Home > Articles > Professional Certifications > PHR

This chapter is from the book

Affirmative Action Plans

AAPs refer to programs created to overcome the effects of past societal discrimination by identifying areas of underutilization. AAPs may be required for Executive Order 11246, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (covered earlier in the chapter), and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) of 1974.

AAPs set forth (and require documentation of) good faith efforts to address and resolve that underutilization.

Any and all nonconstruction federal contractors and subcontractors are required to design and maintain formal AAPs for each of their establishments if they have 50 or more employees and any of the following is true:

  1. They have a subcontract of $50,000 or more.
  2. They have government bills of lading which, in any 12-month period, total or can reasonably be expected to total $50,000 or more.
  3. They serve as a depository of government funds in any amount.
  4. They are a financial institution that is an issuing and paying agent for U.S. savings bonds and savings notes in any amount (www.dol.gov).

Executive Order 11246

A good place to start your review is with the fact sheet that the DOL has developed: www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/aa.htm.

It’s important to familiarize yourself with all the elements of an AAP and, specifically, with how to prepare each of them. Some of the elements that are required to be in an AAP are detailed in the following sections.

Designation of Responsibility

This person—identified by name—is often an HR professional. He must have the necessary authority and resources to implement the AAP successfully. This must include the support of, and access to, top management. This is particularly important because the DOL is quite direct in its position that commitment to affirmative action should be an integral part of the organization’s functioning rather than an administrative add-on.

Organizational Display or Workforce Analysis

Nonconstruction contractors must prepare an organizational profile, which can be presented as either the new “organizational display” or the older workforce analysis. The proposed organizational profile is a shorter, simpler format, which in most cases would be based on the contractor’s existing organizational chart(s) to provide a depiction of the contractor’s workforce. This profile is essentially an organizational chart that includes summary information about incumbents’ race, gender, and wages. As per the DOL:

  • “The Organizational Display is a detailed chart of the contractor’s organizational structure. For each organizational unit, the display must indicate the following:

    • The name of the unit and the job title, race and gender of the unit supervisor
    • The total number of male and female incumbents and the total number of male and female incumbents in each of the following groups: Blacks, American Indians, Asians, Hispanics, and whites other than Hispanics”

Job Group Analysis

Nonconstruction contractors must also prepare a “job group analysis” intended to begin the process of comparing the employer’s representation of women and minorities to the estimated availability of qualified women and minorities who are available to be employed.

Availability Analysis

The new regulations still require contractors to determine the availability of minorities and women for jobs in their establishments, compare incumbency to availability, declare underutilization, and establish goals to eliminate the underutilization.

Utilization Analysis

Availability is then compared to incumbency, and if the percentage of minorities or women is lower than the availability—“less than would reasonably be expected given their availability percentage in that particular job group”—the contractor must establish a “placement goal” (41 C.F.R. §60-2.15); that is, the contractor must set goals to correct the underutilization.

Placement Goals

Placement goals are established for areas in which underutilization exists. Placement goals must be pursued through good faith efforts—not through the establishment of quotas. The “bottom line” is that, when underutilization exists, the placement goal must be set at an annual percentage rate equal to the availability figure for women or minorities. (It may be necessary, at times, to set goals for particular minority groups where significant underutilization exists.)

Action-Oriented Programs

The employer must develop and execute action-oriented programs that are specifically designed to correct any problem areas and to attain established placement goals. These action-oriented programs cannot just be “more of the same” less than fully effective procedures that resulted in these problem areas in the first place. Instead, the employer must demonstrate good faith efforts to remove identified barriers, expand employment opportunities, and produce measurable results.

Identification of Problem Areas

The contractor must perform in-depth analyses of its total employment process to determine whether and where impediments to equal employment opportunity exist.

Internal Audit and Reporting System

The contractor must develop and implement an auditing system that periodically measures the effectiveness of its total affirmative action program. The following actions are identified by the DOL as key to a successful affirmative action program:

  1. Monitor records of all personnel activity—including referrals, placements, transfers, promotions, terminations, and compensation—at all levels to ensure the nondiscriminatory policy is carried out.
  2. Require internal reporting on a scheduled basis as to the degree to which equal employment opportunity and organizational objectives are attained.
  3. Review report results with all levels of management.
  4. Advise top management of program effectiveness and submit recommendations to improve unsatisfactory performance.

Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act, 1974

Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) requires employers with federal contracts or subcontracts of $25,000 or more to provide equal opportunity and affirmative action for Vietnam-era veterans, special disabled veterans, and veterans who served on active duty during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized.

For purposes of VEVRAA, a Vietnam era veteran is a person who (1) served on active duty for a period of more than 180 days, any part of which occurred between August 5, 1964 and May 7, 1975, and was discharged or released with other than a dishonorable discharge; (2) was discharged or released from active duty for a service connected disability if any part of such active duty was performed between August 5, 1964 and May 7, 1975; or (3) served on active duty for more than 180 days and served in the Republic of Vietnam between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975.

VEVRAA requires employees with federal contracts or subcontracts of $100,000 or more must file a VETS-100A report by September 30 each year. The DOL has published the following information on the VETS-100 and VETS-100A forms.

Background

The U.S. DOL Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) is responsible for administering the requirement under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA), 38 U.S.C. 4212(d), that federal contractors and subcontractors track and report annually to the Secretary of Labor the number of employees in their workforces who belong to the categories of veterans covered under the affirmative action provisions of the Act.

VETS has published implementing regulations at 41 CFR Part 61-250 that require federal contractors with a federal contract or subcontract of $25,000 or more that was entered into prior to December 1, 2003 to file a completed Federal Contractor Veterans’ Employment VETS-100 Report form (“VETS-100 Report”) annually.

The VETS-100 Report calls for federal contractors and subcontractors to report the number of employees and the number of new hires during the reporting period who are

  • (1) Special disabled veterans
  • (2) Veterans of the Vietnam era
  • (3) Veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. military during a war or a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized
  • (4) Recently separated veterans (veterans within one year from discharge or release from active duty)

The Jobs for Veterans Act (JVA), enacted in 2000, amended the reporting requirements under VEVRAA by increasing the dollar amount of the Federal contract and subcontract that triggers coverage and changing the categories of veterans that contractors and subcontractors are to track and report. The regulations at 41 CFR Part 61-300 implement the JVA amendments to the reporting requirements under VEVRAA and require federal contractors and subcontractors with a contract or subcontract of $100,000 or more awarded or modified on or after December 1, 2003, to file a VETS-100A Report.

Federal contractors and subcontractors completing the VETS-100A Report are to provide information on the number of employees and new hires during the reporting period who are

  • (1) Disabled veterans
  • (2) Veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. military during a war or campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge is awarded
  • (3) Veterans who, while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985
  • (4) Recently separated veterans (veterans within 36 months from discharge or release from active duty)

Mandatory Job Listings

The OFCCP administers and enforces the affirmative action provisions of VEVRAA, which require federal contractors and subcontractors to employ and advance in employment qualified covered veterans. To implement the affirmative action requirement, VEVRAA and the implementing regulations at 41 CFR Part 60-250 and Part 60-300 issued by OFCCP require federal contractors and subcontractors to list most employment openings with the appropriate employment service delivery system, and each such employment service delivery system is required to give covered veterans priority in referrals to such openings. Executive and senior management positions, positions to be filled from within the contractor’s organization, and positions lasting three days or fewer are exempt from the mandatory job listing requirement. Listing jobs with the state workforce agency job bank or with the local employment service delivery system where the opening occurs will satisfy the requirement to list job openings with the appropriate employment service delivery system. Additional information on the mandatory job listing requirement is available on the OFCCP website.

Affirmative Action

OFCCP regulations implementing VEVRAA also require certain federal contractors and subcontractors to develop and maintain a written AAP. The AAP sets forth the policies and practices the contractor has in place to ensure that its personnel policies and practices do not limit employment opportunities for covered veterans. The AAP also spells out the steps the contractor will take to recruit, train, and promote covered veterans. Additional information about the written AAP is also available on the OFCCP website.

Pearson IT Certification Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from Pearson IT Certification and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about Pearson IT Certification products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites; develop new products and services; conduct educational research; and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by Adobe Press. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.pearsonitcertification.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020