What This Bill Does
This bill creates a competitive grant program run by the Secretary of Labor to fund youth workforce readiness programs. These programs operate during out-of-school time (before school, after school, summer, weekends) and help young people develop job skills, explore careers, and prepare for employment.
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Who It Affects
- Young people ages 6-18 (or 19 if still in high school)
- National youth-serving organizations with chapters in at least 35 states
- Community-based organizations and nonprofits
- Local school districts
- Employers and industry partnerships
- Local workforce boards
- The Secretary of Labor
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Key Provisions
- The Secretary of Labor awards multi-year grants (3-5 years) on a competitive basis to eligible organizations to develop and run youth workforce programs (Sec. 4)
- Youth programs must include leadership development, mentoring for at least 12 months, career exploration, financial literacy, and skills training in safe, accessible facilities (Sec. 7)
- For youth ages 15 and older, programs must offer work-based learning opportunities, paid or unpaid work experiences, internships, apprenticeships, and occupational skill training (Sec. 7)
- Grant recipients must track youth success through performance measures including school attendance, grades, program participation, and high school graduation rates (Sec. 8)
- Each local workforce board must establish a youth council to represent young people's interests and advise on youth workforce programs (Sec. 10)
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What Changes
If this bill becomes law, the federal government will begin funding organizations to create comprehensive out-of-school workforce readiness programs for young people. Local communities with eligible organizations can apply for grants to develop these programs. Youth councils will be added to local workforce boards to ensure young people have a voice in workforce planning decisions.
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Important Definitions
- **Out-of-school-time:** Supervised programs during hours before school, after school, summer break, school holidays, or weekends
- **Workforce readiness program:** An out-of-school program designed to help young people prepare for work
- **Community-based organization:** A nonprofit (possibly faith-based) that serves youth, has expertise in workforce development, and can coordinate education and training
- **Covered partnership:** A partnership between a community organization and an employer, school district, industry group, or other public/private entity
- **Eligible youth:** As defined in federal workforce law, ages 6-18 (or 19 if in high school)
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Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 454
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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 15, 2023
Ms. SMITH (for herself, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. WYDEN, and Ms. COLLINS) intro-
duced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Com-
mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
A BILL
To establish a competitive grant program to support out-
of-school-time youth workforce readiness programs, pro-
viding employability skills development, career explo-
ration, employment readiness training, mentoring, work-
based learning, and workforce opportunities for eligible
youth.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Youth Workforce
4
Readiness Act of 2023’’.
5
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SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
1
The purpose of this Act is to establish or expand ac-
2
tivities to—
3
(1) increase access and opportunities for youth
4
to obtain the education and training that youth need
5
to succeed in the labor market;
6
(2) support engagement in and the integration
7
of programs and activities offered during out-of-
8
school-time hours through the workforce investment,
9
education, and economic development systems;
10
(3) improve the quality of the workforce and
11
meet the skill requirements of employers;
12
(4) engage employers in addressing the train-
13
ing, skill, and employment needs of youth and youth
14
jobseekers, and fostering opportunities for connec-
15
tion and economic mobility; and
16
(5) include younger youth in the education and
17
workforce investment activities in an age and devel-
18
opmentally appropriate manner.
19
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
20
In this Act:
21
(1) COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATION.—The
22
term ‘‘community-based organization’’ means a
23
youth-serving private nonprofit organization (which
24
may include a faith-based organization) that—
25
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(A) is representative of a community or a
1
significant segment of a community;
2
(B) has demonstrated expertise and effec-
3
tiveness in workforce development; and
4
(C) has demonstrated expertise—
5
(i) in the planning and delivery of
6
education, training, and related activities
7
that are included in a career pathway;
8
(ii) in forging coordination and co-
9
operation between educators and other
10
members of the community; and
11
(iii) in development and implementa-
12
tion of data systems that measure the
13
progress of students and outcomes of ca-
14
reer pathways.
15
(2) COVERED PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘‘cov-
16
ered partnership’’ means a partnership between—
17
(A) a community-based organization; and
18
(B) an industry or sector partnership, a
19
local educational agency, or another public enti-
20
ty or private employer, as appropriate.
21
(3) ELIGIBLE
YOUTH.—The term ‘‘eligible
22
youth’’ has the meaning given the term in section 3
23
of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
24
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(29 U.S.C. 3102), except that the individual involved
1
shall be—
2
(A) not younger than age 6; and
3
(B) not older than age 18 (or age 19 if en-
4
rolled in secondary school).
