A Boost for Out-of-School Youth
WIOA requires local workforce boards to spend at least 75% of its youth allocations on out-of-school youth, with no more than 25% going to in-school youth.
Crossing paths with the juvenile justice system kicks off a complex web of bias, racial discrimination and structural barriers that can prevent young people from living healthy and productive lives.
One powerful difference maker? Workforce development, and — in particular — approaches that blend education with occupational training while also offering support services, paid work experiences and opportunities to connect with caring adults.
Against this backdrop, the National Youth Employment Coalition, with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, has created a tool kit to foster meaningful collaboration between professionals in the federal workforce development system and the juvenile justice system.
This resource offers readers: 1) evidence-based practices in youth workforce development; 2) an overview of the workforce system funded under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA); 3) advice on improving WIOA-funded services for youth with justice involvement at the local level; and 4) guidance on forming effective interagency partnerships.
After using this tool kit, practitioners in both sectors will have the information and steps they need to partner effectively, use public dollars efficiently and help justice-involved youth pursue both economic self-sufficiency and a brighter future.
The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) intentionally and explicitly calls for the workforce development system to serve the most challenged and disconnected young people. It makes funds available to support a comprehensive array of services focused on assisting youth with one or more barriers to employment, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s fact sheet on the program.
With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to undercut the job prospects of young adults, there has never been a more important time to seek the kinds of cross-system collaboration described by this toolkit.