1. ESF Informal Technical Working Group
Seminar on the US Workforce Investment Act (WIA)
7/11/09 Washington DC
ESF coordination Unit, DG EMPL
17-18 November Stockholm

2. 7 November seminar: “What the ESF can learn from the WIA experience”
About twenty papers were submitted and presented in four sessions
Authors from Government (DoL), General Accountability Office, Universities and research institutes and some private consultancy companies.
About 50 participants (3 from DG EMPL)

3. Organised by APPAM and DG EMPL
APPAM: Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (
2009 Annual research conference (4 -7 November)
Theme: Evidence based policy making in the post-Bush/Clinton Era.

4. Four sessions
The Workforce Investment Act: Overview (2)
Management and Implementation (5)
Impact evaluation (6)
Performance management and programme evaluation (6)
Lunch address by a deputy assistant secretary of the DoL on the future of the WIA

5. Common features:
Partnership;
Programming;
Evaluation and monitoring;
Target groups (disadvantaged people, dislocated workers and youth).

6. Differences:
One stop shop (most public workforce programmes in one place at local level);
Much more prescriptive on the type of support;
Stronger role of private sector;
Conditionality and performance reserve;
Adapting targets based on economic environment.

7. Evaluations:
much more (economic) impact (training has to have positive rates of return)
but little emphasis on processes and what works and what does not work (training can vary from 2 weeks to several years)
all evaluations involve a control group (either experimental or quasi experimental)

8. Follow-up
The papers will now be finalised and will be circulated to the TWG members
We may invite some of the experts to the ESF conference in June 2010
We may involve some experts in our studies and evaluations

9. Thank you for your attention
Questions?