5
(4) INDUSTRY OR SECTOR PARTNERSHIP.—The
6
term ‘‘industry or sector partnership’’ means—
7
(A) an industry or sector partnership, as
8
defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innova-
9
tion and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102);
10
and
11
(B) a collaborative that meets the require-
12
ments of paragraph (26) of that section 3 but
13
also includes—
14
(i) an Indian tribe or tribal organiza-
15
tion (as such terms are defined in section
16
166(b) of that Act (29 U.S.C. 3221(b))),
17
as appropriate; or
18
(ii) a community-based organization.
19
(5) OUT-OF-SCHOOL-TIME.—The term ‘‘out-of-
20
school-time’’, used with respect to a program, means
21
a supervised program regularly attended by eligible
22
youth, that fosters learning and development during
23
out-of-school-time hours, which includes hours before
24
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school, after school, during summer vacation or an-
1
other school holiday, or on a Saturday or Sunday.
2
(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
3
the Secretary of Labor.
4
(7) WIOA DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘‘career
5
pathway’’, ‘‘customized training’’, ‘‘in-demand indus-
6
try sector or occupation’’, ‘‘local area’’, ‘‘local
7
board’’, ‘‘local educational agency’’, and ‘‘recognized
8
postsecondary credential’’ have the meanings given
9
the terms in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation
10
and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
11
(8) WORKFORCE
READINESS
PROGRAM.—The
12
term ‘‘workforce readiness program’’ means an out-
13
of-school-time program that—
14
(A) meets the requirements of section 7;
15
(B) is offered by a community-based orga-
16
nization of an eligible entity or a related cov-
17
ered partnership; and
18
(C) is intended to help prepare eligible
19
youth for the workforce.
20
SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT.
21
(a) GRANTS.—Using the amounts made available
22
under section 9, the Secretary shall award grants, on a
23
competitive basis, to eligible entities.
24
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(b) GENERAL USE OF FUNDS.—The Secretary shall
1
award the grants, on a competitive basis, to assist eligible
2
entities in planning, developing, and implementing nation-
3
wide, comprehensive workforce readiness programs, that
4
are—
5
(1) in out-of-school-time programs;
6
(2) carried out by community-based organiza-
7
tions of the eligible entity or related covered partner-
8
ships; and
9
(3) for eligible youth.
10
(c) PERIODS
OF
GRANTS.—The Secretary shall
11
award the grants for periods of not less than 3 years and
12
not more than 5 years.
13
SEC. 5. ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.
14
To be eligible to receive a grant under section 4, an
15
entity shall—
16
(1)(A) be a national youth-serving organization
17
with active chapters, affiliates, or subgrant recipi-
18
ents, that are community-based organizations (in-
19
cluding such organizations that are facility-based or-
20
ganizations) in not fewer than 35 States; and
21
(B) provide programming focused on youth
22
workforce readiness in an out-of-school-time pro-
23
gram; and
24
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(2) obtain approval of an application under sec-
1
tion 6.
2
SEC. 6. APPLICATION.
3
To be eligible to receive a grant under section 4, an
4
entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such
5
time, in such manner, and containing such information as
6
the Secretary may require, including—
7
(1) a description of how the entity will imple-
8
ment a youth workforce readiness program in a
9
manner that ensures an equitable geographic dis-
10
tribution of program activities, including an equi-
11
table distribution between urban and rural commu-
12
nities;
13
(2) a description of the proposed program ac-
14
tivities to be funded and their locations;
15
(3) a description of populations of eligible youth
16
to be served, including populations living in or from
17
underserved communities or communities with em-
18
ployment disparities;
19
(4) a description of the effective strategies, best
20
practices, or evidence-based practices the workforce
21
readiness program will use;
22
(5) an assurance that the program will take
23
place in safe and easily accessible facilities;
24
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(6) a demonstration of how, in implementing
1
the proposed program activities, the entity will co-
2
ordinate activities with Federal, State, and local pro-
3
grams and make the most effective use of public re-
4
sources;
5
(7) a description of—
6
(A) the community-based organizations or
7
the covered partnerships through which the en-
8
tity will implement the program; and
9
(B) if a covered partnership will assist in
10
implementing the program, the collaboration
11
and coordination activities that the community-
12
based organization in the partnership has car-
13
ried out or will carry out with other entities in
14
the partnership, related to that implementation;
15
(8) if the program includes an opportunity to
16
earn a recognized postsecondary credential, a de-
17
scription of the activities leading to the credential;
18
and
19
(9) an assurance that funds provided under this
20
Act will be used to supplement and not supplant
21
other Federal, State, or local funds expended to pro-
22
vide youth programs or workforce readiness pro-
23
grams.
