Third, we also advise you to contact clients who have used

the subcontractor. If possible, visit training sites and learn as much as you can.

Finally, interview the administrative and program staff of

the training firm. In the course of your screening you may want

to know the answers to such questions as these:

1. Does the subcontractor have experience in training
for business and industry?

2. Does he have client references?

3. Were those clients satisfied with the subcontractor's
work?

4. Does he know the JOBS guidelines well?

5. Does his own approach to manpower training support
the JOBS program?

6. Does the subcontractor have training ideas of his
own which go beyond the guidelines to strengthen the
training program?

7. Does he support the employer's capability to contribute to the training curriculum?

8. Is he willing to use the employer's staff to enrich
the job-related components of the training?

9. Is he willing to work to develop the employer's
in-house capability to deliver the same kind of
training.

10. Does his approach to the training program include broader issues relating to the total work situation? e.g., rewriting job descriptions, new staffing patterns, innovative approaches to on-the-job training and supervision for all employees, budget reorganization, other sources of funding, etc.

11. Are the staff

lively

teachers and counsellors
and enthusiastic about their work in the program?

12. Do the staff members support the employer?

13. Does the subcontractor prefer to train at the work site?

14. Does he draw education and training materials from many sources?

15. Can the subcontractor show how his curriculum

prepares the trainee to perform according to the
job description?

16. Does he avoid an approach that sounds like any of

these?

"we'll handle the entire contract for you"

"we can raise the reading level of all trainees to at least 8th grade within the contract period"

"a couple of sensitivity training sessions are
all you need to prepare your staff"

"sensitivity training will handle any resistant
supervisor"

"management doesn't have the answers anymore"

"the employer has his interest in training and
we have ours"

Your choice of a subcontractor will depend on these and other

kinds of judgements as you evaluate the capabilities of

PART TWO

FINDINGS

COALITION JOBS SURVEY

During the month of November 1969, the Information/Evaluation

Unit of Coalition JOBS conducted a survey of firms in New York City

that are operating training programs under MA Contracts.

The purposes of the survey were:

(1) To discover whether or not the MA Program is achieving its goals in New York City;

(2)

To learn about common and recurrent problems faced by New York City's MA Contract holders;

(3) To collect their suggestions on how to improve MA Contract

procedures;

(4) To determine ways in which Coalition JOBS can assist

Contract-holders most effectively;

(5)

To recommend possible solutions to the recurrent problems.

12 months.

The survey interviews were conducted by 24 of Coalition JOBS' Job Developers, businessmen "on-loan" from their companies for periods of 6 The Job Developers were able to complete interviews with a total of 92 directors of MA-3 and MA-4 training programs. Forty (40) of these firms had individual contracts; 52 were members of consortia. The 92 programs

contained 7,365 training positions. *

Coalition JOBS' survey was intended to be "operations research"

aimed at providing information about MA Contract programs in New York City without waiting for the results of the extensive evaluation/research projects now underway nationally. One of these studies will examine in depth the characteristics, attitudes and experiences of trainees, and includes a sizeable sample from New York City.

In order to avoid duplicating the efforts of these studies,

Coalition JOBS' survey concentrated on characteristics of programs rather than trainees. Its findings do not, therefore, deal with factors such as the educational attainment, family size and previous earnings of trainees-factors which would have to be taken into account by a full evaluative research study. In addition, while the survey asked for information on the extent of upgrading of trainees after completion of their programs, few of the programs had been operating long enough to provide meaningful data on this important question.

However, in spite of these limitations, the Coalition JOBS' survey does provide the basis from which to draw preliminary conclusions as to the achievements and problems of MA contracts in New York City.