Hello Valley Patriot readers,
July was a busy month for the Office of the State Auditor! We have released five audits as we continue to inform taxpayers like yourself on how our dollars are being spent.
Among the reports released was an audit of Commonwealth Corporation, also known as CommCorp. CommCorp is a workforce development agency overseen by the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD). The agency provides professional development, education, and partnership opportunities to support communities and employers.
CommCorp is responsible for the administration and oversight of YouthWorks, a state-funded program that, through training and paid temporary work opportunities, helps young people in Massachusetts communities find and retain employment. This is a great program and our audit team looked at areas where improvements should be made to better the services and programs being provided.
Our audit found gaps in the collection and analysis of employment outcome data related to participants in YouthWorks program.
Without proper employment outcome data for participants, YouthWorks and CommCorp cannot thoroughly evaluate the impact of the program. We certainly want to ensure the program offered is meeting its goals and serving its purpose. So this is an important part of the process to ensure youth are being positively impacted and tax dollars are being spent wisely and efficiently.
We made several recommendations for improvements to help the agency better function on behalf of taxpayers.
YouthWorks is an important program that has positively impacted over 3,500 young people across the Commonwealth and we want to see this program succeed. So, we will be following up in the coming months to ensure our recommendations for improvements were implemented. We look forward to continuing to work alongside of you to help make government work better.
As always, if you have any questions or would like to provide feedback to our team, please feel free to contact my office via email at auditor@massauditor.gov or by phone at (617) 727-2075. If you’re ever in the State House, please feel free to visit our team in room 230!
Yours in service, Diana ◊