TEGL_7-14-Acc.pdf

ETA Advisory File Text

RESCISSIONS None EXPIRATION DATE Continuing ADVISORY TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER NO. TO STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES STATE WORKFORCE LIAISONS ALL YOUTHBUILD GRANTEES FROM PORTIA WU Assistant Secretary SUBJECT Guidance for Implementing the Construction Plus Component of the YouthBuild Program 1. Purpose. To provide guidance for YouthBuild grantees implementing the Construction Plus component of the YouthBuild program including a synopsis of what it entails and to inform workforce partners of the expansion of the YouthBuild program to include Construction Plus training in addition to construction training. 2. References. Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act PL 113-128 July 2014 www.doleta.gov wioa YouthBuild Final Rule 20 CFR Part 672 https www.federalregister.gov articles 2012 02 15 2012-2373 youthbuild-program Training and Employment Guidance Letter TEGL No. 15-10 Increasing Credential Degree and Certificate Attainment by Participants of the Public Workforce System http wdr.doleta.gov directives corr doc.cfm DOCN 2967 Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications SGA for YouthBuild Grants SGA-DFA-PY-13-04 http www.doleta.gov grants pdf YouthBuild SGA-DFA-PY-13-04.pdf CareerOneStop Labor Market Information Center http www.careeronestop.org lmi lmihome.asp CareerOneStop Credentials Center http www.careeronestop.org EducationTraining KeepLearning GetCredentials.aspx Labor Market Information Win-Win Network Community of Practice https winwin.workforce3one.org 3. Background. YouthBuild is a workforce development program that provides employment education pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship opportunities and leadership development training to disconnected youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who are high school dropouts. Those eligible may be a member of a low-income family a foster care EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION ADVISORY SYSTEM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Washington D.C. 20210 CLASSIFICATION CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL DATE 2 youth an offender a youth with a disability a child of an incarcerated parent or a migrant youth. The YouthBuild Transfer Act of 2006 Transfer Act established the YouthBuild program in the U.S. Department of Labor Department under subtitle D of Title I of WIA as amended. The Transfer Act authorizes grants for job training and educational activities for YouthBuild participants who as part of their training help build or rehabilitate housing for low-income or homeless individuals and families in their respective communities. In the YouthBuild Final Rule published February 15 2012 at 77 FR 9129 the Department expanded the occupational skills training component of the YouthBuild program from solely construction skills training to include skills training in other high-demand jobs toward the goal of economic self-sufficiency. This guidance refers to these additional training industries as Construction Plus industries. 4. What is Construction Plus Construction Plus refers to the inclusion of occupational skills training opportunities for YouthBuild participants in in-demand occupations other than construction. All Department-funded YouthBuild programs are required to offer construction skills training to program participants. Whether Construction Plus training is provided consecutively or in tandem the required training time of educational skills 50 of the time and occupational skills 40 of the time - also known as eligible workforce activities - for each participant must be maintained as identified in the YouthBuild Final Rule. Further the participation timeframe must not exceed 24 months regardless of the participant s occupational skills training track and must allow for a follow-up period of not less than 9 months and no more than 12 months as identified in the YouthBuild Final Rule. As defined in the SGA issued on February 18 2014 SGA-DFA-PY-13-04 only grantees that have been awarded a YouthBuild grant by the Department s YouthBuild program in a previous grant year are eligible to apply as Construction Plus grantees first-time DOL YouthBuild grantees are not eligible for Construction Plus as they must first demonstrate their ability to provide construction training as the core YouthBuild industry prior to being able to add additional industries for training. Only those previously-funded grantees that were approved through their grant statements of work at the time of grant award are eligible to use grant funds to offer training in Construction Plus occupations. Construction Plus grantees must have demonstrated in their statements of work through the use of local labor market data that the proposed additional occupational skills trainings will lead to or prepare participants for employment in high-demand or locally in-demand jobs and that the selected industries will benefit the target communities. 5. Labor Market Information Resources. The Department has many labor market information resources available to grantees for assistance in identifying appropriate Construction Plus industries within their local communities the CareerOneStop Labor Market Information Center Web page http www.careeronestop.org lmi lmihome.asp provides information on local labor markets across the country. Additionally grantees must use comprehensive curricula that upon completion lead to the attainment of industry- recognized credentials for program participants. The Labor Market Information Win-Win Network Community of Practice https winwin.workforce3one.org provides valuable information on additional data sources useful for determining in-demand occupations and 3 skills. Information on related credentials such as industry-recognized certifications and required state occupational licenses are available through the CareerOneStop Credentials Center http www.careeronestop.org EducationTraining KeepLearning GetCredentials.aspx . This information can be helpful in developing the required curricula and credentialing pathways. 6. Implementing Construction Plus in Your YouthBuild Program. YouthBuild grantees offering approved Construction Plus training must provide the same level of opportunity and benefit to Construction Plus participants that are available to participants in the core construction training. As with the core construction training Construction Plus programs must offer participants eligible education activities during at least 50 percent of the time and eligible workforce investment activities during at least 40 percent of the time during which they participate in the program. Up to 10 percent of the time of participation may be used for leadership development and community service activities. Like the core construction training Construction Plus training must balance project-based learning and occupational skills training that prepare disconnected youth to gain placement into career pathways and or further education or training. Construction Plus training must not be limited to classroom learning and must incorporate hands-on training similar to that offered in the core construction training. Additionally Construction Plus must incorporate community service youth leadership development