Narrative: c. 1.

The State-developed criteria to be used for youth workforce investment activities includes an array of service perspectives that ensure a quality experience for youth and a flexible approach from which providers may design opportunities for youth to be successful. The criteria is as follows:

Adult Support, Structure and Expectations

• Initiatives that connect young people with adults who are willing to advocate and broker on their behalf, mentor and connect them to the broader institutions of society and who have the training and skills to help them develop and grow. • Services that stress coherence and structure, offer challenging content and give youth responsibilities that may develop civic responsibility, self-worth and leadership skills while establishing rules and setting practical limits for young people. • Committed/skilled adults who can continue to set clear, high and yet attainable expectations over an extended period of time.

Career Pathways

• Initiatives that incorporate basic and high-level skills that align with the skill needs of industries in the local economy and prepare youth to be successful in secondary or postsecondary education options, including apprenticeships as appropriate. • Services that emphasize experiential learning and work-based learning as a tool in creating an effective learning environment for youth. • Counseling to support youth in achieving the individual’s education and career goals. • Services that result in the acquisition of industry sought and recognized credentials. • Access to academic program that are grounded in standards, clear performance expectations, and graduation exit options based on meaningful, accurate and relevant indicators of student learning and skills.

A Combination of Guidance and Connections to the Workplace

• Use of readily accessible and understood Labor Market Information (LMI) to assess employment opportunities in high-growth industries and in-demand occupations. • Activities that support and demonstrate strong employer engagement, involvement of the business community. • Initiatives that provide opportunities to learn how to work, stimulate growth as a result of work experience, success or failure and develop a sound perspective on work and learning. • Activities that can show the correlation between work and learning. • Support that extends beyond the initial job placement point and interpersonal involvement with adults who can assist youth in reaching for success in employment.

Support and Follow-Up

• Activities that establish trust, particularly for opportunity youth who have weak institutional ties and lack positive adult and peer relationships. • Activities with strong built-in follow-up mechanisms to design better participant outcomes • Effective case management skills that provide comprehensive guidance, counseling and referrals to coordinate a progression of services and activities. • Policies that stress the quality of individual initiatives and the richness of the youth support network. • Activities that involve parents, families and other caring adults who are involved in the young person’s life and can support their ability to achieve independence and self-sufficiency.

Youth as a Resource

• Initiatives that build skills in self-advocacy and conflict resolution and recognize young people are an important resource in improving their own lives. • Activities that empower youth to contribute to their community’s growth. • Activities that promote youth leadership and peer support.

Implementation Quality

• Activities with well thought out implementation designs that are followed and tracked through a continuous improvement process. • Initiatives requiring flexibility to both regional needs and proven methodologies. • Initiatives that incorporate evaluation components including customer satisfaction.

In regard to performance accountability measures, the State will require Local Boards to assess the capacity of youth services providers to achieve the performance accountability measures negotiated by the State. This will be accomplished by looking at the historic outcomes of youth services providers based on the primary indicators for youth. This includes:

- employment retention at the 2nd quarter after exit

- employment retention at the 4th quarter after exit

- credential attainment

Outcome data for employment at exist and available follow up data relative to employment retention at 6 and 12 months will be evaluated and serve as a partial basis for selecting youth service providers. Outcome data for educational attainment at exist will also be evaluated and serve as partial basis for selecting youth service providers.

These are the current three measures with performance accountability goals. As baseline measures for median earnings, measurable skill gains and employer engagement are establish and performance accountability measures are negotiated, they, too, will become a part of this assessment of youth service providers.