ACTION BULLETINS (PY 2008)
AB - #76 Employment Plus Program Overview
AB - # 76
Effective Date: July 1, 2008
ACTION BULLETIN
TO: All Youth Providers
DATE: September 19, 2008
SUBJECT: Employment Plus Program Overview
Purpose of Bulletin:
The purpose of this bulletin is to provide an overview for the Youth Providers on the eligibility components, definitions and performance outcomes of the Employment Plus Program.
Background:
The Alameda County Workforce Investment Board (ACWIB) approved the program design for the Employment Plus program at their September 2007 meeting. ACWIB procured the Employment Plus program design beginning July 1, 2008 for a three-year cycle.
The Employment Plus Program requires the youth providers to serve youth in their communities based on geographic boundaries. Thirty percent (30%) or less of the youth can be Connected Youth (ages 16-21), and seventy percent (70%) or more must be Disconnected Youth (ages16-21). Definitions of Connected and Disconnected follow.
The program design lends itself to the Common Measure performance outcomes for all youth. The design requires youth providers to focus disconnected youth participants, who are basic skills deficient in reading and/or mathematics, on improving their skills in reading and mathematics as an adjunct to employment assistance, thus moving the youth towards self-sufficiency. The primary focus of service is entry into employment and/or education, attainment of an educational degree or certificate and improvement of basic skills.
Eligibility Components/Definitions:
Connected and Disconnected Youth are local definitions developed by ACWIB staff, reviewed by focus groups, recommended by the Alameda County Youth Policy Council (YPC) and approved by the WIB Board. The definitions of Disconnected and Connected Youth both contain the requirement for youth applicants to be unemployed or underemployed at time of registration as defined below:
· Unemployed: A youth who (a) did not work at all as a paid employee during the seven (7) days prior to application, and was available to work during that time, (b) those who did not work, and (i) were waiting to be called back to a job from which they had been laid off, or (ii) were waiting to report to a new wage or salary job scheduled to start within 30 days.
· Underemployed: A youth who is (a) employed but working part time and desires full time employment, or (b) employed full-time in short term (four months or less) jobs within the year prior to application, which was for the purpose of income maintenance rather than a career path.
However, Disconnected and Connected Youth definitions differ in whether or not the youth applicant is attending school at the time of enrollment/registration:
Connected Youth:
Youth (ages 16-21) who is attending secondary, alternative, or post-secondary education, at the time of registration are Connected Youth.
Youth Providers report Connected Youth status using one of the following three (3) Education statuses reported on the WIA application at the time of eligibility determination:
1. Student, high school or less
2. Student, attending post – high school
6. Student, attending alternative school.
Disconnected Youth:
Youth (ages 16-21) who is a high school graduate or a high school drop out, and not attending school at the time of registration are Disconnected Youth.
The definition of HS Dropout includes:
Youth who were enrolled in grades 7,8,9,10,11 or 12 at some time during previous school years AND left school prior to completing the next school year AND has not returned to school, OR
Did not begin attending the next grade in school by the beginning of school term.
Youth Providers report Disconnected Youth status using one of the following two (2) Education statuses reported on the WIA application at the time of eligibility determination:
3. Out-of-School, High School Dropout
4. Out-of-School, High School Graduate with Employment Difficulty
The Youth Worksheet (attached) developed by the ACWIB Performance Team must be included as part of a complete application file submitted for eligibility review.
Performance Outcomes:
The three (3) Common Measures, for both Connected and Disconnected youth, will be used to evaluate the Youth Providers performance for Entered Employment/Education; Attained Degree or Certificate; and Literacy and Numeracy Gains. The Common Measures are defined as follows:
Entered Employment/Education:
The number of Connected or Disconnected youth (ages 16-21) who are:
Unemployed; not in post-secondary education; or in the military at time of enrollment/registration, AND employed, in Military, post-secondary education, advance training, or occupational skills training at exit
______________________________________________________________________________
DIVIDED by the number of youth who exit during the same period.
NOTE: Connected or Disconnected youth who are employed but working part-time and desires full-time employment (underemployed by definition) at time of enrollment/registration are excluded from this measure.
Attained Degree or Certificate:
The number of Connected or Disconnected youth (ages 16-21) who are either:
A Connected youth enrolled in education at registration, or a Disconnected youth enrolled in education/training during program participation, AND who received a degree or certificate by end of 3rd quarter after exit
______________________________________________________________________________
DIVIDED by the number of youth enrolled in education who exited during the same period.
NOTE: The Department of Labor Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 17-05 defines certificate as—awarded in recognition of an individual’s attainment of measurable technical or occupational skills necessary to gain employment or advance within an occupation. These technical or occupational skills are based on standards developed or endorsed by employers. Certificates awarded by workforce investment boards are not included in this definition. Work readiness certificates are also not included in this definition.
For Connected or Disconnected youth who enroll in education/training during program participation, submit an MIS enrollment form, indicating one of the youth training codes from 90-96, and change the enrollment education status to:
Number 1 if the application education status was a 1 or a 6, OR
Number 2 if the application education status was reported as a 2, 3, or 4.
NOTE: Education Status 5 should not be used for any youth. The definition states that they are a HS Grad, without employment difficulty, and are NOT unemployed or underemployed. Under the Employment Plus design, ALL youth must be unemployed or underemployed.
Literacy and Numeracy Gains:
The number of Disconnected out-of-school youth who are:
Deficient in basic skills in reading and/or mathematics AND who increased one or more educational functioning levels during the quarter measured
_______________________________________________________________________________
DIVIDED by the number of Disconnected out-of-school youth deficient in basic skills and completed one (1) year in the program OR exited before completing one (1) year.
NOTE: Disconnected out-of-school youth, NOT basic skills deficient, as determined by pre-testing, are excluded from this measure.
NOTE: Pre-testing for basic skills deficiency must occur within sixty (60) days of enrollment into WIA funded program. Post testing must occur prior to exit or within one (1) year of enrollment/registration.
Action:
· Youth Providers must adhere to the definitions for Connected or Disconnected Youth when assessing youth applicants (ages 16-21) for appropriateness for WIA funded services.
· Youth Providers must utilize the allowable documentation when submitting the application file to document Connected or Disconnected Youth eligibility criteria. Contact your assigned performance team member with questions regarding allowable documentation.
· Youth Providers should monitor quarterly Common Measure outcomes, and how Connected or Disconnected youth participants exits impact each measure.
Information & Inquiries:
For further information contact Linda Slater at (510) 259-3802 or via email at LSlater@acgov.org
Attachment:
Youth Worksheet
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