety as an Appendix. R ECOMMENDATIONS We recommend that the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training recover questioned costs of $915,985 and ensure that the SFPIC achieves planned placement outcomes, measures job retention, and fully reports program outcomes.
-2 -
INTRODUCTION
I B ACKGROUND (TAheC AWImAer) icwaans Cenoamctpeedti ttiov ehneleps se amnpdl oWyeord kafnordc uenemmpprloovyeemd eUn.t SA. cwt oorfk e1r9s9 8 acquire technical skills for occupations that are in demand and being filled by H-1B visa holders. The H-1B visa program allows employers to temporarily employ foreign workers on a nonimmigrant basis to work in specialized jobs not filled by U.S. workers (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b)). A $1,000 user fee is imposed on employers for H-1B applications. ACWIA provides that over half of that fee is used to finance the H-1B Technical Skills Training Program administered by USDOL. H-1B technical skills training grants are demonstration grants awarded under the authority of Title IV-D of the Job Training Partnership Act and Title I-D of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). As of March 31, 2002, USDOL had conducted 4 rounds of grant competition and awarded 60 grants totaling approximately $143 million. Grant Solicitation Number Award Round Date of Grants Amount 1 August 16, 1999 9 $12,383,995 2 March 29, 2000 12 $29,166,757 3 August 1, 2000 22 $54,000,000 4 April 13, 2001 17 $47,559,761 1 Total 60 $143,110,513
In the second round, the SFPIC was awarded $3,000,000 under Grant Number AH-10855-00-60, for the period August 1, 2000 through July 31, 2002. SFPIC proposed and agreed to train 250 participants in digital media including web design, e-commerce, web programming, HTML, animation, systems administration and technical support. SFPIC administered the project and contracted with Goodwill Industries and Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) to provide training and participant services. Goodwill provides entry level skills through its technology literacy and introduction to digital media training to prepare participants for BAVC advanced training. BAVC provides intermediate and advanced level skills through intensive digital media training. Incorporated in 1979, the SFPIC is a not-for-profit corporation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. SFPIC provides employment, training and research services to employers and job seekers. Under the direction of the Local Workforce Investment Board, SFPIC administers all WIA funds for San Francisco, California.
1 As of March 31, 2002, Round 4 was still an open solicitation with an additional $87 million available for award.
-3 -
A UDIT O BJECTIVES The overall audit objective was to evaluate if SFPIC was meeting the intent of the H-1B Technical Skills Training Program and the requirements of its grant. The subobjectives were to determine if: · The project had been implemented as stated in the grant. · Program outcomes were measured, achieved, and reported. · Reported costs were reasonable, allocable, and allowable in accordance with applicable Federal regulations, and OMB Circular A-122, Cost Principles for Non-Profit Organizations . The audit period was from August 1, 2000 through December 31, 2001. AM UDEITT H S OCDOOPLE OAGNY D In performing this audit, we reviewed the Solicitation for Grant Applications and the grant agreement to determine the requirements and performance measures of the grant. We interviewed staff of SFPIC, Goodwill Industries and BAVC; examined participant records, and reviewed other materials related to project implementation. We made onsite visits to Goodwill Industries and BAVC. We audited cumulative net outlays of $1,855,057 reported on the Financial Status Report (FSR) for the period August 1, 2000 through December 31, 2001. Net outlays reflected the Federal share of cumulative net outlays since no matching funds or in-kind costs were reported for the period. We traced expenditures to general ledgers and examined supporting documentation including vouchers and invoices. Judgmental sampling was used to test individual account transactions and balances. We tested outlays of $1,120,469 or 60 percent of reported Federal outlays. We considered SFPIC’s internal controls over the H-1B grant project by obtaining an understanding of the grantee’s internal controls, determining whether these internal controls had been placed in operation, assessing control risk, and performing tests of controls. Our purpose was to determine the nature and extent of testing needed to satisfy our audit objectives, not to provide assurances on the internal controls; therefore, we do not provide any such assurances. Compliance with laws, regulations, and grant agreement provisions is the responsibility of SFPIC. We performed tests of compliance with certain provisions of laws, regulations, and the grant to evaluate if SFPIC was meeting the requirements of the grant and that reported costs were reasonable, allocable and allowable in accordance with applicable provisions of Federal regulations and OMB circulars. However, our objective was not to provide an opinion on overall compliance with Federal regulations and OMB circulars, and, accordingly, we do not express such an opinion. We evaluated allowability of claimed costs using relevant criteria includ ing: ACWIA; 29 CFR 95, Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations; OMB Circular A-122, Cost Principles for Non-Profit Organizations; and the requirements of the grant. We examined compliance with grant requirements and program outcomes goals using the Solicitation for Grant Applications and the grant agreement.
-4 -
We conducted our audit in accordance with Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States, and included such tests, as we considered necessary to satisfy the objectives of the audit. We conducted fieldwork from April 8, 2002 through April 18, 2002, at SFPIC located in San Francisco, California. We visited Goodwill Industries in San Francisco on April 12, 2002, and BAVC in San Francisco on April 15 and 16, 2002. We held an exit conference with SFPIC on August 2, 2002.
