PRINTER'S NO. 1107
No. 555 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY HUGHES, MELLOW, LAVALLE, FERLO, STOUT, MUSTO,
FONTANA, TARTAGLIONE, COSTA, ERICKSON, KITCHEN, WASHINGTON,
RHOADES, RAFFERTY AND ORIE, JUNE 7, 2007
REFERRED TO LABOR AND INDUSTRY, JUNE 7, 2007
AN ACT
1 Expanding the availability of high-quality workforce
2 connections; providing work readiness, career preparation and
3 employment support for youth in local workforce investment
4 areas throughout this Commonwealth; supporting the efforts of
5 workforce investment boards and youth councils to promote and
6 coordinate local youth workforce development systems;
7 establishing the Youth Empowerment Account; making an
8 appropriation; and imposing duties on the Department of Labor
9 and Industry.
10 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
11 hereby enacts as follows:
12 CHAPTER 1
13 PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS
14 Section 101. Short title.
15 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Youth
16 Empowerment Services Act.
17 Section 102. Statement of purpose.
18 It is the purpose of the program under this act to create a
19 framework whereby work-related experiences and opportunities are
20 used to bring relevance to classroom experience, support
21 successful postsecondary transitions into college and careers,
1 reduce violence, enhance self-respect and respect for others,
2 encourage self-sufficiency and productivity and develop valuable
3 employment skills for youth.
4 Section 103. Definitions.
5 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
6 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
7 context clearly indicates otherwise:
8 "Employer mentor." A Commonwealth employer who assists a
9 program participant in performance of work responsibilities as
10 well as providing practical supervised training and introducing
11 the program participant to other work or educationally related
12 opportunities.
13 "Internship." A paid or unpaid workplace program during the
14 academic year or summer months providing an opportunity to
15 combine practical work experience with educational experience.
16 "Local workforce investment area." Areas designated by the
17 Governor in accordance with the Workforce Investment Act of 1998
18 (Public Law 105-220, 112 Stat. 936).
19 "Program participant." One who participates in the Youth
20 Empowerment Services Program who is between 14 to 21 years of
21 age and a member of a household at 235% or less of the Federal
22 poverty level.
23 "Public-private partnership." A cooperative relationship
24 between the business community and State-funded entities or
25 programs.
26 "Related workplace experiences." The experiences in the work
27 environment that enhance academic, occupational and societal
28 skills.
29 "Required match." Wages for student employment paid by the
30 employer mentor in the local workforce investment area and
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1 related expenditures that match 50% of the funds provided to the
2 youth council through the Youth Empowerment Services Program.
3 "Twenty-first century skills." Those skills deemed by
4 employers to be required for successful employment in 21st
5 century workplaces, including core academic skills, 21st century
6 content such as, global awareness; financial and entrepreneurial
7 literacy and civic awareness; learning and thinking skills and
8 information and communications technology skills.
9 "Work-based learning." An experience-based educational
10 strategy for program participants designed to enhance the
11 traditional goals of education, including academic achievement,
12 career development and social responsibility.
13 "Workforce investment board." A board established by the
14 Governor of Pennsylvania in accordance with the Workforce
15 Investment Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-220, 112 Stat. 936).
16 "Youth council." A subgroup within each local board as
17 defined by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-
18 220, 112 Stat. 936), including representatives of local agencies
19 with a special interest in or expertise in youth policy.
20 "Youth Empowerment Services Program." A program where the
21 coordination of work and educational experience is used to
22 enhance or develop career and societal skills for local youth.
23 CHAPTER 3
24 LOCAL CHALLENGE GRANT PROGRAM
25 Section 301. Authorization.
26 (a) General rule.--Notwithstanding any law to the contrary,
27 the Department of Labor and Industry, in cooperation with the
28 Department of Education, is hereby authorized to establish and
29 support a public-private partnership to link eligible program
30 participants with economic and learning opportunities in
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1 workplaces within this Commonwealth's local workforce investment
2 areas as part of the Youth Empowerment Services Program. The
3 program may include, subject to appropriation, the award of
4 matching grants to local youth councils that demonstrate private
5 sector support for internships and related workplace
6 experiences.
7 (b) Employer duties.--Such grants shall require a 50% match
8 from private sector employers in wages and other costs
9 associated with hiring students and other related youth
10 workforce development activities. In addition to wages,
11 employers must also provide mentoring and instruction on the job
12 and must work closely with schools and community partners
13 supporting participating students.
14 (c) Program.--The program shall include, but not be limited
15 to:
16 (1) A provision that business leaders commit resources
17 to pay salaries, provide mentoring and instruction on the job
18 and work closely with schools and youth-serving
19 organizations.
