Narrative: c. 1.

As a single-area state, Vermont does not subaward youth funding to local areas. The VDOL receives all the youth program funding and works with its twelve American Job Centers to deliver services to youth and employers at the local level. 

The VDOL occasionally solicits proposals for grants or contracts from One-Stop or community partners to carry out activities or services using youth program funding. On these occasions, the VDOL follows the State's procurement and contracting policy for grant issuance and monitoring, as defined in the Agency of Administration Bulletins 3.5 and 5. All contractors and grantees are required to follow both state and federal requirements. Additionally, the VDOL requires all youth program activities not performed by the VDOL to be closely coordinated with the youth job specialists, regional managers, and the youth program administrator. This coordination ensures the performance is being measured and opportunities are leveraging one another to maximize One-Stop partner involvement.

The VDOL has adopted a "no-wrong-door" approach to youth workforce development, including priorities for advancing equity, ensuring job quality, addressing mental health and other barriers, and elevating youth voices. The VDOL strives to offer seamless access to resources, program elements, and wraparound services to the most vulnerable youth. It has expanded its outreach efforts to meet youth where they are by positioning staff in underserved communities where these youth reside. This allows equitable and easy access to underrepresented youth. 

The VDOL's commitment to youth development is exemplified by a conscious and professional reliance on youth development principles, including high expectations, caring relationships, and holistic service strategies that build responsibility and identity. A key strategy in this area is providing adult mentors for every youth participant, integrating social and support services into programming, addressing barriers to youth access, accommodating a variety of learning styles, and providing follow-up services for young people when they exit to ensure their continued success. Adult mentoring may come in several different forms, including job specialists, supervisors, and partner staff. Mentors inspire and motivate youth. 

The youth program emphasizes developing skills, knowledge, and competencies that lead to good jobs and careers. Assessments and Individual Service Strategies are developed with youth and strongly link work, learning, and academic and occupational learning to career pathways identified by the youth in their plan. All Dropout Recovery (out-of-school youth) programs must provide occupational skills training concurrently with work readiness and academic training. Key strategies in this area are linkages to registered apprenticeships, community colleges and employers, transition services, and how participants will gain academic credit and skill credentials.

It is critical to the success of youth participating in the program to have a strong involvement of local employers willing to mentor them through work experience. Although Vermont does its utmost to link youth to local labor market needs and growing economic sectors as determined by the occupations in-demand list for Vermont, it isn't always the case. Work experiences are designed to allow youth to explore their interests while developing soft skills and basic work skills. To qualify for this work experience is matched to interests, which may not be a high-demand occupation. 

Quality partnerships are essential to address and refocus local, regional, and state-specific challenges and solutions, including strategies to improve the youth workforce system, elevate youth voice, and close equity gaps. The VDOL is committed to developing genuine partnerships among educational institutions, employers, community-based organizations, private sector employers, and/or other organizations and members of the community interested in youth. Job Center Specialists are encouraged to access resources from these partnerships and use them in the program to provide quality youth opportunities. 

Primarily, support services are made available to youth to provide the resources necessary to enable their participation in the youth program while reducing barriers and meeting their basic needs. Vermont's support service policy will be reviewed within the next year to ensure that all support services allowable under federal guidance are captured and spending limits are appropriate.  

The VDOL youth program supports young people in gaining the skills to complete high school or its equivalent and transition to postsecondary education, advanced training, or good jobs. The youth program creates opportunities for youth to see the world outside their limited sphere. 

A maximum of 25% of the funds allocated to Vermont is allowed to be expended on In-School Youth activities. Because schools have been more intentional and proactive at keeping kids in school over the last several years, the demand for career, individualized, and training services for in-school youth has increased. Schools have provided valuable feedback to leadership that a VDOL presence in their schools has been a critical option for students to experience. 

Positioning Job Center Specialists in schools cultivates solid and reliable relationships with students so they have an immediate connection to support with training and career exploration after graduation. The VDOL works closely with guidance counselors and administrators to deliver basic career services to individuals and groups of students. The VDOL is actively involved in a financial reality fair for juniors and seniors in one state region. The event is based on VT LMI wage data and allows students to "test drive" career interests and income. In addition, students learn how to manage their living expenses on a monthly budget. Because of the impactful feedback the VDOL received for this event over the next several years, the VDOL would like to bring this event to other regions of the state. 

There has also been an increased effort to participate in career exploration with middle school students by attending career fairs. 

Shared Youth Vision:

VISION/MISSION OF VT INTERAGENCY AFTERSCHOOL YOUTH TASK FORCE (Now Afterschool Advisory Council):

(Executive Order 08-21) Building on the work of the Universal After School Task Force and the Summer Matters campaign, the Task Force shall work toward a statewide system offering universal access to safe, enriching, and comprehensive options for afterschool and summer programming for Vermont youth from pre-kindergarten to grade 12. The system shall encourage participants' academic, social, and emotional development in safe, accessible environments where they can connect with peers and adults. Programs shall represent a range of school-based, private, and community partnerships. They should be available to all interested youth and families at reasonable or no cost, emphasizing ensuring Vermont's most vulnerable students have ready access to affordable opportunities.

