Heartland Works: Help with your Career

Heartland Works strives to bring people seeking careers together with employers seeking qualified employees.

IN THIS SECTION

Year Round Youth Program

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) provides programs for youth, both in school and out of school, from the ages of 14 to 22.

The purpose of the WIA Youth Program is to assist youth in attaining meaningful goals of skill attainment, as well as post-secondary education, advanced training and job placement outcomes.

The Basics

The program is designed to provide services to eligible youth on a year-round basis where summer employment opportunities may be a part of the youth’s comprehensive program goal.

After a youth has been determined eligible, they are provided information on the full array of applicable or appropriate services that are available through approved year-round youth providers and local Workforce Center partners. Youth will be referred to appropriate training and educational programs that have the capacity to serve their needs. To the extent possible, youth will be involved in the selection of educational and training activities. After the referral is made, the approved service provider, in conjunction with local Heartland Works’ staff, will develop an objective assessment of the academic levels, skill levels, and service needs of a youth. A service strategy will also be developed that identifies an employment goal, preparation for postsecondary educational opportunities, strong linkages between academic and occupational learning, preparation for unsubsidized employment opportunities and/or effective connections to intermediaries with strong links to the job market and local and regional employers.

Elements included in the Year-Round Youth Program are:

Tutoring, study skills training, and instruction, leading to completion of secondary school, including drop-out prevention strategies.
Alternative secondary school services, as appropriate.
Summer employment opportunities that are directly linked to academic and occupational learning. Youth are assigned to a work site and earn a wage. Summer employment may not exceed 500 hours during a contract period.
As appropriate, paid or unpaid work experiences, including internships and job shadowing. A work experience may not exceed 500 hours during a contract period.
Occupational skill training, as appropriate.
Leadership development opportunities, which may include community service and peer-centered activities encouraging responsibility and other positive social behaviors during non-school hours, as appropriate.
A limited amount of supportive services are available for required travel, childcare reimbursements, and/or other miscellaneous needs such as eyeglasses, etc., and arrangements must be made with local Heartland Works’ staff.
Adult mentoring for the period of participation and a subsequent period, for a total of not less than 12 months.
Follow-up services for not less than 12 months after the completion of participation, as appropriate.
Comprehensive guidance and counseling, which may include drug and alcohol abuse counseling and referral, as appropriate.

Detail for Year-Round Youth Program Services

Educational Achievement Services

Activities aimed at assisting the customer in obtaining a high school diploma or GED. Services may include tutoring, study skills training, and instruction leading to secondary school completion, including dropout prevention strategies. Alternative secondary school is an alternative school, which offers a specialized, structured curriculum inside or outside of the public school system, which may provide work/study or GED preparation.

Summer Employment Opportunities

Summer employment must provide direct linkages to academic and occupational learning, such as coordinating with school systems and/or school-to-work, and may provide other elements and strategies as appropriate to serve the needs of the youth. This service is not a stand-alone activity and is a part of a comprehensive strategy to address the youth’s employment and training needs.

Work Experience

Work experience for youth are planned, structured, learning experiences that take place in a workplace for a limited amount of time. A work experience may be paid or unpaid and be in the private, non-profit or public sectors. They are designed to enable youth to gain exposure to the working world and its requirements, and to help them acquire the personal attributes, knowledge and skills needed to obtain a job and advance in employment. Work Experience is generally limited to 500 hours and if paid, must meet at a minimum, federal minimum wage requirements. Work experiences may include: Instruction in employability skills or generic workplace skills; exposure to various aspects of a particular industry; progressively more complex tasks; internships and job shadowing; the integration of basic academic skills into work activities; supported work, work adjustment and other transition activities; entrepreneurship; and other elements designed to achieve the goals of work experience.

Occupational Skills Training

Basic or advanced training for acquiring skills in a specific occupation. Instruction conducted in an institutional or work site setting designed to provide or upgrade youth with the technical skills and information required to perform a specific job or group of jobs such as auto mechanics, health services, or clerical training. Includes job-specific competency training, job-specific, school-to-specific training, and pre-apprenticeship training.

The training will frequently be provided at vocational institutions, high schools, proprietary schools, universities, colleges or community-based organizations. The majority of training offered should cater to local job demands.

Training provided must be limited to occupations for which there is demand in the local community or in another area to which the individual is willing to relocate. Consideration must be given to training in occupations determined to be in sectors of the economy, which have a high potential for sustained demand or growth. Efforts shall be made to develop/utilize programs, which contribute to occupational development, upward mobility, development of new careers, and overcoming sex stereotyping in occupations traditional for the other sex.

Leadership Development Opportunities

Leadership development opportunities are intended to develop the potential of youth customers as citizens and leaders. Services may include: exposure to post-secondary educational opportunities; community and service learning projects; peer-centered activities, including peer mentoring and tutoring; organizational and team work training, including team leadership training; training in decision-making, including determining priorities; citizenship training, including life skills training such as parenting, work behavior training, and budgeting of resources; employability; positive social behaviors (soft skills), which may focus on areas such as positive attitudinal development, self esteem building, cultural diversity training, and work simulation activities.

Supportive Services

Supportive services are provided to youth customers that need such services to participate in the program. These services may include: linkages to community services; assistance with transportation costs; assistance with child care and dependent care costs; assistance with housing costs; referrals to medical services; and assistance with uniforms or other appropriate work attire and work-related tool costs, including such items as eyeglasses, and protective eye gear.

Adult Mentoring

Mentoring services are to last at least 12 months, and may occur both during and after program participation.