Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities

(2) Describe the strategies the State will use to achieve improved outcomes for out-of-school youth as described in 129(a)(1)(B), including how it will leverage and align the core programs, any Combined State Plan partner programs included in this Plan, required and optional AJC partner programs, and any other resources available.

WIOA outlines a broader youth vision grounded in evidence-based strategies to support a service delivery system dedicated to achieving high-levels of performance, accountability and quality in preparing young people for the workforce. Through the WIOA Title I Youth Program, WIOA places a greater emphasis on supporting the educational and career successes of out-of-school youth. The law includes the Youth Program’s 14 key elements to include dropout recovery strategies and services, education offered concurrently with workforce activities and training, financial literacy education, entrepreneurship, postsecondary transitional support, and Labor Market Information. Local Areas must spend at least 20 percent of WIOA Title I Youth Program funds on work experiences that incorporate academic and occupational education. The WIOA Youth Program is designed to support eligible youth in reaching their educational and career goals. To meet this aim, Local Areas and local provider that are awarded competitive contracts, must:

• Conduct an objective assessment of the participant’s skills;
• Develop an Individual Service Strategy (ISS) with the participant; and
• Utilize WIOA’s 14 Youth Program elements to support the participant in reaching his or her career and academic goals.

Co-Enrollment

Given WIOA’s focus on providing an integrated service delivery system that leverages resources across the State, MD Labor encourages Local Areas to co-enroll youth participants in both the WIOA Youth Program and other related programs when appropriate. The following list provides examples of programs where co-enrollment may make sense for the youth participant:

• MD Labor’s WIOA Title I Adult Program;
• MD Labor’s WIOA Title I Dislocated Worker Program;
• MD Labor’s WIOA Title II Adult Education Program;
• DHS’s TANF Program;
• DHS’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP);
• MSDE’s DORS Program;
• MD Labor’s JVSG Program;
• MD Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program;
• MD Labor’s Apprenticeship and Youth Apprenticeship Program; and
• DHS’s John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program.

Youth participants must meet eligibility criteria for participation within each program before co-enrollment occurs. Maryland recognizes that the WIOA system’s mark of success goes beyond the measures required by federal partners. Utilizing the technical assistance provided to Maryland through its participation in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Systems to Family Stability National Policy Academy, the WIOA Partners have worked collaboratively to determine how best to measure success. As Maryland seeks to strengthen and enhance its workforce system through implementation of the State Plan, success requires a commitment to innovation, collaboration, and a true systems approach among the State’s many workforce partners.

In order to guide the WIOA Partners in this work, the Benchmarks of Success for Maryland’s workforce system will set forth a clear vision, goals, and measurable achievements that help define success and lay the core foundation of this new system. These goals and benchmarks are not mere measures, but rather provide a way of thinking systematically about how Maryland delivers services. They reflect Maryland’s dedication to focusing its efforts on people who need the system’s assistance the most. To be clear, the intention of these benchmarks is not to be punitive; but rather, to be forward thinking about what success really means in Maryland. Utilizing these benchmarks, Maryland will work to create greater opportunities for Maryland’s out-of-school youth through the alignment of the State’s core partner programs.