[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 112 (Monday, June 10, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29432-29434]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-14603]
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NATIONAL SKILL STANDARDS BOARD
Request for Comments; Notice of Public Hearings
This notice announces the second in a series of public hearings to
stimulate public dialogue on key issues relevant to the decision-making
of the National Skill Standards Board (NSSB), and notifies the public
of the dates, locations, and times of these hearings. The second round
of public hearings will solicit the public's views on the nature,
scope, and functions of an ideal national system of workforce
development, and to determine how skill standards can enhance that
system.
The first series of hearings, held in April 1996, garnered valuable
information from employers, vocational educators, parents, professional
associations, union leaders, community organizations, state government
agencies, teachers, and others. Their views provided a framework for
the Board's development of a voluntary system of skill standards. The
National Skill Standards Board will continue to develop its policies
and approaches by sharing its preliminary thinking with the public
before the Board's final adoption of policies.
Those providing testimony at the initial set of pubic hearings gave
a broad range of comments on issues relating to NSSB's mission, skill
standards' characteristics and uses, existing models for
implementation, the role of voluntary partnerships, the identification
of occupational clusters, and high performance/best practice
workplaces. There was unanimous support for the mission and efforts of
NSSB. There was a general consensus that the NSSB should: (1) Learn
from existing efforts to avoid reinventing the wheel; (2) involve all
stakeholders in the process, but employers must lead the effort; (3)
establish standards that are portable, flexible, integrated with
academic standards and basic employability skills, and that are
regularly updated; and (4) create a common lexicon to describe skills
and standards. In addition, although there was common agreement on the
necessity of clustering tasks or occupations, there was no consensus on
the best method of clustering. Finally, there was no consensus on the
issue of how the Board's work should relate to the concept of high
performance/best practice workplaces or jobs. Many agreed that highly
skilled jobs are integral to America's economic health, but they urged
the Board to not focus solely on highly skilled jobs but on those that
are most important to the economy.
Within future public hearings, the NSSB will solicit public comment
on such topics as:
Voluntary partnerships.
[[Page 29433]]
Occupational skill clusters for skill standards
development.
Standards endorsement criteria.
Assessment.
Certification and accreditation.
Civil rights issues in developing a voluntary system of
skill standards.
DATES:
A. Hearing Dates: The dates of the second set of public hearings
are:
Wednesday, June 26, 1996: San Francisco, CA.
Tuesday, July 9, 1996: Detroit, MI.
Thursday, July 11, 1996: Washington, DC.
B. Comment Dates for Public Hearings: Comments and notices of
intent to present oral and/or written statements at the hearings must
be received 10 business days before the date of the hearing at which
they will be presented. The requirements for the comments are set forth
in the Supplementary Information section below. We strongly encourage
responses to the Questions for Public Comment.
ADDRESSES: The locations of the three public hearings are as follows:
San Francisco: Ramada Plaza Hotel at Fisherman's Wharf,
590 Bay St., San Francisco, CA 94133, (415) 885-4700.
Detroit: Westin Hotel at Renaissance Center, Detroit, MI
48243, (313) 568-8000.
Washington: Hyatt Regency at Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20001, (202) 737-1234.
Notice of intent to present oral statements or written statements
must be mailed to NSSB Public Hearing Coordinator at the address below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: NSSB Public Hearing Coordinator,
National Skill Standards Board, 1441 L Street, NW., Suite 9000,
Washington, DC 20005-3512, (202)-254-8628, (202)-254-8646 (fax).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Form of Public Comment
The hearings will begin at 9:30 a.m. and adjourn at 1:00 p.m. To
assist the NSSB in scheduling speakers, the written notice of intent to
present oral comments should include the following information: (1) the
name, address, and telephone number of each person to appear; (2) title
and affiliation; and (3) the specific questions, issues or concerns
that will be addressed.
