TEN44-07acc.pdf

ETA Advisory File Text

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR WASHINGTON D.C. 20210 NO. 44 -07 TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT NOTICE DATE June 30 2008 TO ALL STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES ALL STATE WORKFORCE LIAISONS ALL ONE-STOP CAREER CENTER SYSTEM LEADS FROM GAY M. GILBERT s Administrator Office of Workforce Investment SUBJECT Providing Strategies to the One-Stop Career Center System on Collaborating with YouthBuild Programs 1. Purpose . To provide information to the workforce investment system on the YouthBuild program and encourage collaboration at the local level to lev erage resources for serving young adults. 2. Background . YouthBuild is a youth and community development program that utilizes a successful alternative education pathway program to help out- of-school youth who are often significantly behind in basic skills to obtain a hig h school diploma or General Educational Development GED credential and advance towards post-secondary education and career pathways in high-growth hig h- demand occupations. The primary target populations for the YouthBuild p rogram are adjudicated youth youth aging out of foster care and other at-risk populations. Through this full-time program participants ages 16-24 receive opportunities for meaningful work and service to their communities thereby strengthening their commitment to community development. The construction training provided increases the supply of permanent affordable housing for homeless individuals and low-income families in their communities and also increases the skilled labor pool in the economically vital industry of construction. Over the past 13 years YouthBuild programs have successfully worked with the most at-risk youth to transition them to post-secondary educational and employment opportunities. In 2003 the White House Task Force for Disadvantaged Youth Final Report recommended the transfer of YouthBuild to the Department of Labor DOL because the program is at its core an employment and training program for d isadvantaged youth and will benefit from administrative oversight in DOL within the Employment and Training Administration. In September 2006 President Bush signed into law the YouthBuild Transfer Act Pub. L. 109-281 which transferred the YouthBuild program from the Department of Housing and Urban Development 2 HUD to DOL. In October 2007 the Employment and Training Administra tion ETA awarded its first 96 YouthBuild grants. These two year grants spread across the country range from 640 000 to 1 100 000 and collectively will ser ve approximately 3 200 young adults per year http www.doleta.gov SGA awards Awarded-SGA-06-08.pdf . ETA s administration of the program will place greater emphasis on post-second ary transitions for participants and stronger linkages with the One-Stop Career Center System community colleges and Registered Apprenticeship programs. The YouthBuild program represents an important part of ETA s commitment to high quality innovative alternative education learning opportunities that pr epare youth for post-secondary education and employment. ETA will assist YouthBuild grantees and One-Stop Career Centers to develop strategic partnerships that benef it youth. 3. Benefits for One-Stop Career Centers Partnering With YouthBuild Prog rams . The nation s One-Stop Career Centers can realize a number of short and lo ng-term benefits by developing partnerships with YouthBuild programs When serving out-of-school youth and those that have left the traditiona l secondary school system Workforce Investment Act WIA workforce programs offered at the local One-Stop Career Center or contracted through area y outh providers sometimes lack the funding necessary to implement comprehensiv e services to young adults in need of both technical training and academic tutoring. At-risk youth are more likely to be successful when served in a comprehensive and sequential fashion that allows for career training and preparation for a diploma or GED to be accomplished within a short time frame such as that delivered through the YouthBuild program. Through referral s to YouthBuild programs or established memorandums of understanding MOU s with YouthBuild providers out-of-school youth served through the One-St op Career Center would be offered an additional option that provides intens ive academic and occupational skills training. The YouthBuild program offers youth stipends and or wages while they are participating in the program. This earn while you learn philosophy is very appealing to those youth who require some type of income while in traini ng. YouthBuild program strategies combining intensive academic and occupatio nal training increase the likelihood of successful performance outcomes man y of YouthBuild participants receive a diploma or GED upon completion go on to post-secondary education and or are placed in employment. It is likely that youth or adult participants in a WIA program will meet the eligibility requirements to be co-enrolled in a YouthBuild program. When this occurs leveraged resources can expand opportunities for these young adults to a chieve successful performance outcomes. YouthBuild program participants have an opportunity to work side-by-side with professionals within the construction field in a mentoring environment and many continue in the construction field or move on to employment in othe r industries. When YouthBuild graduates co-enrolled in WIA services enter a pre- 3 apprenticeship program or employment with local employers these result s count towards WIA performance outcomes. YouthBuild incorporates employability skills training into its program e nsuring that youth whether they complete the program or not are better prepare d to seek employment. Local One-Stop Career Centers that serve these youth a re able to build on the work of the YouthBuild program and are more likely to successfully place the youth in employment education or training. Working with a YouthBuild program can provide the workforce system insig ht into the high-growth high-demand industry of construction and can strengthen connections with construction and building professionals within the community. This work may also serve to strengthen relationships with local community or faith-based organizations that operate YouthBuild programs and frequentl y offer additional supportive services that could be utilized by One-Stop Career Center clients. Young people served through the YouthBuild program can benefit greatly f rom the professional expertise and knowledge of the professionals housed within the One-Stop Career Centers including the use of WIA Youth Providers Disab ility Navigators and employment and career search services specialists. 4. Models of Collaboration . The following programs offer examples of how DOL YouthBuild programs have partnered with their local One-Stops and l everaged resources while meeting performance goals and assisting at-risk you th YouthBuild Louisville Through a seven year partnership with the local One- Stop Career Center YouthBuild Louisville has accessed the many resource s available through the workforce system including vouchers for tools and training. The Kentucky Community and Technical College operates the loc al One-Stop Career Center which provides YouthBuild Louisville participants additional resources and opportunities to pursue advanced education and training www.youthbuildlouisville.org . Settlement Housing Fund The local One-Stop Career Center run by Goodwill Industries in Brooklyn New York assists the Settlement Housin g Fund s YouthBuild participants with employment placement. They also provide work readiness preparation such as resume writing interviewing skills interview clothing and work attire http www.settlementhousingfund.org home.htm . Portland YouthBuilders There is a strong partnership and systematic approach between the Portland YouthBuild program and their Workforce Investment Board WIB and local One-Stop Career Center. This collaboration promotes co-enrollment opportunities cross referrals and recruitment for both YouthBuild participants and the One-Stop Career Center http www.pybpdx.org . 5. Additional Resources . ETA s YouthBuild Web site http www.doleta.gov youth services YouthBuild.cfm 4 YouthBuild USA s Web site http www.youthbuild.org site c.htIRI3PIKoG b.1223921 k.BD3C Home.ht m Program Guidance For Implementation of Comprehensive Youth Services Under the Workforce Investment Act WIA of 1998 http wdr.doleta.gov directives attach TEGL28-01.html . Enhancing Youth Connections and Access to the One-Stop Delivery System http wdr.doleta.gov directives attach TEGL16-00.pdf . The White House Task Force for Disadvantaged Youth Final Report http www.ncfy.com publications disadvantaged index.htm . The Employment and Training Administration s New Strategic Vision for the Delivery of Youth Services Under the Workforce Investment Act WIA Expanding ETA s Vision for the Delivery of Youth Services under WIA to include Indian and Native American Youth and Youth with Disabilities http wdr.doleta.gov directives corr doc.cfm DOCN 2224 . YouthBuild Transfer Act Public Law 109-281 WIA Section 173 a 29 USC 2918a 6. Actions Required . States are requested to share this Training and Employment Notice with local areas. 7. Inquiries . Questions should be directed to the appropriate Regional Office.