Youth Workforce Readiness Act of 2023
This bill requires the Department of Labor to award grants to certain national youth-serving organizations for comprehensive workforce readiness programs that are provided to youth and take place before or after school, during summer vacation or a holiday, or on the weekend (i.e., out-of-school-time programs).
Such grants must be used to develop and implement nationwide youth workforce readiness programs, including for activities such as on-the-job training and leadership development opportunities, internships, and other supportive services.
The bill also requires local workforce development boards to establish youth councils as subgroups of the boards.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3416 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3416
To establish a competitive grant program to support out-of-school-time
youth workforce readiness programs, providing employability skills
development, career exploration, employment readiness training,
mentoring, work-based learning, and workforce opportunities for
eligible youth.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 17, 2023
Mr. Harder of California (for himself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mrs. McBath,
and Mrs. Chavez-DeRemer) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a competitive grant program to support out-of-school-time
youth workforce readiness programs, providing employability skills
development, career exploration, employment readiness training,
mentoring, work-based learning, and workforce opportunities for
eligible youth.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Youth Workforce Readiness Act of
2023''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to establish or expand activities to--
(1) increase access and opportunities for youth to obtain
the education and training that youth need to succeed in the
labor market;
(2) support engagement in and the integration of programs
and activities offered during out-of-school-time hours through
the workforce investment, education, and economic development
systems;
(3) improve the quality of the workforce and meet the skill
requirements of employers;
(4) engage employers in addressing the training, skill, and
employment needs of youth and youth jobseekers, and fostering
opportunities for connection and economic mobility; and
(5) include younger youth in the education and workforce
investment activities in an age and developmentally appropriate
manner.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Community-based organization.--The term ``community-
based organization'' means a youth-serving private nonprofit
organization (which may include a faith-based organization)
that--
(A) is representative of a community or a
significant segment of a community;
(B) has demonstrated expertise and effectiveness in
workforce development; and
(C) has demonstrated expertise--
(i) in the planning and delivery of
education, training, and related activities
that are included in a career pathway;
(ii) in forging coordination and
cooperation between educators and other members
of the community; and
(iii) in development and implementation of
data systems that measure the progress of
students and outcomes of career pathways.
(2) Covered partnership.--The term ``covered partnership''
means a partnership between--
(A) a community-based organization; and
(B) an industry or sector partnership, a local
educational agency, and another public entity or
private employer, as appropriate.
(3) Eligible youth.--The term ``eligible youth'' has the
meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102), except that the
individual involved shall be--
(A) not younger than age 6; and
(B) not older than age 18 (or age 19 if enrolled in
secondary school).
(4) Industry or sector partnership.--The term ``industry or
sector partnership'' means--
(A) an industry or sector partnership, as defined
in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102); and
(B) a collaborative that meets the requirements of
paragraph (26) of that section 3 but also includes--
(i) an Indian tribe or tribal organization
(as such terms are defined in section 166(b) of
that Act (29 U.S.C. 3221(b))), as appropriate;
or
(ii) a community-based organization.
(5) Out-of-school-time.--The term ``out-of-school-time'',
used with respect to a program described in section 7, means a
supervised program regularly attended by eligible youth, that
fosters learning and development during out-of-school-time
hours, which includes hours before school, after school, during
summer vacation or another school holiday, or on a Saturday or
Sunday.
(6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Labor.
(7) WIOA definitions.--The terms ``career pathway'',
``customized training'', ``in-demand industry sector or
occupation'', ``local area'', ``local board'', ``local
educational agency'', and ``recognized postsecondary
credential'' have the meanings given the terms in section 3 of
the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
(8) Workforce readiness program.--The term ``workforce
readiness program'' means an out-of-school-time program that--
(A) meets the requirements of section 7;
(B) is offered by a community-based organization of
an eligible entity or a related covered partnership;
and
(C) is intended to help prepare eligible youth for
the workforce.
SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT.
(a) Grants.--Using the amounts made available under section 9, the
Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible
entities.
(b) General Use of Funds.--The Secretary shall award the grants, on
a competitive basis, to assist eligible entities in planning,
developing, and implementing nationwide, comprehensive workforce
readiness programs, that are--
(1) in out-of-school-time programs;
(2) carried out by community-based organizations of the
eligible entity or related covered partnerships; and
(3) for eligible youth.
(c) Periods of Grants.--The Secretary shall award the grants for
periods of not less than 3 years and not more than 5 years.
SEC. 5. ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.
To be eligible to receive a grant under section 4, an entity
shall--
(1)(A) be a national youth-serving organization with active
chapters, affiliates, or subgrant recipients, that are
community-based organizations (including such organizations
that are facility-based organizations) in not fewer than 35
States; and
(B) provide programming focused on youth workforce
readiness in an out-of-school-time program; and
(2) obtain approval of an application under section 6.