Individuals who do not register in advance will be permitted to
register and speak at each hearing, if time permits, in order of
registration. Speakers should limit their oral remarks to no more than
10 minutes. Although it is anticipated that all persons desiring to
speak will have an opportunity to do so, time limits may not allow this
to occur. However, all written statements will be accepted and
incorporated into the public record. The proceedings will be audiotaped
and transcribed.
Meeting Procedure and Objectives
Members of the National Skill Standards Board will comprise the
hearing panel. A designated member of the NSSB will preside at each of
the hearings. The Presiding Board Member will:
(1) Regulate the course of the meeting, including the order of
appearance of persons presenting oral statements;
(2) Dispose of procedural matters; and
(3) Limit the presentations to matters pertinent to the issues raised
in this notice.
Background
The National Skill Standards Board was created by The National
Skill Standards Act of 1994 (108 Stat 192,20 U.S.C. 5933), signed into
law by President Clinton on March 31, 1994. The Board's purpose as
stated in the Act is ``to serve as a catalyst in stimulating the
development and adoption of a voluntary national system of skill
standards and of assessment and certification of attainment of skill
standards: (1) That will serve as a cornerstone of the national
strategy to enhance workforce skills; (2) that will result in increased
productivity, economic growth, and American economic competitiveness;
and (3) that can be used consistent with civil rights laws'' by the
stakeholders enumerated in the Act: the nation, industries, employers,
labor organizations, workers, students, entry-level workers, training
providers, educators and government.
The Act also relates that this voluntary national system of skill
standards will serve (1) to facilitate the transition to high
performance work organizations; (2) to increase opportunities for
minorities and women; and (3) to facilitate linkages between other
components of the national strategy to enhance workforce skills.
The National Skill Standards Act calls for voluntary skill
standards that ``facilitate linkages between other components of the
national strategy to enhance workforce skills.'' These other components
include the educational system, school-to-work programs, welfare-to-
work programs, job training programs, apprenticeship, occupational
licensing and certification, literacy and basic skills programs, and
one-stop career centers. NSSB welcomes comments on how skill standards
can best contribute to the collaborative efforts of employers,
educators and trainers, government, other stakeholder groups, and
individual workers in creating a model system that prepares individuals
for the workplace.
Voluntary skill standards are essential to an effective workforce
development system. Standards accomplish this purpose by communicating
the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for individuals to succeed
in the workplace. To adapt to the changing skill needs of the
continuously evolving economy, Americans will need to engage in ongoing
learning throughout their careers.
An ideal workforce development system effectively links public and
private resources and programs to:
Give students a strong foundation of academic and work-
related skills;
Develop career pathways for students to facilitate
employment in rewarding careers;
Provide employers with the skilled employees needed in
today's and tomorrow's economy;
Enable workforce entrants, the unemployed, and current
workers to clearly understand the skills needed for success in current
and future workplaces;
Connect individuals with the education and training they
need to meet voluntary skill standards; and
Give states and localities a mechanism to ensure
accountability and continual improvement in public education and
training programs.
Voluntary skill standards allow individuals to easily transfer
evidence of skill attainment from one education or training provider to
another. A voluntary standards system also enables both individuals and
programs to clearly identify the skills individuals already possess, so
that they can acquire the new skills they need, not re-learn old
skills. This ensures cost-effective programming and streamlined
instructional programs.
An effective workforce development system gives people greater
control over their own education and training. The current assortment
of programs with different entry requirements and services makes it
nearly impossible for individuals to navigate the bureaucracy and find
the appropriate education and training. Everyone should have ready
access to information on jobs, and the education and training needed to
qualify for those jobs.
An effective workforce development system is one that:
Is standards-driven: Standards provide a common framework
for linking a diverse array of training providers and communicating
clear
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pathways to successful careers. Standards help people bridge the gap
between their current skills and abilities and the workplace needs of
the future.
Is user-driven: The system must serve a wide range of
users: employers seeking a skilled workforce; individuals who want to
build their knowledge, skills and abilities; and educators and trainers
who will meet the needs of both employers and learners.