and work experience opportunities like those required in the core construction training. Grantees have flexibility in determining how the program model includes Construction Plus industries. However they are required to enroll a sufficient number of participants in the construction skills training component to build or renovate at least one unit of affordable housing for low-income individuals and families or transitional housing for homeless individuals during the grant period of performance. Youth may be divided between construction training and Construction Plus industry ies training based on assessments of interest and skills match or all youth may first be placed in construction training for development of broadly-applicable professional skills including soft skills teamwork leadership communication and hard skills math reading comprehension before being further trained in the chosen Construction Plus industry. The grant period of performance and budget should be considered in designing the program model for the addition of Construction Plus. All program performance measures are the same for the Construction Plus training s . In particular grantees should take into consideration the eligibility of YouthBuild participants for industry-recognized credentials and placement opportunities in selected Construction Plus field s see Attachment A Considerations Guide for Credential Attainment for US Department of Labor DOL YouthBuild Grantees for additional information . 7. What is an Industry-Recognized Credential Within the workforce system the term credential refers to the attestation of qualification or competence issued to an individual by a third party with the relevant authority or competence to issue such a credential. There are many different types of industry-recognized credentials offered or awarded by various types 4 of third-party organizations such as an educational institution or an industry- or occupational-certifying organization. You can find more information on credentials in TEGL No. 15-10 http wdr.doleta.gov directives corr doc.cfm docn 2967 . An industry-recognized credential provides recognition of an individual s attainment of measurable technical or occupational skills necessary to obtain employment or advance within an occupation. An industry-recognized credential is either one that is developed or endorsed by a nationally-recognized industry professional or occupational association or organization or one that is sought or accepted by companies within the industry sector for purposes of hiring or recruitment. Generally employers develop or endorse these technical or occupational skills standards. A variety of different public and private entities issue credentials including State agencies including workforce or education agencies Professional industry or employer organizations The Department s Employment and Training Administration Office of Apprenticeship or state apprenticeship agencies Public regulatory agencies including state and local licensing boards Programs approved by Job Corps centers or the Department of Veterans Affairs Institutions of higher education governed by an Indian or Native American tribe or tribes and Community colleges. 8. Qualifying Credentials for the YouthBuild Program. A qualifying credential is one that provides a participant with the documentation of education and or technical or occupational skills necessary to gain employment or advance within an occupation. These skills are measureable based on industry standards and developed or endorsed by employers. Qualifying credentials for YouthBuild must meet the definition of industry-recognized credentials provided above. Only qualifying credentials are appropriate to be recorded into the YouthBuild Management Information System MIS for the Attainment of Degree Certificate performance measure which measures the number of participants who attain a diploma a state-recognized high school equivalency credential or a certificate within 9 months of program exit. A non-qualifying credential is any diploma or certificate that does not meet the above definition and does not document measurable technical or occupational skills necessary to gain employment or advance within an occupation. The Department will not count non- qualifying credentials toward the Attainment of Degree Certificate performance measure in the YouthBuild MIS. However such credentials can be of value to participants as building blocks for educational and or occupational success. Examples of non-qualifying credentials include certificates awarded by Workforce Investment Boards WIBs single skill certificates such as CPR First Aid Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA Safety Training and ServSafe and work readiness certificates such as the Jobs for America s Graduates JAG Certificate of Mastery and the WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate NCRC . 5 At the state level the workforce system can recognize specific programs of study and determine if they meet the WIA definition of a credential as defined in TEGL 15-10. Local WIA youth service providers may be of assistance to YouthBuild grantees in determining if a certificate offered for a particular completed program of study qualifies as a credential within their state. YouthBuild grantees should consult their assigned Federal Project Officers with any questions regarding qualifying credentials. In addition to identifying qualifying credentials the stackability and portability of credentials are also important factors in determining whether to pursue a particular course of credentialing in the Construction Plus component. A credential is considered stackable when it is part of a sequence of credentials that can be accumulated over time to build an individual s qualifications and help the individual to move along a career pathway or up a career ladder to different and potentially higher-paying jobs within the same industry. A credential is considered portable when it is recognized and accepted as verifying the qualifications of an individual in other settings such as in other geographic areas at other educational institutions or by other industries or employers. To the extent possible YouthBuild grantees that incorporate Construction Plus into their programs should strive to identify occupational skills training fields that will lead to both stackable and portable credentials within the chosen Construction Plus industries. The Department developed a tool to help you determine potential Construction Plus industries and the related credentials particularly as they relate to the guidance in TEGL 15- 10 on qualifying stackable and portable credentials. Attachment A Considerations Guide for Credential Attainment for US Department of Labor DOL YouthBuild Grantees provides a series of framing questions that can help programs determine whether a Construction Plus credential pathway is the right fit for their YouthBuild program participants. Please find additional information on what constitutes an industry-recognized credential in TEGL No. 15-10 at http wdr.doleta.gov directives corr doc.cfm docn 2967 . 9. Inquiries. Questions on this TEGL may be addressed to the appropriate ETA regional office. 10. Attachment. Considerations Guide for Credential Attainment for US Department of Labor DOL YouthBuild Grantees