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT SUBCOMMITTEE:

PURPOSE: Build workforce skills, financial wellness, and career awareness through Universal Afterschool and Summer expansion efforts by creating meaningful and supportive job experiences for older youth, including traditionally marginalized groups (e.g., BIPOC, LGBTQ, low-income, rural, and individuals with disabilities).

Members from several state organizations include HireAbility, Fish and Wildlife, Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Vermont Afterschool, Department of Labor, and members of Vermont's Congressional Delegation.

Vermont realizes that feedback is critical to the continuous improvement of the youth program. The program must offer follow-up services to all youth who exit the program for up to 12 months after exit. Although a requirement, this tends to be a challenge in keeping youth engaged with job specialists after exiting the program. 

An important component of youth engagement and continuous improvement is creating opportunities for youth to express themselves, voice their ideas, and provide input for projects or programs. Youth voice is the idea that young people have a voice in society, can bring about change, and represent their interests and desires. It is critical for youth to be heard. Vermont will expand its youth voice initiative to enhance youth voice. Inviting youth to partake in program development, marketing, and technology enhancements are just a few areas that will empower a youth voice initiative. Vermont realizes that youth can provide critical insights and recommend strategies to improve outreach, recruitment, and other service delivery strategies. This is new territory for the VDOL; therefore, an intentional outreach to other states to explore youth voice initiatives will occur within the following year.

Workforce development staff play a critical role in supporting youth with barriers through assessments, comprehensive guidance, and counseling, including referrals to partner organizations and providing sufficient supportive services to alleviate additional barriers to education and work. Job Specialists must be confident and well-versed to provide the support youth need when navigating their challenges. Vermont realizes that providing professional development opportunities to staff increases their confidence and credibility with the youth participants they serve and the community partners they collaborate with. Vermont also realizes that integrated training sessions with its core partners can be highly effective and valuable. Within the following year, workforce development will conduct employee focus evaluations or focus groups to encourage honest and open feedback. Based on the evaluation results, the VDOL will pursue external training to help staff develop.

There will be a heightened emphasis on collaboration and alignment at all levels to ensure a streamlined and coordinated service delivery system for youth with barriers to employment, including youth with disabilities. This initiative will include outreach to key community organizations that have deep roots in underserved communities, Title II AEFLA, Title IV VR, and Job Corps Centers. In addition, workforce development hopes to coordinate cross-agency professional development opportunities that will bring agencies together to satisfy common training needs and align youth systems. 

The WIOA Title I Youth Program (Youth Program) provides a comprehensive array of high-quality services to youth with barriers to employment, focusing on supporting educational and career success. Vermont's Youth Program engages community partners and employers to form a network of support services for youth that VDOL job specialists can offer participants as program elements. 

Job Center Specialists are required to make the 14 program elements available to all Youth Program participants. Youth participants are not required to receive all services, but elements deemed appropriate and desirable must be provided to assist in removing employment and training barriers and obtaining short- and long-term goals. Job specialists may refer clients to a partner provider to deliver one of the services rather than providing the service directly (e.g., education, leadership, financial training, etc.) When participants access one of the 14 elements from an entity other than VDOL, it is made clear to the provider and the participant that the service is part of their Individual Service Strategy (ISS), communication strategies concerning the support and outcomes of the service will be identified, and the service details will be clearly documented.

An online program element resource library is being built to ensure easy and equitable access for youth. The library will contain regional and statewide information, tools, and links. A successful program offered in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont may be accessible to the southern region of Vermont. The program element resource library should be completed within the following year.  

14 Youth Program Elements

1. Tutoring, study skills training, instruction, and evidence-based dropout prevention and recovery strategies that lead to completion of the requirements for a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent (including a recognized certificate of attendance or similar document for individuals with disabilities) or for a recognized postsecondary credential. 
2. Alternative secondary school services or dropout recovery services, as appropriate. 
3. Paid and unpaid work experiences that have as a component of academic and occupational education, which may include— 
   1. Summer employment opportunities and other employment opportunities are available throughout the school year; 
   2. Internships and job shadowing; and 
   3. On-the-job training opportunities; 
   4. Summer employment opportunities and other employment opportunities are available throughout the school year; 
   5. Internships and job shadowing.
4. Education offered concurrently with and in the same context as workforce preparation activities and training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster; 
5. Leadership development opportunities, which may include community service and peer-centered activities encouraging responsibility and other positive social and civic behaviors, as appropriate; 
6. Supportive services; 
7. Adult mentoring for the period of participation and a subsequent period, for a total of not less than 12 months; 
8. Follow-up services for not less than 12 months after the completion of participation;
9. Comprehensive guidance and counseling, which may include drug and alcohol abuse counseling and referral, as appropriate; 
10. Financial literacy education; 
11. Entrepreneurial skills training; 
12. Services that provide labor market and employment information about in-demand industry sectors or occupations available in the local area, such as career awareness, career counseling, and career exploration services
13. Activities that help youth prepare for and transition to postsecondary education and training. 
14. Education is offered concurrently with and in the same context as workforce preparation activities and training for a specific occupational cluster.