SEC. 6. APPLICATION.
To be eligible to receive a grant under section 4, an entity shall
submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner,
and containing such information as the Secretary may require,
including--
(1) a description of how the entity will implement a youth
workforce readiness program in a manner that ensures an
equitable geographic distribution of program activities,
including an equitable distribution between urban and rural
communities;
(2) a description of the proposed program activities to be
funded and their locations;
(3) a description of populations of eligible youth to be
served, including populations living in or from underserved
communities or communities with employment disparities;
(4) a description of the effective strategies, best
practices, or evidence-based practices the workforce readiness
program will use;
(5) an assurance that the program will take place in safe
and easily accessible facilities;
(6) a demonstration of how, in implementing the proposed
program activities, the entity will coordinate activities with
Federal, State, and local programs and make the most effective
use of public resources;
(7) a description of--
(A) the community-based organizations or the
covered partnerships through which the entity will
implement the program; and
(B) if a covered partnership will assist in
implementing the program, the collaboration and
coordination activities that the community-based
organization in the partnership has carried out or will
carry out with other entities in the partnership,
related to that implementation;
(8) if the program includes an opportunity to earn a
recognized postsecondary credential, a description of the
activities leading to the credential;
(9) an assurance that funds provided under this Act will be
used to supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, or
local funds expended to provide youth programs or workforce
readiness programs; and
(10) a budget detailing program activities and
administrative costs.
SEC. 7. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.
(a) In General.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under
section 4 shall use the grant funds--
(1) if the entity seeks to implement the workforce
readiness program through a covered partnership, to establish
the partnership; and
(2) to carry out the development and implementation of a
youth workforce readiness program--
(A) that includes services to help prepare eligible
youth who are not younger than age 15 for the
workforce, which services shall include--
(i) support for the use of career pathways;
(ii) paid and unpaid work experiences that
have as a component academic and occupational
education, which may include--
(I) summer employment opportunities
and other employment opportunities
available throughout the school year;
(II) pre-apprenticeship and
apprenticeship programs registered
under the National Apprenticeship Act;
(III) internships and job
shadowing; and
(IV) on-the-job training
opportunities;
(iii) work-based learning (as defined in
section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and
Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C.
2302)) that provides opportunities for the
application of employability skills, and hands-
on work experiences through covered
partnerships;
(iv) occupational skill training, which
shall include priority consideration for
training programs that lead to recognized
postsecondary credentials that are aligned with
in-demand industry sectors or occupations in
the local area involved, if the local board
determines that the programs meet the quality
criteria described in section 123 of the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29
U.S.C. 3153);
(v) the provision of customized training;
(vi) education offered concurrently with
and in the same context as workforce readiness
activities and training for a specific
occupation or occupational cluster; and
(vii) activities that help youth prepare
for and transition to postsecondary education
and training;
(B) that includes services to help prepare eligible
youth for the workforce, which services shall include--
(i) leadership development opportunities,
which may include community service and peer-
centered activities encouraging responsibility
and other positive social and civic behaviors,
as appropriate;
(ii) workforce or workforce readiness
opportunities;
(iii) supportive services;
(iv) adult mentoring for the period of
participation and a subsequent period, for a
total of not less than 12 months;
(v) comprehensive guidance and counseling,
which may include drug and alcohol abuse,
prevention services, counseling and referral,
as appropriate;
(vi) financial literacy education;
(vii) entrepreneurial skills training;
(viii) services that provide labor market
and employment information about in-demand
industry sectors or occupations available in
the local area, such as career awareness,
career counseling, and career exploration
services;
(ix) activities to develop fundamental
workforce readiness skills, or to develop
employability skills (such as communication,
creativity, collaboration, and critical
thinking) that support social-emotional
development through every developmental stage,
in both formal and informal learning
experiences;
(x) academic counseling to support
workforce readiness; and
(xi) career exposure, through mentoring and
targeted programming, offered by local industry
or sector partnerships, to provide career
assessments and education and career planning;
and
(C) that may include--
(i) the provision of professional
development (as defined in section 3 of the
Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education
Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302)) for training
educators and other providers of educational
services who participate in the workforce
readiness program; and
(ii) developing assets and resources that
assist an employer or groups of employers or
sectors in working with eligible youth.
(b) Subgrants.--The eligible entity may use the grant funds, with
the approval of the Secretary, to award subgrants to eligible
organizations to carry out activities through a youth workforce
readiness program.
SEC. 8. EVALUATION AND REPORTING.
