I.Purpose

To provide local areas with guidance and information regarding implementation of the federal Shared Youth Vision (SYV) collaborative approach to meeting the needs of America's neediest youth, and Ohio's KEYS (Knowledge and Education for Youth Success) initiative.

II.Effective Date

Immediately

III.Background

In 2004, the U.S. Departments of Labor, Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services created the SVY. Other national partner agencies joined the SYV. These partners include but are not limited to the following: US Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Transportation, and the Social Security Administration and, The Corporation for National and Community Service.

The SYV focuses on interagency collaboration to prioritize resources and improve services to:

• The youth most at risk of not making a successful transition to adulthood
• Meet the needs of business in the 21st century knowledge economy
• Increase the performance of programs that serve the most at-risk youth

For federal guidance please see Training Employment and Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 28-05, TEGL No. 3-04 and www.doleta.gov/ryf.

The youth are an important part of the future labor force needed for a thriving economy. In the context of federally identified priority investments, Ohio has chosen to focus on the emerging youth workforce with the expectation that all youth will have opportunities to become economically self-sufficient as they transition to adulthood.

In Ohio, the SYV is implemented through the KEYS initiative. In 2005, Ohio held focus groups with youth and adults on the SYV initiative. The purposes of these focus groups were to present information and develop strategies on the new vision to provide services to the "neediest youth." The youth suggested the acronym KEYS for Knowledge and Education for Youth Success. Ohio has since developed a state strategic team to provide input on the KEYS initiative.

Currently, Ohio has two pilot programs that directly align with the KEYS initiative.

• The WIA Youth Employment Program - which provides eighteen grants statewide for innovative education and employment programs.
• The TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)/WIA/DYS (Department of Youth Services) Program - that provides pre- and post- release activities for youth offenders.

IV.Guidance Statement

The SYV focuses on critical strategies to be employed across four major areas:

• Meeting the demands of business, especially in high-growth industries and occupations
• Focus on the neediest youth
• Focus on improved performance
• Focus on alternative education

The SYV is not an additional set of requirements for implementing WIA youth programs. Rather, it provides a mechanism for states and local areas to:

• Prioritize program funding
• Prioritize populations of youth to be served
• Create a WIA youth system that is responsive to the short- and long-term needs of the local labor market
• Provide high-quality services to youth through program and system accountability

Local areas are responsible for building and maintaining a quality WIA youth system by procuring effective programs and through continuous monitoring of the system's performance. This guidance provides direction for local areas to implement the SYV by strategically funding successful programs targeted to achieve local outcomes and to improving performance by developing and monitoring those outcomes.

A.Meeting the Demands of Business, Especially in High-Growth Industries and Occupations

The goal is to assure that youth obtain the skills needed by employers so they can succeed in the 21st century economy.

A youth workforce system that responds to the needs of employers allows local areas to prioritize investments in training opportunities and so prepare youth for jobs that are expected to be in high demand. Demand-driven systems benefit employers by providing the well-trained workforce they need to be competitive in a global economy. Youth benefit when local systems provide them with the skills needed to enter jobs that will allow them to be economically self-sufficient.

Strategies

In order to meet the needs of business and to provide the greatest benefit to youth, local areas should:

(1)Understand the local and regional labor market. Continuously work with employers and economic development representatives to identify current and emerging jobs that are or will be in demand. Provide training for local youth staff and service providers on local and regional high-growth, high-demand occupations and career pathways in those industries.

(2)Use local labor market information to prioritize training investments.

(a)Identify short-term and long-term skills needed by local employers and invest in training that develops those skills.

(b)Give priority funding to occupational skill training and youth ITAs that lead to industry-recognized certificates should be given priority for funding.

(3)Work with training providers, especially community colleges, to create and invest in training programs that build knowledge and skills in smaller increments, creating a pathway to increased skills and job advancement. Basic skills remediation may be needed to ensure student success in transitioning to postsecondary education.

(4)Develop strong connections with non-WIA programs such as Job Corps, YouthBuild, and other youth employment programs to enable local systems to meet the needs of youth for whom WIA programs are not appropriate.

Funding priority should be given to programs that result in industry-standard certificates in high-growth, high-demand occupations and industries.

B.Focus on the Neediest Youth

The goal is to increase the number of WIA youth program participants from the most at-risk population groups.

The White House Task Force Report on Disadvantaged Youth identified several populations who are most at-risk of becoming disconnected from education and employment. These youth are:

• Youth in foster care, especially those who are aging out of foster care
• Youth in the juvenile justice system
• Children of incarcerated parents
• Migrant youth
• Native American Youth
• Youth with disabilities

These youth are often difficult to identify, recruit and engage in WIA youth programs. They require long-term services, as well as more comprehensive and intensive services in order to be successful in education and employment. Often, programs that effectively serve these youth serve small numbers and have a higher cost-per-participant than programs that serve other populations.

Nevertheless, these youth are an important part of the future employment labor force. Local areas should invest in programs that increase the number of neediest youth who receive services that will aid them in making a transition to self-sufficient adulthood.

Strategies

In order to increase the number of youth served in target populations, local areas should:

(1)Give funding priority to programs that serve a significant percentage of one or more populations of neediest youth.

(2)Increase outreach and recruitment efforts that are targeted to neediest youth populations.

(3)Require service providers to demonstrate the effectiveness of program activities in meeting the particular needs of the neediest youth populations they serve.

(4)Hold providers accountable for appropriate and reasonable outcomes for the populations served by the program.