Offers users flexible, timely, high quality service
delivery options: A flexible, adaptive and user-driven system is one
that is easily accessed and can be tailored to meet an individual's
requirements. Such a system offers users a variety of service providers
that can assure timely, high quality education and training. Through
the use of skill standards, individuals can ``shop around'' for the
best training, and continue to learn and improve their earnings
throughout their lifetimes.
Communicates skill requirements clearly: An effective
workforce development system enables employers, educators, trainers,
workers, job seekers, students, parents and others to speak a common
language, so that skill needs are clearly understood and effectively
translated into relevant training and educational programs.
Is based upon an effective, objective assessment of
knowledge and skills.
In today's economy, individuals pursue extremely varied paths from
school to work, and from one job or career to another. Academic and
skill attainment should link clearly and easily with voluntary skill
standards, so that individuals understand how to apply their knowledge
and skills to different career areas. An effective, user-driven skill
standards system should be responsive to different paths to careers, so
that no one is excluded from well-paid jobs solely because he or she
took a different path to acquiring the needed knowledge and skills.
Basing a workforce development system upon voluntary skill
standards would permit more flexibility with respect to where
instruction is offered, instructional methods, the education or
training provider, and the duration of the program. Thus the same
results can be achieved by a variety of paths. The integration of skill
standards into a workforce development system will facilitate access to
better jobs for people from all backgrounds, by redefining access and
creating a more level playing field.
Training might be acquired on the job, in the classroom, or some
combination of both. For example, adults could pursue more advanced
skills in vocational schools, or in programs offered by their employers
and/or unions either in-house or under contract with a third party
provider. Training might also take place in postsecondary educational
institutions or through alternative education providers. In all cases,
adults would have the information and access to the resources they need
to keep their skills continuously refreshed.
A successful workforce development system requires a high level of
coordination and communication among education and training providers,
government agencies, employers, labor unions, and community members. In
some countries, workforce development success is governed by long-
standing partnerships of industry, education and organized labor, and
is based on an understanding of their common interests in assuring a
society made up of well-educated, highly-skilled individuals. If the
United States is to maintain and improve its competitive edge, these
parties must work together to promote a thriving society that offers
meaningful careers, enviable living standards, and long-term
employability to every American.
Questions
We invite employers, employer associations, organized labor,
educators and trainers, community organizations, parents, state and
local governments, and all other interested individuals or
organizations to respond to the following questions:
1. How have you used voluntary skill standards to improve,
coordinate, and streamline education and training at the state and/or
local levels? What lessons can you offer the NSSB based on these
experiences?
2. What have been the challenges, opportunities and lessons you
have learned about the roles and responsibilities of employers,
organized labor, educators, workers, students, parents, public agencies
and others? How can these groups best work together to support a
voluntary skill standards system?
3. How can voluntary skill standards most effectively support
states and local communities (including all partners in the private,
public, and nonprofit sectors) in:
a. responding to the challenge of block grants,
b. coordinating and improving the following initiatives:
--One-stop career centers,
--Welfare-to-work programs,
--School-to-work programs,
--Job training and employment programs,
--Employment services,
--Literacy and basic skills programs,
--High school equivalency degree and alternative education programs,
and/or
--Union and/or employer-sponsored training.
c. linking the state's academic requirements to the future skill
needs of the economy?
4. How can voluntary skill standards most effectively support a
strong role for industry in a national workforce development system?
5. How can voluntary skill standards help enhance a national
workforce development system that improves services for individuals
from all backgrounds, and enables them to transfer their skills across
occupations, firms, industries, and across the country?
a. How do your activities fit into the national workforce
development system?
b. What is the proper role for the NSSB within a workforce
development system that prepares youth and adults for the challenges of
continuously evolving workplaces?
c. What is your vision of an ideal national workforce development
system and what are the critical elements of such a system?
Signed at Washington, D.C. this 4th day of June 1996.
Judy Gray,
Executive Director, National Skill Standards Board.
[FR Doc. 96-14603 Filed 6-7-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-23-M