20 (2) A provision that State funds under this act shall
21 assume the costs of connecting students with employers,
22 including, but not limited to, activities designed to help
23 youth serve productively on the job, such as work readiness
24 and mentor training, as well as other costs related to the
25 ongoing support for youth workforce development activities
26 listed in section 303(b).
27 (3) A provision that participating local education
28 agencies and general purpose local governments direct, as
29 appropriate, portions of related Federal, State and local
30 funds to youth workforce development efforts.
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1 Section 302. Eligibility.
2 (a) Recipients.--Local youth councils, through their
3 workforce investment boards, are the recipients of funds under
4 the Local Challenge Grant Program.
5 (b) Administration.--Workforce investment boards and their
6 youth councils will administer grant funds and support efforts
7 by employers to craft and implement high-quality internships and
8 related workplace experiences. Specifically, funding may be used
9 to support activities including, but not limited to:
10 (1) Connecting schools, students and employers to
11 provide high-quality workplace experiences that enhance
12 academic and occupational skills.
13 (2) Paying student wages.
14 (3) Supporting summer and year-round internships and
15 employment opportunities.
16 (4) Providing opportunities for long-term career
17 preparation in this Commonwealth's high-priority occupations.
18 (5) Developing creative models to support academic,
19 occupational and workforce preparation for out-of-school
20 youth, youth at risk of dropping out and other at-risk youth,
21 including court-involved youth and youth in and aging out of
22 foster care.
23 (6) Addressing and removing barriers to student
24 participation.
25 (7) Evaluating post-program outcomes to assess
26 effectiveness and to promote continuous improvement.
27 (8) Ensuring that all activities promote acquisition of
28 21st century skills, life skills, connections to caring
29 adults and post-secondary transitions into college and
30 careers.
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1 (c) Detailed plan.--To be eligible to receive matching
2 funds, each workforce investment board and youth council must
3 submit a detailed plan demonstrating the following:
4 (1) A strong working relationship with private sector
5 employers in the local workforce area, particularly with
6 regard to the development and effective implementation of
7 high-quality internships for youth, 14 to 21 years of age.
8 (2) The required 50% match from private sector partners.
9 (3) The ability to support and oversee internships and
10 related high-quality workplace experiences in the local area.
11 (4) The ability to build on and integrate other youth
12 workforce development programs currently operating at the
13 local level.
14 (5) The ability to meet accountability measures listed
15 in subsection (d).
16 (6) An explanation of how their efforts will support and
17 promote the work of their youth council and workforce
18 investment board.
19 (d) Accountability measures.--Workforce investment boards
20 and youth councils receiving these funds shall be held to
21 specific accountability measures for program participants,
22 including, but not limited to:
23 (1) Increased work readiness, as evidenced by improved
24 scores on recognized assessments of workplace skills.
25 (2) Increased graduation rates.
26 (3) Increased transition to appropriate postsecondary
27 education employment, apprenticeships and/or other high-
28 quality job training programs.
29 (4) Reductions in incidence of youth violence and
30 involvement in the juvenile justice system.
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1 (5) Measures of student, parent and employer
2 satisfaction.
3 Section 303. Allocations.
4 (a) General rule.--Ninety percent of the funds available
5 under this act will be available to local workforce investment
6 boards and youth councils to match employer contributions for
7 youth internships.
8 (b) Formula.--Funds shall be allocated to local workforce
9 investment boards and youth councils consistent with the formula
10 contained in youth provisions of the Workforce Investment Act of
11 1998 (Public-Law 105-220, 112 Stat. 936). In the event that
12 local workforce investment boards and youth councils have
13 insufficient match to leverage all the available allocation, the
14 remaining funds shall be made available to those workforce
15 investment boards and youth councils demonstrating the ability
16 to provide the required match.
17 CHAPTER 5
18 MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
19 Section 501. Appropriation.
20 The sum of $100,000,000, or as much thereof as may be
21 necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Department of Labor and
22 Industry for the fiscal year July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008, to
23 carry out the provisions of this act.
24 Section 502. Youth Empowerment Account.
25 There is established in the General Fund a special account to
26 be known as the Youth Empowerment Account. Funds in the account
27 shall be subject to an annual appropriation and shall be
28 administered as provided by this act. This account shall be
29 administered by the Department of Labor and Industry.
30 Section 503. Prohibitions and restrictions.
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1 Youth councils may use no more than 10% of grant funds for
2 administrative costs.
3 Section 504. Effective date.
4 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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