-5 -
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
I. P ROGRAM I MPLEMENTATION The Solicitation for Grant Applications states: “The primary emphasis of the ACWIA technical skills training will be to focus on employed and unemployed workers who can be trained and placed directly in the highly skilled H-1B occupations. . . . “Although the primary focus of these awards is technical skill training, Employment and Training Administration intends that regional partnerships sustain themselves over the long term well after the federal [sic] resources from this initiative have been exhausted. As of December 31, 2001, SFPIC had implemented a sustainable training project that was consistent with grant requirements and served the target population. The project integrated training at Goodwill Industries and BAVC to enable T RAINING program participants to progress from entry-level to intermediate/adva nced-P ROVIDED level digital media skills. Goodwill provided 8 weeks of training in technology literacy. BAVC provided 16 weeks of advanced digital media training. Both contractors provided recruitment, aptitude and interest assessment, career planning and guidance, placement services and retention followup. Also, Goodwill provided support services and counseling to all project participants. The target population was low income and minority populations. As of December 31, 2001, 47 percent (82 out of 176) of program participants were identified as low income and 57 percent (100 out of 176) were minorities. ner or anizations to ensure P ROJECT tThhe et rgariannitn gr eclioendt iunpuoend tahftee rr etshoeu rgcreasn to. f SthFeP pIaCr,t Goodgwill and BAVC staff S USTAINABILITY indicated their organizations believed the project was working well and were seeking other funding to continue the training. Without other funding, both Goodwill and BAVC could continue training by serving fewer participants. Goodwill could incorporate the training curriculum in an existing program funded by undesignated donations. BAVC operates a smaller program funded by the Mayor’s Office of Community Development that was the model for the grant project and provides the same skills.
-6 -
II. P ROGRAM O UTCOMES SFPIC did not fully accomplish planned program outcomes, measure retention or fully report program outcomes. While most training outcomes were achieved, planned placement outcomes did not occur due to decreased demand for digital media skills in the internet industry. SFPIC did not adequately measure retention outcomes. Also, SFPIC did not report placement wages or retention achievements to USDOL. The grant established planned program outcomes for participants trained, O UTCOME la A CHIEVEMENT p cements and placement wage, and retention. The grant required SFPIC to report the numbers of participants who obtained employment (placements) and the average starting hourly wage (placement wage). The grant also required SFPIC to report on the number of participants who remained employed 8 months after being hired (retention). As the table below shows, SFPIC was not fully meeting its planned program outcomes as of December 31, 2001. Rate of Program Outcome Planned Reported Success Participants Trained 250 104 42 % Placements 205 30 15 % Placement Wage $22/hour $15/hour 68 % Retention 200 Not reported Unknown
As of March 31, 2002, subsequent to the audit period, SFPIC had significantly improved outcome achievement. However to meet grant goals, SFPIC requested a grant extension and had arranged with Goodwill and BAVC to continue training, placement, and followup services after the initial grant period. In its response, SFPIC stated: All of the planned placement outcomes had not been met by December 31 st of 2000 and most of that was attributable to the sudden demise of certain Internet-related (or “dot-com) industries in the last half of calendar year 2000 in San Francisco. . . . Since the audit review, the term of the grant has been extended from July 29, 2002 to February 28, 2003 without any additional funds. This extension provides an opportunity for some of those performance and reporting deficits to be remedied. . . . Participants Trained To meet its planned grant training outcomes, SFPIC established contractor goals so that at least 268 participants received training with 62 participants trained by both contractors. As of December 31, 2001, SFPIC achieved 42 percent (104 of 250) of the planned program outcome.
7 - -
Rate of Contractor Goals Planned 2 Attained Success Completed Goodwill Training 100 57 57 % Completed BAVC Training 230 57 25 % Participants Enrolled in Both Training (62) (10) (16 %) Number of Participants Trained 268 104 Subsequent to the audit, training outcomes significantly increased from 104 participants trained as of December 31, 2001, to 205 participants trained as of March 31, 2002. However, SFPIC cannot achieve its planned training outcome by the end of the grant because both contractors still needed to enroll and train additional participants. Goodwill has sufficient time to accomplish its training goals, but BAVC does not. As of the end of our onsite fieldwork on April 18, 2002, BAVC still needed to recruit an additional 39 participants for training that lasts 4 months. Even if BAVC succeeded in recruiting the needed participants, the participants would be unable to complete training before the grant expired on July 31, 2002. Completed Needed to Active in Training by 3/31/02 Meet Goals Training Goodwill Training 83 17 14 BAVC Training 149 81 42 Training by Both Contractors (27) (15) (9) Total Participants Trained 205 83 47 In its response, SFPIC stated that BAVC had completed training for all 250 participants as of September 6, 2002, just a month past the original grant period. Participant Placements As of December 31, 2001, SFPIC had only achieved 15 percent (30 of 205) of its goal for placements and 68 percent ($15 of $22 per hour) for placement wages, and may not achieve its planned placement outcomes by the end of the grant.
2 BAVC was to enroll 250 participants, including 62 Goodwill graduates. BAVC had a completion goal of 230 with between 42 and 62 participants expected to complete both Goodwill and BAVC training. Therefore, contractor goals ensured that between 268 and 288 participants were to be trained, exceeding the grant goal of 250 trained.
8 --
© 2010-2024 YouScribe