month anniversary date. The information was gathered through 

 the use of standard instruments for follow-up evaluation provided 

 by SNHS. 



All information (intake and follow-up) was coded, keypunched, 

 and stored on magnetic tapes. This information was processed on 

 the University of New Hampshire's DEC-10 Computer System, and 

 all analyses were conducted using a standard statistical package 

 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences — SPSS). 



THE INSTRUMENTS: 

 ADVANTAGES AND DEFICIENCIES 



The first instrument used in the analysis was the Intake 

 Information Form developed by the Department of Economics at 

 Northeastern University. This 6 page pre-coded instrument pro- 

 vided standard information on all CETA participants which was to 

 be used as the benchmark with which the respondents post-CETA 

 labor market experience could be compared. The following major 

 areas of intake information were included: 



1 ) Demographic-program characteristics, individual social chsiracter- 

 istics 



2) Pre-CETA Labor Market Experience-summary of 12 month 

 period prior to CETA 



3) Most recent job prior to CETA 



4) Second most recent job prior to CETA 



5) Program and termination information 



In sum, a minimum of 120 variables were generated through the 

 Intake Information Form. 



Accompanying this form was a Technical Assistance Document 

 provided by SNHS for use in conducting this evaluation. This 

 detailed description of coding procedures was designed to allow for 

 maximum uniformity among New England's prime sponsors intake 

 information. The designers of the instrument and documentation 

 package correctly point out that accurate and complete intake 

 information is critical to the successful operation of the follow-up 

 project. 



According to these detailed instructions, the data for the intake 

 forms were to be precoded directly by the Prime Sponsor. This 

 procedure mandates accurate and consistent record-keeping on the 

 part of the prime sponsor. In a situation marked by high rates of 

 turnover among those prime sponsor staff personnel involved in 

 gathering, recording, and storing this information, a significant in- 

 crease in incorrect data transformations is likely. Further, in the 

 absence of detailed decision-making instructions on the part of the 

 local prime sponsor, similar increases in the collection of incorrect 

 information are likely to occur. While uniform instructions can help 

 to allay some of these problems, they cannot provide answers to all 

 situations. 



An additional point deserves special attention. The CETA 

 program is premised on the need to train and/or retrain individuals 