(a) Measures of Effectiveness.--
(1) In general.--An eligible entity that implements a youth
workforce readiness program under this Act shall--
(A) ensure that the program is--
(i) based upon an assessment of objective
data regarding the need for such a program in
the communities served; and
(ii) evaluated on an established set of
performance measures aimed at ensuring the
availability of high-quality opportunities by
measuring eligible youth success; and
(B) collect the data necessary for the measures of
eligible youth success described in subparagraph
(A)(ii).
(2) Measures.--The performance measures (including
indicators) that will be used to evaluate the youth workforce
readiness programs--
(A) shall be aligned with the regular academic
program of the school of and the academic needs of
participating eligible youth;
(B) shall include performance measures that--
(i) are able to track the success (such as
improvement over time) of eligible youth; and
(ii) include assessment results and other
indicators of eligible youth success, such as
improved attendance during the school day,
better classroom grades, regular (or
consistent) program attendance, and on-time
advancement to the next grade level; and
(C) for high school students, may include
indicators such as achievement of career competencies,
or successful completion of internships,
apprenticeships, or work-based learning opportunities,
or high school graduation.
(b) Periodic Evaluation.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct a periodic
evaluation of the eligible entity, to assess the progress of
the entity's youth workforce readiness program toward ensuring
high-quality opportunities by measuring eligible youth success.
(2) Use of results.--The results of evaluations under
paragraph (1) shall be--
(A) used to refine, improve, and strengthen the
program, and to refine the performance measures; and
(B) used by the Secretary to determine whether a
grant for a program is eligible to be renewed under
section 4.
(c) Reporting.--The Secretary shall submit a report containing the
results of the evaluation to the appropriate committees of Congress,
and make the report available to the public.
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act
$100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
SEC. 10. REESTABLISHMENT OF YOUTH COUNCILS.
(a) Establishment.--Section 107 of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3122) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(j) Youth Council.--
``(1) Establishment.--There shall be established, as a
subgroup within each local board, a youth council appointed by
the local board, in cooperation with the chief elected official
for the local area.
``(2) Membership.--The membership of each youth council
shall include representatives with special interest or
professional expertise with youth workforce development
programs, activities related to youth workforce readiness,
youth workforce investment activities, local labor or joint
labor-management organizations, and education related
representatives--
``(A) membership may include--
``(i) members of the local board with
special interest or expertise in youth
workforce readiness or youth workforce
development;
``(ii) local labor or joint labor-
management organizations with a special
interest or expertise in youth workforce
readiness or youth workforce development;
representatives of the workforce, in the local
area, with a special interest or expertise in
youth workforce readiness or youth workforce
development;
``(iii) representatives of entities
administering education and training
activities, including career and technical
education activities, in the local area, with
special interest or expertise in youth
workforce readiness or youth workforce
development;
``(iv) representatives of youth service
agencies, including juvenile justice, local law
enforcement agencies, and representatives of
local public housing authorities;
``(v) parents of eligible youth, and
current or former youth program participants;
``(vi) representatives of vulnerable
populations (including foster youth, minority
youth, and youth with disabilities);
``(vii) community representatives,
employers of eligible youth, and workplace
learning advisors, with experience relating to
youth workforce activities; and
``(viii) representatives of the Job Corps;
and
``(B) may include such other individuals as the
chairperson of the local board, in cooperation with the
chief elected official, determines to be appropriate.
``(3) Relationship to local board.--Members of the youth
council who are not otherwise members of the local board shall
be voting members of the youth council and nonvoting members of
the board.
``(4) Duties.--The duties of the youth council shall
include--
``(A) representing the interests of youth before
the local board;
``(B) collaborating with the local board to ensure
programs address youth workforce development and youth
workforce readiness; and
``(C) advising the local board on the inclusion and
incorporation of the local youth workforce in
decisions, as appropriate.''.
(b) State Plans.--Section 102(b)(2)(C) of the Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3112(b)(2)(C)) is amended--
(1) in clause (vii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) by redesignating clause (viii) as clause (ix); and
(3) by inserting after clause (vii) the following:
``(viii) how the local boards in the State
are incorporating the recommendations of the
youth councils within the local boards; and''.
(c) Local Plans.--Section 108(b) of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3123(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (21), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) by redesignating paragraph (22) as paragraph (23); and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (21) the following:
``(22) how the local board is incorporating the
recommendations of the youth council within the local board;
and''.
(d) Annual Reports.--Section 116(d) of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3141(d)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (K), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(B) by redesignating subparagraph (L) as
subparagraph (M); and
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (K) the
following:
``(L) information on the activities carried out in
the State on the recommendation of youth councils in
the State; and''; and
(2) in paragraph (3)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``(L)'' and
inserting ``(M)'';
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(C) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as
subparagraph (D); and
(D) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the
following:
``(C) information on the activities carried out in
the local area on the recommendation of the youth
council within the local board; and''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
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