Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities

The State Youth Committee recommended and the State Workforce Development Council approved assigning delivery of the youth framework component to the state’s grant recipient/fiscal agent, the Idaho Department of Labor as allowed in the NPRM §681.400. All intake, assessment, completion of individual service strategies, case management and follow-up services will be provided within the One-Stop offices by Idaho Department of Labor staff.

Annual contracts with Idaho Department of Labor WIOA Youth Program providers include the expectation of performance requirements. In addition to the WIOA Sec. 116 measures, they will be evaluated on their service to individuals with barriers to employment and according to incidence of population (demographics). The outcomes will be reviewed by the Youth Committee annually to ensure that the Idaho Department of Labor continues to meet performance accountability measures.

The following services were solicited as projects through a competitive procurement process: 1) Provide paid and unpaid work-based training activities (on-the-job trainings (OJTs), internships, apprenticeships, and work experiences) to develop occupational skills, including soft or work readiness skills, in demand by high growth industries and to prepare out-of-school youth for placement in specific high growth industry pipelines; 2) Incorporate leadership development opportunities as part of the work-based training opportunities noted above, which may include community service and peer-centered activities encouraging responsibility and other positive social and civic behaviors, as appropriate; 3) Provide adult mentoring opportunities; and, 4) Provide supportive services as necessary for the WIOA-enrolled out-of-school youth. Examples include, but are not limited to: Linkages to community services; Assistance with transportation; Assistance with child care and dependent care; Referrals to medical services; and Assistance with uniforms or other appropriate work attire and work-related tools; and Provision of additional services that support youth with disabilities.

Proposed projects must include all four (4) allowable program elements noted above. These four (4) elements above may be required in combination or alone at different times during a youth’s development, as determined appropriate for each individual youth, based on their objective assessment and individual service strategy developed by IDOL WIOA staff. Although Idaho Workforce Development Council serves as both the state board and local board for the statewide planning area, the service projects were solicited for Idaho’s six WIOA service delivery areas. Some of the criteria for awarding the service delivery contracts includes, but is not limited to:

• Providing all of the contracted service elements to all referred youth in the SDA they propose to provide services;
• Following the parameters of federal and state regulations, including state WIOA Provisions and Assurances to address fiscal and programmatic items such as confidentiality, recordkeeping, and other matters;
• Serving only youth referred by IDOL under these provisions
• Providing priority of services to low-income individuals from the juvenile justice system, aging out of foster care, pregnant and parenting youth, and individuals with disabilities.
• Delivering the service elements within five (5) business days of receiving a referral from the IDOL.

Outcomes

Compliance with federal performance guidelines, which provide specific levels of performance for WIOA program outcomes, is critical. In addition, the contractor’s performance will be measured against the following performance indicators established for this solicitation. Performance indicators may be added or revised to meet federal and state requirements.

a. Percentage of participants who are in education or training activities, or in unsubsidized employment, during the second quarter after exit from the project. i. The contractor must focus on employment opportunities in high demand occupations in high growth industries that feed into specific high growth industry pipelines.

b. Percentage of participants in education or training activities, or in unsubsidized employment, during the fourth quarter after exit from the project.

c. Median earnings of participants who are in unsubsidized employment during the second quarter after exit from the project.

d. Effectiveness in serving employers.

PROJECT DESIGN The contractor’s project designs describe project flow, including how each specific service is provided, emphasizing participant-based processes that ensure the provision of element(s) for each referral as defined by IDOL in the youth participant’s planned service strategy. The project design should show accommodation of the unique needs of low-income individuals from the juvenile justice system, those aging out of foster care, pregnant and parenting youth, and individuals with disabilities, including translation and interpretation services for limited English proficient participants, as needed. To ensure there are no gaps in service, the contractor must ensure that program participants are actively engaged and that communication with both participants and employers in continually maintained. Timelines for project implementation include a plan that supports effective communication regarding project implementation between the contractor, the IDOL, participants, worksites/employers, and supportive service providers. This plan must incorporate and coordinate already existing tools and resources to ensure communication remains intact between all parties and identify the scope of reach and best ways to communicate between all parties, including the state Grants Management Unit.

PAID/UNPAID WORK-BASED TRAINING ACTIVITIES

Work-based training is a major component of the program and is the next step in a youth’s career development. Successful contractors are those that demonstrate an understanding of the labor market within the community and the opportunities for young adult employment through paid and unpaid work-based training, including pre-apprenticeship programs; internships, which may consist of job rotation and must be made available at the end of the youth completing the occupational skills training; job shadowing; and on-the-job training, which must lead to full-time employment.

Through the solicitation, the state seeks area contractors that will develop occupational skills for participants that are in demand by high growth industries, placing participants into specific high demand occupational pipelines that match their skills and interests, in addition to meeting the employer’s needs. Their linkages to employment, including the relationship with local Idaho Department of Labor offices, is critical to the state’s requirement that work-based training opportunities (OJTs, internships, and work experiences) and structured work-based training activities be developed quickly and efficiently, promoting the development of a youth’s soft or work-readiness skills as needed.

SUPPORTIVE SERVICES, ADULT MENTORING, AND LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

The contractor’s established, working relationships with other entities in the project’s service delivery area will help to improve out-of-school youth participation, broadening access to any necessary services a participant may need. Identifying these relationships with entities providing supportive services, adult mentoring, and leadership opportunities for youth help the Idaho Workforce Development Council determine how effective a contractor may be in developing community partnerships to improve regional coordination and service delivery to support the needs of youth and young adults as identified in their comprehensive assessment.

As the WIOA Final Rules are issued, any awarded contracts will be revised to incorporate any changes that may have resulted from any of the revisions from the original solicitation which was based on the NPRMs released in 2015. .