Located in:
- Program-specific Requirements for Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities under Title I-B
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include the following with respect to activities carried out under subtitle B—
- c. Youth Program Requirements.
With respect to youth workforce investment activities authorized in section 129 of WIOA, States should describe their strategies that will support the implementation of youth activities under WIOA. State’s must-
- c. Youth Program Requirements.
c. 3. Describe how the State assists local workforce boards in implementing innovative models for delivering youth workforce investment activities, including effective ways local workforce boards can make available the 14 program elements described in WIOA section 129(c)(2); and explain how local areas can ensure work experience, including quality pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship, is prioritized as a key element within a broader career pathways strategy.
Current Narrative:
In 2015, Indiana issued an interim WIOA Youth Manual, which was subsequently finalized in 2016 and has been updated every year since implementation. The purpose of this manual is to provide consistent guidance, strategies, promising practices, and documents that can be used by local areas to implement WIOA youth services, both in- and out-of-school. The document includes many of the same strategies included in response to Question (c)(2) above, but also details the process staff should use to recruit, determine eligibility, conduct an objective assessment, and maintain case files for each youth enrollment. Additionally, the DWD has issued policy (DWD Policy 2017-03, Change 2, DWD Policy 2017-10, Change 1, and DWD Policy 2018-01, Change 2 found at: https://www.in.gov/dwd/compliance-policy/policy/active/) surrounding requirements and effective practices for WIOA youth in the following areas:
Eligibility Determinations, complete with definitions
Work Experience program element, complete with definitions, guidance on fund expenditures and working with employer partners
14 Youth Program Elements, complete with definitions, requirements, and prohibitions; an updated version of this policy was issued in October 2021 to provide clarification on the provision of electronic devices as WIOA Youth Program supportive services and/or as an incentive.
The JAG National model, used as the primary vehicle to serve in-school youth, has multiple guidance and requirement handbooks which are guideposts for Indiana’s implementation of this program, many of which were updated in 2021 in collaboration with JAG Indiana leadership serving on numerous workgroups to review and revise national standard operating procedures. All the above guidance and policy documents assist local areas to define and meet expectations of both youth constituents and requirements to ensure the effective implementation of the 14 program elements.
In addition to written guidance, DWD hosts multiple annual professional development events for both in- and out-of-school case managers and administrators to utilize current promising practices and introduce beneficial partnerships to ensure the effective implementation of the 14 program elements. DWD’s youth team has a dedicated professional development staff member, providing ongoing training and technical assistance. JAG staff at the State and local levels also participate in numerous national conferences featuring the most current and promising practices in the areas of serving youth, especially those with barriers to education and employment success.
With respect to pre-apprenticeships and registered apprenticeships, State, and local youth staff partner with DWD’s Office of Work-based Learning and Apprenticeship to ensure program participants are aware of and have access to numerous work-based learning opportunities in this space, including certified pre-apprenticeship programs. These quality programs, created in direct partnership with local registered apprenticeship programs, offer both career exploration and direct entry opportunities into a strong career pathway.