(5)Provide complete documentation of neediest youth populations served in the state data tracking system. Local area youth staff and WIA youth service providers are required to provide the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services with information on the population to which a youth belongs if applicable. If youth are members of multiple populations, each population should be reported. For example, if a youth is both a migrant worker and a dropout, both populations should be captured in the state data tracking system. This information should be provided on the Youth Keys screen that is found on the Basic Intake screens currently within our statewide data tracking system and is in addition to the barriers reported to determine eligibility for the WIA youth program.

C.Focus on Improved Performance

The goal is to assure that local WIA systems are outcome-focused and place a priority on funding programs that demonstrate effectiveness.

Successful WIA youth systems are effective and produce high-quality outcomes for youth. The effectiveness of the local WIA youth system is measured in part by how well the local area performs on three federally mandated performance measures (Common Measures). However, WIA performance measures are not sufficient nor always appropriate measures of success for individual programs. Local areas should continually monitor both program and system performance and make course corrections as needed.

Strategies

In order to focus on outcomes and fund effective programs, local areas should:

1.Fund programs that demonstrate effectiveness through outcomes. Local areas should invest in programs that produce positive outcomes for youth that contribute to or directly lead to self-sufficiency through further education or training and employment.

2.Focus on outcomes as well as outputs. Outcomes are changes that occur for youth as a result of participating in WIA activities. Examples of outcomes include attaining occupational skills, improving level of academic achievement, receiving a diploma, or entering and retaining employment. Outputs are evidence that service has been provided. Examples of outputs include number of youth served, duration and intensity of services, or cost per participant. Outputs provide information on the quantity of services being provided. Outcomes provide information on the quality of those services. Effective systems pay particular attention to outcomes to assure that services result in beneficial changes for youth.

3.Establish program and system benchmarks to chart progress toward desired outcomes. Benchmarks may include both outcomes and outputs. Program benchmarks should be individualized for each provider and should reflect appropriate levels of progress based on services provided and population(s) served. System benchmarks should allow local areas to monitor progress toward both WIA performance measures and outcomes that contribute to local system goals.

4.Continually monitor performance at the program and system levels. Program and system performance should be assessed no less than once per quarter.

5.Make adjustments at the system or program levels to improve performance. Local processes and policies should allow for adjustments when needed to assure that local goals, as well as WIA performance measures, are met.

D.Focus on Alternative Education

The goal is to provide youth who have dropped out or who are at risk of dropping out with multiple educational pathways to complete high school.

"Alternative education" in the context of the SYV should not be confused with "alternative schools" or "alternative disciplinary schools"-- as defined in the Ohio Revised Code 3313.97. A school district may be required or elect to provide an alternative school with the purpose of serving "students who are on suspension, who are having truancy problems, who are experiencing academic failure, who have a history of class disruption, who are exhibiting other academic or behavioral problems specified in the resolution, or who have been discharged or released from the custody of the department of youth services" (ORC 3313.53.3). In practice, these alternative schools offer an alternative to suspension or expulsion.

The SYV's focus on alternative education has a much broader meaning. While alternative schools focus on discipline, alternative education is intended to provide high-quality, engaging academic programs for youth who have dropped out of school or who are at risk of dropping out. Alternative education may be thought of as providing multiple education pathways to the same destinations: a high school diploma and preparation for success in post-secondary education.

Alternative education programs that meet the intent of the SYV also meet the intent and purpose of the WIA youth program element "alternative secondary school services."

Strategies

In order to provide alternative education pathways for drop-outs and youth at-risk of dropping out, local WIA youth systems should strive to fund high-quality alternative education programs that:

(1)Lead to a high school diploma. Youth who receive a G.E.D. are likely to have substantially lower wages over time and are far less likely to complete post-secondary education than their peers who receive a diploma. The Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) program is a resource for out-of-school youths participating in KEYS to access alternative education services. The ABLE program is funded by the State of Ohio, Department of Education, and the United States Department of Education. ABLE programs serve adults in the areas of GED preparation (assisting qualified students to earn their GED diploma), basic literacy skills (including computation and computers, as well as reading and writing), family literacy (working with parents and children to enhance literacy and learning), workplace education (helping to elevate the level of literacy for employees in the workplace), and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL--helping make the transition to full engagement in their communities).

(2)Demonstrate characteristics of effective alternative education, such as flexible scheduling, low student-teacher ratios, high expectations for all youth, and contextual learning that emphasize connections between academics and real-world situations and problems.

(3)Meet the state standards developed in response to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). These standards include:

(a)Meeting state report card indicators of attendance, academic achievement, and graduation rate.

(b)Meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards for all students, as well as identified sub-populations of students.

(c)Employing highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionals as defined by NCLB - (For more information on Ohio's NCLB standards, see www.ode.state.oh.us).

(4)Provide opportunities for career exploration and information on career pathways, especially in high-growth industries and occupations in the local labor market.

(5)Do not imitate traditional school settings or teaching methods. Many WIA youth participants have learning styles that are not best served by settings and methods typically used in schools. Alternative education should provide opportunities for youth to learn in environments most suited to their individual learning styles.

(6)Prepare youth for success in and connect youth to postsecondary education. The demand for workers with postsecondary education is growing, while opportunities for workers with no education beyond a high school diploma are shrinking. A high school diploma or G.E.D. is critical, but it is only the foundation for success. Local areas should, therefore place priority on funding alternative education programs that assist youth in making a successful transition to postsecondary education.

(7)Focus on academic achievement rather than discipline. School districts' alternative schools are unlikely to meet the intent of the SYV or of WIA alternative secondary school services. Evidence suggests that alternative disciplinary programs are much less likely to lead to significant gains in academic skills.

V.Technical Assistance

For additional information, you may send your questions to the Office of Workforce Development: WIAQNA@JFS.OHIO.GOV.

VI.References

USDOL TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER NO. 28-05 and 3-04