1. THE WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT REFERENCE TOOL
Youth Services at a Glance

2. TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT NOTICE (TEN) 46-11
TEN announces the availability of the Employment and Training Administration’s, Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Youth Program Reference Tool. This document:
Responds to workforce system professional and local workforce investment board members request for tools and resources about WIA youth services;
Offers a quick reference for all basic information on WIA youth programs; and
Features highlights of the WIA Youth Program along with information on funding, performance accountability and service provisions.

3. OVERVIEW OF WIA YOUTH PROGRAMS
Title I of WIA provides funds to states and local workforce areas to deliver a comprehensive array of youth development services. The goal of WIA Youth program is to improve the long-term job prospects of young people by providing basic skills, work readiness skills, occupational skills training, and citizenship skills.
Services - Prepare youth for post secondary educational and employment opportunities. WIA youth services consist of the ten program elements required at WIA section 129 (c ). Each local area is required to offer all ten program elements, but not every youth must receive all ten.
Eligibility - a youth must be low income, ages with one of six barriers including basic skills deficient; school dropout; homeless, a runaway or in foster care; pregnant or parenting; an offender; or an individual who requires additional assistance to complete an educational program, or to secure and hold employment.

4. PROGRAM FUNDING PROVISIONS
State Allotments are based on a formula which includes three factors: the number of unemployed in an area of substantial unemployment; the number of excess unemployed individuals, and the number of economically disadvantaged youth.
Fifteen percent of the youth funds are reserved for statewide activities and the remainder of the funds are allocated to local workforce areas. Note: while up to 15% are reserved under WIA for statewide activities, appropriations in FY 2011 and 2012 reduced statewide reserve funds to 5%.
At least 30% of the local workforce area youth funds allocated locally must be used to provide services or activities to out-of-school youth.

5. GOVERNANCE
State and local workforce boards - each state is responsible for establishing both state and local workforce investment boards. The board helps develop a five year strategic plan, designate local workforce areas, funding allocations, and performance measures .
Local workforce boards (LWIB) - local boards are appointed by chief elected officials using criteria established by the governor and state WIB. The boards are responsible for developing local plans designating local One Stop Career/American Job Center operations, and designating eligible partners of training services.
Youth Council - subgroup of local board coordinates local youth programs and initiatives. Youth councils are responsible for developing parts of the local plan related to youth, recommending eligible youth service providers, and coordinating local youth programs.
Technical assistance resources on youth councils:
Recipes for Success: Youth council Guide to Creating a Youth Development System Under WIA, available at:
Youth Council Toolkit: Tools to help Youth Councils Build Effective Operational Service Delivery, available at:

6. PROGRAM DESIGN
Program Design consists of intake, objective assessment, individual service strategy development, and information and referrals for youth participants. Key components include:
Case Management - Case managers deliver effective services to facilitate positive growth and development of youth. Functions of the case manager include intake services, assessment and developing individual service strategy.
Services – Consists of the ten program elements required at WIA section 129(c): tutoring, alternative secondary school offerings, summer employment opportunities, paid and unpaid work experience, occupational skill training, leadership development opportunities, supportive services, mentoring, follow-up services, and comprehensive guidance and counseling.

7. PROGRAM DESIGN
Connections to American Job Centers (ONE-STOP CAREER CENTERS)—youth programs are required partners along with:
Programs authorized under title I of WIA;
Programs authorized under the Wagner-Peyser Act;
Adult education and literacy activities authorized under title II;
Programs authorized under title I of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973;
Programs authorized under section 403(a)(5) of the Social Security Act;
Activities authorized under title V of the Older American Act of 1965;
Postsecondary vocational education activities authorized under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act;
Activities authorized under chapter 2 of title II of the Trade Act of 1974;
Activities authorized under Chapter 41 of title 38, United States Code;
Employment and training activities carried out under the Community Services Block Grant Act;
Employment and training activities carried out by the Department of Housing and Urban Development; and
Programs authorized under State unemployment compensation laws.