24
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SEC. 7. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.
1
(a) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that receives a
2
grant under section 4 shall use the grant funds—
3
(1) if the entity seeks to implement the work-
4
force readiness program through a covered partner-
5
ship, to establish the partnership; and
6
(2) to carry out the development and implemen-
7
tation of a youth workforce readiness program—
8
(A) that includes services to help prepare
9
eligible youth for the workforce, which services
10
shall include—
11
(i) leadership development opportuni-
12
ties, which may include community service
13
and peer-centered activities encouraging
14
responsibility and other positive social and
15
civic behaviors, as appropriate;
16
(ii) workforce or workforce readiness
17
opportunities;
18
(iii) supportive services;
19
(iv) adult mentoring for the period of
20
participation and a subsequent period, for
21
a total of not less than 12 months;
22
(v) comprehensive guidance and coun-
23
seling (which may include drug and alcohol
24
abuse counseling and referral, and preven-
25
tion services, as appropriate);
26
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(vi) financial literacy education;
1
(vii) entrepreneurial skills training;
2
(viii) services that provide labor mar-
3
ket and employment information about in-
4
demand industry sectors or occupations
5
available in the local area, such as career
6
awareness, career counseling, and career
7
exploration services;
8
(ix) activities to develop fundamental
9
workforce readiness skills, or to develop
10
employability skills (such as communica-
11
tion, creativity, collaboration, and critical
12
thinking) that support social-emotional de-
13
velopment through every developmental
14
stage, in both formal and informal learning
15
experiences; and
16
(x) career exposure, through men-
17
toring and targeted programming, offered
18
by local industry or sector partnerships, to
19
provide career assessments and education
20
and career planning;
21
(B) that includes services to help prepare
22
eligible youth who are not younger than age 15
23
for the workforce, which services shall include—
24
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(i) support for the use of career path-
1
ways;
2
(ii) paid and unpaid work experiences
3
that have as a component academic and
4
occupational education, which may in-
5
clude—
6
(I) summer employment opportu-
7
nities and other employment opportu-
8
nities available throughout the school
9
year;
10
(II) pre-apprenticeship and reg-
11
istered apprenticeship programs;
12
(III) internships and job shad-
13
owing; and
14
(IV) on-the-job training opportu-
15
nities;
16
(iii) work-based learning (as defined
17
in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career
18
and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20
19
U.S.C. 2302)) that provides opportunities
20
for the application of employability skills,
21
and hands-on work experiences through
22
covered partnerships;
23
(iv) occupational skill training, which
24
shall include priority consideration for
25
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training programs that lead to recognized
1
postsecondary credentials that are aligned
2
with in-demand industry sectors or occupa-
3
tions in the local area involved, if the local
4
board determines that the programs meet
5
the quality criteria described in section 123
6
of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor-
7
tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3153);
8
(v) the provision of customized train-
9
ing;
10
(vi) education offered concurrently
11
with and in the same context as workforce
12
readiness activities and training for a spe-
13
cific occupation or occupational cluster;
14
and
15
(vii) activities that help youth prepare
16
for and transition to postsecondary edu-
17
cation and training; and
18
(C) that may include—
19
(i) the provision of professional devel-
20
opment (as defined in section 3 of the Carl
21
D. Perkins Career and Technical Edu-
22
cation Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302)) for
23
training educators and other providers of
24
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educational services who participate in the
1
workforce readiness program; and
2
(ii) developing assets and resources
3
that assist an employer or groups of em-
4
ployers or sectors in working with eligible
5
youth.
6
(b) SUBGRANTS.—The eligible entity may use the
7
grant funds, with the approval of the Secretary, to award
8
subgrants to eligible organizations to carry out activities
9
through a youth workforce readiness program.
10
SEC. 8. EVALUATION AND REPORTING.
11
(a) MEASURES OF
[Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]