TEIN5-00.pdf

ETA Advisory File Text

RESCISSIONS NoneEXPIRATION DATE ContinuingU. S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration Washington D.C. 20210CLASSIFICATION Youth Programs CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL OYO DATE September 27 2000 TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION NOTICE NO. 5-00 TO ALL STATE WORKFORCE LIAISONS ALL STATE EMPLOYMENT SECURITY AGENCIES ALL STATE WORKER ADJUSTMENT LIAISONS ALL ONE-STOP CAREER CENTER SYSTEM LEADS FROM LENITA JACOBS-SIMMONS Deputy Assistant Secretary SUBJECT Integrating Year-Round and Summer Employment and Training Services for Youth Under the Workforce Investment Act WIA A Technical Assistance Guide 1. Purpose. To announce the publication of 1 a technical assistance guide TAG for integrating year-round and summer youth services under WIA and 2 an executive summary of the TAG highlighting the findings of the case studies. 2. Reference. Training and Employment Information Notice TEIN No. 6-99. 3. Background. The summer employment and training program for youth and the in-school and out-of-school youth training services provided during the rest of the year have been conducted as separate programs under the Job Training Partnership Act JTPA . The summer and year- round programs although they targeted the same disadvantaged youth population were separately authorized and funded. In recent years the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration DOL ETA has sought administratively to work toward the development of a comprehensive youth program. A major step in this direction was the discretion given to service delivery areas SDAs to transfer funds between the two programs. The DOL s annual guidance to the States and SDAs on the summer program also contained language urging that linkages between the summer and year-round programs be developed and strengthened. RESCISSIONS NoneEXPIRATION DATE Continuing -2- The development of comprehensive youth programs at the State and local levels received major legislative support with the enactment of WIA. In the area of youth services one of the most important changes was the consolidation of JTPA s year-round youth training and summer program funding streams into a single formula-based youth funding stream. Consequently summer employment is no longer funded or administered separately. It has become one of the series of services that are available in formulating service strategies for individual youth. 4. Westat Study. In the fall of 1999 DOL contracted with Westat Inc. to conduct an evaluation of SDAs that have successfully integrated or have comprehensive plans for integrating year-round and summer employment opportunities. The purpose of the study was twofold 1 to document what is occurring in the selected SDAs and the progress being made in developing a more comprehensive strategy for serving youth and 2 to develop a TAG based on lessons learned from the SDA case studies that could be used to assist States and SDAs in integrating their year-round and summer programs and developing comprehensive youth strategies as part of their transition to WIA. Eight SDAs were selected because they either demonstrated operating experience in integrating summer and year-round programs or were actively engaged in planning the development of comprehensive integrated youth programs under WIA. Also in addition to capturing a variety of program approaches and to achieve geographic diversity the following sites were selected for inclusion in the TAG Region I -- Youth Start 12-County SDA Maine Region I -- Work for Worcester s Youth Worcester Massachusetts Region I -- Eagle Enterprises Egg Harbor Township NJ Region V -- Southeastern Minnesota SDA Rochester MN Region V -- Step-Up Program Milwaukee WI Region VI -- Pima County Tucson AZ Region VI -- San Diego Workforce Partnership San Diego CA -3- Region VI -- NW Washington Workforce Development Council Bellingham WA 5. TAG. The sites profiled in this TAG represent a variety of program approaches for integrating year-round and summer youth activities. The TAG also provides specific strategies sugges- tions and ideas that States and SDAs may find useful in designing comprehensive youth services under WIA. While each of the eight programs is unique certain themes recur in the case studies of these programs. The TAG offers program models for integrating youth services and focuses on several key features for operationalizing integrated services. These are Year-Round Coordinators Counselors Designing Programs around Specific Vocations or Career Paths Key Partnerships with Public School Systems Providing Progressively Challenging Experiences Summer Portfolios and School-Year Academic Credit Using Youth Competencies as a Foundation for Year-Round Services Challenges in Developing Integrated Programs Westat staff interviewed program directors case workers service providers school system staff employers worksite supervisors and other individuals who are actively involved in youth training programs when developing this TAG. A copy of the full TAG is available through the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration s website at www.usworkforce.org under What s New. We have printed copies of the executive summary for distribution throughout the system. It presents an overview of program design features and includes a table which highlights how each of the program models addresses the ten program elements required in WIA. 6. Action Required. States are requested to distribute the executive summary to local workforce investment areas. 7. Inquiries. Questions should be directed to your Regional Office. 8. Attachment. Integrating Year-Round and Summer Employment and Training Services for Youth Under the Workforce Investment Act Technical Assistance Guide Executive Summary