8. SELECTING SERVICE PROVIDERS
Eligible Providers - WIA requires that eligible providers of youth activities be selected on a competitive basis. Local areas are required to conduct a full and open competition to secure youth service providers. The requirements may be found at WIA: Sections 123, 112, and For a description of these sections of the Act see page 7 in the reference tool.
DOL Policies on Selecting Service Providers can be found in:
TEGL 9-00, Competitive and Non Competitive Procedures for Providing Youth Activities under WIA Title I —
TEGL 12-01, Clarification on Selected Activities and Issues Under WIA,
TEGL 13-09, Contracting Strategies that Facilitate Serving Youth Most in Need, -

9. PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Age 14-21;
Low-income (Definition of “low-income individual” may be found in WIA section 101 (25), at: and
Have one or more of the following barriers:
deficient in basic literacy skills,
school dropout,
homeless,
a runaway or foster child,
pregnant or parenting,
an offender, or
requires additional assistance to complete and educational program or to secure and hold employment
ELIGIBILITY EXCEPTION - Up to five percent of youth participants served by youth programs in a local area may be individuals who do not meet the income criterion for eligible youth, provided that they are within one or more of the barrier categories listed above or identified by the LWIB.

10. PARTNERSHIPS
Strong partnerships help to leverage resources and increase opportunities for youth. They can enhance the ability of workforce investment areas to access information and data, improve services, and increase efficiencies, with regard to recruitment processes, referrals, and case management.
Federal Collaboration Efforts - Collaborations across Federal departments are taking place to develop and strengthen partnerships among youth service agencies.
DOL has ongoing WIA Youth-related partnerships with the U.S. Departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Interior and Agriculture, and Justice.

11. PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY
There are two sets of performance measures for WIA Youth Programs: seven statutory and three common measures.
STATUTORY YOUTH MEASURES
older youth - entered employment, employment retention rate, earnings change, employment and credential rate;
Younger youth - skill attainment rate, youth diploma/equivalent attainment, and youth retention
COMMON YOUTH MEASURES - placement in employment or education, attainment of a degree or certificate; and literacy and numeracy gains.

12. PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY (continued)
Requirements
Each state workforce agency must negotiate expected levels of performance with DOL for WIA Youth program statutory measures, unless the state has a common measure waiver, in which case the state is only required to negotiate the three WIA youth Program common measures.
All states are required to report performance levels for the three common measures.
To view the performance accountability section in the Act, see WIA Section 136, “Performance Accountability System.” at”
To view the latest WIA Youth Program Quarterly Performance in ETA’s Quarterly Workforce System Results, see:

13. WIA PERFORMANCE MEASURES ADVISORIES
TEGL Common Measures Policy for the employment and Training Administration Performance Accountability System and Related Performance Issues,--
TEGL 17-05, Change 2, - Common Measures Policy for the Employment and Training Administration’s Performance Accountability System and related Performance Issues, --
TEGL 11-01, Change 1 - Guidance on Revising Workforce Investment Act State Negotiated Levels of Performance,--
TEGL Revised Incentive and Sanction Policy for Workforce Investment Act title 1B programs -

14. CURRENT PROGRAM FOCUS FOR WIA YOUTH SERVICES
TEGL 30-10, published June 2, 2011, provides guidance for the use of WIA Youth funded activities in Program Year (PY) 2011,
TEGL 31-10, published June 13, 2011, provides guidance on increasing enrollment and improving services to youth with disabilities,
TEGL 27-09, published May 13, 2010, provides guidance for the use of WIA Youth formula funded activities in PY 2010,
TEGL 15-10, published December 15, 2010, focuses on DOL’s priority performance goal, which is to increase credential attainment by participants in the public workforce system,

15. EXAMPLES OF TRAINING RESOURCES
Examples of training resources are available on pages of the DOL reference tool.
Additional training resources may be listed if available.