ten_33_11_att3.pdf

ETA Advisory File Text

COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM Information M emorandum U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families Office of Community Services Division of State Assistance 370 L Enfant Promenade S.W. Washington D.C. 20447 Transmittal No. 126 Date March 22 2012 TO States Tribes and Territories Administering the Community Services Block Grant CSBG Eligible Entities for CSBG Resources SUBJECT Use of CSBG funds to support summer jobs for youth and related services. PURPOSE To inform CSBG agencies of the opportunities to support the summer youth employment efforts with CSBG funds. INTRODUCTION Many Community Action Agencies and other eligible entities that receive CSBG funds have a long history of involvement and support for summer jobs for low-income youth. Youth employment is a critical element of success for young people and can provide valuable opportunities for low-income youth to start a path to self-sufficiency. As we look forward to summer the Administration for Children and Families ACF encourages State CSBG offices to work with local CSBG eligible entities to help facilitate the involvement of low-income youth in summer jobs programs and to provide linkages to other supportive services that will help assure successful involvement in jobs programs. Within existing CSBG grant resources and to the extent justified by local CSBG needs assessment efforts State CSBG offices are encouraged to promote involvement of local eligible entities in both government-sponsored and private sector summer jobs efforts. State CSBG offices are also encouraged to provide flexibility to allow local eligible entities to adjust current service plans where appropriate to facilitate involvement in summer jobs efforts. BACKGROUND As a pathway to careers and education meaningful summer employment not only helps young people develop workforce and leadership skills to acquire and maintain good jobs but also connects them to long term economic opportunity. Summer employment helps introduce youth to the working world and provides the skills and experiences they need to launch their careers. According to a Department of Labor report nearly 75 percent of low-income youth who participated in summer jobs programming funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Workforce Investment Act WIA Youth Program reported increased work readiness skills. Subsidized employment can provide valuable skills and work experience for young people and serves as a stepping stone on the path to unsubsidized employment. CSBG eligible entities have the potential to enhance opportunities for low-incom e youth at a critical stage of development. By utilizing CSBG resources to support summer youth employment efforts directly or through supportive services eligible entities can help young people make use of employment opportunities as a stepping stone to self sufficiency through assistance with financial planning mentoring and linkage to other needed services. INFORMATION CSBG eligible entities are required to conduct an annual assessment of community needs. Where appropriate based on identified community needs CSBG eligible entities may support employment opportunities directly or may offer additional supports for youth in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families TANF and applicable WIA programs. For example CSBG participants also in TANF-funded subsidized employment opportunities can benefit from occupational skills training and other relevant services such as financial planning mentorship and linkage to other supportive services. When possible already-existing CSBG programming for youth can include such summer opportunities. ACF encourages CSBG offices and CSBG eligible entities to work with State and local Workforce Investment Boards and with TANF jurisdictions to explore ways to combine resources in developing or expanding subsidized employment programs. In addition to partnering with subsidized summer employment programs and supporting youth services directly CSBG eligible entities can also play an important leadership role in facilitating partnerships with local businesses and private sector charitable organizations. Many of the local eligible entities that provide CSBG services also have strong connections to the local business community and can offer valuable assistance in identifying low-income youth publicizing employment opportunities providing job readiness services assisting employers in addressing workplace issues through case management or through other supports. In the coming weeks Departments and Offices across the Federal government will be supporting Summer Jobs an initiative to encourage and support businesses non-profits and government to work together to provide pathways to employment for low-income and disconnected youth in the summer of 2012. In support of efforts to serve these youth State CSBG offices and CSBG eligible entities may make commitments or encourage other public and private sector organizations to make a commitment to provide opportunities for low-income and disconnected youth in at least one of the following three pathways to employment Life Skills Provide youth work-related soft skills such as communication time management and teamwork through coursework and or experience. For example local organizations can offer resume writing or interview workshops or provide employee mentors. Work Skills Provide youth insight into the world of work to prepare for employment. For example organizations can host job shadow days. Learn and Earn Provide youth on-the-job skills in a learning environment while earning wages for their work. For example organizations can offer paid internships and or offer permanent positions that provide on-the-job training. Organizations can also partner with schools and higher education institutions to give youth the opportunity both to strengthen their academic skills while working as well as to connect learning to the context of work. ACF also encourages State CSBG offices and eligible entities to make information available to disconnected and low-income youth about Summer Jobs opportunities via these three pathways. In the coming weeks the Federal government will release the Summer Jobs Bank a one-stop search tool for youth to access postings for any participating employers seeking to reach youth online. The search tool builds upon an open standard the JobPosting schema endorsed by schema.org in November 2011 in support of the Veterans Jobs Bank and will include technical and promotional support by Google Internships.com AfterCollege LinkedIn and Facebook. CSBG eligible entities have access to families and youth and ACF encourages eligible entities to use their various communication tools and relationships to inform the youth who are most in need of the Summer Jobs Bank website. If State CSBG offices and eligible entities have summer opportunities available for youth ACF encourages them to post their commitments on the Summer Jobs Bank at the following link http www.dol.gov summerjobs addingopportunities.htm . State CSBG offices and eligible entities should also inform their private and public sector partners of the initiative and ask them to post their commitments online as well. The latest information on the Pathways Pledge and the Summer Jobs challenge can be obtained on the following website http www.dol.gov summerjobs Grantees can refer to the following resources for more information about the targeting and structure of subsidized employment programs In January the White House Council for Community Solutions released A Toolkit for Employers Connecting Youth and Business. This toolkit was created in collaboration with the Corporation for National and Community Service and employers to support businesses and communities in their efforts to help young people become productive citizens and connect to greater opportunities both of which are critical for the long-term strength and competiveness of the Nation. The toolkit is available at http www.serve.gov new-images council pdf youth em ployment toolkit.pdf Additional resources from the White House Council for Community Solutions can be found at http www.serve.gov council resources.asp 4 Innovating Under Pressure The Story of the 2009 Recovery Act Summer Youth Employment Initiative Chicago Detroit Indianapolis Marion County Phoenix and Maricopa County by Susan Curnan and Andrew Hahn Heller School for Social Policy and Management Brandeis University June 2010 available at http wdr.doleta.gov research FullT ext Documents Innovating 20Under 20Pressure 20The 20Story 20of 20the 202009 20Recovery 20Act 20Summer 20Youth 2 0Employment 20Initiative.pdf Financing and Sustaining Summer Youth Employment Programs by The Finance Project June 2010 available at http www.financeproject.org publications PPP-SYEP.pdf Reinvesting in America s Youth Lessons from the 2009 Recovery Act Summer Youth Employment Initiative by J. Bellotti L. Rosenberg S. Sattar A. M. Esposito and J. Ziegler Mathematica Policy Research February 2010 available at http www.mathematica- mpr.com publications PDFs labor youth employment program.pdf INQUIRIES Inquiries should be directed to the appropriate CSBG regional liaison staff. Contact information is available on the following web address http www.acf.hhs.gov programs ocs csbg aboutus staffassignem ents.html s Jeannie L. Chaffin Director Office of Community Services