Narrative: c. 1.

Youth Program Services: The WIOA youth committee is in the process of compiling and formalizing a recommendation to the State Workforce Board regarding criteria that Local Boards will be required to use in awarding grants to service providers for provision of youth workforce investment activities and services, on a competitive basis. Youth Service Criteria: At a minimum, providers must be able to provide some or all of the required services and activities expected under WIOA, including: providing basic information and referrals to prospective youth participants and ensuring that any youth applicant that does not meet enrollment requirements is provided with referral for further assessment as necessary and referral to appropriate programs; maintaining Out-of-School (OSY) and youth work experience minimum spending thresholds; providing access to all of the WIOA youth program service elements; determining youth eligibility for program services, ensuring that you services inform or establish the youth on or along a career pathway, provision of assessments, including assessment of basic skills, occupational skills, prior work experience, employability, occupational interests and aptitudes (including aptitudes and interest in non—traditional jobs), need for supportive services and need for any of the youth service elements; development of service strategies for each youth participant that is directly linked to one or more of the performance indicators and that incorporate two or more of the youth service elements; and provision of activities that lead to attainment of a secondary school diploma or its equivalent or prepare the youth for entry into post—secondary education training opportunities. Local Boards will be encouraged to consider the following qualities when selecting youth service providers: • Program offers service that are age and needs appropriate; • Program involves youth and family members in program design; • Program provides significant opportunity for youth to interact with positive, adult role models; • Program emphasizes responsibility and accountability and holds participants to high standards; • Program has already established relationships with business and community member who play a direct role in the program design and delivery; • Program places a strong focus on youth leadership and civic and community responsibility; • Program ensures accessibility for all youth.

Requested Revision;

Purpose: To provide guidance to local areas and local youth committees regarding additional youth service provider criteria established by the State Workforce Development Board.

Background: In addition to the requirements delineated under WIOA Section 129 and Final Regulations 20 CFR 681.400-510 the State Workforce Development Board has identified that the following criteria be met by Youth Service Providers: A. For the purpose of identifying appropriate youth service elements and career pathways for each youth participant, the youth provider must be able to provide an objective assessment of each youth that includes an assessment of:

a. Academic and literacy levels, including English language proficiency;

b. Pre-employment competencies and employability skills;

c. Prior work experience;

d. Occupational Skills, aptitudes (including occupational interests, work preferences, and aptitude for and interest in non-traditional occupations for women);

e. Development needs;

f. Supportive services needs that will enable them to successfully participate in all aspects of the youth program;

g. Barriers to employment and/or barriers to transitioning successfully into post-secondary education.

h. Need for specific youth service elements;

i. Need for and referral to any of the following programs/services:

i. Mental health services

ii. Substance abuse counseling

iii. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

iv. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

v. Housing and Homeless Assistance Programs

vi. Programs that address juvenile recidivism

vii. Programs providing assistance to individuals with disabilities

viii. Parenting and childcare programs

ix. Programs that provide guidance to youth whose parent/guardian is incarcerated or affected by addiction or mental illness.

B. Offer services that are age-, needs-, and ability-appropriate, including appropriate accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

C. In partnership with the youth, develop a youth employment plan that clearly identifies goals and benchmarks, and activities and service elements that will launch the youth on a career pathway and that will result in the youth meeting or exceeding locally negotiated performance measures, including skills gains, credential attainment, employment or transition to post-secondary training or education.

D. Establish opportunities for the involvement of family members, community service members, and others who play a critical role in the youth’s success.

E. Establish opportunities for the youth to practice leadership and citizenship skills, including providing peer mentoring, project leadership, and community service activities.

F. Demonstrate strong business/employer involvement including specific examples of long-term relationships with employers who provide:

a. Work experience opportunities that include regular assessment of work readiness and employment competency skills;

b. Opportunities for job shadowing or informational interviewing;

c. Occupationally specific internships or On-the-Job Training opportunities;

d. Practice employment interviews that result in constructive feedback for youth;

e. Adult mentoring;

f. Actual employment opportunities;

g. Apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship opportunities;

h. Participation in youth career exploration events and job fairs;

i. Participation in youth committees and other youth advisory boards.

G. Demonstrate a strong outreach plan that identifies examples of significant outreach to targeted youth populations such as Juvenile justice system, foster care system, Adult Education programs serving youth without secondary diplomas, high-school truancy officers, etc.

H. Demonstrate an atmosphere of inclusion, appreciation of diversity and commitment to youth advocacy through examples and anecdotal evidence of such.

I. Demonstrate significant relationships with, and ability to package the services of, a variety of community organizations that serve at-risk youth through memoranda of understanding, contracts or other documentation of such relationships, including relationships with Adult Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, Juvenile Justice System, DHHS, Post-secondary Education, Employer organizations, and other.

J. Demonstrate the ability to offer work-based learning experiences that clearly emphasize the connection between academic knowledge and work activities, through examples of work-site agreements and youth WE task statements. K. Provide evidence of ability to provide accessible facilities, programs and accommodations for special needs youth.

L. Provide evidence of establishing high expectations for youth participants including evidence showing the majority of youth participants complete who enter the program participate in and complete all activities identified on the youth employment plan or youth service strategy.

M. Clearly identify how all required youth service elements will be made available to youth participants, either through direct provision or through partnerships, MOUs, or other methods, to include provision of:

a. Tutoring and/or Study Skills;

b. Access to drop out recovery programs or alternative education;

c. Work-based learning;

d. Occupational Skills Training;

e. Education offered concurrently with and in the same context as occupational training;

f. Leadership development;

g. Adult Mentoring;

h. Support Services;

i. Follow-up Services;

j. Comprehensive guidance and counseling;

k. Financial Literacy;

l. Entrepreneurial Skills/ Training;

m. Labor market information and career guidance and counseling; and

n. Activities that prepare youth for entry into post-secondary education.

N. Provide evidence of high level of professionalism of youth service staff, including specific education credentials and experience of youth service staff and a commitment to provision of staff development opportunities.