A newly released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report exposes a broken web of federal job training and employment programs. Nine federal agencies spent approximately $18 billion annually to administer 47 separate employment and job training programs. Many of the programs are duplicative, but GAO‘s most shocking revelation is that ― "little is known about the effectiveness of most programs".
Beyond the duplication and lack of demonstrable results, a glimpse into some of the federally funded job training programs reveals numerous examples of waste, mismanagement and even corruption. Some seeking job training, for example, spent their days sitting on a bus. High school students were knowingly exposed to the cancer causing agent asbestos as part of a job training program. Others were given training for jobs that did not exist, or were paid to sit through educational sessions about jobs they already had. Funds were misspent to pay a contractor for ghost employees and to purchase video games. Job training administrators spent federal funds on extravagant meals and bonuses for themselves. In one state, workforce agency employees took more than 100 gambling trips to casinos mostly during work hours. Elsewhere, a state employee steered federal job training funds to her son, a convicted criminal, who spent it on hotel stays, a $300 bar tab, cigars and pet care.
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